Condé Nast Traveler Exclusive Editor's Tips for Beverage "Best Bets" Ashore

This third installment in a series of exclusive Editor’s Tips from our Condé Nast Traveler with Oceania Cruises collaboration explores where to sip and savor refreshing – and unique – beverages at some of the magazine editors’ favorite ports as featured on select 2025 and 2026 Oceania Cruises itineraries.

From a proper High Tea to the best breweries and dive bars, you’ll learn what to try at these can’t-miss places on an Oceania Cruises journey.

Prior blogs have showcased adventurous shoreside activities and amazing gastronomic experiences. Stay tuned for the editors’ suggestions on culture-rich travel experiences!

Condé Nast Traveler-Recommended Beverage Best Bets

1. Go on a Brewery Crawl
   Wilds of Alaska: Oceania Riviera, May 29, 2025
   Port: Juneau, Alaska
   When Alaskan Brewing Co. opened in 1986, it was one of the first craft breweries in the country. Today, it is also one of the largest by volume. And while you can likely buy its potables at home, it’s worth pulling up a bar stool at its Juneau tasting room, where there’s always a selection of beers found nowhere else, including pours from their Rough Drafts and Barrel-Aged series. Afterward, check out the rest of the home-grown libations scene including Barnaby Brewing Company, which tends to be more playful (they used edible glitter in one of their sours) and Amalga Distillery, whose Juneauper Gin is made from locally sourced ingredients including Devil's Club, Labrador Tea and rhubarb. Insider tip: If Sitka spruce tips are listed as an ingredient, get it. They impart a mellow pine and raspberry flavor.
2. Sip a Spot of Tea
   Bermudian Breeze: Oceania Insignia, July 23 & July 30, 2025
   Port: Hamilton, Bermuda
   Nowhere is Bermuda’s British heritage more evident than in the custom of afternoon tea, which is still very much a thing on the Atlantic island. While most teas are served on weekdays, Hamilton Princess & Beach Club offers what is arguably the island’s best known afternoon tea service each Saturday afternoon, so consider slipping into something “smart casual” and stopping by. Finger sandwiches and scones with clotted cream and preserves accompany the impressive lineup of teas, which includes one the resort says was Princess Diana’s favorite, a blend of Indian and Chinese black tea and rose petals called Rose Congou.

3. Drink Local at the Island’s Oldest Bar
   Vibrant Voyage to Rio: Oceania Vista, January 6, 2026
   Port: Gustavia, St. Barts
   St. Barts has no shortage of upscale cocktail bars and celebrity chef-helmed restaurants, but one spot that hasn’t lost its luster over the past 75 years is Le Select, in the heart of Gustavia. A popular place for locals to catch up after work or a day at the beach, the no-frills bar embodies the Caribbean’s laid-back feel. The menu is pure pub fare (think chicken wings and fried calamari), but the cheeseburgers are a crowd favorite – especially paired with an ice-cold Carib Lager or rum punch at one of the picnic tables on the shaded terrace.
4. Embark on a Boteco Crawl in Tijuca
   Brazilian Rhythms: Oceania Vista, January 24, 2026
   Port: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
   Praça da Bandeira, in the Tijuca region, is a stronghold for Rio de Janeiro's most authentic botecos – the Brazilian take on a dive bar, complete with delicious, affordable food and a lively atmosphere. An afternoon spent bar hopping is an afternoon well spent: Start at Aconchego Carioca, famous for chef Kátia Barbosa’s feijoada dumplings (fritters stuffed with beans, collard greens and bacon), followed by Bar da Frente, where the standout dish is the porco de quimono, a Japanese-style spring roll filled with succulent pork rib. End your exploration at Noo Cachaçaria, a bar boasting hundreds of bottles of cachaça and an incredible cucuruqui, a crispy tapioca fritter blended with cheese and smoked sausage.

5. Sip Some Local Spirits at Wolf Lane Distillery
   Barrier Reef Treasures: Oceania Vista, April 9, 2026
   Port: Cairns, Australia
   Behind a set of heavy doors, in an unassuming laneway in the heart of the CBD, you’ll find Wolf Lane Distillery, a surprisingly bright and light micro-distillery. Pop in for a quick tasting and to learn how the gin is distilled and see if you can identify the flavors of the region (sticky-sweet mango, Davidson plum and pepper-berry), before leaving with some souvenir bottles. If time permits, head across the lane to the dimly lit Three Wolves cocktail joint for some boozy home-grown drinks shaken and stirred by dapper bartenders.

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