u/415Cocktails

WASHINGTON  DC Cocktail Bar Tour - June, 2026

Visiting 2d year in a row from the Bay Area.

(Catching up on my summer bar tours reviews – I posted NYC a month or two ago, now DC from June)

Ratings:  bear in mind, I'm mid 50s, male, and my Vibe preference leans toward classic/speakeasyish. I love some variation in my cocktails but am not super experimental/adventurous drinks. I'm not in the industry and do not claim great objective knowledge about cocktails. Specific drinks rated on scale of 5, like Untappd beer app. 

I began on a Saturday night, which is at the bottom.

(My first DC bar tour was 1 year ago, and my favorite DC bars then were: Providencia, Silver Lyan, Allegory, Off the Record, and Jack Rose. I also went to Service Bar, McClellan's Retreat, Round Robin Bar, Death and Co, Denson, and some others.)

Wednesday June 24
OFF THE RECORD-9. Drinks - 8, Vibe 10.  Second time here. I just love the vibe here.  Drinks are fine.

FOUNTAIN INN- 8.5. Drinks 9, Vibe 8.5, Food 8, service 8.5.
Cool lil Georgetown rstrnt w superb whisky, spirits, and old or rare spirits. And good cocktails. Great burger but not much else I wanted.
I had Michters 10 yr bourbon and Willett 8 yr wheated bourbon. And a couple cocktails that were good w some cool history stories to them.

Tuesday June 23
SEGRETO-  8. Drink-8.5, vibe 8.5, service 8. Cool lil speakeasy downstairs of a pizza place. Very cool spot, seems still a work in progress, which is sorta part of its charm.

SERVICE BAR -  8.  Drinks 8, Vibe 7, Food 8, Service 8.5. Second time here, good place but not a Best 50 Bar to me.  Vibe kinda tropical divey (not really a dive tho), very casual. Loud music. 2d time here, similar each time. Fried chix sammich very good.
Daddy Issues- 4.0.
Suffering Bastard-  4.0. too gingery.
**Amaro Swizzle-4.5. I don't know the portions (anyone more knowledgeable than this amateur wanna take a stab at em?): cynar, montenegro, pineapple, falernum, lime, mint.**

Monday June 22
PRESS CLUB - 8. Drinks 9. Service 7. Vibe 7.5. Everyone highly recs and I thought it was very good, but didnt hit the “outstanding” bullseye for me.
Nice options of 5 really good aged cognacs and 5 Armagnacs, all for $20.
Since I left You- 3.0
**Keys Open Doors- 4.5+. Their twist on a Manhattan. Really tasty. I don't know the portions (anyone more knowledgeable than this amateur wanna take a stab at em?): Cognac, rye, vermouth, Five Spice (what is this?), and Soba Cha**. Take bites of chocolate cookie, then sips.

2FIFTY BBQ- for din at 5:00. Outstanding freaking wagyu brisket! Great pulled lamb. Good spare ribs. Person just ahead of me in line bought last dino rib (huge beefer).  Sooo sad.

Sunday June 21
QUILL (at The Jefferson Hotel). 8. Drinks 8.5. Service 8. Got there late, at 10:30, almost no one there on Sun nt. Cant eval the vibe, but nice lil spot to sit outside. Hotel seemed superb- would LOVE to stay, assume is real pricey.

BARREL-  8.5. Drinks 9. Vibe 8. Service 8. Food 7.
Was there for brunch so ymmv.  Outstanding whiskey selection at decent pricing. Had a very good Manhattan, great Joseph Magnus, and very good KING OF KENTUCKY! 12 yr, 53.x%, assume is recent.
Maple Manhattan- 4.5. Really good, a bit of twist and sweet, w maple, Averna, mole bitters.

Saturday June 20
BAR BETSIE - 7.0. Drinks 8. Vibe 6. Service  6 1/2. Food-8. Great buffalo chicken dip!
Vibe not my thing, but it was fine, toward a younger crowd.  Drinks not my type but had a cool set of real cocktails.  Had been highly recd by someone from DC I met while they were in Bay Area.
**Paper Lantern - 4.0. (Alex Howard) I don't know the portions (anyone more knowledgable than this amateur wanna take a stab at em?): Suntory Toki whisky, apricot, ginger, amaro Nardini, lemon, soda.**
Frontera- 3.75

SILVER LYAN - 9.0  Drinks 9. Service 9.5. Vibe 8.5.  Second time here.
**Mighty O- 3.5. Sort of a seaweed hint and mushroom and fruit. Interesting but not my thing. I don't know the portions (anyone more knowledgable than this amateur wanna take a stab at em?): Monkey Shoulder, miyeok mukchim cordial, turbo persimmon, lemon, antler (!).**
**Dynamite Old Fashioned- 4.75. Somehow it just worked. I don't know the portions (anyone more knowledgeable than this amateur wanna take a stab at em?): Maker's Mark, pumpkin seed, gunpowder tea, cloudberry blasting cap (?). **

JACK ROSE- 8. Drinks 9, vibe 8, food 8, service 8.  Second time here. A Top 10 US whiskey bar!

