 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
Will Blunt and Shannon SturgisIs it us or is boozing in the big city getting a lot easier? OK, so New York has never been withholding of its alcohol; just stroll along 9th Avenue on a weekday morning and you’ll see just how many obliging pubs open their doors well before lunchtime. But boozing well hasn’t always been this easy. Or colorful. Over the years, city mixologists have shaken and stirred their ways through tunnel-vision cocktail historicism, speakeasy chic, and even the genteel exclusivity of the members-only club. And while those elements still exist, in influence and archetype all over the city, the tipple trend seems to veer heavily toward freedom of improvisation—the unapologetic unleashing of bartender mojo.
That doesn’t mean you can’t get a seriously spirits-forward, well-informed cocktail. Quite the opposite. It means you can get it more readily, at places that aren’t obviously branded “old school.” And just as easily, you’ll find spots where tropical drinks get the kind of meticulous craftsmanship once reserved for the perfect Negroni. Themes aren’t lost; bars are basing entire drinks programs in history and geography. But rather than dusting off Prohibition-era drinks books (they’ve got those memorized), mixologists are using the cocktail craft as a means of exploration. The menu is their map.
Spirit-centric bars are alive and well, again simply incorporated into a broader swath of concepts. Absinthe drips from a meticulous reproduction of a 19th century Nola fountain at Maxwell Britten’s ode to the Big Easy of yesteryear, while Katie Stipe stirs up genevers and akvavits with a hip Euro twist on the Lower East Side. And when all else fails, try the new dens of bespoke, or sidle up to the nearest bartender and get on his or her good side with a shot of Fernet and a smile. Because feelin’ good is what the industry’s about these days. If you don’t believe us, just check out any of the spots below. We won’t say “I told you so.” We’ll be too busy drinking in the good vibes. So to speak.
“You must enjoy yourself here.” So says rule number one at 1534, the dark, cozy, and subterranean Soho bar from Contemporary Cocktails duo Justin Noel and Willy Shine. “Rules” is probably the wrong word to describe 1534’s preferred code of conduct, which rejects pretense (and celebrates a safe amount of folly), even in the midst of its Napoleonic theme. Of course, a laid back attitude doesn’t mean you won’t get a damn good cocktail, appropriately set to a French theme. Imperialist ingredients span the globe, from the Caribbean to Southeast Asia, but Noel really shines with a bold (and mercifully savory) take on a “dessert” cocktail with the nutty, tahini-enriched “Zanzibar.”
Recommended:
If you want to drink among drinkers—the professional kind, not the 10am pub crowd—head to Amor y Amargo, Avery Glasser’s tiny temple to all things bitters. Conceived as a pop-up bar and tasting room, the space is part of the tipple-triad housed at 443 East 6th Street (head next door to El Cobre and upstairs to Cienfuegos for rum worship in coupe and punch glass, respectively). Glasser uses his space efficiently, featuring his own line of “very small batch” Bittermens bitters and preaching the culture of bitters generally, from their medicinal roots to their role in the origin of the cocktail. The result is a kind of bitters salon for the contemporary cocktail set, with seminars and a weekly roster of guest bartenders, who demonstrate the magic of amargo one drink at a time.
Recommended:
Brushstroke combines culinary reverence with downtown chic, a combination we’ve come to expect from David Bouley. It’s a triple threat restaurant (with excellent food, wine, and cocktails), a challenge to consume in one visit. So even if you’re courses deep into the restaurant’s kaiaseki menu (courtesy of 2009 StarChefs.com New York Rising Star Isao Yamada with sake pairings from 2011 Rising Star Sommelier Seju Yang), you’ve got to save room for the cocktails. Gen Yamamoto might be a quiet mixologist, but he’s a standout in a city like New York, where cocktail culture verges more often toward the boozy end of “spirit-forward” (not that we’re complaining). At Brushstroke, Yamamoto continues his legacy of produce-focused, well-balanced drinks. More often savory and vegetal, with a common trend of umami and an unapologetic faith in vodka, Yamamoto’s drinks are a lesson in the power of subtlety.
