The "Suffering Bastard" at Dutch Kills (bourbon, gin, lime juice, ginger bitters, and soda)
This was really tough to narrow down, but in no particular order (not to sound like a kindergarten teacher, but they’re all Number 1!), I found that these amazing new cocktail bars made NYC a better place to drink in 2009:
- Dutch Kills, 27-24 Jackson Ave., Long Island City.
- Prime Meats, 465 Court St., Brooklyn.
- Fort Defiance, 365 Van Brunt St., Brooklyn.
- Rye House, 11 W. 17th St.
- The Summit Bar, 133 Ave. C.
- Mayahuel, 304 E. 6th St.
- Raines Law Room, 48 W. 17th St.
- Roneria Caracas, 291 Grand St., Brooklyn.
- Highlands, 150 W. 10th St.
- Ward III, 111 Reade St.
*Honorable Mentions: Bar Celona, 118 S. 4th St., Brooklyn.; Minetta Tavern, 113 MacDougal St.; The Jane Hotel, 113 Jane St.
Thanks for the list. It looks like I’ve got a couple of new places to go the next time I’m in NY and you haven’t missed most of my favorites that opened last year.
Nice list! Curious, though, at Highlands, have you encountered a cocktail list? I’ve only been once, and was expecting to be able to order some sort of exciting Scotch-tail (like I did at Clover Club with the sour cherry fizz). But after a fiasco with the oddly arranged, clipboard-style menus first left us with just a wine list, then a food list, until finally I finagled a Scotch from another table, I gave up on the notion that they had a cocktail list. Have you seen one?
When did you go? I know they had some menu changes early on. I went a couple of months ago and had a delicious whiskey ginger mule, but was most impressed with the selection of scotch whisky. I’m returning again later this month, I’ll be sure to get a copy of the current menu.
Hi Selena, thanks for responding! I just went last week. I really think the situation was that we didn’t see all the menus. They were individual pages, and on clipboards but not attached to each other, making it really easy to get an incomplete set. We didn’t sit at the bar, so I finally gave up on getting the complete collection of menus and just ordered some sipping Scotch. Too bad — whiskey ginger mule sounds more exciting!
[...] Last year, I announced my top 10 new cocktail bars in no particular order–this year, with a clear tie for first place, I decided to list my favorites in numerical order. Thank you to the teams behind all of these new bars for making NYC a better place to drink in 2010. [...]
[...] year, recognizing the best new additions to our drinking scene. See 2010′s picks here and 2009′s picks here. Since I have abstained from drinking alcohol for most of this year (yes, if you haven’t [...]