A true speakeasy is often hidden away and is one of those spots where customers can get in because they know somebody that knows somebody. None of that air of exclusivity exists for La Noxe, which is located in a subway station at 28th Street in Chelsea, and went viral on TikTok during the pandemic. Even Jimmy Kimmel mentioned it on his show. The wait list has been impossibly long ever since, but for guests who can nab a reservation, there’s a tightly curated drink menu including skin contact wines and house cocktails.

Patent Pending feels like a true speakeasy (customers have to enter through a coffee shop), but to find the Lab at Patent Pending and its craft cocktail menu, it’s even more of an adventure. The private area within this Flatiron spot has five bar seats, a banquette for 10, and another lounge for about another dozen guests.

Nico de Soto’s Mace was a mainstay in the East Village before the pandemic and while it did stay open as a roving pop-up during parts of the past year, the award-winning bar has now settled into a new permanent home in Greenwich Village. Fans of Mace are already flocking to the bar for the menu full of international inspiration: a frozen slushie incorporating wasabi and cilantro (a nod to Miami Vice), a black sesame cocktail with roots in Peru, and even an eye-catching ube drink.

Great Jones’s claim to fame is that it’s the first legal whiskey distillery to open in Manhattan since the Prohibition Era, and it went all-out for the honors. Located in Noho, the sprawling, shiny four-story space encompasses multiple bars — including a cellar speakeasy — that are stocked with a wide range of whiskey cocktails. The distillery recently launched a restaurant led by a Per Se alum.

Ravi DeRossi continues his East Village tear with this tequila and mezcal bar specializing in vegan Mexican cooking. The bar is the latest in a string of East Village openings from the prolific restaurateur, who also unveiled the hit vegan soul food restaurant Cadence during the pandemic.

GN Chan and Faye Chen traveled around the country in a Volkswagen minivan before finally opening their long-awaited Lower East Side bar. It was well worth the wait. Their balanced cocktails are full of unexpected ingredients like fennel, winter melon, and a variety of different teas, including oolong and lapsang souchong. The hot honey fried chicken sandwich is also not to be missed.

Philomena’s — from the team behind the Late Late and Hotel Chantelle — debuted in East Williamsburg late last summer with a focus on infused, intricately carved ice cubes as the centerpiece of each cocktail. Case in point: The bar’s signature drink involves a pink, watermelon-rosé infused ice cube cut in the shape of a rose and dropped in a glass filled with prosecco. The cocktails are paired with a light spread of bar snacks, including hummus, duck liver mousse, and bottarga onion dip.

Wandering Barman made its mark in the pandemic with made-to-order cocktails with well-designed labels and low-priced beverages. Inside a high-ceiling, 40-seat taproom in Williamsburg, the cocktails are $10 like the Fomo, a vodka-based elixir with Hatch green chilies or the Iron Lady, a hops and rose petal-infused drink. For those who don’t want to stay indoors, there’s still in option to buy pre-batched cocktails from the bar at neighborhood stores like Starr Wines and Irving Bottle.

James Kent and Jeff Katz of Crown Shy acclaim opened the doors to Saga, their highly anticipated second restaurant on the 63rd floor of the same building, where cocktails play a big role. For diners able to nab a difficult-to-get dinner reservation, the evening kicks off with a cocktails. But for some of the same glam at a fraction of the price, head to the upstairs cocktail bar with views of downtown Manhattan, the Brooklyn Bridge, and New Yorkers dining on a pricey tasting menu below. The cocktails come from beverage director Harrison Ginsberg, who also handles the drinks at the team’s other restaurants. At $24 apiece, be warned that part of what you’re paying for is the view.

The nautical-themed Sunken Harbor Club started as a popular ongoing pop-up of sorts at St. John Frizell’s popular Fort Defiance in Red Hook, which is currently closed. This intimate bar is tucked above the historic Brooklyn chop house Gage & Tollner, where a menu is divided into four parts, including “Dry Land” (for non-alcoholic drinks) and the “Abyss” (for imbibers who want boozy cocktails). It’s a place that’s just as good for pre-dinner drink or a night out in a maritime setting with drinks that are more on point than gimmicky.

Though there is no actual skating rink at this nostalgic, bi-level bar, All Night Skate pays homage to roller rinks of yesteryear through its Saved by the Bell-esque decor filled with skates and concession stand signs. One of the most fun bars to have opened during the pandemic, All Night Skate makes for an ideal spot to gather friends for birthdays or other celebrations, while sipping on one of its many playful cocktails, such as the mezcal and triple sec-based “Poppin’ Off” with a Pop Rocks rim.