Recommended:
Anywhere else it might seem like something borrowed from Dashiell Hammett, but at Cienfuegos, a name like Jane Danger makes perfect sense. Even if she is an international spy (these days most of us have two jobs), we’re happier with Danger’s cover as a bartender at this funky, spunky East Village Cuban-themed rum room. And she fits right into its culture: take the drinks, and nothing else, too seriously. You’ll find gin, Scotch, and cognac scattered around the menu, but the emphasis here is on rum, and Danger knows it like an old Cubana, puckering up a 4-year Flor de Cana with Aperol and a bold pinch of sea salt for her aptly named “Intro to Awesome.” A generally well-parsed menu (with seasonal cocktails, twists on classics, and those giant, festive punches) means you’ll be exploring Cuban cocktail culture with a trustworthy map.
Recommended:
Cocktail culture might reach for the old-school glass by coupe glass, but Clover Club is Julie Reiner’s brick-and-mortar Cobble Hill tribute. Named after a group of journalists who gathered at Philadelphia’s Bellevue Hotel for intermittent drinking and heckling at the turn of the 20th century, the modern day Clover Club has less to do with bon mots than seriously good cocktails (though the interior does transport you to more genteel times, down to the late 19th century mahogany bar, fireplace, and heavy velvet curtains). And with mixologists like Franky Marshall, Tom Macy, and 2010 New York Rising Star Mixologist Brad Farran behind the menu of originals and updated classics, patrons are certain to feel as politely, sophisticatedly intoxicated as their turn-of-the century forebears.
Recommended:
The doors, windows, and arms are wide open at Dram, Williamsburg’s laid-back answer to the post-speakeasy era. The space is a clean open box of wood and light, a life-size diorama of savvy, happy Brooklyn imbibing. And while the attitude here might be more skate park than speakeasy, behind the bar, the drinks are as serious as they get. Among other super talented cocktail craftsmen, Death & Co. alum and 2010 StarChefs.com Rising Star Mixologist Jason Littrell puts out a menu that blends an edgy imagination with a refined, well-schooled technique. Behind God’s Back, one of our—and the city’s—favorites is like a liquid dose of craft, magic, and personality, all wrapped up in the resurrected mischief of tiki.
Recommended:
Dutch Kills might be the borough outlier of Sasha Petraske’s Big Apple cocktail empire, but it has a magnetism that not only keeps the certified locals coming back, but draws Manhattanites to the hinterlands of Long Island City. The dark, rough hewn, virtually 100 percent wood ambiance is pleasantly demure, and it’s likely that prices also play a small part in the appeal—cocktails here are a few dollars cheaper than usual, perhaps a concession to the cost of the subway ride. But the real draw is the drinks list. Seasoned Mixologist Karin Stanley crafts cocktails that combine Petraske’s emphatic purism with her own bold imagination—the kind that throws chocolate bitters and yeasty Sherry into a lime-spiked añejo tequila bath. Considering the journey, it’s no surprise Dutch Kills is a bar for and by heavy hitters; make the trip—you won’t be sorry.
Recommended:
In our fairly secular times, and especially in the context of cocktail hedonism, a fountain statue of the Virgin Mary might seem wholly out of place. But it makes perfect sense at Ravi deRossi’s El Cobre, house of rum worship beneath Cienfuegos. After all, this isn’t just any Virgin Mary, it’s a reproduction of the Virgin of El Cobre, the Virgin of Charity and El Cobre hero to whom Ernest Hemingway once gave his Nobel Prize. What better symbol for a bar where daiquiris are crafted religiously? And even if the interior might be—reasonably—mistaken for a Cuban country church, the extensive rum list and well-crafted cocktails (from Mixologist Mayur Subbarao, who does his main duties next door at Amor y Amargo) are proof that sin is alive and well in the house that deRossi built. Order delicious Cuban snacks from the small plates menu to keep your rum reverence going strong.
