Fodor's Expert Review The Thirsty Lawyer

Strait Street was a bawdy escape for visiting servicemen in the 19th- and 20th centuries. Dubbed "the Gut" by the English, it was a place far removed from the morals of Catholic Malta, packed with bordellos, music, and regrets. That all came to an end when its army clientele packed up at the end of World War II, and it's been gentrified in recent years with a slew of high-end cocktail joints that lean on the area's notorious past. The Thirsty Lawyer is the pick of the lot, with live jazz, DJs, a slick art deco vibe, and a fine whiskey menu adding to the flair of its mixologists.