Cocktails and Mixed Drinks - New York City

I'm going to try check out the East Village's Death & Co. this weekend - apparently it is the place that helped spawn the speakeasy/mixology schtick so popular with the yuppies/hipsters nowadays.

It will probably be very difficult to get in on a Saturday night. I have a friend in town to impress - any suggestions on some good alternatives where we can get a great mixed drink in a relatively civilized atmosphere - preferrably below 14th street? (and I'm not talking about chasing shots of Dimitri with Thunderbird in Tompkins Square Park).

Habibi

This is outside of your parameters, but I'm a huge fan of Dram, right over the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. A cheap, quick cab ride from lower Manhattan.

Jeremy makes outstanding cocktails and is just an all-around friendly guy, who made great drink suggestions and also suggestions for other bars and restaurants to check out. On our last visit to NYC, in November, it was the only place we visited multiple times. It's a small bar with serious cocktails, a relaxed atmosphere, and ample seating. Even on a weekend night, it was full, but not terribly crowded - - and no lines.

If you want to impress your friend with serious cocktails, I think this is a good option. However, if you're looking for a scene, this ain't your place. For a Chicago comparison, I'd say the vibe is similar to Whistler, with an interior akin to Avec.

There are also plenty of good restaurants nearby, if that's of interest.

Ronna

I'm not sure it will be civilized on a Saturday night, but you might try the Pegu Club:

Pegu Club
77 W Houston St
New York, NY 10012-1543
(212) 473-7348
peguclub.com‎

REB wrote:This is outside of your parameters, but I'm a huge fan of Dram, right over the Williamsburg Bridge in Brooklyn. A cheap, quick cab ride from lower Manhattan.

Jeremy makes outstanding cocktails and is just an all-around friendly guy, who made great drink suggestions and also suggestions for other bars and restaurants to check out. On our last visit to NYC, in November, it was the only place we visited multiple times. It's a small bar with serious cocktails, a relaxed atmosphere, and ample seating. Even on a weekend night, it was full, but not terribly crowded - - and no lines.

If you want to impress your friend with serious cocktails, I think this is a good option. However, if you're looking for a scene, this ain't your place. For a Chicago comparison, I'd say the vibe is similar to Whistler, with an interior akin to Avec.

There are also plenty of good restaurants nearby, if that's of interest.

Ronna

Williamsburg works. Thanks for the suggestion.

What restaurants do you like around there?

Habibi wrote:Williamsburg works. Thanks for the suggestion.

What restaurants do you like around there?

Nearby, I've only been to and enjoyed Fatty Cue. Traif is also super-close and supposed to be great. Rye is another option just a few blocks away. Peter Luger wasn't on my list of places to try, but it's right there, too. I only ate dessert at Pies n Thighs, but wasn't impressed.

Fette Sau and the Commodore are a bit farther afield and not really places you'd take someone you want to impress. But, I hear Fette Sau is quite good, and I really enjoyed my late-night dinner at the Commodore.

Ronna

When this is what you encounter taking up over 10% of the space on an East Village cocktail menu, you can imagine how personable the bartender was. I love it here, but I miss Chicago's Midwestern lack of pretension.