Pina Verde. A green chartreusey pina coloda. 4.5. Yummm.
And a Green River whiskey.

[deleted]

I posted my 2026 NYC bar crawl here a few weeks ago. I realized I never posted the 2025 report here. Not sure how that occurred, I did post on some other Subs. Anyway, if of interest, here it was, written about 13 months ago. And DC too. Coming soon when I get a chance: summer of '26 reports on DC and LA/San Diego.

Bar Tour June 2025 – NYC and DC.  Visited from the Bay Area.

TL; DR –
Favorite drink spots in NYC/DC, summer 2025 (out of 35 places visited):
1.  Attaboy - 10.0.  Drinks 10, Vibe 10.  (Manhattan)
2.  Maison Premiere – 10.0.  Drinks 10, Vibe 9.5, Food 10.  (Brooklyn)
3.  Manhatta – 10.0. Drinks 10, Vibe 10, Food 9.5.  (Manhattan)
4.  Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea - 10.0.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 10, Food 9.  (Manhattan)
5.  Raines Law Room – William Hotel -  9.5.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5.  (Manhattan)
6.  Sunken Harbor Club – 9.5.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5.  (Brooklyn)
7.  Off the Record – 9.0. Drinks 8, Vibe 10. (DC)
8.  Silver Lyan – 9.5. Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5. (DC)
9.  Gramercy Tavern - 9.5.  Drinks 8, Vibe 9.5,  Food 10.  (Manhattan)
10.  Martinys - 9.5.  Drinks 8 (but I’m not a gin guy), Vibe 11.  (Manhattan)
10.  Bemelman’s - 9.5  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5, Food 9.  (Manhattan)

Favorite cocktails in NYC/DC:
1.  Yellow Parrot – Maison Premiere (Brooklyn). Yellow Chartreuse, apricot liqueur, Green Absinthe.
2.  Carroll Gardens – Attaboy (Manhattan).  Rye, Punt e Mes, Amaro Nardini, Maraschino, orange bitters, lemon twist.
3.  Tail Gunner and Midnight Manhattan – Raines Law Room midtown (Manhattan).
4.  Naked Lunch – Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea (Manhattan). Riff on a Remember the Maine cocktail.
5.  Midnight on Pearl –The Parlour at Dead Rabbit (Manhattan). Irish whisky and - literally - apple pie.
6.  Director’s Cut – Death & Co. (Manhattan) Scotch, Rum, Drambuie, Coconut.
7.  Please and Thank you – Death & Co (DC)  A really good rich and flavorful Boulevardier.

More ratings info at bottom, but please note, I don’t claim great objective knowledge of cocktails, and I like some variety and creativity, but not super experimental. I am not in the industry, but have caught the cocktail (and bar) bug and love them and make them at home a bit. Places are rated on:  Drinks, Vibe (which includes service), and somewhat Food if I had food. Ratings may seem like I’m an easy grader, but I compared to places all around the US, and not just to each other in NYC.  That’s why there are so many 9s and 10s – because NYC has A TON of outstanding bars, esp when compared to the whole US.  More explanation of ratings at bottom.

A couple random observations:  

*Not surprisingly, NYC has an astounding amount of great places, unlike any place I’ve been for bars (I’ve only been in US for bars) [EDIT - August, 2026, I've now been to London, which I loved, but NYC blows it away for great cocktail bars].  Five days and nights, organized for some efficiency such as going where I could during daytime, and I’m truly ASTOUNDED how many top places I still didn’t hit.  NYC – thy cup runneth over!

**Bartenders were surprisingly almost universally friendly, esp when I showed real interest in drinks or bars.  

***The bar food - really excellent, not just an afterthought.  Very different than out west. 

****This was one of the funnest 10 days of my life (I'm in my 50s)!!!  HUGE thank you to Reddit, and esp the AskNYC and FoodNYC subreddits.  Much great info from there. 

I could have hit more places, but I preferred longer, more meaningful stops at less places.  
As American Revolutionary Nathan Hale  might’ve said, “I only regret I have but one stomach and liver to lose for my country.”

6-18-25- Day 1 -  Brooklyn Day

1.  Maison Premiere - Overall:  10.0.  Drinks 10, Vibe 9.5, Food 10.  Vibe hard to tell, was mid afternoon lunch with my brother in law and mostly empty, but great decor and feel.  Yellow Parrot cocktail is sooooo good, and so simple.  One of my favorite drinks of entire trip.  Exceptional oysters and cherrystone clams. Started at what turned out to be one of the BEST! Helps if you like Absinthe.
(2.  L’Industrie.  Brother-in-law who lives here snuck us in a slice o’ renowned pizza nearby.  Very good!)

3.  Clover Club – 8.0   Drinks 9, Vibe 8, Food 8.  Sister in law joined us.  

4.  Sunken Harbor Club – 9.5.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5 (knocked down bc super loud and hard to talk, but still incredible).  

