Best Cocktails in West Port

Cocktail Bars in West Port

West Port, the compact neighbourhood bridging Edinburgh's Old Town and the Grassmarket, may be small in footprint but carries outsized significance in the city's cocktail history. This is where Dragonfly, widely recognised as Edinburgh's oldest cocktail bar, has been shaking and stirring since long before the city's current cocktail boom. Occupying a cosy space on West Port street, Dragonfly has earned its longevity through reliable craft, a welcoming atmosphere, and a drinks list that balances crowd-pleasing classics with more adventurous seasonal creations. The bar's relaxed, group-friendly format makes it a natural starting point for evenings that might continue into the Grassmarket's pubs or up towards the Old Town's speakeasies. West Port's position at the crossroads of Edinburgh's most atmospheric neighbourhoods — with the castle looming above and the Grassmarket's cobblestones just steps away — gives it a sense of place that few bar locations can match. For visitors tracing Edinburgh's cocktail evolution, Dragonfly is where the story begins.