From fine wines to craft beers to unique cocktails, New York City is a barhopper’s dream. In fact, since Thomas’ initial foray into the barkeeping arena (he eventually owned four bars in the city), the Big Apple has been the birthplace of many famous cocktails, including the Tom Collins and cocktails named for each of the city’s five boroughs.
But beyond the liquor itself, the New York City bar experience is truly one-of-a-kind, appealing to a wide range of tastes and styles. Whether you choose to hobnob with jeans-wearing patrons at the city’s more casual taverns or don a suit or cocktail dress and hit the more upscale establishments, one of the following hotspots is sure to be right for your tastes.
Raymi
One of the best aspects of New York City is its international flavor, and you can experience a little of that at Raymi (43 W. 24th St.), which specializes in drinks made with Pisco, a South American grape brandy. Raymi features both a bar and a restaurant and is a special favorite among the creative crowd in the Flatiron area. Try a chilcano, featuring Pisco, ginger ale and bitters, or a machacado, which combines the brandy with fresh herbs and fruits.
La Piscine/Conôsur
The Hotel Americano (518 W. 27th St.) is home to the dual-personality bar La Piscine/Conôsur prominently offering a water feature that’s just as changeable: In the summer, it’s a pool (piscine is the French word for pool) surrounded by butterfly chairs; in winter, it morphs into a hot tub and the chairs don sheepskin covers. While there, enjoy the tapas while sipping a hibiscus-flavored margarita in the summer; in winter, enjoy fondue and hot punch made with mezcal.
Maison Premiere
Maison Premiere (298 Bedford Ave., Williamsburg) offers a little taste of New Orleans in Brooklyn thanks to its dedication to two of the Big Easy’s most famous products: oysters and absinthe, of which 19 varieties are offered here. The atmosphere is just as authentic, and great pains have been taken to create a bar that looks like it’s been transplanted straight from the shores of the mighty Mississippi.
‘Disiac Lounge
Enjoy your drinks outdoors at the ‘Disiac Lounge (402 W. 54th St.), a Hell’s Kitchen venue that boasts a private patio space where patrons while away the time on comfy Moroccan-inspired poufs while sipping mojitos and dipping into a fondue. Though its exterior is modest, you’ll likely spot its neon disco-like bar from the street.
230 Fifth
Photo Credit: karendotcom127 via FlickrNamed for its location, 230 Fifth — avenue, not street — is a purely NYC experience featuring ankle-deep carpeting, purple fluorescent lights and low-slung couches, including one once owned by iconic German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. The swank interior décor is surpassed only by the expansive rooftop deck, populated by palm trees and flanked by garden benches and a wide array of chairs — enough to accommodate 500 imbibers. The deck also offers views of the Empire State Building, and if you drink enough, you just might see King Kong scaling its walls.
This is just a tiny sampling of the vast selection of bars, nightclubs, lounges and taverns the city has to offer. And although it’s been almost 130 years since Jerry Thomas passed on to that great bar in the sky, chances are if he came back today, he’d feel right at home.
This is a guest post written by Sara Powell.
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
