Does your idea of a perfect night out involve getting dressed up and sipping cocktails in a classy bar with trendy background music and a no-nonsense clientele? If so, Europe is home to some great destinations for cocktail lovers to travel to and discover through bar-hopping.

Riga, Latvia

Top points to a city that has more than one sky bar from which you can watch the world go by while chilling with a cocktail in hand. Riga boasts a handful of these as well as its fair share of classy ground level drinking holes.

The sky level bars are most often frequented by visiting foreigners so for more authentic local experiences and the opportunity to meet locals, stay on the ground but do head sky-high at least once to indulge in the views. Try Hotel Latvia, Albert Hotel and Galleria Riga shopping centre for some of the best sky bars.

Back down again, you'll find cocktail bars scattered throughout town. Piens (or Milk to English speakers) outside the city centre is a favourite among locals and boasts a trendy interior and equally trendy clientele. Other hip hangouts are Cuba in the Old Town that does 2-for-1 deals daily, Sapni un Kokteili (Dreams and Cocktails) with its swinging chairs, 8 Bar and Lounge for its sheer class, and Paldies Dievam Piektdiena ir Klat for its quirkiness.

When in Latvia, one must try a cocktail based on local tipple Black Balsam, a strong herbal beverage reminiscent of Jagermeister.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Scottish capital is home to many a prestigious cocktail bar, and a classy nightlife-loving population. For drinks and dancing there's arguably no better destination than the very central George Street and its side streets: Frederick Street, Hanover Street, and Thistle Street.

Here, the glitterati come out to play every night, but Fridays and Saturdays see bars and clubs packed with revelling locals and visitors dressed up to the nines. The area is also home to some of Edinburgh's top restaurants so it's greatly suited to celebrating special occasions.

Some of the best Edinburgh city centre hotels boast in-house cocktail bars and adjacent clubs. What more could one wish for?

Tigerlily is a a hotel, restaurant, cocktail bar and club complex set in a beautiful old mansion with a stunning interior on George Street itself. Other popular locales for sipping cocktails and mingling include Rick's, Bramble, and 99 Hanover Street.

For less crowded cocktail bars, head to the areas of Stockbridge and Grassmarket.