Recommended:
With a beautiful cookbook fresh off the presses, James Beard-ed chef and pastry chef, and a third Michelin star twinkling brightly in its atmosphere, Eleven Madison Park is in a position to (elegantly, quietly) take the lead as standard-bearer in modern cuisine. A wide, bright space with high ceilings and clean lines, the Danny Meyer crown jewel seems more aesthetically suited to the relaxed and refined than anything aggressively innovative. And yet it’s the setting for 2006 StarChefs.com Rising Star Chef Daniel Humm’s culture of seasonal, artistically ingredient-focused cuisine, complemented by 2010 StarChefs.com Rising Star Pastry Chef Angela Pinkerton’s conceptually playful desserts. And in a day and age when sophisticated cocktails are served in ironically déclassé “faux dives” and suspiciously dark, semi-subterranean drinks caverns, knocking back one of 2011 StarChefs.com Rising Star Mixologist’s Leo Robitschek’s delicious drinks at the Eleven Madison Park bar is a like a vacation in civility.
Recommended:
Further proof that Julie Reiner essentially can’t go wrong (we’re excited to check out Hawaiian-themed Lani Kai), Flatiron Lounge has established itself as a serious drinks Mecca in a part of town with more Happy Hours than house-made bitters. Flatiron lures you in with the kind of romantically dark lighting you expect of Reiner’s old-school concepts, making the classiest and best use of a narrow space with a long bar and a hall for—you guessed it—lounging. Part of the select, elect bar team, Nick Jarrett is living up to the Reiner standards, doing interesting variations on classical methods with original ingredients, and more than a few far out ideas.
Recommended:
The drinks at Jo’s don’t have a certifiable, vest-clad or tattooed bartender behind them, which is why they’re all the more remarkably good. Co-owner Johnny Santiago does sport a couple of tattoos, but that’s probably not why his cocktail improvisations—as often based on stock as inspiration—are typically successful. Sure, the homey, gently masculine Nolita restaurant does most of its heavy lifting as a restaurant, with beer and wine options to pair with an evolving menu, but it’s likely that one of Santiago’s creations might inspire a diner return for drinks alone. We’re particularly looking forward to sipping Santiago’s pisco-powered “Hard Cocoa” once the cold weather hits.
Recommended:
The very latest installation from indomitably cheerful and productive Julie Reiner, Lani Kai is as much a tribute to Reiner’s Hawaiian upbringing as a celebration of her adopted Big Apple hometown. With two spacious floors decked out in nude woods, clean lines, soft lighting, and a small (tidy) jungle of hanging plants, the place is like a dose of relaxation in the shameless retail parade just south of Houston. On Monday nights, grab a seat at the marble bar downstairs for Tiki Mondays with Miller, with a weekly changing menu, guest bartenders, and a schizophrenic soundtrack (anything from doo wop to the Humpty Dance pumps from Mixologist Brian Miller’s iPod). Miller’s laid back about everything but tiki, so expect delicious concoctions, whether they’re classics like the addictive Pearl Diver or updates like the balanced, bright, and boozy Tracy Jordan Swizzle (you’ll have to ask Miller about the name). Upstairs, Mixologist Natalie Jacob is mixing up Reiner’s menu of island-ready drinks—good for the Big Island or the Big Apple. The Isle of Islay Swizzle balances Black Grouse and falernum against pineapple and passion fruit. And Jacob’s own Hamilton Park Swizzle has equal parts Applejack (aka Jersey Lightning) and Lustau Palo Cortado Sherry. Keep the luau going—you’ll want to—with sliders, small plates, or go whole hog (literally) with a Suckling Pig Roast.
