Stuora

Stuora is a small cocktail bar on Audēju iela in Riga’s Old Town, Latvia. Its setting is intimate and atmospheric, with crimson velvet, brass details, red-lantern light and candles shaping the room. The bar’s style combines a traditional drinks culture with a contemporary approach to flavour, creating a place suited to slow evening drinks rather than a quick stop.

The defining feature is the house infusion programme. Spirits are infused on site with ingredients drawn from roots, fruit, smoke and spice, then used across cocktails and highballs. Flavours include carrot and dill, smoked plum, blackcurrant and chilli, mushroom, raspberry and pine, cherry, kumquat and horseradish. The infusions give the drinks a savoury, aromatic and sometimes smoky character, while the garnish-led presentation adds another layer to each pour.

The menu covers both familiar cocktails and more unusual combinations. Classic styles include the Martini, Gimlet, Daiquiri, Margarita, Whisky Sour, Clover Club, French 75, Negroni, Manhattan and Old Fashioned. One-sip cocktails offer compact versions of established drinks, while the highball selection pairs infused spirits with kombucha, tonic or soda. Martini drinkers can choose between dry, dirty, pickle and Gibson versions.

Non-alcoholic choices include a dedicated highball and house-style kombucha flavours such as oolong and hibiscus. The food is designed as bar accompaniment, with pickled cabbage, cucumbers and seasonal preserves, fresh rye or wheat bread, cured meats, butter, local cheese, meat terrine with horseradish and herbs, and olives. The selection gives the drinks a connection to preserved ingredients, rye-bread traditions and savoury flavours without presenting itself as a full restaurant menu.

Stuora suits couples, friends and small groups looking for a focused cocktail setting with an unhurried mood. The room’s size and candle-lit design make it appropriate for intimate evenings, while the drinks list gives groups plenty to discuss and compare. The bar also accepts private-event bookings, with full buyouts available on selected weekdays when it is closed to the public. Walk-in visits are part of the usual format, and the candle-lit windows help identify the entrance from Audēju iela.