Chill Out With NYC’s Best Summer Cocktails
Summer is all about ice cream and seafood, that’s for sure, but cocktail culture is just as important. When else do we have free reign to imbibe on all manner of fizzy, fruity, frozen concoctions, playfully crowned with umbrellas? That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the city’s most celebratory seasonal drinks! From the balmy “Eat a Peach” at Betony, to the “Thai Island Classic” (sipped from swirly straws out of plastic buckets) at Brooklyn’s Don Muang Airport…
Betony
Boasting one of NYC’s best restaurant bar programs thanks to GM Eamon Rockey, Betony’s tempting seasonal lineup currently includes a clarified Milk Punch, enhanced with gin, citrus, and Ceylon iced tea, the “Juan Deere,” featuring tequila, kefir and sugar snap peas, and the juicy “Eat a Peach,” composed of bourbon, peach leaves and apricot brandy.
Read MoreThe Vine
Enjoy a rotating selection of frozen cocktails, a blush-tinted glass of vino from the “Rosé All Day” menu, or a refreshing libation such as the “Cucumber Eastside” with vodka, cayenne and cardamom, on the spacious outdoor patio of Laurent Tourondel’s The Vine, tucked away behind the Eventi Hotel.
Read MoreSuffolk Arms
Fronted by barman Giuseppe Gonzalez (formerly from the Pegu Club and the Flatiron Lounge), cocktails like the “Purple and Green” (with tequila, pineapple, chartreuse and blackberry) already have serious pedigree at this Lower East Side newcomer. But a number of offerings were also created by other luminaries from the business; such as Audrey Saunders’ “Grapefruit Cooler” (made with vodka, grapefruit, honey, & bitters), and the “East & Holdup,” (featuring passion fruit, aperol, & sugar) from London’s Kevin Armstrong.
August Laura
Dedicated to Italian spirits and aperitifs, the cocktails at Carroll Gardens’ August Laura — co-owned by vets of Death & Co and the Bar Room — are designed to drink in languid succession all summer long; think bellinis like the “Rossini,” made with basil, muddled strawberries and prosecco, and sprightly spritzes including “You Always Remember Your Best;” a swirl of prosecco, lambrusco and limoncello.
Read MoreThe Beach at Dream Downtown
This urban oasis boasts both a pool and an actual beach filled with imported sand; perfect for lounging with a Thai Gimlet, Blackberry Mojito, Sunset Sangria or Kelvin Natural Slush cocktails, such as the “Endless Summer Daiquiri” with brugal, citrus and strawberry, or the “Colada,” featuring two rums and caramelized pineapple.
Read MoreSabbia
Inspired by the Italian coast, the summertime incarnation of Eataly’s rooftop has a super sunny beverage selection. Consider the “Limone-jito” with spiced rum, limoncello and passion fruit puree, and spritzes served by the carafe, such as the “Berry Bollicine” with rose, amaro, strawberry, peach and Niasca Mandarinata, and the “Brass Monkey” with Dogfish Head Namaste witbier and orange juice.
Read MoreLlama Inn
EMP’s Eric Ramirez has gone back to his Peruvian roots at this sultry Williamsburg hideaway, serving Corvina Ceviche, Beef Heart Anticuchos, banana leaf-wrapped Branzino and Lomo Saltado alongside pisco-tinted cocktails like the “Llama Del Rey” with red wine, pink peppercorn and grilled pineapple, as well as a “Matador Swizzle,” made with sherry, honey, lemon and mint, and the “La Chunga;” a blend of white rum, chichi morada, ginger and lime.
Read MoreDon Muang Airport
This new, Thai drinking food adjunct to Brooklyn bar and performance space, Baby’s All Right — well known for its frozen vodka and grapefruit concoction, the “Pink Baby” — has added shareable, umbrella-topped cocktail buckets to its menu, such as the “Thai Island Classic” (rum, coke and Red Bull) and the “Under the Armchairs” (comprised of tequila, Pacifico, chili, almond, and lime); the perfect complement for smoked pork lettuce cups and tamarind-slathered wings.
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