Maison Premiere on Bedford Avenue has poured absinthe and shucked oysters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City since 2011. James Beard winner 2016.
Food program: Raw bar with 30+ oyster varieties and seasonal plates
Tip: Oyster happy hour 16:00 to 19:00 weekdays is the way in; the garden opens April through November and books weeks ahead.
Address: 298 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11249, New York City
Death & Co on East 6th Street has set the East Village cocktail benchmark in New York City since 2007. Phil Ward's Oaxaca Old Fashioned was invented behind this bar.
Signature drink: Oaxaca Old Fashioned
Food: Snacks and bar bites
Tip: Walk-ins only; the door takes names from 18:00. Wait at Hi-Fi next door for the text; it usually runs 90 minutes.
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. Sam Ross's Penicillin is the house drink.
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.
Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's three-floor Financial District bar in New York City sits high in the World's 50 Best list. Irish coffee and historical cocktails downstairs.
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.
Employees Only on Hudson Street has poured classic cocktails in the West Village, New York City since 2004. White-jacketed bartenders, late kitchen, deep wine and Champagne list.
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.
Dutch Kills in Long Island City Queens runs Milk & Honey's tradition of bespoke cocktail-making in New York City. No menu, low light, classic cocktails, large clear ice cubes.
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.
Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has run the city's most ambitious flavour-led cocktail program in New York City since 2020. Top of the World's 50 Best Bars in 2023.
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.
