Kansas City’s Best Nightlife

Most Inventive Cocktails [1]: Start your evening at The Drop [1] with an edible cocktail — think of it as the Jell-O shot’s older, more sophisticated cousin.

Best Historic Bar [2]: Drink at Kelly’s Westport Inn [2], 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 [3]: Irish culture lives at O’Dowd’s Little Dublin [3], where Guinness is on tap and several varieties of whiskey line the bar.

Best Lounge [4]: Pulsing music and a sleek interior have made the Mint Ultra Lounge [4] a favorite drinking-and-dancing destination in Union Hill’s Martini Corner District.

Best-Dressed Crowd [5]: Unassuming bistro by day and gay club by night, Bistro 303 [5] serves up delicious cocktails and some of Kansas City’s most beautiful people.

Best Bar in a Museum [6]: 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 [6], located inside the American Jazz Museum [7].

Best Live-Music Venue [8]: Built specifically for live-music performances, Crosstown Station [8] improves on the typical small-venue concert experience.

Best Live Jazz [9]: Relax with Kansas City’s official music during any of Jardine’s [9] mesmerizing jazz performances.

Most Iconic Nightlife Venue [10]: 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 [10].

Best Cocktails [11]: Celebrated local mixologist Ryan Maybee and his team of experts serve up the unexpected at Manifesto [11], a tiny, hard-to-find bar that’s worth the effort.

Best Wine List [12]: If you can’t decide on a selection from the extensive wine list at JP Wine Bar & Coffee House [12], opt instead for a regional sampler featuring some of the world’s premier wines.