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Updating the Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Now

by Greg Morabito Feb 13, 2013, 12:30pm EST

16 comments / new

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by Greg Morabito Feb 13, 2013, 12:30pm EST

16 comments / new

With the help of the Eater 38 and the Eater Heatmaps, it's a breeze to find out where to eat right now, whether it's a hot newcomer or an old neighborhood standby. Now it's just as easy to find out where to get a good, stiff drink in this town.

Welcome back to Eater's Cocktail Heatmap, a guide to the hot bars of the moment. Rather than feature the perennial favorites, this guide focuses on operations that have opened in the last year or two or recently underwent a revamp. Happy drinking, and as always, feel free to write in with new suggestions.

Added 1/16/12: Le Bernardin, One Stop Beer Shop, The Wren, Prima, The Wayland
Added 2/9/12: The Shanty, Booker & Dax, Super Linda
Added 3/7/12: Amor & Amargo, JBird Cocktails, Oak & Iron
Added 8/4/12: The Nomad, Nougatine, Mother's Ruin, Demi Monde
Added 11/12/12: Pouring Ribbons, Experimental Cocktail Club, Gin Palace
Added 02/13/13: Added: The Dead Rabbit, Milk & Honey, The Library at The Public Theater, Atera Lounge, Aska, Lavender Lake, The Third Man, Donna

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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.

Achilles Heel

Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow opens a bar on the northern tip of Greenpoint, in a space that housed a neighborhood tavern from 1900 to 1960. The location sat vacant until Tarlow acquired it, and he's subtly refurbished the room to maintain the worn-in, shipyard dive feel. There will be food — charcuterie, clam chowder, sandwiches, oysters — served throughout the day, and the focus of the bar is on natural wines, rum cocktails, and drinks designed for the morning crowd.

180 West St., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Betony

The newly-opened restaurant from Eamon Rockey and chef Bryce Shuman is an ambitious modern American restaurant that reflects the chops the two men honed while working at Eleven Madison Park. Though Rockey earned praise for the creative cocktails he developed for the last project he was involved with, Brooklyn's Aska, the drink menu here sticks to the classics, like a pisco sour and Floridita daiquiri, all priced at $13.

41 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Manon

Not something you see every day: a massive Meatpacking District restaurant with a serious cocktail program. That is the peculiar case with Manon, where Amor Y Amargo's Aaron Polsky has been brought in to come up with the drinks. The cocktails, like an Early Grey-infused gin with lemon, are designed to be inventive but not alienating. See a recent interview with Polsky here.

407 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Right Now

Alameda

This stylish new Greenpoint cocktail bar and restaurant showcases the talents two veterans of the Brooklyn Star: chef and co-owner Nick Padilla, who has come up with a menu where most dishes don't exceed $12, and barman Waine Longwell, whose drink list here is a mix of classic and creative.

195 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

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Also featured in:

The Dead Rabbit

The Dead Rabbit is the ambitious new FiDi bar project from Sean Muldoon, who previously worked at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, and Jack McGarry, who tended bar at the London location of Milk & Honey. The beverage list includes classic cocktails, bottled punches, six types of highballs, "pop-inns," wine, beer, and many variety of whiskey. The food menu features raw bar items, soups, salads, fish & chips, stews, a burger, and meat pies. The space here is a real beauty.

30 Water Street, New York City, NY 10004

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Milk & Honey

[Photo]

Open in Google Maps

30 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010

Pouring Ribbons

Pouring Ribbons is the new cocktail bar in the old Uncle Ming's (and White Noise) space on Avenue B from the guys behind Death & Co., including Joaquín Simó, Tales of the Cocktail 2012 American Bartender of the Year. The list is varied, featuring everything from Tiki riffs to stirred classics, and the service is tops. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

225 Avenue B 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

Booker and Dax at Ssäm

Booker and Dax is the year-old cocktail bar from the Momofuku team and Dave Arnold of the French Culinary Institute. B and D offers perfectly pre-batched Manhattans, drinks made with hot pokers, plenty of liquid nitrogen, and a pork-heavy menu of snacks. Given the conceit, the vibe is surprisingly laid back and unpretentious.

