After a few days of wine tasting sometimes it’s just nice to relax with a cocktail. Paso Robles might be known for its incredible wineries and delicious wine, but it’s also home to many cocktails bars and craft distilleries.

Spread throughout the downtown Paso Robles area, we’ve put together a list of some of our favorite bars, restaurants, distilleries, and speakeasies for the cocktail lover in you. These establishments have been honing their craft of making some of the most delicious and unique cocktails for years and would love to share their creations with you.

Wine typically revolves around the same idea with winemakers experimenting with different grapes and blends, while cocktails have almost no limits when it comes to creativity.

Don’t be fooled, we absolutely love our wine and our winemakers in the area, but sometimes a good, unique, cocktail just feels right.

The Alchemists’ Garden

If you’re looking for creative cocktails, then The Alchemists’ Garden in Paso Robles is a great place to check out. Alchemists’ Garden offers up a small menu of delectable plates that are great for dinner or just something to munch on while enjoying some cocktails. The cocktails are where they really shine.

With an extensive selection of spirits, Alchemists’ Garden has created a cocktail menu that will make you want to order one of everything. Their takes on more traditional drinks like the margarita and the old-fashioned are familiar, yet different, in a way that makes your mouth dance with excitement.

CANE Tiki Room

The CANE Tiki Room offers a variety of exotic tiki cocktails and Polynesian small plates. This restaurant will have you feeling like you just stepped off the plane in Hawaii. Their food menu consists of Ahi Poke, Pork and Shrimp Egg Rolls, and even Spam Musubi!

Of course, as with everything on this list, we’re more interested in the cocktails.

You know those bright-colored drinks you sip by the pool on a tropical vacation? The ones with little umbrellas and a pineapple slice in them? That’s exactly what you’ll find here, plus more. No matter what sort of spirit you enjoy, or what kind of fruit is your favorite, there is a tropical drink on this menu for you. From classic Mai Tai’s and Daiquiri’s to their take on the old fashion (using rum), this is a great place to go if you want to be transported to the islands for the night.

Eleven Twenty-Two

1122 Cocktail Lounge & Speakeasy offers up one of the most unique cocktail experiences in Paso Robles. This speakeasy-style bar is located through Pappy McGregor’s Pub near their rear patio. Press the doorbell and be ready to be amazed.

Between the extensive spirit list and the creative cocktail menus, there’s something for all tastes at Eleven Twenty-Two.

You’ll find four different cocktail menus that cater to all types of drinkers. The “Seasonal Cocktails” focus on cocktails for that season. The “1122 Originals” are developed in-house and focus on the strengths of the mixologists. The “Classic Cocktails” menu revolves around more well-known drinks in case you’re not feeling as adventurous. And finally, the “Forgotten Cocktails” remind us of popular cocktails of the past.

In Bloom

If you’re looking to step up your food and cocktail game while visiting Paso Robles, then you’ll want to stop in to In Bloom. This restaurant is a new edition to the Paso Robles community with a mission of featuring local ingredients and supporting the community.

The cocktail menu at In Bloom is small but mighty. You can find unique takes on the classic margarita, while also enjoying one of their other delicious and amazing beverages. Stop in today to grab a casual, yet upscale, cocktail to go along with a delicious meal.

Fish Gaucho

Fish Gaucho serves up incredible upscale Mexican food along with some amazing cocktails.

Don’t be fooled, just because fish appears in the restaurant name, you won’t be reduced to only seafood. Short rib and carnitas tacos, along with chicken and steak dishes, round out the seafood-centric menu that brings the next level to Mexican cuisine.

You’ll be able to find a wide variety of handcrafted margaritas as well as some very intricate tequila-based cocktails at Fish Gaucho. Combine this with their extensive collection of tequila and you’re sure to have a great night!

Grain + Vine

Grain + Vine Distillery was founded in 2022 by husband and wife team Jenny and Joe Barton, proprietors of Barton Family Wines, that are committed to making high-quality small-batch craft spirits. Grain + Vine Distillery is located at the Barton Family Estate property in Paso Robles, CA. 

Current selections include vodka, gin, aged rum, bourbon, and rye whiskey as well as a menu of craft cocktails featuring local, fresh, and seasonal ingredients. The playful and seasonal menu of rotating libations includes fall favorites Sweater Weather, Harvest Sour, and Pumpkin Spice Espresso Martini. Come experience our grain-to-bottle approach, and learn how the grain farmer’s daughter and the grape grower’s son brought two families together as one. 

