Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$lower-east-sideDaily 17:00-03:00
Attaboy on Eldridge has poured bartender-choice cocktails in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2013. No menu, no door bell, ring for entry.
Signature drink: Penicillin
Food: None
Tip: Ring the unmarked grey door. Order by mood and base spirit; the bar does the rest. Cash, card, no reservations.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$financial-districtSun-Thu 11:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 11:00-03:00
Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's three-floor Financial District bar in New York City sits high in the World's 50 Best list. Order the irish coffee.
Signature drink: Irish Coffee
Food: Pub food and oysters
Tip: The downstairs Taproom takes walk-ins; the Parlor upstairs needs a booking. Order Irish Coffee at the Taproom counter.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$west-village
Employees Only on Hudson Street has poured classic cocktails in the West Village, New York City since 2004. White-jacketed bartenders, late kitchen.
Signature drink: Ginger Smash
Food: Bar bites and full kitchen
Tip: The back dining room runs walk-ins; the front bar fills by 21:00. Order the Ginger Smash and the chicken liver mousse.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$long-island-citySun-Thu 17:00-02:00, Fri-Sat 17:00-03:00
Dutch Kills in Long Island City Queens runs Milk & Honey's tradition of bespoke cocktail-making in New York City. Order the dutch kills old fashioned.
Signature drink: Dutch Kills Old Fashioned
Food: None
Tip: Ring the bell; the door is unmarked. Tell the bartender what you have been drinking lately and let them choose.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$lower-east-side
Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has run the city's most ambitious flavour-led cocktail program in New York City since 2020. Located in Lower East Side.
Signature drink: Cold Pizza
Food: Fried chicken sandwiches
Tip: Front Room walk-in; Coop in the back takes reservations on Resy. The Cold Pizza is the showpiece, the Pina Colada the runner-up.
Cocktail barCocktail bar$$$nohoMon-Wed 17:00-01:00, Thu-Sat 17:00-02:00, Sun closed
Temple Bar on Lafayette Street has reopened the 1989 NoHo cocktail room in New York City. The espresso martini revival in 2022 happened largely in this room.
Signature drink: Espresso Martini
Food: Cheese, charcuterie, snacks
Tip: The bar runs walk-ins from 17:00. Order the espresso martini at the bar, not the tables; the bartender pulls the shot.