5.  Gage and Tollner main bar –  8.5.  Drinks 9, Vibe 8, Food 9.5.

6.  Travel Bar – 8.5.  Drinks 9, Vibe 8.  Great whiskey selection.

6-19-25 - Day 2 - Manhattan

1.  Manhatta - 10.0.  Drinks 10, Vibe 10, Food 9.5.  Lunch with my sister in law.  Beautiful interior and spectacular view.  Host I’ll call E gave me a tour of various view spots, and tons of incredible insights on many NYC bars.  E was incredibly friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and informative.  Love that the bar is open all afternoon, we had a looong leisurely “lunch”.

2.  Attaboy - 10.0. Drinks 10, Vibe 10.  I expected them to be arrogant and to be disappointed.  Waited in line at 4:40 in pouring rain.  Turns out, they were fantastic.   Carroll Gardens cocktail was probably my favorite of the day- rye, punt e mes, amaro nardini, maraschino, orange bitters. Express lemon twist then garnish w it. Up.  Heard barkeep tell ladies next to me they don’t have any bottles of vodka in the (well stocked) bar, but in a friendly, not pompous way.  Kinda loved that.

3.  Fraunces Tavern Piano Room - 8.0.  Drinks 8, Vibe 8.5, Food 7.  Mainly went for historicalness, and the Dingle Bar in the same place.

4.  Dingle Whiskey Bar (in Fraunces Tavern) - 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 9.

5.  Please Don’t Tell - 8.5.  Drinks 8.5, Vibe 8, Food 8.  It’s great, but the vibe at end of a Thurs night (12:00-2:00am) just didn’t quite hit the bullseye for me.  Japanese Penicillin off reserve menu was a favorite.  I was at Attaboy at 5:00, I wonder if I went to PDT at 5:00 and Attaboy at midnight how different they might have felt.

6-20-25 Day 3 - Brooklyn/Manhattan
1.  Red Hook Tavern (Brooklyn)- 8.0.  Drinks 8, Vibe 8, Food 8.  Had lunch here.

2.  Bemelmans  - 9.5.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5, Food 9.  Exactly my kind of classic ol’ place, would be higher rated but a bit crowded and loud, but still had incredible vibe.  Funnily, a few bar pals said its usually WAY more crowded.  I was there around happy hour.  

3.  Keens steakhouse 7.0.  Drinks 7, Vibe 7, Food 8.  A bit of a letdown.  Was only in the bar, which was not as nice or well run as I expected. Disappointed.

4.  Birdland Jazz club.  Good music.  Wish I’d gone to Vanguard (didn’t know till later).

6-21-25  Day 4 - Manhattan.  Could write a book on this day – squeezed every last drop out of it.

1.  Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea - 10.0.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 10, Food 9.   Excellent all around.  It was 2:30 pm on a Saturday. A/C is excellent here (was a sweltering furnace outside)!  Favorite drink:  Naked Lunch.  A house orig thats a riff on Remember the Maine cocktail. Inspired by William S Burroughs novel. Oakmoss tincture they make.  Rhubarb Amaro actually has no rhubarb in it, is artichoke based.  Bartender N was exceptional in all ways.  She is moving to Denver to open her own bar, which will be called Disco Bones.  She recommended Run for the Roses bar when I’m in Denver later this summer (edit:  it was really good, see Denver Report).

2.  Raines Law Room (midtown at William Hotel) - 9.5.  Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5.  Such a cool chill but classy vibe. Bar manager(?) A - we had long great chats on bars, drinks, etc. (A doesn't drink, but was very informative and friendly!)  He couldn't sell me their engraved OF glass bc they have few left. Then as I was leaving A gave me a surprise engraved pint glass.  Very nice of him. Favorite cocktails were Midnight Manhattan and Tail Gunner off Reserve list.  I’m surprised it’s not mentioned more on Reddit. (Previous trip I’d been to the original in Chelsea- also great!).

3.  Portrait Bar -  9.0.  Drinks 8.5, Vibe 9.5.  Wonderful vibe and setting and decor.  Loud modern music but crowd mixed ages.  Tried their $65 Vieux Carre. With VERY elevated spirits. Was good but not even “real good”. Not worth $30 let alone $65.

4.   Gramercy Tavern - 9.5.  Drinks 8.5, Vibe 10,  Food 10.  Fantastic vibe in the Tavern Room. Outstanding food. Seabass was excellent. Xtra side of broccoli was truly crazy good for brocc. Broiled oysters very tasty. Two desserts - both OUTSTANDS.

5.  Martinys- 9.5.  Drinks 8 (but I’m not a gin/martini guy), Vibe 11!  Perfect bullseye vibe (for me! But obviously YMMV).  Wasn’t on my priority list, but was so close to Gramercy Tavern I went.   Perfect vibe at midnight. Background jazz and small intimate classy, classic but modern, vibe. Very martini centered- and my 2 whiskey drinks were a little too “creative” for me.  Great guy next to me T was super cool, friendly, and extremely knowledgeable about NY bars.  T is a regular at Martinys and happily shared knowledge and recs (his top 5 are:  11 Madison (he swore to me it’s got a great bar of it’s own, separate from Clemente - which I had heard about)/Clemente, Overstory, Martinys, Angels Share, Sip and Guzzle.  He mentioned Shinji and Midnight Blue a few times – I had not heard of them –  but said they’re “only” in his top 10.)
Speaking of Overstory, I crossed it off my priority list bc many on Reddit said it was not so worth it or to go Manhatta instead. Interestingly, IN PERSON in NYC, every single person who talked about it highly recommended it, including some highly reputable sources.

