More Maps

The Hottest New Bars in New York City, December 2023

The Hottest New Restaurants in Queens, December 2023

The Hottest New Restaurants in Brooklyn, December 2023

More in New York See more maps

The bar at Prime Meats

15 New York City Restaurants That Know How to Make a Mean Cocktail

Not all restaurants make bad cocktails. Here's where you're guaranteed to get a well-made drink along with dinner.

by Marguerite Preston Oct 22, 2014, 3:39pm EDT

View as Map

The bar at Prime Meats

| Daniel Krieger

by Marguerite Preston Oct 22, 2014, 3:39pm EDT

Earlier this month, Pete Wells railed against the state of restaurant cocktails, which he complains are too often over-thought and poorly made. But Eater critic Ryan Sutton (and many readers) begged to differ — or at least point out that there are more good restaurant cocktails out there than Wells would have you believe. So now, pulled from that discussion over on the forums, here is a list of 15 New York restaurants with excellent cocktails programs, all vetted by Eater readers and editors. Whether in search of something elaborate or classic, here's where to get a good drink with dinner.

Read More

Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

The NoMad Restaurant

Even Pete Wells endorses the cocktails that mixologist Leo Robitschek has created for the Nomad. The Eleven Madison Park team's classy restaurant in the Nomad Hotel earned the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program this year, for its menu of elaborate house cocktails, and with good reason. [Krieger]

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Betony

Betony's general manager, Eamon Rockey, is also the mastermind behind its cocktail program. His menu includes many riffs on classics, and sometimes involves elaborate preparations. Take, for example, the milk punch, made crystal clear through a complicated clarification process, or the gin and tonic, made with gin that's been house-infused to order. [Adam Lerner]

41 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Empellón Cocina

The cocktail menu at the most refined of Alex Stupak's three Mexican restaurants is concise, and focuses exclusively on tequilas and mezcal. You can't go wrong with just a classic margarita, but other options include a mezcal mai tai and a tequila lemongrass collins. [Photo]

105 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Momofuku Ssäm Bar

The drink menu at Ssam Bar isn't as extensive as the one at Momofuku's adjoining cocktail lounge, Booker & Dax, but the offerings are on par. There are always a few classics, a few Momofuku standbys, and a few seasonal specials to choose from, which right now range from a classic penicillin, to a drink with mezcal, Aperol, pineapple, lime, and chia seeds. [Photo]

207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Del Posto

The cocktail menu at Del Posto is surprisingly extensive, with a strong focus on the classics. Ryan Sutton makes note of the "A+ Vesper martini," and for those on team negroni there's an excellent barrel-aged version. Plus, the full dinner menu is available at the bar. [Facebook]

85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Prime Meats

Bar director Damon Boelte is enough of a cocktail aficionado to host his own radio show about the subject on Heritage Radio Network. His menu for Prime Meats is a mix of classics and originals, with a focus on darker spirits, and a budget-friendly $5 punch option that changes regularly. [Krieger]

465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Maison Premiere

Maison Premiere functions as much as a bar as it does a restaurant, so it's reasonable to expect the drinks here to be good. Besides the lengthy list of well-crafted, Southern-leaning cocktails, what sets Maison Premiere apart is the separate menu devoted exclusively to absinthe concoctions, like an "absinthe colada." [Jenny Adams]

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Diner

The cocktail menu at Andrew Tarlow's Williamsburg mainstay is only around five drinks long, but all are consistently well-made. Expect straightforward cocktails, like the Black Manhattan made with rye, amaro, and Lillet, or the Double Standard, made with rum, vanilla, orange, and lime. [Krieger]

85 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Dover

Walker Stern and Joseph Ogrodnek offer interesting and well-crafted cocktails at the newer (and larger) of their Carroll Gardens restaurants. Right now the options range from the Granny's Daisy made with tequila, apple shrub, and celery bitters, to the Black Strap, made with rye, black strap rum, nardini amaro, and absinthe. [Krieger]

412 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Minetta Tavern

The classic cocktails are the way to go here, all the better to match Minetta's historic, old school steakhouse dining room. Expect balanced versions of drinks like a sidecar, a boulevardier, or a tom collins. [Krieger]

113 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Alder

Barman Kevin Denton, who also creates the excellent cocktails at Wylie Dufresne's soon-to-close flagship, wd~50, has put together a solid list for Dufresne's more casual East Village restaurant. They're simple but interesting, ranging from the Suffering Fools, made with bourbon, juniper, ginger, and honey, to the Tip Top, made with reposado tequila, smoked vermouth, and Cappaletti. [Krieger]

157 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Carbone

Unlike at the Torrisi team's newest restaurant, Dirty French (which is also serving some worthwhile cocktails), the menu at their pricey red sauce restaurant consists exclusively of classics. Those range from a manhattan to a margarita to a mai tai, and all have been tweaked slightly by master barman Thomas Waugh, but are nonetheless excellent. [Krieger]

181 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Wallflower

The cocktail program at this tiny West Village restaurant is helmed by Xavier Herit, formerly the head bartender of Daniel. His cocktails are mostly complex creations, like a negroni made with Campari, Byrrh, Cynar, verjus, lemon sorbet, and sparkling wine. [Krieger]

Open in Google Maps

Bâtard

Just because the restaurant is named after a wine, doesn't mean it can't serve great cocktails. Drew Nieporent's newest serves excellent drinks that lean toward the classics. There's a straightforward aviation and a vieux carre, plus a new-school milk punch, clarified and individually bottled. [Adam Lerner]

239 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Fedora

All of the restaurants in Gabe Stulman's Little Wisco empire get high marks for their cocktails, but Fedora has the most extensive menu of the bunch. Divided into categories like "Elevator Music" and "80s Playlist," the drinks range from a gin and tonic with sage liqueur, to one made with tequila, Branca Menta, honey water, and lime. [Krieger]

239 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Also featured in:

© 2023 Vox Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Link copied to the clipboard.

