Elite Traveler September-October 2015

elite traveler SEPT/OCT 2015 ISSUE 5 119

THE BEST GIN IN TOWN

seasonal cocktails and an off-menu twist on a gimlet called the Northern Navy (Swedish Hernö Navy-Strength Gin, lime juice and grapefruit cordial). Gamla Stan’s after-dark appeal also grew with the recent opening of Gaston , easily the city’s best wine bar, which sits shoulder-to-shoulder with Frantzén’s gastropub, The Flying Elk. The glow of the brass bar and glimmering Edison bulbs attract passersby into the chic bar, where the staff’s encyclopedic wine knowledge will lead you to delicious discoveries. kaken.niklas.se, cornerclub.se, gastonvin.se

The global explosion of craft cocktail bars has finally reached Stockholm’s shores, despite the country’s hefty taxes on alcohol. Hidden behind restaurant Niklas, Kåken trades on its clubby atmosphere – velvet banquettes, low lighting, wood-paneled walls – and bartenders well-versed in the classics. The opening of Corner Club on a cobbled lane of Gamla Stan has begun luring locals to an area once considered tourist territory. The bar, a project by chef Björn Frantzén whose namesake two-Michelin-starred restaurant is across the street, is a sophisticated lounge with marble-topped tables,

Top and above: Corner Club. Kåken. Left: Gaston