If you crave more than a generic corner pub or bar, don your explorer’s hat and quench your thirst at these spots, which happen to be located in the farthest-flung corners of the world. Should you make your way to these barstools, you’ll be rewarded with epic tales to share for the rest of your life.
SubSix, Maldives
It’s not quite Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, but it could certainly pass for The Little Mermaid’s splashy digs. Enveloped in the beauty of marine life, this posh underwater restaurant and bar belongs to Niyama Private Islands Maldives (a Per Aquum Retreats, Resorts and Residences property) on the island of Huluwalu in the Maldives. Since SubSix is located 500 meters offshore, you’ll first need to get to the luxury resort via a 40-minute seaplane ride from Malé International Airport. Once at Niyama, board a speedboat to SubSix’s dock; it takes about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how choppy the water is. Once there, you’ll descend a grand staircase six meters below sea level. Pull up a seat at the clam-inspired Subsix Bar and marvel at the majesty of aquatic life careening by, such as hawksbill turtles, moray eels and rainbow-hued fish. Although the menu of sips is extensive, it seems most appropriate to pop a bottle of Dom Pérignon and toast your surreal surroundings with a glass of bubbly.
Albatross Bar, Tristan da Cunha island
The journey to Edinburgh of the Seven Seas on Tristan Da Cunha island, a village considered the most remote on earth, requires a weeklong trip on a supply ship that leaves Cape Town, South Africa, just 12 times a year. Called “the Settlement” by locals, the town is built on a rocky flat beside Queen Mary’s Peak, an active volcano. It features one bar, the Albatross, which is a taproom inside the local common house, Prince Philip Hall. Check the website for regularly updated photos of local merriment.
Three Camel Lodge, Mongolia
The vast, cold and rocky landscape of the Gobi Desert, considered the world’s fifth-largest, is home to the Thirsty Camel Bar. Located in Omnogovi aimag (South Gobi Province), the southernmost province in Mongolia, the bar is surrounded by such natural wonders as snow leopards, Gobi bears, desert basins and the Mongol Altai Mountain Range. The weather is volatile and given to extremes: Winds can cause drastic shifts in temperature, ranging from -40°F in the winter to 113°F in the summer, and the temperature can shift as much as 63°F in 24 hours. Those who can brave the climate will need to have patience as well; getting to Three Camel Lodge requires a 90-minute flight from Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, to Dalanzadgad, on the edge of the Gobi Desert. From there, it is another 90-minute drive by off-road vehicle to reach the lodge in Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park. To celebrate your arrival, whisky is in order at the Thirsty Camel Bar, which boasts a premium selection from Scotland and Japan, as well as craft distillery bottles from the U.S.
Faraday Bar, Antarctica
If you don’t fancy human companionship, you can make pals with the penguins neighboring this bar, located on an island five miles off the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounded by massive mountains, snow and sheets of ice. Once a British Antarctic expeditionary base (which dates back to 1947), Vernadsky Research Base was purchased by Ukraine in 1996 for 1 U.K. pound. If you’re not a scientist, you can get there through a tourism outfitter such as One Ocean Expeditions, which can make a pit stop at the base. Serving the rotating cast of scientists and staff on the base, Faraday is considered the southernmost drinking hole in the world. It’s festooned with Ukrainian and British flags and other knickknacks and offers a cool factor (literally and figuratively) while you down your $3 shot of vodka that was brewed on-site. And ladies, you’re in luck—drinks are on the house so long as you donate your underwear to the bar’s decorative display. Still, considering that the temperature outside can dip to −128.6°F, removing a layer might not be the best idea.
Christian’s Café, Pitcairn Island