(6.  Raines Law Room midtown again - combined with number 2.  I raced back at 1:40am to try their Midnight Manhattan I’d had my sights set on from earlier but had to pace myself and wait.  They’d already done last call, but made me one anyway. Was excellent!  Raines stood out with extra good and friendly service!)

6-22-25 - Day 5 - Manhattan
1.  Dante - 9.0 (orig one on Macdougal).  Drinks 8, Vibe 9, Food 9.  Tiramisu very good, as advertised.  Great brunch with daughter of a good friend of mine.  She lives in Manhattan and knows her food real well!  

2.  Sip (at Sip and Guzzle) - 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 9, Food 10.  Electric chicken insanely good, one of the best chix I’ve ever had. Addictive cabbage real good. Mochi fries tremendous.  Drinks a little adventurous and creative for me, but still cool to try.  First drink was called a “60-40”. Quite interesting- a combo 60% martini, prominent early on, then as warms a lil, the 40% Manhattan comes out more. Guzzle upstairs very cool too but not as unique.

3.  Dead Rabbit – The Parlour upstairs - 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 9.  I really liked it, but the Parlour didn’t stand out as extra special as many people suggest.  But super cool place in many subtle ways.  It’s like a great Irish bar that has elevated, serious cocktails.  Fourth drink was my favorite - Midnight on Pearl.  One of the best apple-y cocktails I've had. Barkeep said they literally put apple pies in w Green Spot Irish whiskey. Then do chemical stuff to curdle some of it out. Or something like that.  I bought their hard back menu for $50.

4.  Death & Co. – 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 9, Food 9.5.  Second Death & Co I’ve been to after the one in LA in April 2025.  Outstanding lamb burger.  And their cookies are great!  Uncle somebody’s cookies.  4th and final drink was my favorite here too.  Directors Cut. Easily my favorite, and maybe of the day. It has:  Macallan Double Cask 12 yr single malt, Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Drambuie, Coconut. Almost as dark an interior as LA but a bit louder and younger music.  Seems like Death & Co gets less attention these days because not new, but it’s really great.

Priorities for next visits that I didn’t hit this time:  Clemente, 11 Madison, Double Chicken Please, Employees Only, Angels Share, Overstory, Amor y Amargo, Midnight Blue, Guzzle (of Sip and Guzzle), Superbueno, Schmuck, Shinji, Katana Kitten, Dear Irving - Hudson Yards, Bar Snack, Milady’s, Freemans, Algonquin/Iroquois hotels for day drinking (near Billionaire’s Row), Lovers of Today, Bathtub Gin, Apotheke

I’ve previously been to some others (Vol I of NYC bar tours, but never wrote about it), so they did not make the cut THIS trip.  All were great, but I didn’t write reviews:  McSorleys, Raines Law Room (Chelsea) (maybe in Top 15), Brandy Library (maybe in Top 15), The Flatiron Room, Dear Irving (Gramercy), Pete’s Tavern, The Campbell Apartment (maybe in Top 15).  

6-23-25 – LIVER REST DAY!  Take train to DC to stay with long time friend S.

6-24-25 - Day 7 – Washington, DC  (day 6 of drinking and bars)
1.  Tabard Inn for lunch – 9.5. Drinks 8, Vibe 11, Food 9.5.  Perfect daytime hang.  Came for lunch at 1:15, then sat in Parlor that is perfect+ for reading, sip coffee or simply sit and relax.  Vibe is so cool old school classic.  Many cool sitting rooms, with one grand big fireplace. 

2.  McClellan’s Retreat – 8.5.  Drinks 8.5, Vibe 8.5.  Love their name – at least 3 different meanings I can think of.  The Belmont was my favorite cocktail.  Good whiskey selection.  

3.  Jack Rose Saloon – 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 8, Food 9.  Had dinner with my long time good friend S, who I stayed with in DC.  Food surprisingly good.  AC barely worked and it was sweltering out.  Drinks - a good cocktail and great whiskies bar, xtra great you can get just one ounce so can sample more.  Very friendly and helpful taking me downstairs to the store.  I bought 2 btls of whiskey (one seems to be their own label Premier Drams filled with 7 year Willett Barrel Strength Bourbon at much lower price).  This might be the biggest whiskey bar in the US, and was a big impetus for this whole trip.

4.  Old Ebbitt Grill – 7.0.  I’ve been many years ago, didn’t want to return, but it was one of the only places I could find still open late on a Tuesday.  Fun loud  busy late night vibe. Drinks ok, oysters very good, and dessert bad. Huge place w 4 bars.

6-25-25 - Day 8 – Washington, DC
1.  Round Robin Bar – 7.0.  Drinks 7, Vibe 7, Food 7.5.  Felt a lil stuffy. Service was mediocre.  Still cool for its history tho it looked a lil too updated and clean, but the Willard hotel is decorated incredibly. The Mint Julep was supposedly introd to DC by Henry Clay here.

