The Story Bar at the stunning MACq 01 Hotel has brought a new level of glitz and glam to the local bar scene.Grab a fireside posse, order some Tassie sparkling and allow your spirit to be soothed by the twinkling lights on the water.

Revellers, pull up a retro bar stool indoors around the caged cork bar at Grape or settle under one of the heated canopies outside.An impressive selection of Tasmanian, Australian and international wines nestle in racks against the sandstone walls creating a cellar-cum-cave like atmosphere tempting the palate.

They say crowds flock for the craft beers and gourmet burgers at Jack Greene (and they’re good), but really this place is all about atmosphere. A sea of pendant lights hang from the ceiling like caged fireflies, hundreds of beer coasters and books pose as artwork on rafters and walls, and patrons cram around the marble bar.

In winter, when bracing gales are whipping off the top of snow-capped kunanyi/Mount Wellington, cosy old fave, the Cellar Door at Lark Distillery makes for a fitting refuge. With over 150 single malts on offer, you’ll be toasty in no time. If distilleries are your jam, Hobart has five others worthy of your time.

Retaining its old-English-style pub feel from the good old days when it was frequented by sailors, whalers and ‘fine’ women, The Whaler (formerly Knopwood Retreat) has a truly historic atmosphere and was actually the first watering hole in Salamanca.

Serving locally produced Gillespie’s alcoholic ginger beer plus 14 tap draught beers and a bloody mary menu, there are so many choices you’d be “bloody fussy” not to find something to your liking, well, that’s what the staff say anyway.

An award-winning restaurant dishing up modern local cuisine and some of the best cocktail shakers in town render Waterman’s Hotel (formerly Quarry Salamanca) the full package.Move from beer to wine and lounge amid sandstone walls and arches, absorbing two hundred years of architecture and a glass of Bruny Island unwooded chardonnay.

For more killer waterside views, The Glass House, set on Sullivan’s Cove makes a superb perch for pre-dinner cocktails or a deep immersion into Tasmanian wine and spirits. An entire bar wall is in fact dedicated to whisky and gin, all sourced from the Apple Isle. And should hunger strike, you’re in excellent hands with this Hobart bar’s share plate menu.

Housed within the historic Henry Jones Art Hotel, IXL Long Bar is a cosy spot to pull up a pew on a brisk winter’s eve, with all-stone walls and beamed ceilings. The atmospheric Hobart bar also boasts a carefully curated cocktail menu that features a smattering of barrel-aged cocktails in addition to its cocktail specials and a selection of quirky house signatures (whisky fans need not look beyond the ‘Island of Fire’ served hot and alight).

A sliver of a place, this Hobart wine bar feels positively continental thanks to its chalkboard menu, moody lighting, intimate seating arrangement and vinyl music soundtrack. Founded by chef Matt Breen (of Templo restaurant fame), Sonny’s principal draw cards are its fresh handmade pasta and an ever-changing Tassie-leaning wine list.

The speakeasy trend that shows no signs of abating hasn’t passed Hobart by. Pablo’s promises a laneway location, a full roster of live music and, as the name would imply, some serious cocktails to boot.

The catch-all destination catering to every last whim, naturally MONA has a bar worth shouting about. Nuzzled seventeen metres underground, in a cavernous sandstone space, Void Bar proudly proclaims to have Australia’s earliest happy hour, shaking martinis from 10am.