Recommended:
Brooklyn’s archipelago of cocktail havens got a polished new addition this year, courtesy of 2009 New York Rising Star Mixologist Maxwell Britten. Self-described “Oyster House and Cocktail Den,” Maison Premiere is as much about the theater of classic absinthe culture as it is an altar for cocktail and bivalve worship. And worship is the right word here. From the working absinthe fountain to the obsessively fresh seafood menu, courtesy of Chef John Boissy, everything about the place follows through on the basic, sublime, premise. And the décor is no exception. Bartenders Natasha David and Maksym Pazuniak craft their creations in a setting that feels transported (probably by riverboat) from its rightful home in the 19th century French Quarter of New Orleans. The drinks, of course, aren’t facsimiles, and aren’t exclusively absinthe—though the bartenders are experts, and we’re guessing you can get a damn fine Sazerac. Pazuniak and David both serve near-addictive cocktails that fall along the Fernet-forward lines we so love.
Recommended:
In the midst of Little Italy’s never-ending food circus of gelato peddlers, clustered al fresco tables, and street carts strewn with huge hunks of nougat, an unmarked stairway leads down to a hip cocktail lounge. This is the titular “project” of Mulberry Project, a dimly lit den of reds and glass and mildly disturbing artwork where imbibers can order bespoke cocktails courtesy of head bartender and “Project” partner Jeremy Strawn. Strawn is a fast-talker, especially when he’s excited, but give him—or your waiter—a spirit and a flavor profile (or pick from the daily chalkboard of ingredients) and you’re about 99.9 percent likely to love what you’re served. The same holds true for Chef Mike Camplin’s menu, which somehow fits a huge amount of seasonal sophistication onto small plates. Sit outside on the back deck for a calmer kind of Mulberry Street al fresco. (The clown-wary should avoid facing opposite a startling, but impressive, back patio mural.)
Recommended:
After inheriting Northeast Kingdom from its owner (who built the funky, chunky wood and vinyl interior with his own hands), Chef Kevin Adey has worked hard at transforming it into a culinary destination, and an anchor of the growing neighborhood (stop by Kings County Distillery for some after-dinner moonshine). Adey’s food does the kind of smart, rustic American turns you’d expect of a Brooklyn outlier, with more than enough polish to assuage lost Manhattanites. Mixologist Brooke Hoffine keeps diners fortified for the journey home with a cocktail list steeped in fresh fruit, spices, and a lighter, naturalistic take on the boozy-bartending trend.
Recommended:
Wicked brainchild of mixologists and Dutch Kills alums Giuseppe Gonzalez and Richard Boccato, PKNYcombines its rum-soaked tiki culture with an unapologetic nostalgia for New York City in the 1970s—which is why the dark, subtly tropical bar feels so at home in the hip chaos of the Lower East Side. Combining the punkish anarchy of a sordid era with the potency of, say, a Zombie, seems like a risky idea, but the talent behind the bar keeps it classy. The drinks menu is the result of obsessive study by Gonzalez and Boccato, with historically accurate recreations, updates on classics, and original cocktails crafted with the spirit (and spirits) of tiki culture. Yael Vengroff’s NYPD Blue is like the cocktail incarnation of PKNY’s Big Apple-meets-Polynesia philosophy, and her Heaven Hill is like ice cream for the Trader Vic set—creamy, nutty, and just barely sweet, with a righteous dose of flamed 151.
Recommended:
At this point, the secret’s out. Jim Meehan’s PDT is one of the city’s most reliable spots for a ridiculously good cocktail (with a side of deep fried hot dogs and waffle fries, courtesy of next door neighbor Crif Dogs). PDT has established itself as a benchmark of decidedly un-stuffy perfectionism. The waffle fries certainly help, as does the surprisingly relaxed space, which is accessed with speakeasy tongue-in-cheek by way of telephone booth trickery. The bar is all old school elegance, practically glowing in the dim brick room; but several taxidermy odes to wildlife embrace the wilder side of cocktail culture, reminding you that you’re here to have fun. And you will, especially when you start imbibing any of the meticulously crafted cocktails on PDT’s seasonal menu. Karen Fu’s sparkling Manuka Sage Southside is like liquid love in the midst of a punishing summer; and John deBary’s puckering cider-spiked Norman Inversion has us painfully impatient for fall.
