A delicious cocktail is one thing, but it's made so much better by a great space in which to enjoy it.  That's not to say your favorite wood-paneled neighborhood watering hole—dimly lighted with neon beer brands buzzing in the windows—doesn't have its place. Comfort and familiarity are important attributes when they're needed, but sometimes you want a setting so unique and exhilarating that the cocktails take a back seat to the surroundings. Here are three of those places. If you have a bucket list, we suggest you add at least one of them.

Icebar, Icehotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

Here's a destination you can literally call the coolest cocktail bar in the world. It's located in Sweden's famous Icehotel, in the northern town of Jukkasjärvi and was first opened in 1990. The entire hotel is made from ice and snow, and it's the largest in the world, measuring more than 64,000 square feet. It uses nearly 1,000 tons of ice in its construction, must be rebuilt every year, and only exists between the months of December and April.

The Icebar is one of the signature features of the Icehotel, which also includes a church, a reception area, a main hall, and 55 guest suites—all formed from snow and huge blocks of ice harvested from a nearby river.

At the bar, guests are served cocktails in glasses made from ice— the chairs, tables, and the bar itself are also ice. Because of the unique nature of their serving vessels, cocktails served at the Icebar are all served "in the rocks."

Subsix, Maldives

Niyama Maldives is one of the world's most luxurious resorts. It offers guests private villas and pavilions situated on a group of the company's private islands and is home to one of the world's most unique bars. [The Maldives are a group of islands in the Indian Ocean about 400 miles south of the Indian mainland.]

Subsix is the underwater bar and restaurant featured at Niyama resort. Guests are brought to Subsix by speedboat and, upon arriving, they descend a dramatic three-tier staircase to an elaborate oasis below the waves. The unique space is lighted by Italian abstract chandeliers and features the swooping curves of a clam-inspired bar. Soft "anemone chairs" welcome patrons beneath an intricate ceiling draped with thousands of capiz shells.
 
Subsix offers Champagne breakfasts, subaquatic lunches (about $320 per person), gourmet dinners, and adults-only glow parties. A range of signature cocktails is available for $25, including the 75 Islands Martini, which is gin, seaweed vermouth, and galangal (a ginger-like root) & kumquat brine.

Rock Bar, Roack, Bali

Rock Bar Bali is one of the most stunning features at AYANA Resort and Spa in Bali and certainly one of the world's most thrilling locations in which to sip a cocktail. Perched on a secluded limestone cliff south of Jimbaran Bay, the bar juts out over the pounding surf, almost 50 feet above the ocean.

Designed by renowned Japanese architect Yasuhiro Koichi, the Rock Bar features a minimalist design with an open-top platform that's seamlessly built onto the natural cliff formation. Guests can get to the bar one of two ways: They can navigate a long flight of stairs along the cliff, or they can take a finicular, which delivers them to the bar's landing. Ambient lighting and boat lanterns in traditional fishing boats below enable Rock Bar to offer a uniquely dramatic view of Bali's famous sunsets.

Among the cocktail favorites are the Rock Bar’s martinis, many of which are blends such as Punch Rock, Rockberry Martini, and Spa on the Rock, which is made of vodka, blackcurrant liqueur, blueberry juice, and cranberry juice.