207 2nd Ave, New York, New York 10003

Visit Website

Experimental Cocktail Club

The New York outpost of this Paris original (there's also one in London) featuresdrinks from the talented Nicholas de Soto. He's big on infusions and tries tostay clear of liqueurs, in favor of creating those flavors on his own. The vibe iscomfortable and cozy on weekdays, rowdy (and very French) on weekends.

191 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

The Library at the Public Theater

Andrew Carmellini's new project inside The Public Theater has a sexy and comfortable bar in the back that's great for dining or just drinking. The menu includes about a dozen original cocktails, and the bartenders know how to mix the classics, too. If you like Scotch, consider the Dandy Riot, which is made with rye, bitters, Aperol, and Talisker 10 Year.

Open in Google Maps

425 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10038

The Library at The NoMad

The extensive cocktail list at The Nomad is made of a small collection of classics as well as more than 30 of their own selections, all under the direction of Leo Robitschek, who also oversees the cocktail program at Eleven Madison Park. The unusually large list is executed with consistency thanks to a literal assembly line of bartenders.

Open in Google Maps

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Atera Lounge

Matthew Lightner's two Michelin star restaurant just added an intimate, reservations-only downstairs lounge with 12 seats. The cocktail selection changes frequently, but expect about eight or nine inventive drinks, made with top-notch ingredients. The cocktail list here was developed in collaboration between Lightner, bartender Brandon Duff, and the rest of the Atera team. Email thelounge@ateranyc.com to reserve a slot.

77 Worth St, New York, NY 10007

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Right Now

aska

Though Eamon Rockey has moved on from Aska to open Betony (also on this list), the cocktails that he developed for chef Fred Berselius' excellent Williamsburg restaurant remain excellent. Shiraz Noor started out as the restaurant's beverage director, and now he's taken Rockey's position.

90 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Also featured in:

Gin Palace

Another new East Village spot with (surprise!) a focus on gin from Ravi DeRossi,who's also behind Death & Co. and The Bourgeois Pig. The scene is a punk rock takeon an English pub and the drinks, which include gin and tonics on tap (yes, they'reback after that short July hiatus), are mostly classic and all affordable.

95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Third Man

The team behind Edi & The Wolf and Seasonal just opened this stylish new bar on Avenue C. The menu features beer, wine, and classic cocktails made with artisanal ingredients. To eat, The Third man serves things like a chicken liver terrine, pumpkin seed ricotta with fresh bread, and pork cracklings with apples and onions. The design of The Third Man is at least partly inspired by the Orson Welles film of the same name. If you like Martinis, make sure to try the Vesper.

116 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

Also featured in:

The Cocktail Heatmap: Where to Drink Right Now

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Achilles Heel

180 West St., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Brooklyn restaurateur Andrew Tarlow opens a bar on the northern tip of Greenpoint, in a space that housed a neighborhood tavern from 1900 to 1960. The location sat vacant until Tarlow acquired it, and he's subtly refurbished the room to maintain the worn-in, shipyard dive feel. There will be food — charcuterie, clam chowder, sandwiches, oysters — served throughout the day, and the focus of the bar is on natural wines, rum cocktails, and drinks designed for the morning crowd.

180 West St., Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

Betony

41 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

The newly-opened restaurant from Eamon Rockey and chef Bryce Shuman is an ambitious modern American restaurant that reflects the chops the two men honed while working at Eleven Madison Park. Though Rockey earned praise for the creative cocktails he developed for the last project he was involved with, Brooklyn's Aska, the drink menu here sticks to the classics, like a pisco sour and Floridita daiquiri, all priced at $13.

41 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019

Visit Website

Manon

407 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014

Not something you see every day: a massive Meatpacking District restaurant with a serious cocktail program. That is the peculiar case with Manon, where Amor Y Amargo's Aaron Polsky has been brought in to come up with the drinks. The cocktails, like an Early Grey-infused gin with lemon, are designed to be inventive but not alienating. See a recent interview with Polsky here.

407 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014

Visit Website

Alameda

195 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

This stylish new Greenpoint cocktail bar and restaurant showcases the talents two veterans of the Brooklyn Star: chef and co-owner Nick Padilla, who has come up with a menu where most dishes don't exceed $12, and barman Waine Longwell, whose drink list here is a mix of classic and creative.

