The Apartment Balcony Is the Best Bar You'll Ever Visit

If you have a balcony — even a tiny one, even one that barely fits a chair — you have something that most bars in the world cannot offer: a private outdoor space with no wait, no cover, no last call, and a drink menu that is whatever you want it to be.

The Setup

One chair. That is the minimum. A folding chair, a camp chair, a stool from your kitchen dragged outside. If you can fit two, you have a bar with a patio. If you can fit a small table, you have a cocktail lounge.

A plant. One plant in the corner transforms a concrete ledge into a space with life. A potted herb — basil, mint, rosemary — doubles as a garnish garden. Tear off a sprig, drop it in your drink, and you are a mixologist with a rooftop garden.

String lights. Optional but transformative after dark. One strand changes the balcony from a storage area to a destination.

The Drink

The balcony drink should be simple, cold, and poured before you go outside. Do not bring the bottle and the ice and the glass outside separately. Make the drink inside, carry it out, sit down. The transition from inside to outside with a drink in hand is the ritual. It is the commute from your apartment to the best bar in town.

A Bee's Knees from Deko Cocktails over ice. Bright, floral, made for open air. Sit down. Look up or look out. Breathe.

The Rules

No phone for the first 10 minutes. Just the drink and the view. Even if the view is the building across the street. Even if the view is a parking lot. The sky is the same sky everywhere, and it is always worth looking at.

The balcony is not a bar. It is better. It is yours.