Recommended:
The southern-twanged follow-up to ultra trendy Freeman’s, Peels swaps its brother restaurant’s manly cabin feel for an airy two stories of high ceilings, light woods, and natural green accents. The culinary complement to this atmospheric hospitality comes courtesy of chefs (and life partners) Ginger Pierce Madson and Preston Madson (who do double duty at Freeman’s). They pay apt homage to the south without diving belly-first into comfort food. Charcuterie is house-made, along with the jalapeño jam you spread on it. 2011 New York Rising Star Community Chef and Pastry Chef Shuna Lydon constructs indulgent, homey desserts that are still conceptually sophisticated and super-seasonal. Mixologist Yana Volfson works as comfortably in spirits-driven as farm-to-bar mixology, delivering the final touch to Peels easy-livin’ with cocktails like the deliciously bitter Perfect Old Pal.
Recommended:
The house that Audrey built, Pegu Club is one among a few standard-bearers in the crowded mixology ranks of New York City. The space might be described as “imperialist chic,” with dark woods, spare palm fronds, kimono-clad servers, and an aesthetic that borrows gently from the Orient (apt for a bar named after a 19th century Burmese British officer’s club). But Pegu Club isn’t a bartender’s history lesson. Sure, anyone on Saunders’ team could easily craft a classic cocktail, but the real, exotic magic of Pegu Club happens on the bar’s changing seasonal menu. Mixologist Scott Teague, who introduced himself to Saunders with a letter, carries on the tradition of respect for classics coupled with freedom of innovation with drinks like the smoky, fruity, pleasantly parching Gentleman’s Agreement.
Recommended:
There’s a reason it looks like the late 19th century is slowly, politely taking over Court Street. Prime Meats, a farm-to-table restaurant and bar that dominates the corner of Court and Luquer, is modeled after turn-of-the-century inns and dining rooms of old Manhattan-town (and the outer boroughs, clearly). An airy space with big windows, raw woods, and a few key polished touches, Prime Meats was until recently the latest addition to the Frankies family (it’s being supplanted by younger brother Frankies 570, opening soon in the West Village). Cuisine is artisan American with a Germanic twist, and cocktails are pre-Prohibition era-inspired. Head barman Damon Boelte (pronounced Bolt-y) not only inspired the staff’s current dress code (a mix of old fashioned propriety and hipster chic), he leads the bar program with an incredibly well-informed palate. When Boelte’s not using a whole bottle of Underberg German digestif to amp up the bitter edge of his lively, herbal “Das Boot,” he’s busy collecting antique bar tools, including a bitters glass from the Civil War era.
Recommended:
Another safe haven for the cocktail crowd in the midst of lower Flatiron’s dreary bar scene, speakeasy Raines Law Room rewards those who can find it with a plush, romantic, Old World setting, complete with velvet curtains, dainty wall paper, and the kind of dim lighting that encourages mild misbehavior. Buzzers will summon waitresses to any of the small number of tables, but the theatrically open kitchen-style bar encourages spectatorship. Mixologist Meaghan Dorman is head barman here, leading the menu charge with seasonal, sophisticated cocktails that tend to feel as demure as the space. She likes a boozy drink as much as the next bartender (just try the double-dosed, surprisingly peachy Amber Old Fashioned), but Dorman also makes nimble use of fresh ingredients; her French Affair creates a smooth, unexpected marriage (or liaison?) between strawberry and Chartreuse.
