What makes a cocktail bar go from good to great? Is it the scene, knowledgable bartenders, cocktails that overperform, a Nicholas Cage-themed drinks list, or — let’s be honest, this is Eater — a food menu that goes beyond the usual olives and oysters?
A combination of all of these elements must be at play when a bar graduates from a neighborhood watering hole to a citywide drinking destination. Think of this guide as a checklist of the city’s essential cocktail bars, whether the occasion calls for a chilled martini (dirty, espresso, or 50/50) or custom drinks that come about in talking to a bartender rather than reading off a menu. To find the city’s newest cocktail bars, dim-lit spots where flash photography from influencers might light up a room, head here.
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