2.  Off the Record - 9.0. Drinks 8, Vibe 10.  Fantastic lively vibe and crowd. Bartenders not friendly (but it was very busy) but crowd and decor great.  Cool decor and political cartoon paintings and coasters (they gave me some).

3.  Allegory - 9.0.  Drinks 8, Vibe 9.5.  In a hip funky cool hotel. Incredibly interesting wall murals of Ruby Bridges in Alice in Wonderland. And crazy menu hardcover book w Ruby Bridges.  Friendly barkeep and great convo w 2 guys- one of which knew bars super well, said my bartender here is a bit renowned and made it to 3d round of Drinkmasters on Netflix.  Everybody in NYC said this was the bar in DC to go to.  Drinks a little “adventurous” for me.  

4.  Silver Lyan- 9.5. Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9.5.  2 great drinks, bartenders really cool, good stories, very informative, and very welcoming.

5.  Service Bar- 7.0.  Drinks 7, Vibe 6 - marked down for service.  Seemed kinda divey but with serious cocktail program.  Drinks fine, vibe fine,, service not so friendly.  Supposed to have great chicken sammich but I didn’t get food. Not sure why considered a 50Best.

6-26-26 - Day 9 – Washington, DC
1.  Le Diplomate for dinner – 9.0. Drinks 8.5, Vibe 9.5, Food 9.  Loved it!  Dinner with friend S.

2.   Death & Co. – 9.0.  Drinks 9, Vibe 8.5.  Second drink was my favorite of whole night – the Please and Thank you.  A really good rich and flavorful Boulevardier.  Third Death & Co I’ve been to since April (and I’m headed to Denver in a few weeks…).  Still like the really dark LA interior the best. 

3.   Providencia – 9.0  Drinks 8, Vibe 9.5.  Drinks not really up my alley - a bit out there, but good and interesting.  Very cozy and cool feel, owner bartender ultra friendly and great service. Food- had the tiramisu, was different and good.  Really small place, res only, no walk ins, 22 seats.  I think not widely known yet but was highly recommended to me (by barkeeps at Silver Lyan, and others) as a newer, less known, top top place. [For serious cocktail fans who like some creativity and adventurousness, this is my top rec for DC, along with Allegory, but you know about that...]

4.  Denson. 7.0.  Drinks 7, Vibe 7.5.  Cool decor/lighting and set up, but not real friendly or fun, drinks ok.  I am a sucker for underground speak easy type places so I went.

NOTE ON RATINGS:
Obviously highly subjective.  Vibe: is very important to me.  I’m in my 50s and I’m more about classic, classy, old school vibe, and not overly crowded or loud, but I like some energy.  For simplicity, vibe includes service for ratings.  Vibe is just my overall subjective feel, which of course is personal preference, but it can also  change a lot by circumstances, such as afternoon vs. night, who I happen to sit near and have a great convo with, one single bad server, etc.  Drinks: I love cocktails and whiskey, but I don’t claim great knowledge or understanding or precision about cocktails.   I’m not looking for real experimental or adventurous, but do like some variety – some riffs and twists on classics.  I mainly prefer whiskey cocktails or rum/tiki.  (My favorite go tos are in the general arena of Manhattans and Vieux Carres).  I’m not very into agave or gin, so if those are the focus of a bar, the drinks were not up my alley but may be outstanding for their genre.  This was mainly a Bar Tour, so food was less a focus.

(All time Top 10 List at the bottom)

Third summer in four years of an NYC bar tour.  All these were new to me except Attaboy and PDT.  NYC is in its own league of one for how many exceptional bars there are, it is genuinely hard to believe.

Ratings:  bear in mind, I'm mid 50s, male, and my Vibe preference leans toward classic/speakeasyish. I love some variation in my cocktails but am not super experimental/adventurous drinks. Specific drinks rated on scale of 5, like Untappd beer app. 

My top 3 of THIS trip:

1. Attaboy -10. #1 two yrs in a row!
2. Schmuck- 9.5
3. Double Chicken Please- 9, Amor y Amargo 9+, Clemente - 9

Monday- June 29 

PARADISE LOST- 6. Drinks 7, Vibe 5, Service 7.  Maybe standard too high from Sunken Harbor Club and Smuggler’s Cove. 

AMOR Y AMARGO- 9+. Drinks 9. Vibe 9. Service 9. Rated up for uniqueness. With bro in law J. 
Bartender very informative and knowledgeable about many bars, including on west coast. Very small cute lil place. Like 3 doors dwn from Death and Co.
8 Amaro Sazerac- 4.5. 
Sharpie Mustache- 4.75 

CLEMENTE- 9. Drinks 8.5, Vibe 9, Service 9. With bro in law J. Feels like a really fancyish place, nicely decorated and art, but barkeeps friendly and fun. Guests seemed easygoing.
Negroni Colada-4.5 

MONKEY BAR (restaurant)-8.5. Drink 8, Vibe 9, Food 8.5, Service 7. Vesper- 4.5 

Sun June 28 - solo 

ATTABOY- 10. Drinks 10, Vibe 10, Service 9. Second time here- again among the very very best. Lotsa great convo w other customers. Was super compelling to just watch the barkeep do his craft. And he bullseyed 3 out of 4 drinks he came up w for me. Very intimate feel.. Thin bar (Schmuck is super wide) so ur pretty close to barkeep working his magic. There around 11:30-2:50am. Feel proud this old guy pretty much closed down Attaboy- (closing music Black Sabbath’s “Changes” was sooo perfect).  Last time I was there at 5:00 – it’s outstanding at all times.  I almost went “home” on a sour note after Employees Only, thank goodness I came here – well worth the sacrifices the next day.

