Classic Cocktail Bar/Lounge

[drock36]

Chowhound from Seattle looking for the best classic (not dive) cocktail bar/lounge in the EV, LES,WV, etc. Not looking for a trendy "be seen" place, but rather a place that takes pride in using the right size ice cubes, glass ware, etc. For serious drinkers.

For those of you who have visited SEA, PDX or SF, I'm looking for something comparable to Rob Roy, Tavern Law, Spur in Seattle, Clyde Common in PDX, and Bar Agricole in SF.

Thanks for any help.

[loratliff]

Attaboy (in the old M&H space) just opened the other night. I'm out of town at the moment, but hopefully going to stop by in a few nights—will report back.

[rahulsingh]

Checked out Attaboy yesterday. It was great! More laid back than the M&H days with awesome drinks. Based on what I gathered, it'll open at 6:45 everyday, no reservations, the cocktails are still $16/drink and they'll do away with the cash only policy (their CC system is not up yet so it was cash only yesterday but they should have it up and running in a day or two). The one thing that was new was pineapple juice as an ingredient. I don't remember if they ever had that at M&H. We sat at the bar and the service was very-very good. I wish I had half of Sam's people skills :)
I wonder if it'll only be Sam and Michael making drinks there or if they'll have others.
Looking forward to experiencing Dead Rabbit at the bar and seeing how that compares to Attaboy. In any case, 2 awesome additions to the city's cocktail scene.

[kathryn]

Lantern's Keep usually has fresh pineapple juice, too.

[rahulsingh]

Right. What I was wondering was if M&H ever had it with their whole "squeeze your juice after you place your order" deal.

[rahulsingh]

Has anyone tried Dead Rabbit? How's it compared to Pouring Ribbons? Also, out of all these cocktail places, I know M&H accepts reservations. Do any of the other places do that? Thanks!

[kathryn]

Takes reservations:
PDT - day of only
Raines Law Room - Sun-Tues only
Experimental Cocktail Club
Mayahuel
Lantern's Keep
Jbird

[rahulsingh]

I'll answer my own question :) Checked out Dead Rabbit yesterday. The Parlor (which is where all the cocktail action is) was very good. Between all of us, we tried about 12-14 drinks and barring 1-2, all of them were well appreciated. The Absinthe one's were the surprise package. Very well balanced. I would definitely go back there and hopefully sit at the bar this time around. At this point, I'd place it a tad higher than Pouring Ribbons.

[rahulsingh]

Tried Pouring Ribbons recently. I thought it was really good. I'll still rate Death & Co. slightly higher but just slightly. I've not been to Booker and Dax or Experimental yet. How are they compared to Pouring? Any newcomers that should be tried out?
Thank you.

[kathryn]

B&D is really a unique sort of bar so it's not fair to compare it to others who aren't using the same techniques.

Dead Rabbit just opened recently.

Did you ever end up going to Raines?

[rahulsingh]

I did go to Raines and liked it. I also went to M&H's new location and found it to be decent.

[kathryn]

If you liked Raines, try Lantern's Keep.

If you liked Death & Co, try Mayahuel, JBird, or the NoMad as well. All of those are run by former D&C people.

[rahulsingh]

I had gone to Mayahuel once but wasn't very impressed. But this was a while ago. Maybe I should go back.
NoMad, I had a few cocktails when I had gone there for dinner. I'll give Lantern's Keep a shot some time.

[deprofundis]

Booker & Dax has a much more limited (and less interesting, imho) menu than Pouring Ribbons. Experimental Cocktail Club has a very cool room and really off the wall drinks, but many of them are not that great. Pouring Ribbons is the best of the three.

[trav]

Experimental Cocktail Club 191 Chrystie

[rahulsingh]

Hi, this post if a few months old so I wanted to get people's opinion on what are some of the best cocktail places right now. The last couple of times that I went to M&H, I left disappointed. Somehow the drinks were not as good as all the times before that - imbalanced flavors probably being the biggest complaint. Another place that is popular but I did not like was Angels and Share. Very ordinary drinks IMO. I recently went to PDT (before it got very crowded) and liked it. The drinks didn't blow me away but were pretty good. Death and Co. - I've never sat at the bar but liked it the few times that I've been here. Will definitely like to go back and sit at the bar. Pegu Club- I think is solid and consistent, Lani Kai and Little Branch are good as well. Out of the relatively new ones, I've been to Amar y Amargo and Cienfuegos - the drinks were OK, nothing special. Never been to Raines Law or Employees Only. So, what are your favorites??