Recommended:
Part of the small but proud collective of spirit-savvy bars in relieving the cocktail dearth of the Flatiron district, Rye House attracts both the after-work and the mixology crowd. So seating in the long, country-chic space tends to go early (if you want a good spot, arrive before 6pm). A spot at the granite bar lets you see the action firsthand, but if you’re looking to nosh while you drink (Rye House has a belly-lovin’ menu of sophisticated comfort foods) sit under the gem-like lights that hang just above packed seating in the back. You may have to push your way back there, but Rye House is worth crowd-maneuvering. Mixologists Robbie Gonzalez, Jessie White, and J. Rosser Lomax—who oversees a serious brunch drinks menu (not for the Bellini set)—are on hand to assuage jangled nerves with creative, deliciously potent seasonal cocktails.
Recommended:
Not to be confused with Flatiron’s Rye House, Williamsburg’s Rye Restaurant is an ode to that intersection of Old and New worlds that Brooklyn does best. Literally assembled piece by piece—from its restored mahogany bar to its dumpster-rescued doors—Rye is an extremely personal project for seasoned New York veteran Chef-owner Cal Elliot, who blends his prestigious pedigree with a DIY Brooklyn approach to sophisticated American cuisine. And while Mixologist Sother Teague has left his place behind Rye’s mahogany bar since we tasted there, the culture of cocktails he helped cultivate persists. In Teague’s hands, the complexity of technique is entirely masked by flavor-forward, evocative cocktails that honor tradition as gamely as they play up to the Sixth Sense.
Recommended:April Bloomfield’s gifts to the city are distinctive, ambitious, and, yes, very often porcine. And with The Spotted Pig, Bloomfield (and Friedman, et. al) has given New Yorkers a taste of Europe’s seemingly effortless cool: a gastropub marriage of Brit and Italian culinary concepts with Bloomfield’s ballsy genius. The liquid bow on the Spotted Pig package is provided by Mixologist Ryan Gannon, who oversees the list at the downtown bar. Gannon accommodates the Brit side of the menu with some of Her Majesty’s best, including fruit infusions, ginger, gin, and, of course, hearty black tea. But Gannon’s flexible with his flavor profiles, which tend to be exquisitely smooth (but not homogenous), with particularly deft use of citrus and umami.
Recommended:
Theater Bar isn’t just a name. The space (which is ample) really is set up like a theater, with a wide lounge for the imbibing audience leading up to the bar, where cocktails and their creators are co-stars. And this unabashed tribute to showmanship is no surprise coming from Albert Trummer, former leader of the Apothéke drink pharmacists, who’s been known to indulge freely in the theater of the cocktail. Trummer isn’t just putting on a show for its own sake; as usual, he’s assembled a roster of top of the line barmen to keep the exquisite cocktails flowing. Miguel Aranda, formerly of Yerba Buena West, creates flavor-forward drinks that span the boozy-fresh-ingredients spectrum. Parsley, dill, and honeydew brighten a vodka cocktail, while bourbon infused with spicy, nutty South American tonka beans gets further depth from Antica Formula vermouth.
Recommended:
There are lots of reasons to go to Vandaag. One of them is the space, where a funky, sleek modernism feels like what “futuristic” meant to 1960s Holland. Another is the bacon-apple-potato heaven that is “Hete Bliksem (Hot Lightning).” And still another, and extremely compelling reason, is the drinks menu. Compiled by seasoned Mixologist Katie Stipe, who’s done turns at Clover Club and Flatiron Lounge, among others, the menu complements the restaurant’s Northern European theme, like the Beef Short Ribs with Savory Poppy Granola from (now departed) Chef Phillip Kirschen-Clark. Stipe’s list of genevers and akvavits might frighten the caraway and juniper-wary, but she uses the spice and structure of her base spirits nimbly, variously calming and playing up the heat, licorice, and pine to convert non-believers to the camp of Skol. If you don’t feel like going full force with a horseradish and dill-infused aquavit, try something like the Spice Tree, which plays up the earth and heat of aquavit with ras el hanout, and softens the whole thing with lemon, apple syrup, and egg white.
