The New York 502023 Edition
When you’ve got as long a drinking history as New York, a city that is home to so many great bars and talented bartenders, you’re going to produce a good share of iconic cocktails. Last year at this time, I indulged in a little experiment, drawing on my decades of experience as a Gotham barfly to tally New York’s most emblematic mixed drinks. I called it “The New York 50,” settling upon that figure as a nice round number. Gotham has so many famous tipples, it wasn’t difficult filling out the list.
What makes a cocktail a local hero? It depends on the case. Sometimes it’s an original mixture so good it has gone on to wider fame (e.g., the Penicillin at Attaboy). Sometimes, a bar has such a way with a classic that its version becomes a celebrated house specialty (e.g., the Boulevardier at Long Island Bar). Sometimes, a particular drink becomes so tied up with the reputation of a place that it almost seems against the law not to order it when you’re there (e.g., the Benton’s Old-Fashioned at PDT).
You will notice some changes from last year. Some bars no longer serve the drinks featured on last year’s list. (The 3-Martini lunch of mini-Martinis at the Morgan Library is gone. So is, temporarily, the Insanely Good Midori Sour at Up & Up, owing to a Midori shortage.) Also, the last twelve months have ushered in a flurry of new bars. Some of those saloons made their mark quickly, turning out drinks that broke out as instant classics.
I also added some Honorable Mentions, in the tradition of the “Bubbling Under” list featured on Billboard’s Top 100.
Here are the cocktails you should seek out when in New York and where to get them, listed in alphabetical order by cocktail name.
Bartender’s Choice at Little Branch
Bartender’s Choice—an ordering strategy now practiced around the world, in which the bartender comes up with a drink based on your stated preferences—began at Milk & Honey. But it was first put on the menu as such here.
Benton’s Old-Fashioned at PDT
This bacon-fat-washed Bourbon drink has been the most popular cocktail at New York’s most famous speakeasy since it debuted in 2007. Benton’s the name of the Tennessee bacon that is used. But, at this point, you’re forgiven if you think the bacon was named after the cocktail.
This list of 50 Iconic New York drinks is public so feel free to share it.
Big Apple Martini at Milady’s—NEW ENTRY!
Julie Reiner reached back to this achievement from her early days at C3, reinventing the drink for her latest bar, the reborn Milady’s in SoHo. Now, the cocktail is newsworthy all over again.
Boulevardier at Long Island Bar
Toby Cecchini, owner of LIB, didn’t invent the Boulevardier. But he may have perfected it. There are five ingredients in this version of the three-ingredient cocktail. It is the best version of the cocktail in town, and justly famous.
Carondolet at Maison Premiere
Leave it to avant-garde mixologist Maks Pazuniak to come up with a stirred rendition of the Ramos Gin Fizz that tastes as good as the original. It has been on the menu at this New Orleans-themed Brooklyn bar since it opened.
Cosmopolitan at Odeon and Long Island Bar—NEW ENTRY (LIB)!
The Cosmo was invented at the first place listed above, and its inventor owns the latter bar. So both make the cut. The Cosmo isn’t on the menu at LIB, but they’ll make you one. What is on the menu is a Frozen Cosmopolitan. That’s good, too.
Dole Whip at Lullaby—NEW ENTRY!
A boozy version of the Disneyworld frozen treat. And a final gift of the late Brother Cleve to the cocktail world.
Dukes Martini at Hotel Chelsea Lobby Bar—NEW ENTRY!
Sometimes the easiest way to create a new local classic is to import it. A smart New York homage to a London icon.
El Diablo at Sunken Harbor Club—NEW ENTRY!
“El Diablo!!” A lot of New York bars are serving this lost Tequila drink right now. But the one at Sunken Harbor Club comes with a Greek chorus.
Food Cocktails at Double Chicken Please—NEW ENTRY!
The most strangely named cocktail bar in town has some of the strangest cocktails in town, all named after the food dishes they’re meant to mimic. Japanese Cold Noodle and Key Lime Pie are popular. But, for my money, the order is Cold Pizza. That way you can drink your drunk food.
