Mar Mikhael's most quietly excellent bar gets even better
Anise has been quietly the best cocktail bar in Beirut for some time, and the new winter menu makes the case more loudly than usual. Ten drinks, all named for Beirut neighborhoods, all built on Lebanese spirits or local fruit.
The standout is the 'Achrafieh' — Massaya arak, pomegranate molasses, lemon, smoked cardamom — which sounds maximalist on paper but lands clean and bracing. The bar food has improved sharply: try the labneh man'oushe with house-cured trout. Service remains the city's warmest. Rating: 4.5/5.
