To get a general idea of how the people of Buenos Aires drink, you need only go inside any grocery or convenience store. It won’t be too many steps before you’re confronted with an end-of-aisle liquor display. But it won’t be vodka or rum on sale. It will be Campari, Fernet Branca, Cynar, Cinzano vermouth or Gancia, an aperitivo. Each is an Italian product, but porteños (as residents here are called), many of whom are of Italian or Spanish descent, have made them their own.

Cynar Juleps are more common than Mint Juleps, perhaps partly because bourbon is hard to come by here. Negronis and Negroni variations are everywhere; Argentina is the world’s third largest market for Campari. And Fernet and Coke might as well be the national drink. It’s not for nothing that Argentina has its own Campari and Fernet Branca distilleries. Thirsts must be met.

These longstanding drinking traditions have been interwoven into Buenos Aires’ robust cocktail scene, which encompasses more than 50 bars. They include every recognizable variety of drinking den, from hidden joints like the Harrison Speakeasy, to restaurant bars such as Casa Cavia; from historical standard bearers like Los Galgos, to the theme-park extravaganza Uptown, whose entrance exactly resembles a New York subway station — tile walls, turnstiles, sliding train doors and all. While they all keep an eye trained on global cocktail trends, each saloon has a distinctly Argentine edge.

“There are small and personal bars, and there are large and popular bars,” explains Rodolfo Reich, a local journalist and cocktail authority. “The lack of some imported drinks is supplanted with artisanal recipes from each bartender.”