Most Inventive Cocktails: Start your evening at The Drop with an edible cocktail — think of it as the Jell-O shot’s older, more sophisticated cousin.

Best Historic Bar: Drink at Kelly’s Westport Inn, and you’re drinking in the oldest building in Kansas City. Don’t forget to raise a toast to Kansas City history.

Best Irish Bar: Irish culture lives at O’Dowd’s Little Dublin, where Guinness is on tap and several varieties of whiskey line the bar.

Best Lounge: Pulsing music and a sleek interior have made the Mint Ultra Lounge a favorite drinking-and-dancing destination in Union Hill’s Martini Corner District.

Best-Dressed Crowd: Unassuming bistro by day and gay club by night, Bistro 303 serves up delicious cocktails and some of Kansas City’s most beautiful people.

Best Bar in a Museum: While you enjoy your cocktails, take a look at the in- table memorabilia displays and impressive indoor mural dedicated to local jazz culture at The Blue Room, located inside the American Jazz Museum.

Best Live-Music Venue: Built specifically for live-music performances, Crosstown Station improves on the typical small-venue concert experience.

Best Live Jazz: Relax with Kansas City’s official music during any of Jardine’s mesmerizing jazz performances.

Most Iconic Nightlife Venue: If you can stay up late on Saturday or Sunday, you’ll be rewarded with impromptu — and sometimes infamous — jazz jam sessions at the Mutual Musicians Foundation.

Best Cocktails: Celebrated local mixologist Ryan Maybee and his team of experts serve up the unexpected at Manifesto, a tiny, hard-to-find bar that’s worth the effort.

Best Wine List: If you can’t decide on a selection from the extensive wine list at JP Wine Bar & Coffee House, opt instead for a regional sampler featuring some of the world’s premier wines.