Two years of research went into this. This list strove to be objective, but often failed. I like cocktails, but it’s more about the associated memories, y’know? (tl;dr version: 4sq List).
10. Elsa. Even though it’s not on the menu anymore, they named a cocktail after Rachel Maddow. Enough said. Maddow Swizzle: bourbon, lime, mint, seltzer.
9. Van Daag. The bar that spawned the beer cocktail fad last year, I’m sure of it. Also, hats-off for bringing genever (dutch gin) back into the mainstream (and my bloodstream). CB3 Sour: sour cherry ale, rye whiskey, lemon, orange, homemade grenadine.
8. Apotheke. I love Prohibition Wednesdays (sign up for their newsletter, do not forget the password): 1920s-style live band and bartenders in vests. The Blue Moon: brooklyn gin, creme de violette, fresh lemon juice.
7. La Esquina. The basement bar of La Esquina looks like a Mexican prison. Granted, I have no idea what one would look like, but the wrought iron bars, decorated white tiles and cocktails keep you captivated, if not actually captive. Pepino Diablo: jalapeño tequila, cucumber, agave, fresh lime.
6. Little Branch. Oh, Sasha Petraske. I love the way you train your bartenders — they literally read my mind. I hate pretty much every thing else about your bars (decor, lighting, price, location, crowd). Bespoke Cocktail: as in, let them make it up; advise on base liquor and how to serve it (neat, on the rocks, up).
5. Fatty Cue, West Village. Modern rustic (is that an oxymoron? I don’t care, it applies). The hardwood bar comes with a cushy arm rest and an exposed brick backdrop, but the ratio of bar to restaurant space is off balance without any flexibility. This is the best cocktails I had in 2011. The Smokin’ Bone: bourbon, smoked pineapple, lime, chocolate bitters, tabasco.
4. Summit. I lived at Summit for pretty much all of junior spring semester. Greg Seider was by himself in the then-deserted bar when two friends and I walked in by chance (we were trying to go to the Magic Box, which was closed down). By the summer after my junior year, Summit was deservedly packed every night of the week. Seider is responsible for my first byline on Gothamist. This is my favorite cocktail in the city because it includes Suntory. The Guv’nor: yamazaki 12 year whiskey, toasted cardamon infused agave, yuzu, fresh orange juice.
3. The Wren. The only other bar that I’ve walked into and immediately felt at home in is Bua, which makes sense, because both bars are owned by the same man - Mark Gibson (Wilfie & Nell is also a part of that family). A friend and I stopped by the day after The Wren opened (less than a month ago!), sampled every single one of the seven cocktails on the menu, and drank one of them again for good measure. The one we repeated? Wren Old Fashioned: old over-holt, punt e mis, cherry liqueur, orange bitters.
2. Mayahuel. All sentimentality. Don’t get me wrong, Phil Ward’s bar is single-handedly writing the history of classic tequila cocktails, but Mayahuel is so much more than great drinks for me. It’s a bar I first heard of and went to with my sister. It’s where a close friend and I let loose after we graduated from college. It’s where I’ve had the best dates of my life. It’s where a group affectionately (and accurately) dubbed “The Lushkateers” celebrated me getting hired. And it’s where the first SideTour I put together entirely on my own took place. Randy Cocktail: repesado tequila, lime, ginger, mezcal rinse.
1. Death and Company - I thought long and hard about what to list as number one. The fact that I considered Death & Co. despite it having absolutely no sentimentality for me (unlike the rest of the top four) is why I knew it had to win. Every cocktail I’ve ever had has been perfectly composed and a seat at the bar is akin to front row at Cirque du Solei. Any damn cocktail: but specifically the ones listed above the quotes about drinking on the menu.
Honorable mentions: PDT, Cienfuegos, Freeman’s, Pravda.
1
