Best Moscow Mule: Stubborn Mule

Winner: Stubborn Mule, thestubbornmuleorlando.com

2nd: The Guesthouse, instagram.com/the_guesthouse

3rd: Mathers Social Gathering, mathersorlando.com

Previous Winners

Best of Orlando 2024: Drinking and Nightlife

Orlando gymnastics: Getting from the bar back to your spot with multiple drinks. Points deducted if you or anyone else end up wearing said drinks.

Best Cigar Lounge for Chill Punks: Nora's Sugar Shack

Offering a low-key option for cigar smokers in the Ivanhoe Village area, Nora's Sugar Shack is a funky but charming cigar "lounge" (a generous way to describe a tiny house off Virginia Drive) that every cigar smoker in the area should visit at least once. The cigar selection is limited but still impressively sized, considering the size of the place itself. And for those who aren't there to smoke, Nora's also offers wine, cheap craft beer, non-alcoholic, and canned cocktail options for anyone who just wants to hang out. Nora's always there holding down the fort, and she's very welcoming of new customers willing to put up with the shack's odd business hours and altogether eclectic vibe.

636 Virginia Drive, facebook.com/norassugarshack

Best Improbable Trend: Explosion of gothic nights in Orlando

Sharp-eyed readers might remember DJ Hexorcist, in our year-end music roundtable, boldly predicting that the City Beautiful might soon surpass Tampa in number of regular gothic nights out. Guess what? She was right! The greater Orlando area now hosts regular gothic dance soirees from Sanford down to the "Packing District" on OBT: Memento Mori, Venue 13, Void.Terror.Silence, Of the Darkness, Panic! and Crux. Tropi-goth, indeed!

Best Kava and Kratom Bar Offering Chill Vibes Only: Kava Cove Lounge

Kava bars can offer a chill alternative to an alcohol-serving bar for adults who are sober, or just enjoy or prefer kava (a natural root and central nervous system depressant with some alcohol-like effects). Our local favorite is Kava Cove Lounge, which also offers kratom drinks and kombucha on tap, in addition to various kava drink options. They have a pool table and host weekly movie nights, bingo, trivia, and other events for locals who don't want to stay in but also don't want to venture out on the bar scene. It's a cozy spot for adults to kick back with nice staff and friendly regulars.

2020 W. Fairbanks Ave., Winter Park, kavacove.co

Best Little Sibling: d.b.a.

The sister bar to popular Mills 50 resto The Strand was recently brought into the world by Olivia, Leo and Zack Rees (the offspring of The Strand's Alda and Joe). d.b.a. delivers cozy corners, delicious small plates and apps, a refreshing and creative cocktail menu, jazz and rock records and our new favorite bathroom selfie spot [there, we said it!] featuring midcentury space-age design.

809 N. Mills Ave., instagram.com/d.b.a.orlando

Best Neighborhood Bar Regularly Hosting Local Burlesque: The Falcon

In addition to art and music, one of our staff's favorite beer-and-wine bars in Thornton Park, The Falcon, offers monthly burlesque shows for adults (Naughty Nightcap, every second Friday) that we love because 1) they always feature stellar talent, 2) they show consistent support for local performers and 3) there's a low barrier to entry. Attendance is free — though reserved seating is available for $10 — with tips and donations strongly encouraged, of course. We appreciate the gothic vibe inside creating a perfectly fitting atmosphere for a naughty little nightcap.

819 E. Washington St., facebook.com/thefalconbar

Best Place to Smoke Inside: Tanqueray's

There's a point when a tipsy night on the town starts tasting like "I need a cigarette." And sometimes that's followed up with the thought, "I need to hear live music, immediately." Venerable downtown bar Tanqueray's scratches both itches — with a Pabst Blue Ribbon tallboy thrown in! Who doesn't want to spin around to jazz with a dart clenched between your teeth? If that's you, Tanqueray's is the place. (Until it gets sold, Maybe.)

100 S. Orange Ave., 407-649-8540

Best Place to Unleash Your Inner Brat: Off the Record Wednesdays

When you go out for the night do you want to hear those club classics? Do you want to immerse yourself in a local drag show? Or are you looking to have a messily fun night out with your friends? Three things can be true at once, and the answer to all questions is Off the Record's recent Charli XCX-themed "Club Brat." It's no secret that OTR puts on a gag-worthy show at the Renaissance Theatre Co. on Wednesday nights, but this particular themed show has lured an abundance of Orlando's hottest residents. It is still brat summer, after all.

The Ren, 415 E. Princeton St., instagram.com/otrwednesdays