Shaken, not Stirred: A Guide to NYC Cocktail Bars
After a long day spent exploring NYC, there’s no better way to unwind than catching up with a friend over a drink. But with a bar on almost every corner in the Big Apple, where should you go to find the best cocktails?
New York locals and tourists don’t always have the most… let’s say friendly relationship, but we can certainly agree on one thing. When Friday night rolls around, we share a singular mission: find a great bar to grab a drink or two (or three) and unwind with friends.
But with an overwhelming variety of options in the city, where exactly should you go to grab that drink? While there’s undoubtedly a NYC watering hole to match every mood, from dive bars to posh speakeasies, we decided to focus our attention (and palettes) on seeking out the best cocktails in the city.
Nightcrawling the Night Away
We’ve heard from multiple friends (and from Forbes) that The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog is amazing, so we knew our hunt for a good cocktail wouldn’t be complete without stopping by.
Arriving at the three-level space located in the heart of FiDi on a Friday night, we quickly noticed that we were not alone in our quest for the perfect cocktail. We scoped out the hordes of eager imbibers on the jam-packed first floor before heading to the still-bustling third floor, where we managed to secure two seats and enjoy one of Dead Rabbit’s famous cocktails, the Nightcrawler.
Both of us agreed that the gin-based drink was sweet and refreshing and just what we needed after a long day of work. This is definitely a place to check out given its superb cocktail reviews and multiple awards. While the service was quick considering the crowds, this isn’t the ideal destination to kick back and relax on a Friday night.
Here’s our breakdown of the experience (all ratings out of five stars):
Ambiance: 💃💃💃
Drink: 🍸🍸🍸🍸
Cost: 💰💰💰💰
Ward III
The next stop on our bar-hopping journey was Ward III, located in heart of Tribeca on the corner of Reade and West Broadway.
This spacious and mellow candlelit bar boasts some next-level ambiance, as well as an extensive menu of creatively-named cocktails like “Knickers & A Twist” and “Cuchi Cuchi Baby.” Since this was only our second stop of the night, we opted for some popcorn to munch on and the lighter, grapefruit-infused “Pretty in Pink.”
If the cocktails on the menu don’t strike your fancy, Ward III also offers “Bespoke Cocktails,” which give you the opportunity to concoct the drink of your dreams. And the best custom cocktail creations will be given official names and added to the bar’s menu for other customers to enjoy.
Ambiance: 💃💃💃💃
Drink: 🍸🍸🍸
Cost: 💰💰💰
Smith and Mills
A short stroll away is a little spot named Smith and Mills (North Moore Street, between Hudson and Greenwich). Though it’s only a ten minute walk from Ward III, we spent an extra five minutes just trying to find the front door (to be honest, this may have had more to do with the two drinks in our systems, rather than the restaurant’s minimalist decor).
Once we found our way into the place, we were quite impressed with the cozy, inviting atmosphere and friendly service. Smith and Mills is on the smaller side, however, so if you’re going on a Friday night like we did, expect to fight for elbow room at the bar.
While we only stopped in for a drink, we were convinced by the delicious smells wafting from the kitchen that ordering food would be non-negotiable on our next visit. As for the cocktails? We went for a classic and ordered the Dark ‘n’ Stormy, which was by far Demmi’s favorite drink of the night — the little kick of spice from the ginger was perfectly satisfying.
Ambiance: 💃💃💃
Drink: 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸
Cost: 💰💰💰💰
Swooning over Slowly Shirley
The last stop on our cocktail-sampling adventure was Slowly Shirley, a fantastically quaint subterranean spot tucked away under the steep staircase of The Happiest Hour on West 10th Street. To sum up our experience here in one word: amazing!
Stepping into the swanky venue, we were instantly transported to a more glamorous era. The servers were dressed up, the menus were decked out, and the nods to classic Hollywood in everything from the decor to the cocktail names had us swooning.
After asking our very helpful server what he recommended, Demmi settled on “The Cleopatra,” a fruity drink with a strong, tropical taste of pandan leaf. Shayna opted for the gin, absinthe and cranberry liqueur-infused “Loose Lips Sink Ships.” And though we had a painfully hard time choosing, we finally settled on two tantalizing appetizers: the Mac n Cheese bites and the hummus and pita chips. Delicious!
Though it was the most expensive bar we visited, Slowly Shirley rose to the top of our list thanks to its high-quality drinks, impeccable service, and charming ambiance. We highly recommend taking a swill at this classy watering hole!
Ambiance: 💃💃💃💃💃
Drink: 🍸🍸🍸🍸🍸
Cost: 💰💰💰💰💰
As you can imagine, that’s all we could handle in one night. But that doesn’t mean we’re done exploring cocktail bars across the city. What are your favorite places to grab a drink in NYC? Tweet us @NYCExplorers or comment below with your recommendations — we may just write them up!