Frozen Painkiller at Super Power
A crowd-pleasing mainstay at the most disarming tiki bar in the city. (They get bonus points for not making it with Pusser’s Rum, which annoyingly owns the trademark on the Painkiller cocktail.)
Garibaldi at Dante
The drink’s name is no longer emblazoned on the pillar by the bar, as it was for many years. But this Campari and “fluffy” orange juice confection is still ordered in great numbers. And for good reason.
Gibson at Dear Irving
Meaghan Dorman loves Gibsons. Fittingly, she makes the best one in town. The bright pink pearl onion is the cherry on this liquid sundae.
Gin Tonic at La Vara
If you want a proper Spanish-style “Gin Tonic,” go to a proper Spanish restaurant.
Gin Blossom at Clover Club
Your drinking experience at Clover Club begins with this, the house Martini at the trailblazing Brooklyn bar. It probably continues with the Slope, the house Manhattan. But first things first.
Gold Rush at Attaboy
A whiskey sour made with honey syrup, this was Milk & Honey’s first original cocktail back in 2001. TJ Siegel asked for it; Sasha Petraske made the first one. Their successors at Attaboy still make it to perfection.
Grasshopper at Dante—NEW ENTRY!
Dante knew Grasshoppers were secretly cool before the media and the public caught on. Their version is the best in Gotham.
Gun Metal Blue at Porchlight
The breakout cocktail at Danny Meyer’s first stand-alone bar. It’s listed on the menu under “Tried-and-True” because it is. Do as the caption under the drink reads: “See a blue drink, drink a blue drink.”
Hard Start at Grand Army
Cat-themed menus come and game-show-themed menus go at this Brooklyn bar, but the Hard Start—half Fernet Branca, half Branca Menta—is forever.
Hinoki Martini at Katana Kitten
Everything about Katana’s house Martini is different from every other Martini in the city. It’s a vodka-gin mix; it’s served in a stemless, conical glass; and it comes served over crushed ice in a wooden masu box.
Irish Coffee at Dead Rabbit and Fort Defiance—NEW ENTRY (Fort Defiance)!
The Irish Coffee competition in New York has always been a dead heat between these two bars. Fort Defiance would have been on the list last year, but it was between homes and wasn’t open. Now it’s back, so you have your pick of great Irish Coffees. Toss a coin. You can’t lose.
King Cole Martini at Maison Premiere
One person comes to your table to make you a Martini from the ingredients on a tray. Another person holds that tray. The gin is overproof Old Raj. You get a choice of garnish. The experience costs $25. It’s worth a lot more.
Little Italy at Milady’s—NEW ENTRY!
I still miss Pegu Club. If that iconic cocktail bar was still operating today, as least five of its drinks would be on this list. As things stand, I must track down the Pegu Club standbys elsewhere. Milady’s, run by Pegu Club co-founder Julie Reiner, is one of the places where Pegu drinks live on; in this case, the Little Italy, made to creator Audrey Saunders’ exact specifications.
Martini Italian at Rolo’s—NEW ENTRY!
It’s not everyday a great new spin on the Martini comes along. This top seller at Rolo’s is made of Malfi lemon gin, Bordiga extra dry & blanc vermouths, Aperol, and garnished with a castelvetrano olive. It’s worth journeying to Ridgewood for.
Martini at Keens Steakhouse
People have been drinking Martinis at Keens for more than a century. You don’t want to disrupt tradition, do you?
Martini at Raoul’s - New Entry!
Drinking classic cocktails just feels right in certain ur-New York spaces. New York’s old steak houses are some of those spaces. Raoul’s in SoHo is another.
MP Pimm’s Cup at Maison Premiere—NEW ENTRY!
There’s always a Pimm’s Cup on the menu here, though the recipe changes. It’s always worth ordering.
Negroni at Dante
Of course the bar that brought Italian-style aperitivo drinking to New York is going to have a great Negroni. And it’s on draft, so you won’t have to wait long.
New York Sazerac at 67 Orange Street
This drink has been on this Harlem speakeasy’s menu since it opened in 2008. One of the best in the city.
Oaxaca Old-Fashioned at Death & Co.
The most famous cocktail this famous cocktail bar ever produced; a tequila-mezcal riff invented by Phil Ward, it’s first bar director. Ward’s long gone. The drink is still here.
