Cocktail Bars in NYC

[Megan Blocker]

The Monkey Bar (54th between Park and Madison) makes a pretty good Manhattan, not to mention an excellent Martini.

I'm also a big fan of the Manhattans at Auction House (89th and 2nd). Lexington Bar and Books (Lex between 72nd and 73rd) also does it well.

[Nathan]

as already noted: the Bemelman's Bar.

it seems safe to say that you'd get a good one at Flatiron lounge and Milk & Honey.

the Pegu Club opens at the end of the month and I guarantee you'll get a good one there.

[jennahan]

What about the Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station. They do old fashioned sorts of cocktails in an environment that recalls the days of the Robber Barons.

[johnder]

Isn't there supposed to be a hard-core old school cocktail bar opening on on East Houston soon? I remember seeing in in another post, but for the life of me I can't remember the name of it. I thought it would have opened by now, or in the very near future.

edit: The Pegu Club -- that was it!

Edited June 23, 2005 by johnder (log)

[HungryChris]

I had one at the Warwick Hotel that I thought was pretty good. There was no hint of the splash of soda that ruins everything, but fills the glass to which I object more than what was or wasn't muddled in the preparation. The slice of orange, well just an extra snack.

[slkinsey]

Don't forget Flatiron Lounge, one of the top spots in the City for a drink.

And there are also Sasha Petraske's two other places besides Milk & Honey. There's Little Branch on the West side, with the same meny as M&H but no reservations policy, and there's The East Side Company at Essex and Grand, also with no reservations policy plus a more informal setting and a uniquely different take on the cocktail lounge (all citrus is muddled, focus is on rocks drinks, there are usually several bowls of punch, etc.).

[Megan Blocker]

Don't forget Flatiron Lounge, one of the top spots in the City for a drink.

←

I second that!

[Luckylies]

milk and honey.

[johnder]

I was at flatiron lounge last night and it was great. I had a few Corpse Revivers II and they were awesome. They are also very proud of their new ice machine. it spits out these very large, square perfectly clear ice cubes for their drinks. They are pretty awesome.

[slkinsey]

Interesting. I was at Flatiron Lounge yesterday too, at around 6:15 - 8:00. Had a Sidecar (interesting formula I've never tried 2:1:1 Henessey:Cointreau:fresh lemon juice) and a Wheeski. Chatted a few minutes about the Big Ice, as everyone seems to call it, and which has been the subject of much discussion among the NYC cocktails crowd of late. I understand that they only recently had their Kold-Draft icemaker installed, and are having to retrain everyone for longer shaking. I remember talking to Julie several months ago about her plans for Big Ice and her dissatisfaction with the ice they were using at that time. The old ice was just too small and not dense enough, which meant that the bartenders could only shake each drink for maybe 2-3 shakes or it would become watered down. It was a problem, and I've been served an overly diluted, and yet paradoxicaly also too warm cocktail there maybe once or twice in the past (but no more than that, as FL's bartenders are among the best-trained in the City). With the new Big Ice, they can really do some shaking, get the drinks nicely cold and aerated, and not worry about over dillution.

The Double Seven and Pegu Club have similar icemakers, and Bemelman's has one making half-sized cubes.

[johnder]

My wife had the Wheeski to start and while she liked it, switched back to her standby -- a Rob Roy. We were actually there from 7:30 till almost 11. We managed to snag the large round booth in the corner. I was great people watching.

Any word on when Pegu is opening? I know it is any day now, but the suspense is killing me.

j

[slkinsey]

Ha! We must have been there at the same time.

No concrete info on Pegu, but I hope to get in and take a look soon.

If your wife likes Rob Roys, the next time you're in Flatiron Lounge and Phil is behind the bar, ask him to make the unnamed "Scotchtail" he made me a while back: blended scotch, Drambuie, fresh lemon juice and a dash of Angostura bitters. It's a keeper.

[M.X.Hassett]

Pegu Pegu Pegu