All these cocktails were new to me, but were pre-existing and not made up on the spot.  I think Attaboy has a huge database of cocktail variations that if you say “I like a Vieux Carre” they can call up rarer cocktails in the same ball park?  [Anyone know if that’s roughly what they do?]

Coughlins Dream- 4.75. rum, montenegro, coconut, banana, lime and????
Archbishop- 3.75. Smith and Cross Jamaican Navy Strength rum (high proof - this sucker is POTENT), chartreuse, campari. Something not clicking- I think its the Campari. Only miss of the 4.
Away Colors- 4.75. 1.5 Aged dark rum, 3/4 banana liqueur, 3/4 fernet. Big orange peel in drink in rocks ish glass w large rock. Could maybe go 1/2 Fernet.
Inwood- 4.5+. Rye, bitters, chartreuse, coffee liqueur. Sizable lemon peel garnish. Up in coupe. A nhood in north Manhattan, a twist on a Manhatty. Right up my alley. 

EMPLOYEES ONLY- 6. Drinks-6. Vibe-5. Service 7. It was mobbed, loud, densely packed. Woulda been cool if I was 25-35.. It was a hugely busy Sunday of Pride Parade but it didnt seem a Pride crowd. Maybe a reserved table wd be ok, was not crowded at tables. I couldnt wait to leave. Would give it another try though, at a quieter time.

Billionaires Cocktail- 4.0. Like a sazerac w lemon juice? Drink was fine but little else on menu appealed so drink rating marked down. 

SCHMUCK- 9.5. Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9, Service 10, Food 8. Owners started at Two Schmucks Bar in Barcelona. Vibe was sorta party music wise, and younger crowd, but just great fun energy wo overboard. Juliette- my French barkeep and a co-owner, was superbly wonderful and charming. Incredible to watch her just so focused on bartending. Didnt know she was an owner for first  90 mins, she just worked hard and did phenomenal bartending and hospitality, and seemed part of the crew, not above them. So if you dont have Juliette, things could be different.

Le Petit Fizz- 4.5. A mini sorta Ramos Gin Fizz.
Margarita & Cream- 4.25. She gave me a mini sample bc I asked my nbor abt it.
Versace Slippers-4.5+. Really good.
Schmuck Martini- 4.25. One of 2 best Ive had (along w Vesper at Dukes).
Larb Gai- 4.75. Really. 

PLEASE DONT TELL-9. Drinks 9, vibe 9, service 9. Been before- always great. I had a wait for Schmuck so zipped in here for an hour.
Coco Coda- 4.5+
Bentons Old Fashioned- 4.25 - I think they are famous for it, but is “just” good. 2d time tried.

SUPERBUENO- 8.5. Drinks-8.5. Vibe 9. Service 9. Got here around 2:45 on a Sunday. Casual, open windows, bright, fun Mexican vibe. Need to try again.

Nieve de Colada- 4.5+. Like a creamier coconuttier coconut coloda w a lil chili spice. Sooo good. 

Sat June 27- took my bro and sis in laws J n L who live in Brooklyn on a day long bar pilgrimage!

DOUBLE CHICKEN PLEASE- Overall combo score:  9.  Drinks 9. Vibe 9. Service 8.5, Food 9. A partly high end feel overall, maybe slightly pretentious. Chix sammiches all outstanding. 

The Coop- bar in back, just me- 8. Drinks 7, vibe 8, service 8. Drinks a lil out there for me.
Cold Pizza- 3.0.  Apparently it’s popular - but . . . yuck.
Japanese Cold Noodle- 4.5. Their deconstructed Pina Coloda, said the barkeep 

Free Range (front bar)- 9. Drinks 8, Vibe 8.5, service 9, food 9.  Barkeep J was great and fun and very helpful in suggesting names for my future business of taking folks on bar tours (Pilgrimage!).

Earl Grey Manhattan- 4.25. Barkeep J made it up on spot, but I think is a riff on Earl Grey Vieux Carre in the Coop.
Grapefruit Grudge- 4.25
DMV- 4.25. One of the better martini types Ive had.
She’s So Old Fashioned- 4.25 

BAR SNACK- 8.5. Drinks 8, Vibe 8.5, service 9. This was L’s fave of day. Vibe helped quite a bit by some really fun and friendly servers. Very chill vibe, casual, 80s music around 5:00, music a bit loud. Seems great but a lil overrated as it’s recently won some very very best bars in US and world awards.  

