Sicily doesn't really do bars in the traditional sense. Where Americans and Brits convene in bars and pubs after office hours, Sicilians meet around heaving tables on balmy terraces or a scatter of chairs outside a café. Timings are less clean cut here: breakfast effortlessly rolls into a late morning Messina beer, post siesta-hour drinks are rarely without at least a small spread of snacks, and there's a lot of sitting, a lot of smoking, and an awful lot of staring. There's also a great deal of conversation - look beyond the tourists quaffing Aperols and channelling the couples from The White Lotus and there'll be impassioned opinions, emphatic hand gestures and the sort of well-oiled banter confined to old friends.

The island's aperitivo culture and magnificent architecture (particularly in Palermo and the Baroque South East) makes for some knockout rooftop sundowner spots, while a cooler street food scene has gripped Catania, where a handful of craft cocktail bars have cropped up. From Old World terraces serving cocktails to energetic drinking holes in Palermo with live jazz, here are the best bars in Sicily.

According to revered Sicilian sommelier Piero Giurdanella, beautifully crafted cocktails are an elusive breed in Sicily. They're there; you just need to know where to find them. You essentially need an industry insider, like Piero, to let you glimpse inside his little black book. While the island's main cities offer up a well-curated mix of watering holes, it's Piero's hometown, Acireale, 5km north of Catania, that hosts what he believes to be one of Sicily's best bars. The town itself is heart-thumpingly beautiful, with opulent architecture carved from lava stone and windows looking out across the Ionian. Acireale's historic old town is where Alloro can be found, on a corner of the main square. Its crumbling baroque exterior belies the sleek, contemporary design inside - think statement marble floors, low-slung, Milanese-style sofas and monochrome Nordic furniture. You'll find little about it online, which makes its lofty standard of food and cocktails all the more exciting. Expect spanking fresh seafood antipasti, unctuous cacio e pepe and imaginative spins on traditional mains such as cod with Messina sauce and seared pears - all of which are cooked to Michelin-grade standard with an artistic presentation from chef Valeria Racitii. If you're here for the sole purpose of drinking (go for the Sicilian wine labels or the Porn Star Martini), you're missing a trick.

Address: Via Lancaster, 28, 95024 Acireale CT, Italy

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There's no set cocktail menu at this Catanian speakeasy. Once settled into the absurdly soft armchairs or perched on its terrace, one of Bohéme's energetic staff will gently quiz you to arrive at your perfect tipple (or challenge you to try something new). It's this alchemy, gauging guests' taste profile and combining it with mixologist know-how, that gives Bohéme its edge over other Catanian contenders. The theatrical skill that goes into crafting each elevated cocktail is worth propping yourself up at the bar for, or at least observing from across the cavernous yet cosy space, where gently uplit walls and a scatter of vintage furniture channel the warm spirit of an old tavern. If you're into your gins, consider what garden botanicals you may wish to infuse it with, or perhaps you're curious to see what the wizards behind the bar can conjure up from Sicilian lemons and figs.