NY mixology bars

Hassouni · September 22, 2012

Im headed to New York tomorrow for two nights and want to hit up some sweet cocktail bars. Last time I went to PDT and Little Branch. I thought PDT was overrated but absolutely adored LB. I was thinking this time Pegu Club, Death & Co, and anything else you can recommend, preferably in Manhattan. Is it possible to get into Milk & Honey without membership, by the way? Also, last time tried to go to Death n Co but it seemed to close early (like 1 or so). Is that normal?

**FrogPrincesse** · September 22, 2012

I haven't been but would love to try Sam Ross' new venture, Attaboy, and Joaquin Simo, Troy Sidle, Jason Cott & Toby Maloney's new place, Pouring Ribbons. Please do report back!

Dexter · September 22, 2012

Booker & Dax is nestled in Momofuku Ssam. It's Dave Arnolds side (?) project since leaving the FCI, and well worth a trip in.

Broken English · September 22, 2012

The bar at WD-50 is doing some pretty interesting things I hear.

I haven't tasted it, but my favourite is the cocktail called "The Pho Cup", just for the name haha.

KennethT · September 22, 2012

The bar at Acme does some really interesting cocktails as well, plus the food there is awesome!

kathryn · September 22, 2012

Due to an angry neighbor and issues with their liquor license, Death & Co's last call/close time used to be midnight. They have since extended it to about 1am last I heard, after resolving the issues, but that's why it closes "early" in comparison to other places.

Definitely go to Death & Co and Pegu Club.

Pegu Club allows standing so it can get really loud later on in the night. Luckily it opens at 5pm and not 6pm like the other places, so it can be a nice place to start. It's the 2nd floor and bright and airy, with a very different atmosphere (not speakeasy).

For Milk & Honey, you need to have their contact information already and I don't think non-members can go before 1am on weekends anyway. You could try the new sister bar Middle Branch instead (though it's a bit out of the way if you're doing an East Village/Lower East Side crawl).

I don't believe Attaboy is open yet.

For something similar to M&H, try Lantern's Keep in midtown (closed Sundays, especially if you get Theo who works at both Lantern's Keep and M&H) or Raines Law Room near Union Square. For Raines, note that they open later on Sundays & they don't have a proper bar with stools, all the drinks are made in the kitchen. The approach and atmosphere reminds me of Milk & Honey.

Pouring Ribbons is excellent. You might be lucky enough to actually get Toby Maloney (Violet Hour), Joaquin Simo (ex-Death & Co), or Troy Sidle (Violet Hour) as your bartender.

I also love Booker & Dax. They are the only ones really doing anything molecular in terms of cocktails.

There are also a number of specialist bars that are worth visiting: Mayahuel (mezcal and tequila), Amor y Amargo (huge selection of bitters, try their great housemade vermouth in a Negroni), or Gin Palace (gin, obviously).

You might also want to look into the Experimental Cocktail Club.

Hassouni · September 22, 2012

Hm, given I'm only gonna be there two nights, I may have to whittle it down. Death and Co and Pegu Club are definites

weinoo · September 23, 2012

Pegu Club is usually a good place to start as it gives you an idea of how the scene developed. And the drinks are almost always superb.

I think Pouring Ribbons, which is a nice sized space and not overrun would be a great choice, and we really enjoy Experimental Cocktail Club - great room and a friendly staff with excellent bartenders.

Acme -which I love for the food (just ate at the bar last week), is free pouring like crazy, and I don't think the cocktails measure up to the stand alone cocktail bars mentioned in this thread. They could be better if they were made with more care, but that's not what it's about at Acme.

I'm sure Death & Co. is still great, but we haven't been in quite some time, as many of the original staff have branched out into other projects.

Hassouni · September 23, 2012

Went to Pouring Ribbons last night - it was phenomenal. Went around 9, no queue, somewhat empty, got great bar seats and had a good time. Our bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable. Apparently it was only their 8th night open.

Tried to get into Death and Co 10 minutes earlier and they said there'd be an hour wait.

After dinner (Mission Chinese) tried to go to Little Branch and the queue must have had 20 people in it, so went to Pegu Club, where we got right in. It was quite good, but I think Pouring Ribbons was better. I really like their flavor matrix

Edited September 23, 2012 by Hassouni (log)

weinoo · September 23, 2012

Went to Pouring Ribbons last night - it was phenomenal. Went around 9, no queue, somewhat empty, got great bar seats and had a good time. Our bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable. Apparently it was only their 8th night open.
Tried to get into Death and Co 10 minutes earlier and they said there'd be an hour wait.
After dinner (Mission Chinese) tried to go to Little Branch and the queue must have had 20 people in it, so went to Pegu Club, where we got right in. It was quite good, but I think Pouring Ribbons was better. I really like their flavor matrix

That flavor matrix is a nice idea.

kathryn · September 23, 2012

Here's the Pouring Ribbons menu in PDF for those following along:

http://www.insidehook.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Classics-and-House-Cocktails.pdf

weinoo · September 23, 2012

Spirituous is a good word... :cool: .

