Winter weather calls for two kinds of cocktails: the warm and soothing, or the cold and bracing. Whichever way you go, we’ve got eight great bars in New York City serving the best examples of each, plus some drinks that will have you dreaming of warmer days.
Bookmarks Lounge
There's something so Dickens-in-winter about the Bookmarks Lounge at the Library Hotel that you almost expect Pip and Miss Havisham from Great Expectations to wander by. (In fact, many of the cocktails are literary-inspired.) The Hero is made with flavors we associate with the season, like cinnamon syrup, plus there’s brandy, port, and a pumpkin/passion fruit purée. If you’re feeing more poetic and in need of a soothing yet potent libation, go for the Tea S. Elliott: it includes tea-infused vodka, plus orange marmalade and chai tea foam. Paging those Practical Cats.
299 Madison Ave., 212-204-5498, hospitalityholdings.com
Minetta Tavern
Back in the day, the Minetta Tavern was a hangout for literary luminaries like Ernest Hemingway; these days you’re more likely to see Jerry Seinfeld. Reservations for dinner can still be hard to snag, but a drink at the elegant bar should make the wait more bearable. A glass of hard cider might be just the thing to ward off the chill—try a “Steampunk” from the Leonard Oakes winery in upstate New York. Or perhaps you’re there for brunch—then you might be more in the mood for a Kentucky Dawn—bourbon, lemon and orange juices, and espresso syrup: all the important breakfast beverages rolled up into one.
113 Macdougal St., 212-475-3850, mintettatavernny.com
Pouring Ribbons
At Pouring Ribbons in the East Village, you might try the Snowcap Float (it includes root beer bitters, vanilla, and whipped cream) or the Fork in the Road punch above: choose your base (go for the apple brandy) plus apple cider, lemon, sherry, and celery. It so sounds like something that would have been imbibed by the fire on a winter’s eve in Merrie Olde England, no? Or maybe sample the Best Thing Since Sliced Bread—it includes peanut fat-washed bourbon and apple brandy. Yes, really. If nothing else, it’ll make a great story for a long winter night.
225 Ave. B, 917-656-6788, pouringribbons.com
Joseph Leonard
Consensus on this Village charmer says to order a Joseph Leonard hot buttered rum—rum, hot water, and spiced butter mixture—although some of the cocktails, like the Red and Black Lumberjack (bourbon, spices, maple syrup, lemon, egg whites, angostura), will certainly warm you up as well.
170 Waverly Pl., 646-429-8383, josephleonard.com
Freemans
At Freemans, the cocktail menu is divided into categories like “Dark and Complex” and “Classic Brunch Cocktails.” If it’s warming up you want, try the Harvest Sazerac, which includes whiskey, an allspice dram, and maple bitters. The Ports Bow West is no slouch either, with aquavit, apple cider, ginger, and lime.
End of Freeman Alley at Rivington St., 212-420-0012, freemansrestaurant.com
The Gilroy
For refreshment on the Upper East Side, slide over to The Gilroy, where the Rum and Raisin Flip sounds like a scoop of your favorite ice cream—except this one has actual sherry, actual rum, and nutmeg.
1561 Second Ave., 212-734-8800, thegilroynyc.com
Ayza Wine & Chocolate Bar
And what’s winter without some hot mulled wine? Try the version at Ayza, redolent with spices. Or, if it’s the classic flavors of the season you want, go for a chocolate martini (above), or even better a mint chocolate martini, with crème de menthe, crème de cocoa, heavy cream, and grand cru. (Check out their blog for more info about all things wine.)
11 W. 31st St., 212-714-2992, ayzanyc.com
Dutch Kills
At Dutch Kills in the-almost-but-not-quite-there-yet-on-the-verge-of-trendy Long Island City in Queens, try a Habitant (whiskey, maple syrup, orange and lemon juice) or an Athol Brose, adapted from the 1931 “Gentleman’s Companion” (whiskey, honey syrup, bitters, whipped cream). To bring back memories of those bygone summer days, or just to look forward to warmer weather, look no further than the Fair & Warmer—curacao, sweet vermouth, and rum.
27-24 Jackson Ave., Queens, 718-383-2724, dutchkillsbar.com
