An evening in Amsterdam should always be memorable – or you’re not doing it right.
If you’re looking for a great night out, follow this tour¹ round four of Amsterdam’s best locations for enjoying whisky.

Where is it

Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, the western reaches of Europe.

Why go to Amsterdam

Even today, there are few better places for a lost weekend on the planet. Here at Liquid Sunshine we haven’t tired of it in the last fifty years and doubt we will in the next fifty.

Indulge yourself – de BijenKorf department store, countless smart boutiques, de Negen Straatjes artisans, the Leidseplein bars, de Melkweg, the Vondelpark, van Gogh, Foodhallen, pizza and beer cruises, Rijstaffeln, wit bier, pancakes, Christmas Olliebollen, filling broodjes. There are great restaurants, churches, bruin cafes, museums, football, parks, fantastic bars, happening clubs, cocktail bars, coffeeshops and coffeeshops.

Amsterdam is a great city all year round, with way more to offer than its more publicised vices. Dance in the park, swim in the North Sea (yes, really), canoe, cruise and sip a cocktail.

What

This route takes in two of Amsterdam’s best whisky bars in J D Williams Whisky Bar and the Whisky Cafe L & B, and two of the city’s finest cocktail bars, the art deco Cafe Americain by the Leidseplein, and the night-ending comfort of Pulitzer’s Bar.

Amsterdam: Four Favourites by Foot

1. Kickstart the evening at the Whiskycafe L&B ²
   Long renowned as one of A’Dams best whisky haunts, the Whiskycafe just off the Leidseplein boasts over 2,000 whiskies, including many rarities. Cosy and welcoming, you could easily spend a weekend here, never mind an evening.
2. Sip a sazerac at the Cafe Americain.
   A short walk takes you through the Leidseplein to the Cafe Americain where you can sip a cocktail in the Art Deco glory of this classic grand cafe whilst admiring the large feature arches, original Tiffany lamps and stained-glass panoramic windows, all surrounded by wallpaintings depicting Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream.
   ‘The course of true love never did run smooth’ proclaimed Lysander, but don’t worry, this is undoubtedly a date night venue to allay any angst.
3. Fill out the night with a dram or two at J D Williams ³ Whisky bar.
   A great selection of malts, bourbons and blends, Scottish, Irish, Japanese and American, in this unpretentious yet stylish, back-to-the-brick whisky bar in the Jordaan. Settle in with over 250 whiskies and enjoy your evening getting to know them, or reaquainting.
4. End the night effortlessly in Pulitzer’s Bar on the Keizergracht.
   Close out the night in comfort, chilling in the tranquility of this timeless bar in the Pulitzer Hotel. Relax into evening’s end with a Lagavulin 16 year old or one of their retellings of a cocktail story. They even do a great local witbeir from Brouwerij ’t IJ.

Enjoy your evening, and tell them Ricky sent you.

When to go

All year round. Rug up for winter, take a rain jacket in autumn, wear your shorts in summer.

How to get there

• Trains from around Europe: 2 hours from Brussels, under 4 hours from Paris, 5 from London with a change at Bruxelles Midi, 6 from Berlin.
• Fly into Schiphol, a 27km² smooth-running behemoth of an airport, then take the 20 minute train ride into Centraal.
• Ferry, locally, and across the North Sea from Newcastle.
• You could drive, but we have never regarded Amsterdam as a ‘Driving’ destination due to its unique melange of canals, cobbles, narrow straatjes, cycles and trams. Even before the eBike delivery drivers.

1. This route is designed for walking, but trams trundle up Spuistraat from the Leidseplein, so you can reduce the stepcount. ↩︎
2. As at 1st January 2025 the Whiskycafe L & B is closed for renovation works ↩︎
3. As at 1st January 2025 J D Williams are establishing a distillery in Amsterdam Noord and the whisky bar is closed. ↩︎