195 Franklin St, Brooklyn, NY 11222

Visit Website

The Dead Rabbit

30 Water Street, New York City, NY 10004

The Dead Rabbit is the ambitious new FiDi bar project from Sean Muldoon, who previously worked at The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, and Jack McGarry, who tended bar at the London location of Milk & Honey. The beverage list includes classic cocktails, bottled punches, six types of highballs, "pop-inns," wine, beer, and many variety of whiskey. The food menu features raw bar items, soups, salads, fish & chips, stews, a burger, and meat pies. The space here is a real beauty.

30 Water Street, New York City, NY 10004

Visit Website

Milk & Honey

30 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010

[Photo]

Open in Google Maps

30 East 23rd Street, New York, NY 10010

Pouring Ribbons

225 Avenue B 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10009

Pouring Ribbons is the new cocktail bar in the old Uncle Ming's (and White Noise) space on Avenue B from the guys behind Death & Co., including Joaquín Simó, Tales of the Cocktail 2012 American Bartender of the Year. The list is varied, featuring everything from Tiki riffs to stirred classics, and the service is tops. [Photo]

Open in Google Maps

225 Avenue B 2nd Fl., New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

Booker and Dax at Ssäm

207 2nd Ave, New York, New York 10003

Booker and Dax is the year-old cocktail bar from the Momofuku team and Dave Arnold of the French Culinary Institute. B and D offers perfectly pre-batched Manhattans, drinks made with hot pokers, plenty of liquid nitrogen, and a pork-heavy menu of snacks. Given the conceit, the vibe is surprisingly laid back and unpretentious.

207 2nd Ave, New York, New York 10003

Visit Website

Experimental Cocktail Club

191 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

The New York outpost of this Paris original (there's also one in London) featuresdrinks from the talented Nicholas de Soto. He's big on infusions and tries tostay clear of liqueurs, in favor of creating those flavors on his own. The vibe iscomfortable and cozy on weekdays, rowdy (and very French) on weekends.

191 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002

Visit Website

The Library at the Public Theater

425 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10038

Andrew Carmellini's new project inside The Public Theater has a sexy and comfortable bar in the back that's great for dining or just drinking. The menu includes about a dozen original cocktails, and the bartenders know how to mix the classics, too. If you like Scotch, consider the Dandy Riot, which is made with rye, bitters, Aperol, and Talisker 10 Year.

Open in Google Maps

425 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10038

The Library at The NoMad

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

The extensive cocktail list at The Nomad is made of a small collection of classics as well as more than 30 of their own selections, all under the direction of Leo Robitschek, who also oversees the cocktail program at Eleven Madison Park. The unusually large list is executed with consistency thanks to a literal assembly line of bartenders.

Open in Google Maps

1170 Broadway, New York, NY 10001

Visit Website

Atera Lounge

77 Worth St, New York, NY 10007

Matthew Lightner's two Michelin star restaurant just added an intimate, reservations-only downstairs lounge with 12 seats. The cocktail selection changes frequently, but expect about eight or nine inventive drinks, made with top-notch ingredients. The cocktail list here was developed in collaboration between Lightner, bartender Brandon Duff, and the rest of the Atera team. Email thelounge@ateranyc.com to reserve a slot.

77 Worth St, New York, NY 10007

Visit Website

aska

90 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Though Eamon Rockey has moved on from Aska to open Betony (also on this list), the cocktails that he developed for chef Fred Berselius' excellent Williamsburg restaurant remain excellent. Shiraz Noor started out as the restaurant's beverage director, and now he's taken Rockey's position.

90 Wythe Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Visit Website

Gin Palace

95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Another new East Village spot with (surprise!) a focus on gin from Ravi DeRossi,who's also behind Death & Co. and The Bourgeois Pig. The scene is a punk rock takeon an English pub and the drinks, which include gin and tonics on tap (yes, they'reback after that short July hiatus), are mostly classic and all affordable.

95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

The Third Man

116 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009

The team behind Edi & The Wolf and Seasonal just opened this stylish new bar on Avenue C. The menu features beer, wine, and classic cocktails made with artisanal ingredients. To eat, The Third man serves things like a chicken liver terrine, pumpkin seed ricotta with fresh bread, and pork cracklings with apples and onions. The design of The Third Man is at least partly inspired by the Orson Welles film of the same name. If you like Martinis, make sure to try the Vesper.

116 Avenue C, New York, NY 10009

Visit Website

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