Lucy Britner: The World's Best Speakeasy Bars

Mutis, 438 Avenida Diagonal, Barcelona

Hidden away in a residential apartment building, like all good speakeasies, the initial challenge is to find the place and earn yourself entry – it feels exclusive. Once inside you can admire the velvet drapes and lose yourself in the sound of ivories being tickled by the pianist. The bar was hailed the 16th best in the world in the 2012 poll and writer Tom Sandham says of it: “It’s a speakeasy in essence, but one with a European flavour and, while it might be unfamiliar to some readers, this position in the top 20 of our list is sure to catapult it to a new queue of potential flatmates.”

Frank’s, Arévalo 1445, Buenos Aires, Agentina

Frank's

Franks-bar.com

Although the website doesn’t give much away, it links directly to a busy Facebook page with 44.5k of ‘likes’. The page is alive with cocktail recipes and links to music videos as well as lots of old-fashioned images. The bar’s interior is a dark haven of softly twinkling chandeliers and... you enter through a phone booth.