The Best Summer Cocktail Spots in NYC
Summer drinks are meant to be fun; full of fruit and fizz and frequently frozen. But that doesn’t mean you should be drinking spiked Slurpees. Not when masterful seasonal cocktails are available at hot city spots, like Seamore’s, The Office, Narcbar and more.
Narcbar
John Fraser may be known for his virtuous love of vegetables, but he’s not above serving down and dirty drunk food at this casual complement to The Standard’s Narcissa. Think Onion Rings with buttermilk dressing, a French Dip with bone broth, and a take on the Georgian cheese bread, khachapuri, paired with tipples from Dram alum Tonia Guffey, including an Old Fashioned with root beer syrup, and the “Heavenly Charm;” a pisco sour variant featuring cantaloupe and orgeat.
Read MoreThe Office
Sip in style (and munch on flower and herb-encrusted ribeye beef tartare) at the inimitable Grant Achatz’ first Big Apple foray, specializing in pricey, pre-Prohibition style cocktails such as a strawberry Old Fashioned, Grapefruit and Tequila buzzing with horseradish and smoky with lapsong souchong, the “Snap Pea” featuring gin, fennel and soda, and a “Passionfruit” option, which mixes rum with chartreuse, egg white and Dijon mustard.
Read MoreSeamore’s Rum Bar
Not only does Michael Chernow’s shellfish-focused Seamore’s have major summertime appeal, the Chelsea offshoot just opened a basement bar called Fishbone, featuring rum-fueled tipples such as the frozen “Coco-Loco” with young Thai coconut water, an “Island Negroni” with aged vermouth and amaro, and the “Rhumble;” lush with muddled blackberry and rhum agricole.
Read MoreLoverboy
This new little sibling to Nolita’s drinking mecca, Mother’s Ruin, ups the cocktail quotient in the already bar-blessed East Village, with affordable tipples like the “Douche Bigelow” (a tequila-watermelon slushie) and the “Drunk Zealot” (rum, Montenegro and lime), accompanied by pizza, calamari and other Italian-esque items, from Dovetail’s former chef de cuisine.
Read MoreTaqueria El Atoradero
The incredible El Atoradero (a Brooklyn cantina, cheffed by “Queen of Carnitas,” Denisse Lina Chavez), recently spawned this permanent pop-up spot in the performance space, Littlefield’s, backyard. What to pair with saudero tacos and french fry nachos? Easy-drinking cocktails from Parklife, the neighboring al fresco bar, such as “Tropic Like It’s Hot” (bourbon, aperol, grapefruit orgeat) and “Pink Flamingos” (watermelon, basil, rhubarb-infused Arette Blanco, hopped bitters and coriander syrup).
Read MoreCasa Publica
While the eats are certainly of note (we’re talking crab and uni tostadas and squash blossom tacos from an Altamarea vet), the sprawling beverage menu almost outpaces the food offerings. Designed and executed by Meaghan Montagano — of industry favorite, Extra Fancy — you’ll find fruity frozies with optional floats (such as white rum, grilled pineapple and strawberry, slicked with a shot of ancho reyes), inventive micheladas (“Helga’s Brew” has jalapeno vodka, smoked salt, and Sierra Nevada Otra Vez), and large format libations; the “I Carried A Watermelon” boasts 51-ounces of tequila, watermelon, citrus and vermouth.
Read More1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
High astride the 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge — which guarantees spectacular city views — this credentialed roof bar counts Matt Abramcyk (formerly of The Beatrice Inn), Eddie Bilowich (1 Oak, Casablanca), and Michael Oliver (Noho Hospitality Group) as partners, with Lobster Rolls, Crudite with chickpea dip, and tofu-dressed Fried Mochi Bites, to supplement the “Heat Stroke” with pineapple, agave and fresh lime, and a Dark & Stormy with black seal rum and ginger beer.
Read MoreMiss Ada
Modern Israeli food is certainly on the rise, but Tomer Blechman (Lupa, Bar Bolonat) isn’t producing overly fussy fare in Fort Greene. Options like Hummus Masabaha and Goat Cheese Shakshuka are expertly rendered, but easily identified, while the cocktail list is succinct but pleasingly seasonal; try the violet “Beet-On,” with fresh beets, mint and arak, the “Veridian” boasting tequila, serrano and cilantro, or the “Lavender Old Fashioned,” which lets the herb lift the classic combo of bourbon, bitters and orange peel.
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