Old Cuban at Bemelmans Bar
You pay through the nose for the ambiance and history here. And it’s worth it. But it doesn’t hurt to have a good cocktail, too, in the form of this Audrey Saunders modern classic.
Old-Fashioned at Dutch Kills
Just a straight-up Old-Fashioned, done the Sasha Petraske way—simple, boozy, not too sweet, and with a “rabbit ears” garnish (lemon and orange twists).
The Pandan Drink at Mace
It’s ironic that a bar named Mace is not known for the mace cocktail on the menu, but the pandan cocktail. But that’s what happens when your owner and lead mixologist (Nico de Soto) has a thing for pandan.
Paper Plane at Attaboy
A few bars merit two or more drinks on this list. One of them is Attaboy, formerly Milk & Honey. This equal-parts bourbon cocktail is the reason half the bars in the world carry Amaro Nonino.
Perfect Martini at Gage & Tollner
Since this newsletter named this drink one of the city’s iconic tipples last year, a lot of other people have noticed that G&T’s Perfect Martini (a Martini with equal parts sweet and dry vermouth) is pretty perfect.
Penicillin at Attaboy
There are two on this list drinks invented by Sam Ross, both created at the former Milk & Honey, both beginning with a “P.” The Paper Plane is one. This is the other.
Pickleback at Bushwick Country Club
Well, somebody had to have invented this modern shot-and-chaser. Improbably, it’s this place.
Queen of the Desert at Sugar Monk
You don’t have to ask what the most popular drink is at this stylish Harlem bar. Because this green Tequila drink is on every table.
Red Snapper at King Cole Bar
The United States was introduced to the Bloody Mary here. Only it was called the Red Snapper. Still is.
Salty Plum Old-Fashioned at Mr. Fong’s
This artsy dive’s deft nod to its Chinatown location has never left its menu.
Sakura Martini at Bar Goto
Proving to the world that Martinis can, and should, be garnished with cherry blossoms.
The Shark at PDT
Blue cocktails are hot right now, but they weren’t when this upstart drink bowed on the PDT cocktail menu in 2010. Bartender John deBary knew something we didn’t.
Sharpie Moustache at Amor y Amargo
This cocktail used to come in its own mini-flask, dressed up in a moustache. Covid killed that bit of whimsy, though you can still get it that way in to-go form. No matter. It still tastes good.
Slushy at Mother’s Ruin
Mother’s Ruin is the bar that made frozen cocktails legit in New York a decade ago. The bar is still doing what it does best, offered a Slushy du Jour.
Tuxedo at The Grill
The Grill was one of the first bars in New York to foresee the current Martini mania. Their Martini menu features seven drinks, all variations on the King of Cocktails. But this is the best. Oh, and it’s Tuxedo No. 1—the sherry version—in case you were wondering.
Tia Mia at Leyenda
It means “my aunt,” but that’s not the point. The name is an anagram for Mai Tai and that’s what it is, only made with mezcal. One of the few cocktails that never leaves the Leyenda menu.
Whiskey Highball at Bar Goto Niban—NEW ENTRY!
You can get Bar Goto’s classic Japanese-style Whiskey Highball at both its Manhattan and Brooklyn locations. But it may taste a little bit better in Brooklyn, because you can drink it outside in the warm weather.
Wildest Redhead at Raines Law Room and Raines Law Room at The William
Invented at Lantern’s Keep by Meaghan Dorman, this honey Scotch sour is now served at both these Dorman bars. It grows more popular by the year.
Big Trouble in Little Italy, Manhatta
Bijou Blanc, Le Rock
Caffe Amaro Tini, Red Hook Tavern
Eight-Amaro Sazerac, Amor Y Amargo
Grand Martiny, Martiny’s
Grasshopper, Emmett’s on Grove
House Martini, Place de Fetes
Long Island Gimlet, Long Island Bar
Paddington, PDT
Pat Geary, Rockwell Place
Pisco Sour, Veronika
Remember the Maine, Sunken Harbor Club
Sour of the Day, Roman’s
Terroir Old-Fashioned, Overstory
No “Odds and Ends” this week. This post is long enough already! See you next Monday.
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