World's Sexiest Bars

by James Heidenry

A truly sexy bar is hard to come by, and even harder to define. For starters, it helps if your fellow imbibers are good-looking, super-stylish, or at the very least scantily clad. The romance of an exotic locale can help, too—and the fact that you're far enough from home to be regarded as exotic yourself can ramp up your scoring probability tenfold. Oh, and music helps, be it a seductive accompaniment to the sweet nothings you're whispering or tinnitus-inducing brilliant sounds that keep you bumping and grinding with a local beauty all night long (useful when you don't speak the language). We've tracked down a few of the sexiest bars around the world—from a chandelier-strewn Bolshevik-era bar in Moscow to a sandy-floored beach shack in Mozambique—where you can practice the art of seduction. Go to dance, drink, play, and if you're lucky, have an affair to remember.

The place: Le Ti St. Barth, St. Barths

The people: Megayacht owners, their guests, and Brazilian models who would actually date Ron Perlman

Sex appeal: Nikki Beach, down by the water, may be more famous, but the billionaires-club crowd always starts the party at this hidden hilltop venue. The local tourist information identifies Le Ti as a barbecue restaurant, which it is, but this ain't Kansas and those are Christian Louboutins dancing on the tables (the red soles are a dead giveaway). The dark wooden furniture and tiki torch lighting give the place a swanky boudoir feeling, which is why the on-site itsy-bitsy boutique selling rabbit-fur bathrobes is curiously not out of place. It's around 10 pm, when everyone is finishing off their Nymph Thighs dessert (lemon cake with custard ice cream), that the spell of European beats and bottles of bubbly transforms the place into party central. Best nights are Friday and Saturday—just pray your hotel's concierge has the juice to get you a reservation.

Pickup line: "I'm supposed to stop by Jay Z and Beyoncé's yacht for a quick glass of Champagne—wanna join me?"

The hook-up:
Le Ti St. Barth
Tel: 590 590 27 97 71

The place: Denis Simachëv, Moscow

The people: Vixens who could be cast as extras in Quantum of Solace

Sex appeal: In case you missed it on CNN: Moscow has the largest grouping of beautiful women in the world. Not Brazil, not New York—Moscow. And on any given night, a good sampling of these femmes fatales clad in skintight Kova & T jeans and spiked heels can be found at Simachëv, partying with their comrades in paperboy caps and Zegna suits. Beyond the heart-stopping Muscovites, though, Simachëv is a sultry spot in its own right. The mazelike space is a study in suggestive decor, one that meshes a Bolshevik-era wooden bar with erotic anime wall art and low-hanging chandeliers. The drinks—listed on menus designed as old-fashioned record covers—are expensive, and the music is remixed '80s disco, but what the hell, you're surrounded by the most seductive crowd in eastern Europe.

Pickup line: "I get a discount at the Prada boutique."

The hook-up:
Denis Simachëv
Tel: 7 495 629 57 02

The place: Bellini Bar, Hôtel du Cap Eden-Roc, Antibes, France

The people: The wealthiest and most beautiful monsieurs and mademoiselles in all the land

Sex appeal: If there's one place in the world where you're likely to spot a tipsy Sienna Miller thumb-wrestling with Bono, or a sparkling Paris Hilton and a sweaty Brandon Davis in party mode (okay, we realize that's always the case), it's at this glitzy sanctum for the megarich. By day, the bar is a luxurious lounge overlooking the Mediterranean, where you can nosh on spiced nuts while scanning the horizon for Stavros Niarchos's yacht. At night, especially around May, when the Cannes Film Festival and Monaco Grand Prix draw an international crowd, Bellini becomes the hottest spot in the south of France, if not the world. "Normally, we close at 2 am," says head bartender Christopher Lencioni. "But when all the movie stars are here, there are no rules and we're absolutely packed until 6 am." Not that the party ends there, as a Russian millionaire is always on hand to open up his or her $3,500-dollar-a-night hotel villa.

Pickup line: "Mind if I talk to you for a moment? I'm hiding from Harvey Weinstein."

The hook-up:
Bellini Bar
Tel: 33 4 93 61 39 01

The place: Nublu, New York City

The people: Intrepid music lovers and young masters of Latin dance

Sex appeal: You'll probably have trouble finding the unmarked, graffiti-marred door to this Brazilian bar on Avenue C in Manhattan's East Village, and once you do, you might not want to go in. But take a chance and pay the $10 cover, and you'll find yourself mesmerized by the attractive couples lost in samba on the rat-size dance floor. When the bar first opened, many predicted that it would be only a matter of time before the dreaded bridge and tunnel crowd overran the place. But five years on, there's nary a cheeseball in sight. And that's important, because guys in striped shirts with toothpicks dangling from their mouths don't know how to lead a fiery woman who can shut down a dance floor. The DJs skillfully control the ebb and flow of the Latin beats, and very often—Wednesdays in particular—they hand the stage over to forró musicians and other live acts expert at making you sweat.

Pickup line: "Let me buy you a drink—it's important to stay hydrated."

The hook-up:
Nublu
Tel: 646 546 5206

The place: Buzz Beach Bar, Ölüdeniz, Turkey

The people: The bikini and Billabong tribes from every country in the EU

Sex appeal: Sometimes a travel virgin needs to circle the globe a few times to fully appreciate what makes a bar sexy. Sure, the raves in Goa and the clubs in Amsterdam are fun, but they can be the nightlife equivalent of a one-night stand. Not so at Buzz, where owner Cem Gürkan knows just how to set the mood. Big, comfy booths overlooking the Aegean Sea and the outlying Babadağ Mountains provide the perfect spot for sandy beach bums to drink fruity cocktails and watch the sunset and the hang gliders compete for attention. The DJ gets everyone familiar with hypnotic dance music from European darlings likes Jamie T and Lykke Li at nightfall, at which point the maxi-dress set begins showing up, and getting down. The party doesn't stop until the break of dawn, giving you plenty of time to drink in the gorgeous setting and the lovely local you're sharing it with.