KATANA KITTEN- 8. Drinks 9, Vibe 8.5, Service 7, Food 8.5. Servers not very fun or friendly. Vibe seemed really cool w decor and general feel. Suspect vibe young and loud later. Had late lunch. 

Still to try in future (in about 11 total days of bar crawling in NYC the last 4 years and I STILL have so many to hit- shows NYC is a superior league of ONE in the US- its truly incomprehensible how many exceptional bars are here): Shinjis, Seed Library, Mace, Bar Madonna, Dutch Kills, King Cole Bar, Bar Contra, Overstory, Angels Share, Long Island City Bar, Guzzle of Sip n Guzzle, 11 Madison restaurant’s bar.  I believe I’ve hit most of the best known top places over the past four years.
Any other must hit recs?

 Overall NYC Top 10 (from three bar pilgrimages in last 4 years and around 35 bars):

1. Attaboy
2. Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea
3. Raines Law Room (midtown and Chelsea)
4. Schmuck (extra YMMV)
5. Maison Premiere
6. Bemelmans
7. Sunken Harbor Club
8. Martinys
9. Campbell Apartment
10. Double Chicken Please, Clemente, Amor y Amargo, The Parlor at Dead Rabbit, Brandy Library, Portrait Bar, Dear Irving, Death & Co, PDT, Sip, Dante

No disrespect to many others - too many to name are deserving of at least Honorable Mentioni

(All time Top 10 List at the bottom)

Third summer in four years of an NYC bar tour.  All these were new to me except Attaboy and PDT.  NYC is in its own league of one for how many exceptional bars there are, it is genuinely hard to believe.

Ratings:  bear in mind, I'm mid 50s, male, and my Vibe preference leans toward classic/speakeasyish. I love some variation in my cocktails but am not super experimental/adventurous drinks. Specific drinks rated on scale of 5, like Untappd beer app. 

My top 3 of THIS trip:

1. Attaboy -10. #1 two yrs in a row!
2. Schmuck- 9.5
3. Double Chicken Please- 9, Amor y Amargo 9+, Clemente - 9

Monday- June 29 

PARADISE LOST- 6. Drinks 7, Vibe 5, Service 7.  Maybe standard too high from Sunken Harbor Club and Smuggler’s Cove. 

AMOR Y AMARGO- 9+. Drinks 9. Vibe 9. Service 9. Rated up for uniqueness. With bro in law J. 
Bartender very informative and knowledgeable about many bars, including on west coast. Very small cute lil place. Like 3 doors dwn from Death and Co.
8 Amaro Sazerac- 4.5. 
Sharpie Mustache- 4.75 

CLEMENTE- 9. Drinks 8.5, Vibe 9, Service 9. With bro in law J. Feels like a really fancyish place, nicely decorated and art, but barkeeps friendly and fun. Guests seemed easygoing.
Negroni Colada-4.5 

MONKEY BAR (restaurant)-8.5. Drink 8, Vibe 9, Food 8.5, Service 7. Vesper- 4.5 

Sun June 28 - solo 

ATTABOY- 10. Drinks 10, Vibe 10, Service 9. Second time here- again among the very very best. Lotsa great convo w other customers. Was super compelling to just watch the barkeep do his craft. And he bullseyed 3 out of 4 drinks he came up w for me. Very intimate feel.. Thin bar (Schmuck is super wide) so ur pretty close to barkeep working his magic. There around 11:30-2:50am. Feel proud this old guy pretty much closed down Attaboy- (closing music Black Sabbath’s “Changes” was sooo perfect).  Last time I was there at 5:00 – it’s outstanding at all times.  I almost went “home” on a sour note after Employees Only, thank goodness I came here – well worth the sacrifices the next day.

All these cocktails were new to me, but were pre-existing and not made up on the spot.  I think Attaboy has a huge database of cocktail variations that if you say “I like a Vieux Carre” they can call up rarer cocktails in the same ball park?  [Anyone know if that’s roughly what they do?]

Coughlins Dream- 4.75. rum, montenegro, coconut, banana, lime and????
Archbishop- 3.75. Smith and Cross Jamaican Navy Strength rum (high proof - this sucker is POTENT), chartreuse, campari. Something not clicking- I think its the Campari. Only miss of the 4.
Away Colors- 4.75. 1.5 Aged dark rum, 3/4 banana liqueur, 3/4 fernet. Big orange peel in drink in rocks ish glass w large rock. Could maybe go 1/2 Fernet.
Inwood- 4.5+. Rye, bitters, chartreuse, coffee liqueur. Sizable lemon peel garnish. Up in coupe. A nhood in north Manhattan, a twist on a Manhatty. Right up my alley. 

EMPLOYEES ONLY- 6. Drinks-6. Vibe-5. Service 7. It was mobbed, loud, densely packed. Woulda been cool if I was 25-35.. It was a hugely busy Sunday of Pride Parade but it didnt seem a Pride crowd. Maybe a reserved table wd be ok, was not crowded at tables. I couldnt wait to leave. Would give it another try though, at a quieter time.

Billionaires Cocktail- 4.0. Like a sazerac w lemon juice? Drink was fine but little else on menu appealed so drink rating marked down. 