The NoMad Restaurant

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Even Pete Wells endorses the cocktails that mixologist Leo Robitschek has created for the Nomad. The Eleven Madison Park team's classy restaurant in the Nomad Hotel earned the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program this year, for its menu of elaborate house cocktails, and with good reason. [Krieger]

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Betony

41 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

Betony's general manager, Eamon Rockey, is also the mastermind behind its cocktail program. His menu includes many riffs on classics, and sometimes involves elaborate preparations. Take, for example, the milk punch, made crystal clear through a complicated clarification process, or the gin and tonic, made with gin that's been house-infused to order. [Adam Lerner]

41 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Empellón Cocina

105 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

The cocktail menu at the most refined of Alex Stupak's three Mexican restaurants is concise, and focuses exclusively on tequilas and mezcal. You can't go wrong with just a classic margarita, but other options include a mezcal mai tai and a tequila lemongrass collins. [Photo]

105 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Momofuku Ssäm Bar

207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

The drink menu at Ssam Bar isn't as extensive as the one at Momofuku's adjoining cocktail lounge, Booker & Dax, but the offerings are on par. There are always a few classics, a few Momofuku standbys, and a few seasonal specials to choose from, which right now range from a classic penicillin, to a drink with mezcal, Aperol, pineapple, lime, and chia seeds. [Photo]

207 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Del Posto

85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

The cocktail menu at Del Posto is surprisingly extensive, with a strong focus on the classics. Ryan Sutton makes note of the "A+ Vesper martini," and for those on team negroni there's an excellent barrel-aged version. Plus, the full dinner menu is available at the bar. [Facebook]

85 10th Ave, New York, NY 10011

Visit Website

Prime Meats

465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Bar director Damon Boelte is enough of a cocktail aficionado to host his own radio show about the subject on Heritage Radio Network. His menu for Prime Meats is a mix of classics and originals, with a focus on darker spirits, and a budget-friendly $5 punch option that changes regularly. [Krieger]

465 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Maison Premiere

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Maison Premiere functions as much as a bar as it does a restaurant, so it's reasonable to expect the drinks here to be good. Besides the lengthy list of well-crafted, Southern-leaning cocktails, what sets Maison Premiere apart is the separate menu devoted exclusively to absinthe concoctions, like an "absinthe colada." [Jenny Adams]

298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Diner

85 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

The cocktail menu at Andrew Tarlow's Williamsburg mainstay is only around five drinks long, but all are consistently well-made. Expect straightforward cocktails, like the Black Manhattan made with rye, amaro, and Lillet, or the Double Standard, made with rum, vanilla, orange, and lime. [Krieger]

85 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Dover

412 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Walker Stern and Joseph Ogrodnek offer interesting and well-crafted cocktails at the newer (and larger) of their Carroll Gardens restaurants. Right now the options range from the Granny's Daisy made with tequila, apple shrub, and celery bitters, to the Black Strap, made with rye, black strap rum, nardini amaro, and absinthe. [Krieger]

412 Court St, Brooklyn, NY 11231

Visit Website

Minetta Tavern

113 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012

The classic cocktails are the way to go here, all the better to match Minetta's historic, old school steakhouse dining room. Expect balanced versions of drinks like a sidecar, a boulevardier, or a tom collins. [Krieger]

113 Macdougal St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Alder

157 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Barman Kevin Denton, who also creates the excellent cocktails at Wylie Dufresne's soon-to-close flagship, wd~50, has put together a solid list for Dufresne's more casual East Village restaurant. They're simple but interesting, ranging from the Suffering Fools, made with bourbon, juniper, ginger, and honey, to the Tip Top, made with reposado tequila, smoked vermouth, and Cappaletti. [Krieger]

157 2nd Ave, New York, NY 10003

Visit Website

Carbone

181 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

Unlike at the Torrisi team's newest restaurant, Dirty French (which is also serving some worthwhile cocktails), the menu at their pricey red sauce restaurant consists exclusively of classics. Those range from a manhattan to a margarita to a mai tai, and all have been tweaked slightly by master barman Thomas Waugh, but are nonetheless excellent. [Krieger]

181 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012

Visit Website

Wallflower

The cocktail program at this tiny West Village restaurant is helmed by Xavier Herit, formerly the head bartender of Daniel. His cocktails are mostly complex creations, like a negroni made with Campari, Byrrh, Cynar, verjus, lemon sorbet, and sparkling wine. [Krieger]

Open in Google Maps

Bâtard

239 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013

Just because the restaurant is named after a wine, doesn't mean it can't serve great cocktails. Drew Nieporent's newest serves excellent drinks that lean toward the classics. There's a straightforward aviation and a vieux carre, plus a new-school milk punch, clarified and individually bottled. [Adam Lerner]

239 W Broadway, New York, NY 10013

Visit Website

Fedora

239 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

All of the restaurants in Gabe Stulman's Little Wisco empire get high marks for their cocktails, but Fedora has the most extensive menu of the bunch. Divided into categories like "Elevator Music" and "80s Playlist," the drinks range from a gin and tonic with sage liqueur, to one made with tequila, Branca Menta, honey water, and lime. [Krieger]

239 W 4th St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Related Maps