[kathryn]

Angels Share is second tier IMO. So is Employees Only, they free pour.

Raines Law Room or Lanterns Keep on a quiet night would be my next recommendations, followed by Booker & Dax. Flatiron Lounge is also worth a stop, same woman runs Lani Kai and Clover Club.

Or NoMad which is run by someone who is ex-Death & Co.

[kathryn]

Mayahuel should be on your list as well.

[kathryn]

Are you looking for the classic cocktails (manhattan, martini, martinez, etc) and obscure older drinks done to perfection? Or a place that is more new school w/ infused syrups, infused liquors, housemade tinctures, etc?

How about places that are focused on a single spirit? Would you be interested in a tequila/mezcal bar? Or a rum bar? Or a tiki bar? Or a bitters bar?

Really... how long are you here for? :)

The Milk & Honey / Dutch Kills / Little Branch family are more about classic cocktails with 4-5 ingredients made VERY well and less so about infusing liquors; the basis of their cocktail lists really is classic drinks with some modern modifications/variations but most of their cocktails have a very clear lineage that traces back to something from an earlier era.

Whereas PDT, Mayahuel, Death & Co. infuse liquors and use more nouveau ingredients and have more complicated cocktails (sometimes with a LOT more components - like eight or nine). It should be noted that PDT, Mayahuel, and Death & Co all have their lineage from Pegu Club, so, similar philosophies.

If I had to rank my top 5 in town:

1. Death & Co: Their menu is huge and divided into base spirit and whether you want a stirred or shaken drink; they'll also do bartender's choice in request. I love the innovation here with the infusions, house made syrups, etc. and they brought back punch service into fashion in this city. Good, big ice and chilled glassware are the norm here. Modern speakeasy decor. Also their head bartender used to be at the Alembic in SF!

I think if you really want something more cutting edge, Death & Co and PDT are you places to go (RIP Tailor). Off the current menu, they have two drinks with a Sichuan peppercorn-infused gin, for example, and one with a coconut-green-tea-infused scotch (The Grass Kilt, it's so good). Get there early. It fills up quick. I only go to D&C on off nights before 8pm. No standing allowed. Do note that last call is around 1ish.

2. PDT: Tiny bar hidden behind a phone booth inside of a hot dog joint. Taxidermy themed decor. Reservations for tables/booths only taken at 3pm for that same day; bar is always first come, first served, though. Go right at 6pm and sit at the bar. No standing. I believe the cost of drinks is at $15 each now, other places are still $13-14.

It is very small, VERY VERY popular, and the drinks list is not quite as extensive as, say, Death & Co or Pegu Club. I think a lot of online reviews can focus too much on the difficulties of getting in and the faux speakeasy schtick and high price of cocktails/price of food compared to food cost. I still like it a lot but I think logistically, it's a pain to get in, so I don't go as often as I used to.

Their bacon fat infused bourbon old fashioned (Benton's Old Fashioned) is one of the most innovative drinks in the city and one of the early forebears of the fat washing movement. Off the current menu, I like the Imperial Blueberry Fizz (with champagne), the Sixth Street (curry, egg white, ginger, guava, lime, lemon, gin), and the Mezcal mule with passionfruit, cayenne, and ginger.

They also serve hot dogs and tater tots from the kitchen next door. I love the Torres Tots, paired with a Deragon dog. Mmmmm. Kind of a cool upscale bar/downscale food thing going on.

I also highly recommend their brand new book that is chock full of recipes, equipment recommendations, brand recommendations, etc.

3. Pegu Club: Pegu Club is a must visit just for historical reasons. Audrey Saunders is one of the reasons why we have a such plethora of cocktail lounges to choose from here these days. She trained with Dale DeGroff back in the day and Pegu Club was one of the first artisanal cocktail lounges to open in NYC. It's named after a British officers' club in Burma.

A lot of places who make their own ginger beer are really just using her recipe. The Gin Gin Mule is a modern classic. If you like gin or ginger, this is the place to go as their gin and/or ginger beer based drinks are outstanding, but Pegu doesn't go as wild and crazy with the infusions as, say D&C or PDT. There is also a slight Asian bent, both in terms of decor, and the drinks, though I may be biased because I typically love whatever Kenta Goto is mixing (he's Japanese). I'm fond of the Tomatillo Highball with gin, tomatillo juice, basil syrup, and jalapeno, if they still have it. Which reminds me, they should start making their Tom & Jerry's soon....