Recommended:
The original speakeasy, a quiet zen-den of expertly crafted classic cocktails, and the inspiration for Sasha Petraske’s Milk & Honey, Angel’s Share sets the city standard for the value of a well-kept secret. Not that it’s a secret anymore—and with good reason. Venture into Village Yokocho, the East Village yakitori restaurant that hides this little gem, and head upstairs, where talents like Shin Ikeda put meticulous care into every drink from behind its hallowed bar (and beneath its heavenly overhanging azure mural). Just don’t bring more than your three closest cocktailian friends (space is limited, but comfortable), and tell them to leave their cell phones on silent. Or better yet, at home. You’ve got the miracle of conversation-friendly volume in a cocktail setting with Angel's Share-worthy friends. Who needs a cell phone?
This basement jazz lounge in low-key Tribeca is the place to experience the meticulous detail and accuracy of Japanese-style mixology at its finest. New York bar veteran Shin Ikeda (of Angel’s Share) and Takaaki Hashimoto serve classic cocktails by the book but delve into cocktails using ethereal infusions of vodka with shiso leaf and wasabi root.
At this dim, chandelier-laden, and Prohibition-style speakeasy, a team of crack bartenders, each talented in their own right, execute a long cocktail list filled with reinterpretations of classics. It’s an excellent spot for an expertly made Sazerac or Old-Fashioned. Pro barkeeps Brian Miller, Alex Day, Jason Littrell, and Joaquín Simó have all launched serious careers from this industry mainstay.
The narrow, sleek space at Employees Only combines elements of the Deco and modern aesthetic, resulting in a kind of hipster-speakeasy atmosphere, complete with a fortune teller at the door. Diners can enjoy elk loin or house-made sausage with orecchiette for dinner, or simply snack on bone marrow poppers with one of mixologist and 2005 New York Rising Star Jason Kosmas' evolving roster of fresh cocktails.
Striking an unlikely balance between hipster and colonial, the taxidermy-heavy Freemans is cozily tucked into the end of a small street off Bowery. Matching the rustic, Old World décor and hearty menu is a selection of house-made cocktails. Mixologist Maxwell Britten, now running Maison Premiere in Williamsburg, not only cut his teeth behind the Freemans bar, but his drinks earned him a spot among the 2009 New York Rising Stars.
The mixologists of Little Branch (previously including 2008 Rising Star Sam Ross, also of Milk & Honey) make standing at the bar at this hidden but precious cocktail destination worth any and all leg cramping. Not only are the cocktails expertly mixed and the ingredients fresh every day, but the staff are generously instructive in the art and science of their craft.
If you’re in the mood for some Latin-style ambiance and cocktails made with South American liquors, Macondo is a sure bet. Chef Máximo Tejada prepares Latin Street food meant to share, drawing on the cuisines of Venezuela, Mexico, Spain, and Brazil. With Junior Merino’s guidance, bartender Amaury Robayo puts together unexpected cocktails with flavor combinations like corn, sage, pineapple, and aguardiente.
Phil Ward opened this cathedral-meets-brothel mezcal and tequila focused cocktail bar down the street from Death and Company, where he previously tended bar. The Latin-inspired bar food is the perfect accompaniment to Ward’s potent, flavorful concoctions.
Milk & Honey embraces contradictory elements in its hushed locale on Eldridge Street: it’s an elite spot for the otherwise non-elite, serving handcrafted, upscale cocktails in a decidedly small-scale setting. The number is unlisted and tends to change, but the trouble to partake of the expert and focused mixology going on at Milk & Honey is definitely worthwhile.
When we last visited, Audrey Saunders-mentored mixologist Artemio Vasquez was crafting some of the finest-made cocktails in the city that strike with their depth of flavor and simplicity using ingredients like pisco, guava and prickly pear matched to classic spirits. Paired with Chef Julian Medina’s bold flavors (try the arepas or the suckling pig) and you’ve got a sure bet for a luxe Latin night of dinner and drinks.
| Sign up for our newsletters! | | | Print this page | | | Email this page to a friend |
| |
 | |
|
|
| Copyright © 1995-2012 StarChefs. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy |
