New York has SO MANY bars. And of those bars, a large number are COCKTAIL bars. And of THOSE bars, many are AMAZING!
I like a cocktail or two, but there was no way we could go to even a fraction of the bars I would’ve liked to have visited. And I’m just talking about pure bars. Not even restaurants which also served wonderful cocktails!
For most of the time we were in New York we were staying in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We did spend one night up near tourist central Times Square, but the Lower East Side had amazing bars and restaurants to choose from, and a great vibe, and I’d definitely opt to stay there, or perhaps Brooklyn, on a return trip.
Although we went to bars elsewhere, the ones listed below are all Lower East Side/East Village.
This bar-with-food had only opened a month or so previous to our trip. We headed here on our first evening, tired but excited, and luckily secured the last two perches. It was small, crowded and focused on Japanese flavours. We had a few drinks and some snacks, and felt part of the city.
This cheeky chap is a Yuzu-Calpico Fizz. I am intrigued by Calpico, a kind of milky lemony fizzy Japanese drink, and this cocktail made good use of it.
We also has some fun snacks – pictured are some juicy chicken wings and burdock root fries – a new one on me.
We arrived as soon as it opened to be sure of getting a seat in this tiniest of bars. Promoting itself as a bitters tasting room, the bar was walled with an assortment of tiny bitters bottles. The intense barman told us they never make their own bitters, to ensure consistency and so that drinks are always available.
Not exactly a relaxed bar, but some fascinating drinks.
Luckily you can book here, although our policy of early drinking meant we probably could have got away with it if we hadn’t.
Alas any pics of the drinks were blurry, but here is a shot of the bar. Lovely drinks and we had a nice chat about Pimms with the bartender. She even free-styled a Pimms cocktail for H, which was very pleasant and gave us another drink avenue to mull on.
H would happily have stayed here forever. With a focus on tequila and smoky mezcals, their cocktail list was a fascinating read. Jalapeno infused tequila, chile de arbol infused mezcal – some great fruity and spicy flavours in a range of cocktails. Supremely nice people behind the bar, and some good snacks too.