The Hatch

The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar is a great place to enjoy wood-fired comfort food and classic cocktails. They have a variety of beer and wine on tap, but their cocktails are where they really shine.

You’ll find traditional staples like their Barrel Aged Old Fashioned and My Grandpa’s Old Fashioned to incredible Manhattans. Their cocktail menu has a little something for all types of drinkers.

In addition to the incredible cocktails, their food menu features upscale comfort food that is out of this world.

La Cosecha

La Cosecha Bar + Restaurant in Paso Robles is a Latin-inspired restaurant featuring market fresh ingredients. You’ll find a wide variety of food on their menu ranging from small, shared plates to stone fire pizzas and delicious entrees. Chef MacDonal brings his Honduran heritage to every meal he serves and prides himself on fresh, locally sourced, cuisine.

The craft cocktail menu is also designed to take advantage of local spirits as well as garden fresh ingredients. These cocktails are inspired by Spanish and Latin flavors and pair wonderfully with their menu.

The cocktail menu consists of three sections, Seasonal Cocktails, Signature Cocktails, and Revived Classics. You’ll find that the seasonal cocktail list is tailored to the flavors that are in season, while the classic and signature cocktails take more traditional classics for a unique spin.

Della’s

Della’s has shown up on a few of our restaurant lists over the years and for good reason. Their casual atmosphere and delicious food is great for anyone looking to tone it back a little bit but still wants to enjoy a delicious meal and exquisite cocktails. From woodfired pizzas and shareable plates to incredible steaks and fish, the food at Della’s does not disappoint.

If you’re looking for cocktails though and enjoy gin and tonic, you’re going to love Della’s Gin & Tonics. Their Brains, Brawn, Beauty, and Bewitchery gin and tonic drinks each offer their own unique flavor using only the best ingredients.

If gin and tonic isn’t your thing, the general cocktail menu offers up drinks featuring your more traditional liquors, but with a high-end feel to them.

Pappy McGregor’s

While Eleven Twenty-Two is located through Pappy McGregor’s, you’re going to want to take the time to stop and have a drink before you make it to the speakeasy. Pappy McGregor’s offers an incredible gastropub menu featuring high-end comfort food. The cocktails at Pappy McGregor’s are unique in their own right. You’ll find twists on original classics while also experiencing some modern cocktails.

You’re never too old to enjoy a slushie! Be sure to stop in and try their incredible adult slushie featuring rotating flavors each day!

Tetto Rooftop Bar at The Piccolo

There’s just something different about having a cocktail on a rooftop when compared to a patio or inside a restaurant. I don’t know if it’s just the fact that you’re above the rest of the world, or if it’s the views that come with it, but we are big fans of rooftop bars, and Tetto at The Piccolo is a great place to grab a cocktail after dinner.

Take in the great downtown views with one of their signature or seasonal cocktails, or even a glass of wine (if you haven’t had enough already). Their cocktail menu has something for all types of drinkers and is sure to impress.

While Paso Robles may be known for its incredible wine and beautiful vineyards, don’t sleep on the cocktail scene. These restaurants, bars, and speakeasies are a great place to grab a drink after a delicious meal in downtown Paso Robles.

A little-known secret is that Paso Robles has an extensive craft spirits community, many started by renowned winemakers. With tasting rooms tucked into small industrial locations and behind wineries, artisan distillers are making a name for themselves. Whether these makers and mixers are creating fine handcrafted spirits or formulating new inventive cocktails they all have one thing in common – the love of place and availability of seasonal sustainable ingredients.

Explore and get to taste the many distilleries in Paso Robles.

RE:FIND

Trailblazing vintner, Alex Villicana of Villicana Winery, launched Paso Robles’ first craft distillery, RE:FIND in 2011. RE:FIND Distillery is crafting artisan spirits from grape/grain to bottle at the distillery on Adelaida Road, in the heart of Paso Robles wine country. Re:Find’s handcrafted spirits are fermented, distilled, & aged at the winery/distillery utilizing only natural and local ingredients. Re:Find crafts premium vodkas & gins from the free-run juice of Paso Robles grapes and memorable whiskeys from SLO County artisan brewers.

Bethel Rd.

Willow Creek

No matter what path you take to explore all that Paso Robles Wine Country has to offer, we know along the way you’ll get to know the passionate personalities that are truly what make Paso Robles such a special place to visit.

Photo Credit: Pretty Media Creations, Grain + Vine, Acacia Productions