Cozy Up With New York’s Best Winter Cocktails
Looking for an especially fun and efficient way to stay warm this winter? Some of the most talented barkeeps in New York happen to be just as talented at making hot libations as they are at cold. Love the guys at Death & Co.? You’ll want to check out Nitecap’s “Platonic Snuggle,” made with rum, porter and cognac. Are you a sucker for hot buttered rum? You’ll die for Boilermaker’s “Monkey Buttered Rum.” We’re just getting started…
Nitecap
Talk about a dream team; this year-old LES lounge is run by true New York cocktail royalty (Death & Co’s David Kaplan and Alex Day, and Maison Premiere and Donna’s Natasha David). Divided into seven sections — Aperitif, Spritz, Go-To-Goodness, Shorties, Firewater, Highballers and Nitecaps — the menu is brimming with mid-winter appropriate cocktails, such as the “Way Back When” with rum, sherry, cardamaro and pecan bitters, and the “Vee Mon” with toasted coconut-infused scotch, cinnamon and cream. It’s just too bad they don’t have beds to curl up in after.
Read MorePier A Harbor House
One of the major selling points of this 28,000-square foot space, located at a landmark, Battery Park City pier, is its sweeping views of the New York Harbor. But whether you elect to cuddle up inside and simply peek out of the floor-to-ceiling windows, or brave the elements in order to huddle at a picnic table outdoors, you’ll want to keep your insides warm with glass goblets of the toasty “Buena Vista,” made with fresh brewed coffee and stiff shots of Jameson, crowned with melting slicks of sweet whipped cream.
Read MoreRamona
It’s hard not to be distracted by this Greenpoint destination’s great looks (courtesy of the sought-after design studio, hOmE). But Ramona has a lot more going for it than an oak and iron spiral staircase, 35-foot marble bar and custom chandelier fashioned from copper water pipes. In addition to barrel-aged Manhattans and Negronis, as well asluscious, wintry tipples infused with burdock bitters, smoked sage, Douglas fir and pine, the current cocktail menu features five hot drinks, including Pumpkin Cider with rosemary syrup, “Elsa’s Toddy” with rye, maple and mint, and “The Stoner Mom” — coriander and birds eye chili tequila paired with hot chocolate and whipped cream.
Read MoreBoilermaker
A no-frills reboot of the Swinging 70’s-inspired Gold Cadillac, this East Village bar now focuses on the beloved “redneck” combo of whiskey shots and beer. Not that lager and Jagermeister are your only options; a surprisingly extensive cocktail list currently includes the “Five String Banjo” with bourbon and spiced cream soda, the “Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique,” a spirit-forward concoction of mezcal, espresso liqueur and chocolate bitters, and the hot “Monkey Buttered Rum,” flavored with banana liqueur, spiced butter and banana whipped cream.
Read MoreBar Sardine
Gabe Stulman’s casual, all-American redo of his Japanese-styled Chez Sardine, this West Village spot features a plus-sized bar in the center of the room with drinking rails along the perimeter. It effectively encourages guests to pair their $10 burgers and black garlic deviled eggs with a variety of thoughtfully crafted cocktails, such as the “Black Pepper Grasshopper” made with Kringle, Wondermint, almond milk and cacao, and the “Devil in the Pale Moonlight” — a combo of Rock and Rye and cranberry-cardamom syrup.
Read MoreRotisserie Georgette
You don’t need to wait for dessert to order the decadent Chocolat Chaud (served with bittersweet chocolate truffles and a snowdrift of whipped cream!) at Rotisserie Georgette. The espresso and bourbon-spiked cocoa concoction is available any time at the bar — and if you want to steel yourself for a wintry walk in Central Park afterwards, you definitely want to say yes to the optional whiskey chaser.
Read MoreSixtyFive
So yes, you should expect to shell out $22-32 per cocktail at SixtyFive, the window-ringed lounge at the iconic, newly re-launched Rainbow Room. But it’s hard to put a price tag on the “Renaissance,” (Elijah Craig 12yr Bourbon, Carpano Bianco, Dow’s Ruby Port and Grand Marnier Mist), when you’re sipping it from a whopping 65 stories in the air, with panoramic, 30-mile views of the city. Yes, it’s worth it.
Read MoreForrest Point
Provided you fortify yourself with a mug or two of clarified Milk Punch first (either the “Red Hook,” made with Rye, Brandy, stone fruit, chai and star anise, or the “Fancy Pants,” featuring Wild Turkey, sherry, cinnamon and lapsang souchong), you might be able to appreciate this Bushwick hangout’s expansive backyard, complete with swing sets, picnic tables and stools fashioned from stumps.