They also allow standing, so you could conceivably go later on in the night and still get in; but if the bartender is slammed, the quality tends to dip a little bit and it's a bit too loud to talk.

I like going on the early side and quietly sipping a Pisco Punch, Gin Gin Mule, Jamaican Firefly, or an Old Cuban. She also known for her very wet martini (the 50-50), especially paired with their smoked trout deviled eggs. And her earl grey infused martini. Hell, half her list is "famous" and copied elsewhere now.

It's also on the second floor and has windows, which means it has a slightly different atmosphere than the others (PDT and D&C are windowless).

4. Milk & Honey / Little Branch: I put these together because M&H is basically impossible to get into unless you're a member.... But Little Branch is open to all. It's also one of those basement speakeasy/no sign bars. Pre-Prohibition atmosphere and drinks.

Basically their philosophy is "fine dining standards applied to classic cocktails" in a place where you can relax without being unnecessarily hit on if you don't want to (hence I don't put a lot of stock in the Yelp reviews with complains that run counter to the concept). This is where you can get a great Champs-Élysées or Aviation or Last Word, etc.

They usually don't bring the check until you ask. BUT they do allow standing in the bar area (as opposed to the tables/booths they have towards the back) and there's a line to get in due to, well, the fire code/occupancy laws (if a bar violates the fire code it can have its liquor license taken away). Live jazz, but only Sunday through Thursday. I like it a lot -- but the menu is rather short.

This place works best if you are a repeat customer doing "bartender's choice" and the bartender can learn your tastes over time. But if you do go, go early (they open at 7pm) and ask for a pisco sour with Peruvian bitters if you go.

5. Lani Kai

This is Julie Reiner's upscale Hawaiian cocktail place--don't call it tiki, but it does have some great punches and rum drinks. Their orgeat is handmade, they garnish with fresh orchids, etc.

It's big, and can get very loud and crowded, as they allow standing. A very pretty room, and less cozy than the others. We prefer the upstairs bar, instead of the larger bar/lounge down below. Her drinks are fabulous and balanced in a way that many tropical drinks are not. Try the Leilani's Fizz with gin, lychee, lime, lemongrass syrup. Or the Tia Mia, a mezcal take on the Mai Tai, with mezcal, Jamaican rum, orgeat, orange liqueur, and lime.

And on Mondays they have taken to hosting a regular guest bartender, Brian Miller, who was Death & Co's tiki aficionado for a while. His drinks are really wonderful -- if you have the heart for it, ask him for a Winchester, which is his 3 gin version of a Zombie. I think they're reserving a little corner of the menu for his drinks regularly, too. It'll knock you out! The pork buns and poke are also outstanding, but pricey. They also have good brunch and happy hour specials. The same cocktails as later on in the evening but much cheaper.

Julie Reiner also has two other cocktail lounges: Flatiron Lounge (which is more art deco) and Clover Club (pre-Prohibition drinks). But Clover Club is in Brooklyn, and while I like Flatiron a lot, it is just not as interesting to me personally as PDT, Death & Co, etc.

If you like tequila, you must visit Mayahuel. It is focused on both tequila and mezcal, not just mezcal. It's a fairly large facility as far as craft cocktails go in NYC, which is nice, and it should be much easier to get a larger group of people in the door. The food is pretty good, not the absolute best, but it hits the spot (I think the D&C food and Pegu food is a little bit better). The drinks are really great and interesting. They do some with tea and tea infused tequila, jalapeno infused tequila, celery bitters, mole bitters, etc. I love the Loop Tonic, Slight Detour, Watermelon Sugar, Pilot Punch, La Vida Rosa. The menu is surprisingly extensive and Phil Ward is some sort of tequila genius (before he opened Mayahuel, he was at Death & Co, and before that Pegu Club).

The Oaxaca Old-Fashioned is a modern classic and rightly so. Reposado tequila, mezcal, agave nectar, and Angostura bitters. It was featured in the NY Times a little while ago -- drinks of the decade or something crazy like that. No standing.

If you're into rum, try El Cobre (all rum drinks) or Cienfuegos (all rum punches -- they will do single servings, too -- try the Honey Badger punch with Flor de Cana 4 yr extra dry, bonded applejack, lime, passionfruit, honey, jalapeño.).

If you're into gin, try the new Whitehall or Vandaag (which also has aquavit cocktails and some beer cocktails).

If you like bitters, go to Amor y Amargo. Order a negroni with their housemade vermouth. Divine! Possibly the best negroni in the city.

