WEST MAITLAND STREET, EDINBURGH

Small taproom. Big personality. The Wee Vault is a little slice of sour beer heaven, showcasing the wonderfully weird and ridiculously drinkable creations from Vault City Brewing. Forget everything you think you know about beer. We’re talking bold flavours, sweet-shop nostalgia and enough fruity goodness to make you question whether you’re drinking a pint or dessert. It’s fun, experimental and exactly why we love the drinks world.

Our Round: A Double Whammy. Sharp raspberry, fizzy sherbet and serious childhood nostalgia in a glass. The OG you absolutely have to try. One sip and you’ll get it.

WOLSTENHOLME SQUARE, LIVERPOOL

Good music, good drinks and plenty of personality. Sister Ray is the kind of cocktail bar that knows how to have a little fun, with a creative drinks menu full of unexpected flavours and combinations that just work. It’s playful without trying too hard, with cocktails that look as good as they taste. Exactly the sort of place that makes choosing just one drink rather difficult

Our Round: A Blondie for something sweet, delicate and a little flirty, followed by a Pocket Money for a big, bold burst of berry goodness. Both absolute winners.

STEINE STREET, BRIGHTON

A little hidden gem with a serious talent for cocktails. Plotting Parlour is all about inventive flavours, unexpected combinations and drinks that are anything but ordinary. These guys know how to have fun with a cocktail menu, taking familiar favourites and giving them a clever twist. It’s intimate, full of character and the sort of place where you go in for one and end up staying for three. Exactly our kind of place.

Our Round: A Meringue Tang for a little lemony nostalgia, followed by a Rum Plum Negroni for something with a bit more attitude. Two very different drinks. Both worth going back for.

CHARLOTTE STREET, LONDON

London outside. Tokyo down the stairs. Hidden beneath ROKA, Shochu is the sort of underground bar that makes you feel like you’ve stumbled into a little backstreet drinking den in Japan. Low lighting, Japanese spirits and cocktails that deserve your full attention. Forget your usual gin and tonic. This is the place to try something a little different. And once you’re down there, there’s really no rush to come back up.

Our Round: A Green-tini for the matcha lovers, an Apple & Barley for something crisp and refreshing, and an Okushi San if you’re feeling adventurous.

GLOUCESTER RD, CHELTENHAM

Good beer. Good people. Very good branding.

If you know your beer, you’ll know DEYA. And if you don’t, consider this your introduction. These guys have turned seriously good beer into something of a cult following, and for good reason. Best known for their hazy, hop-packed pale ales, DEYA is proof that great beer doesn’t need to be complicated. Just very, very drinkable. Head to the taproom, grab a fresh pour and settle in. One pint has a funny way of becoming three.

Our Round: A pint of Steady Rolling Man. Hazy, juicy and dangerously easy to drink.

NORTH ROAD, BRIGHTON

A gallery where you can drink cocktails? Now you’re talking. Helm brings together contemporary art and a cocktail bar, and we’re very much here for the latter (although the art’s pretty good too). It’s a place to take your time over a proper drink, try something you wouldn’t normally order and let the evening go wherever it goes. Because the best cocktails deserve more than a quick stop on the way somewhere else.

Our Round: Ask the bartender what’s good. Something unexpected, preferably with a little kick. But most definitely a Cherry Negroni.