Pickup line: "So, Istanbul, not Constantinople? Let's grab a booth and discuss it."

The hook-up:
Buzz Beach Bar
Tel: 90 252 617 0526

The place: Moon Bar, Banyan Tree Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

The people: International jet set and trendy locals with a good head for heights

Sex appeal: Anyone who's ever been to Thailand knows its "Land of a Thousand Smiles" sobriquet is well deserved. And you'll be grinning, too, once you walk out onto this bar, 61 stories north of Bangkok's frenetic streets, with spectacular 360-degree views over the Grand Palace, Chao Phraya River, and Emerald Buddha. This converted helipad atop the Banyan Tree Hotel is arguably the sexiest bar in southeast Asia. Sitting at one end of the aptly named Vertigo restaurant, the Moon Bar has low glass walls and tilted stemware to enhance the dizzying experience. In competition with the bird's-eye view is the up-for-it crowd of successful expats, expense-account abusers, and Louis Vuitton–lovin' locals. The constant breeze ruffles the clothing of the sultry clientele, which is just as well—it keeps the collective body heat down, too.

Pickup line: "I don't know what's hotter, you or this 96 percent humidity."

The hook-up:
Moon Bar
Tel: 66 2 679 1200

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The place: Nuth Lounge, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The people: Drop-dead gorgeous and well-to-do cariocas, plus foreigners thanking their lucky stars they got in

Sex appeal: Throw together a bunch of hot, tanned bodies dressed in not very much, a potent caipirinha or two, and some seductive samba beats and you'll find that Nuth pretty much ticks all the boxes in the sexy bar stakes. You'll have to venture about 25 minutes' west of Copacabana Beach, through the expansive jungle of residential towers, to get to this two-story nightclub—but, boy, is it worth the effort. The overall atmosphere is tropical chic, with palm trees and tiki lanterns setting the laid-back mood in the open-air lounge area. Inside, the evening starts with a live band or chilled tracks, but it's not long before masterful DJs ramp up the tempo, playing samba and Latin house for hours until the whole scene reaches its peak at around 3 am. If your dance moves don't live up to the high expectations of the hip-swaying locals, then head to the lush, leafy lounge; light someone's cigarette; and talk the talk.

Pickup line: "Now I know why they say Brazil's two main exports are oil and beauty."

The hook-up:
Nuth Lounge
Tel: 55 21 3153 8595

The place: Dino's Beach Bar, Tofo, Mozambique

The people: Hard-bodied scuba-diving enthusiasts and travel frontiersmen

Sex appeal: As Mozambique's reputation as a bush-meets-beach paradise grows, more and more moneyed South Africans, European weekenders, and shirtless Aussies are heading to small resort towns like Tofo. Along this stretch of untamed coastline, Dino's is known as the place to be, in large part because it's the only place. The bar itself is rickety chic, with wood-plank floors and no walls to block the dramatic views of the Indian Ocean. The fun begins at sundown, when the DJ starts spinning world tunes and a bonfire is set ablaze. When everybody is starting to feel it—helped along by a few cans of 2M, the local beer—a staff member will break out the bongos and lure all the boys and girls onto the dance floor. And that's about the time a few of the lucky ones will realize they're dancing with a sexy stranger, on a starlit beach in Africa.

Pickup line: "I just got back from a week in the bush. Want to see some of my tribal dance moves?"

The hook-up:
Dino's Beach Bar
Tel: 258 82 410 8890

The place: Giardino d'Inverno, Hotel Principe di Savoia, Milan, Italy

The people: Female models with impossibly long legs, male models with impossibly large biceps, local model-izers hoping the impossible comes true

Sex appeal: Every year in September, Milan gets invaded. That's when the city's fashion shows suck in a global crunch of gorgeous models and the fabulously fierce who run the whole glitzy shebang. Where these trendsetters stay, dine, and party is just as important as what shows they attend, and the Principe di Savoia is the place to see and be seen. Within the 1920s neoclassical hotel is the Giardino d'Inverno, a remarkable space where 16th-century art and a spectacular glass ceiling provide a fitting backdrop for the industry's top-shelf DNA. Here, models in low-cut Versace provide the sexy; media peeps provide the prosecco; and the hangers-on provide the outrageous fun. No need to be shy—this is Italy, after all.

Pickup line: "Is it true that most people are too intimidated to approach drop-dead gorgeous models?"

The hook-up:
Giardino d'Inverno
Tel: 39 02 62301

The place: Shalvata, Tel Aviv

The people: The young and beautiful whose only worry in life is getting in

Sex appeal: To the uninitiated, a nighttime visit to Shalvata seems somewhat at odds with the whole Holy Land thing. But the scene here is one of stunning Israeli women gyrating on the seaside dance floor. And Israeli women aren't just impossibly beautiful, they're sophisticated and tough—and that's sexy. The best time to hit Shalvata (it means "peace" or "tranquility" in Hebrew) is right before sunset, when you can have a drink, listen to the waves breaking, and watch the enormous orange sun ripple away behind the horizon. And if you want to dance, consider going home, taking a nap, and coming back after midnight—things will just be getting started.

Pickup line: "Holy Land or not, it'd be a sin to let you go."

The hook-up:
Shalvata
Tel: 972 3 544 1279