It's a really great menu.

Tri2Cook · September 23, 2012

Here's the Pouring Ribbons menu in PDF for those following along:
http://www.insidehoo...e-Cocktails.pdf

Now I have to hope some of the recipes are eventually revealed... that Dueling Banjos sounds really interesting to me.

kathryn · September 23, 2012

Here's the Pouring Ribbons menu in PDF for those following along:
http://www.insidehoo...e-Cocktails.pdf
Now I have to hope some of the recipes are eventually revealed... that Dueling Banjos sounds really interesting to me.

It's essentially a Mai Tai but with lemon standing in for the lime, freshly made corn milk standing in for orgeat, and two bourbons instead of two rums. I'm sure they'll give you the specs if you ask (the postcard that comes with the check has "fill in the blank" spaces pre-printed for cocktail recipes), and they're pretty active on Twitter as well.

https://twitter.com/pouringribbons

Tri2Cook · September 24, 2012

Here's the Pouring Ribbons menu in PDF for those following along:
http://www.insidehoo...e-Cocktails.pdf
Now I have to hope some of the recipes are eventually revealed... that Dueling Banjos sounds really interesting to me.
It's essentially a Mai Tai but with lemon standing in for the lime, freshly made corn milk standing in for orgeat, and two bourbons instead of two rums. I'm sure they'll give you the specs if you ask (the postcard that comes with the check has "fill in the blank" spaces pre-printed for cocktail recipes), and they're pretty active on Twitter as well.
https://twitter.com/pouringribbons

I don't see any way I'll be getting to NY in the foreseeable future to visit the bar and ask for the recipe but thinking of it as a Mai Tai variation should be enough to do some experimenting on my own... so thanks!

Chris Amirault · September 24, 2012

I thought PDT was overrated.

What in the world produced this rather bizarre judgment?

weinoo · September 24, 2012

I thought PDT was overrated.
What in the world produced this rather bizarre judgment?

One thing I can think of is that it is sure a hell of a lot easier to walk into Pegu Club and (for now, at least) Pouring Ribbons than it is PDT. They're much more accessible.

Chris Amirault · September 24, 2012

Difficult to get into I get. But overrated? What gives?

Hassouni · September 24, 2012

I just felt the drinks there weren't anything special. I went with 4 or 5 people, and we had two rounds each, so I got to try a good chunk of the menu, and nothing really blew me away. Granted, at LB and PR i was sat/stood at the bar and had direct interaction with the bartenders, whereas at PDT I didn't, but still, while it was good, it was nothing special when compared to its rivals in New York or even DC.

Hassouni · September 24, 2012

Here's the Pouring Ribbons menu in PDF for those following along:
http://www.insidehoo...e-Cocktails.pdf
Now I have to hope some of the recipes are eventually revealed... that Dueling Banjos sounds really interesting to me.
It's essentially a Mai Tai but with lemon standing in for the lime, freshly made corn milk standing in for orgeat, and two bourbons instead of two rums. I'm sure they'll give you the specs if you ask (the postcard that comes with the check has "fill in the blank" spaces pre-printed for cocktail recipes), and they're pretty active on Twitter as well.
https://twitter.com/pouringribbons

that's certainly true, I got thanked by them on Twitter an hour or two after posting about them! (I'm "WBHblog")

Hassouni · September 24, 2012

Well after going back to Little Branch last night, I think I can say I could happily live there. Still remains the best bar I've ever been to, though Pouring Ribbons was really really good and quite innovative

san · September 26, 2012

I'm going to NY as well on Sunday and Monday and would love to visit Milk and Honey once more before they move. Does anyone know how to arrange reservations?

Hassouni · September 26, 2012

Not posted on the online menu at Pouring Ribbons is the overall cocktail flavor matrix, (excuse the crappy photo):

img_5193.jpg?w=472&h=629

(taken from my review of the place at http://weballharder....ocktail-alchemy)

Edited September 26, 2012 by Hassouni (log)

**FrogPrincesse** · September 26, 2012

Here is a link to a pdf of the cocktail menu at Pouring Ribbons, with the flavor matrix.

Hassouni · September 26, 2012

Wow, must not have noticed it. Been having a lot of cocktails lately.....

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