Bon Vivant

Thistle Street is home to some of Edinburgh's best restaurants (Cafe St Honore just around the corner is recommended), but Bon Vivant is the leading after-hours cocktail stop. Grab a table if you're arriving late enough for the restaurant section to have emptied, and make the barman get his big grinder out by ordering a mandarinha – Beija-Flor cachaça, mandarin syrup, lime juice and black pepper. Or, if it's on the specials board, try a Hennessy Smash – a cognac and strawberry drink served, incongruously, in a half-pint tankard. If you ask for a tequila slammer, it will be served with a withering put down – this isn't that sort of establishment.

• 55 Thistle Street, 0131-225 3275, bonvivantedinburgh.co.uk. Open Mon–Sun noon–1am

The Raconteur

The Raconteur, Edinburgh

Edinburgh's best cocktail bar? The regulars at this suburban speakeasy would say so. The Raconteur took a leaf out of the burgeoning secret bar scene in New York and London by opening, in 2010, without really telling anyone. Everything about its decor and drinks menu is understated, and the interior is edged with wood panels and plush benches. The cocktails are old-fashioned and delicious, all served in frosty-cold vintage glasses, with pretzels on the side. For a bit of a performance, order a Trailblazer (tequila, vanilla, orange and chocolate) and watch award-winning Aussie bartender Nick literally play with fire.

• 50 Dean Street, Stockbridge, 0131-343 3221, theraconteuredinburgh.com. Open Mon–Sat 5pm–1am; Sun 5pm–midnight

Bramble

Bramble, Edinburgh

You could easily miss Bramble from the street. A bit of artificial grass constituting a smoking area and a small spray-painted logo are all that distinguish this fantastic basement cocktail bar from the clothes-alteration shop above it. Visit after work and some charming barmen will happily deal with your indecisiveness, coercing you into ordering something delicious while discussing the relative merits of the members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Visit on Friday or Saturday night and you'll find some of Edinburgh's beautiful people occupying Bramble's many cubbyholes. A great place for a date when it's quiet, or for posing when it's busy.

• 16A Queen Street, 0131-226 6343, bramblebar.co.uk. Open Mon–Sun 4pm–1am

Under the Stairs

Under The Stairs, Edinburgh

Like most of Edinburgh's best bars, Under the Stairs is in a basement (the city's Jekyll and Hyde character means that every bridge conceals a below-ground drinking hole). This one is under George IV Bridge, near the rowdy Grassmarket/Cowgate area, and is popular with students and anyone else looking to avoid the stag parties and tourists. It's table service only, which can mean a wait but does guarantee you a comfy perch. The food's good, and on a cold morning-after-the-night-before you can easily justify popping in to sup an ocho coco – a mix of tequila, coconut liqueur, passionfruit, coriander, ginger and lime to help the hangover.

• 3A Merchant Street, 0131-466 8550, underthestairs.org. Mon–Sat noon-1am; Sun noon-midnight

Dragonfly

Photograph: Brendan MacNeill/Alamy

Dragonfly is a dependable cocktail bar that stands out as the only worthwhile stop along the run of Grassmarket bars leading to the small, seedy area of strip clubs known as West Port's "Pubic Triangle". The bar is dark and friendly, and has a balcony for people watching and good local DJs playing at weekends. If you're in the mood for something flamboyant (and flammable), try a dangerously strong Zombie. The drink comes topped with a half a passion fruit... filled with rum and set alight, of course. Or maybe you'd prefer a Half an' a Hoof – half a pint of Tennent's with a nip of whisky on the side – before your visit to showbar Bottoms Up.

• 52 West Port, 0131-228 4543, dragonflycocktailbar.com. Open 4pm-1am daily

Reverie

Photograph: lucyvdv

Reverie might be the least upmarket bar to make it into this section of the guide, but it deserves a mention for being one of the homeliest watering holes in Edinburgh, and for livening up the otherwise dreich drinking scene of the Southside. There's enough wood and brass to make you feel you're in a pub, though you can get a decent cup of coffee if you're working, a cocktail if you're posing, or a pint of cider if you're recovering from a trudge up nearby Arthur's Seat. The regular live music nights cement the cosy feel of a recently established, but already widely adored city institution.

• 1–5 Newington Road, 0131-667 8870, thereverie.co.uk. Open Mon–Sat noon–1am; Sun 12.30pm–1am

The WestRoom

The West Room

One of a little clutch of decent bars at the point where the New Town meets the West End (including its sister bar, Sygn), this one stands out for being relaxed towards its customers and extremely careful about its booze. Rock up for brunch at weekends, or for a cocktail and conversation later on. Admire the size of their lampshades which are, without a doubt, the biggest you'll find anywhere in Edinburgh. If that isn't a draw, then you might be interested in getting their barman Andrew to give you a cocktail masterclass (available on request).

• 3 Melville Place, 0131 629 9868, thewestroom.co.uk. Open Mon–Wed 8am–midnight; Thu & Fri 8–1am; Sat 10–1am; Sun 10am–midnight

Bond No9

Bond No9

The port of Leith is currently Edinburgh's go-to eating and drinking destination, with several good cocktail bars and excellent restaurants springing up along the shore - Martin Wishart, The Kitchin, and the Plumed Horse are all Michelin-starred. The Roseleaf is recommended for its cocktails served in teapots. Or, if you're willing to venture a little farther down Commercial Street (not too far – not all of Leith is gentrified yet), you'll reach Bond No9. Dark and spacious inside, it's a good spot for a long boozy date. You should start by humouring the bar's soft spot for absinthe with a Red Fairy, which combines some of the potent liqueur with strawberry and elderflower favours. Follow it up with a Calvados and Hobbes – Pere Magloire Calvados, lavender syrup and apple juice mixed up to make an innocent-tasting summer cooler.

• 84 Commercial Street, Leith, 0131-555 5578, bondno9.co.uk, Mon–Sun noon–1am

Underdogs

Underdogs, Edinburgh

Underdogs offers a unique drinking experience. The only seating is on several sets of sofas and armchairs, arranged in half-a- dozen living-room suites. The drinks menu is limited, but it sells nice prosecco, and the bar staff will whip you up a simple cocktail if you can describe it to them. On a Saturday night drinkers are spared any bland dance muzak in favour of low-level psychedelic folk. Imagine a cheese and wine party at your most sophisticated friend's new pad, and you're getting close to understanding Underdogs' appeal. It can get busy, so if you're desperate to go, book a sofa beforehand.

• 104 Hanover Street, 0131-220 5155. Mon–Thu 5–11pm; Fri & Sat 5pm–midnight; Sun closed

Bar Missoni

Hotel Missoni is where Kings of Leon stayed when they played at Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, and if the bar here is good enough for them, it's probably more than good enough for you. You might want to stay away until that breakthrough second album adds a few more zeros to your bank balance, but when you make it, put the staff through their paces by ordering a bespoke Martini. The decor is as minimal and chic as you'd expect from a five-star style hotel. They even serve prosecco on draft.

• 1 George IV Bridge, 0131-220 6666, hotelmissoni.com. Open Mon–Sun 11am–1am

Jonny Ensall is editor of Scottish arts magazine The List

The entry for Under the Stairs has been amended. It originally stated that it is under George VI Bridge; it is, of course, under George IV Bridge