There's also a host of restaurants with respectable cocktail programs like Fatty Cue, Peels, WD-50, Eleven Madison Park, Momofuku Ssam Bar, Minetta Tavern, Locanda Verde....

-----
WD-50
50 Clinton Street, New York, NY 10002

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

Momofuku Ssam Bar
207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Minetta Tavern
113 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012

Little Branch
22 Seventh Ave South, New York, NY 10014

Please Don't Tell
113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Flatiron Lounge
37 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011

Pegu Club
77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012

Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

Milk and Honey
134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002

Mayahuel
304 E 6th St, New York, NY 10003

Locanda Verde
377 Greenwich St, New York, NY 10013

Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Vandaag
103 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Lani Kai
525 Broome St, New York, NY 10012

El Cobre
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Amor y Amargo
443 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009

Tom & Jerry's
288 Elizabeth St, New York, NY 10012

[drock36]

A wealth of great insight and info. Thank you

How about the best american whiskey bar?

Also, I am here for one week

[loratliff]

Kathryn's list is, of course, great and rather definitive.

I would also add Raines Law Room to that list. Lovely bar that is very, very comfortable to sit and sip for awhile. Their head bartender, Meaghan Dorman, is infinitely talented and puts great emphasis on hospitality.

Ward III, in Tribeca, has a very thorough list of scotch (both single malt & blended), bourbon, ryes, etc., etc.

-----
Raines Law Room
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

Ward III
111 Reade St, New York, NY 10013

[kathryn]

For more of a dive atmosphere, I really like Idlehands. It's underneath a different bar, Billy Hurricane's. For something more upscale, Brandy Library is good. They do tasting flights and have great gougeres.

See also:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/746841

-----
Brandy Library
25 N Moore St, New York, NY 10013

Billy Hurricane's
25 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

Idle Hands
25 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009

[kathryn]

A few more notes:

Cienfuegos has a bar but no bar stools so you can't really sit there and hang out.

Same for Little Branch but you can stand and hang out.

Raines Law Room is similar. Standing rather than sitting at the bar. They have a kitchen that you can stand in and watch, but no proper bar with stools. The rest of the space is lounge furniture with semi-private booths, so if you're just one person I'm not sure where they'd put you. The setup seems geared more towards couples and small groups.

-----
Little Branch
22 Seventh Ave South, New York, NY 10014

Raines Law Room
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011

Cienfuegos
95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

[indiefoodie]

@kathryn - re. M&H - did something change in the recent past like the last 2 months wrt getting in? i'm not a member but have always been able to get in after making reservations.

[kathryn]

If you're not a member and already have their contact info, I suppose you're OK, but they took their web site down, so getting the contact info is once again by "word of mouth."

[indiefoodie]

Right. Well, I hope they don't change their contact info. else I'll be cut off :) Just curious - In addition to email, have you heard of any other way of making reservations there?

[tenacity]

Kathryn! Oh my stars, what a GREAT list. I think I should buy you a cocktail when I'm in town as thanks!

I am definitely into the idea of a 'bitters bar'. I'll start a new topic on that.

Is there anything from this list you'd strike as of March 2013 (due to closure or recent suckitude)?

[kathryn]

Lani Kai has closed.

Milk & Honey has moved from the LES to near the Flatiron Building; I haven't yet been to the new incarnation. Middle Branch has also opened.

Experimental Cocktail Club has opened as has the Dead Rabbit and Pouring Ribbons.

Booker & Dax is now operating in the space next to Momofuku Ssam Bar.

[kathryn]

Forgot to mention that El Cobre is now Gin Palace. M&H is no longer members only. The old M&H space is now Attaboy.

Vandaag has closed.

And Empellon Cocina also has a fantastic tequila/mezcal cocktail program.

[tenacity]

Gin Palace - gotta love that name if they back it up in bottles. :-)

[tgseaver]

EO in West Village if you go early.

[kathryn]

The bartenders at Employees Only do not jigger and they are inconsistent because of this -- I'd had some overly sweet and some overly sour drinks there. It's a nice place and I wish they would jigger as we've had some great cocktails and food there. But also some not so great cocktails.

-----
Employees Only
510 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

[cubicles]

i agree with kathryn: while Employees Only has some interesting drinks and is better than 90% of the places out there, it is not even in the same league as some of the true great cocktail places such as Pegu, Death & Co, Little Branch, etc.

-----
Little Branch
22 Seventh Ave South, New York, NY 10014

Employees Only
510 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Death & Co.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009