SCHMUCK- 9.5. Drinks 9.5, Vibe 9, Service 10, Food 8. Owners started at Two Schmucks Bar in Barcelona. Vibe was sorta party music wise, and younger crowd, but just great fun energy wo overboard. Juliette- my French barkeep and a co-owner, was superbly wonderful and charming. Incredible to watch her just so focused on bartending. Didnt know she was an owner for first  90 mins, she just worked hard and did phenomenal bartending and hospitality, and seemed part of the crew, not above them. So if you dont have Juliette, things could be different.

Le Petit Fizz- 4.5. A mini sorta Ramos Gin Fizz.
Margarita & Cream- 4.25. She gave me a mini sample bc I asked my nbor abt it.
Versace Slippers-4.5+. Really good.
Schmuck Martini- 4.25. One of 2 best Ive had (along w Vesper at Dukes). Larb Gai- 4.75. Really. 

PLEASE DONT TELL-9. Drinks 9, vibe 9, service 9. Been before- always great. I had a wait for Schmuck so zipped in here for an hour.
Coco Coda- 4.5+
Bentons Old Fashioned- 4.25 - I think they are famous for it, but is “just” good. 2d time tried.

SUPERBUENO- 8.5. Drinks-8.5. Vibe 9. Service 9. Got here around 2:45 on a Sunday. Casual, open windows, bright, fun Mexican vibe. Need to try again.

Nieve de Colada- 4.5+. Like a creamier coconuttier coconut coloda w a lil chili spice. Sooo good. 

Sat June 27- took my bro and sis in laws J n L who live in Brooklyn on a day long bar pilgrimage!

DOUBLE CHICKEN PLEASE- Overall combo score:  9.  Drinks 9. Vibe 9. Service 8.5, Food 9. A partly high end feel overall, maybe slightly pretentious. Chix sammiches all outstanding. 

The Coop- bar in back, just me- 8. Drinks 7, vibe 8, service 8. Drinks a lil out there for me.
Cold Pizza- 3.0.  Apparently it’s popular - but . . . yuck.
Japanese Cold Noodle- 4.5. Their deconstructed Pina Coloda, said the barkeep 

Free Range (front bar)- 9. Drinks 8, Vibe 8.5, service 9, food 9.  Barkeep J was great and fun and very helpful in suggesting names for my future business of taking folks on bar tours (Pilgrimage!).

Earl Grey Manhattan- 4.25. Barkeep J made it up on spot, but I think is a riff on Earl Grey Vieux Carre in the Coop.
Grapefruit Grudge- 4.25
DMV- 4.25. One of the better martini types Ive had.
She’s So Old Fashioned- 4.25 

BAR SNACK- 8.5. Drinks 8, Vibe 8.5, service 9. This was L’s fave of day. Vibe helped quite a bit by some really fun and friendly servers. Very chill vibe, casual, 80s music around 5:00, music a bit loud. Seems great but a lil overrated as it’s recently won some very very best bars in US and world awards.  

KATANA KITTEN- 8. Drinks 9, Vibe 8.5, Service 7, Food 8.5. Servers not very fun or friendly. Vibe seemed really cool w decor and general feel. Suspect vibe young and loud later. Had late lunch. 

Still to try in future (in about 11 total days of bar crawling in NYC the last 4 years and I STILL have so many to hit- shows NYC is a superior league of ONE in the US- its truly incomprehensible how many exceptional bars are here): Shinjis, Seed Library, Mace, Bar Madonna, Dutch Kills, King Cole Bar, Bar Contra, Overstory, Angels Share, Long Island City Bar, Guzzle of Sip n Guzzle, 11 Madison restaurant’s bar.  I believe I’ve hit most of the best known top places over the past four years.
Any other must hit recs?

 Overall NYC Top 10 (from three bar pilgrimages in last 4 years and around 35 bars):

1. Attaboy
2. Lobby Bar at Hotel Chelsea
3. Raines Law Room (midtown and Chelsea)
4. Schmuck (extra YMMV)
5. Maison Premiere
6. Bemelmans
7. Sunken Harbor Club
8. Martinys
9. Campbell Apartment
10. Double Chicken Please, Clemente, Amor y Amargo, The Parlor at Dead Rabbit, Brandy Library, Portrait Bar, Dear Irving, Death & Co, PDT, Sip, Dante

No disrespect to many others - too many to name are deserving of at least Honorable Mention

Autumn’s Mark from Radiator Whiskey, Seattle

Was there in February, just found this recipe note in my phone. Barkeep was super nice to share w me. Was one of my favorite “winter” cocktails last year. Im a newbie- what cocktail family is this in? Riff on an Old Fashioned?

2 oz Maker’s Mark 46 (I had no wheated bourbon so used Knob Creek 9 yr)
1/2 oz dry curaçao (I used Cointreau)
1/4 oz Campari
1/4 oz Allspice dram
1/4 oz pumpkin syrup (I used barrel aged maple syrup)
Black lemon bitters (Scrappys)
Barrel aged bitters

Just now made at home- my version w substitutes a bit sweet but still loved it.