The Resy Guide to Where (and What) to Drink This Winter in New York

The Drink: Winter Swan Spritz

Within the confines of its cozy two-story townhouse, The Golden Swan has given its menu the equivalent of snow tires with drinks like this caraway-accented Winter Swan Spritz and the Dorothy Day, a “winterized mimosa” made with aged Pear Williams liqueur, allspice, and honey syrup. Pair with hits like Osetra caviar and beef tartare, all until 1 a.m. Do note they’ve got a special three-course menu available for Valentine’s Day, too, for $135 person, drinks not included, but highly encouraged.

The Drink: K-Pop Punch

The Bushwick outpost of this Korean American gastropub opened last July, bringing Korean-ish wood-fired pizza, a beloved double-stacked burger, and a fun vibe. There’s a DJ booth with a disco ball in the dining room and projectors playing old-school hip-hop videos. Bring that friend who’s all in on Dry January to enjoy creative zero-proof drinks like the tropical K-Pop Punch (creamy horchata, hibiscus, and pineapple). Read more about Nowon Bushwick here.

The Drink: Clarified Singapura Sling

Dreaming of warmer weather? In December, Singaporean restaurant Singapura designated the front bar as The Elephant Room, an extension of the highly acclaimed Singapore-based bar of the same name. Bathed in the red glow from the neon elephant sign, guests sit around the bamboo-clad bar or small tables to enjoy tropical-styled drinks and savory, spicy dishes inspired by Singapore street food. This sweet-tart riff on the classic Singapore Sling is made with gin and beetroot, clarified with milk, and is topped with pale pink pomegranate foam. Pro tip: When making your Resy, make sure to book “The Elephant Room.”

The Drink: Cigarette Martini

From the same team behind Williamsburg’s Maison Premiere, this Lower East Side newcomer is a sexy ode to New York in the 1970s and ‘80s. Think mirrors, chrome, and animal prints, with the occasional blood-red flower or Grace Jones print for extra emphasis. Servers swan through the room in flowy white suits open to the navel, Bee Gees style, and the horseshoe-shaped bar specializes in straight-from-the-freezer martinis. They include the Cigarette Martini, given a smoky waft from Empirical Spirits’ Charlene McGee, a nontraditional spirit infused with juniper. The drink’s been described as tasting like kissing someone who’s just smoked a cigarette, and has already been named to Esquire’s list of best martinis in America.

The Drink: Street Waffle

Yes, the shiny-new Flatiron ode to fried chicken from the team behind Cote centers Champagne as the ultimate pairing. But don’t sleep on the innovative “coqtails” from Sondre Kasin and Matt Chavez. A play on chicken & waffles, this drink is also inspired by the fish-shaped waffles filled with red bean paste sold by street vendors in Korea. Bourbon, maple syrup steeped with lovage leaves, amontillado sherry, aged aquavit, and saline combine for a salty-sweet sipper that warms all the way down. The finishing touch? A square of red bean paste jelly you’re meant to nibble on as you sip.

The Drink: Big Trouble in Little Italy

It’s hard to beat Manhatta’s views, towering 60 floors above the Financial District, and that includes the bar, where the city provides a stunning backdrop and the drinks are named after NYC neighborhoods. This is the place to bring an extra-special date or out-of-town friends for an apéritif or nightcap. Here, Pegu Club’s Audrey Saunders’ riff on the classic Manhattan is given extra complexity with pandan-infused rye, as well as sweet vermouth, Cynar, and Chinotto, a bittersweet Italian soda. Read more about the cocktails at Manhatta here.

The Drink: Kaleidoscope #2

At this intimate Japanese-style listening bar, designed with plenty of warm wood tones and acoustics in mind, spritzes are the thing. But if you’d like something a little stronger to fortify yourself as the mercury drops, the Kaleidoscope is a fitting ode to the borough and for your thirst. It features makgeolli, a Korean sparkling rice wine made by Greenpoint neighbor Hana Makgeolli, plus mezcal, Dorothy Parker gin (another Brooklyn-made brand), berries, and egg white. P.S. Tips on getting into Eavesdrop can be found here.

The Drink: Khali’s Coffee Grog

The raucous space — and the drinks — are all about over-the-top escapism, a tropical bar with campy, sometimes dark and demonic overtones. (Why yes, that is a taxidermied bat head.) While you’ll find plenty of well-made classics in whimsical vessels (like a piña colada in a coconut milk can), winter is the ideal time for hot drinks, preferably one dramatically set on fire. This grog mixes dark-roasted coffee, spiced honey butter, and jasmine coconut cream. And of course, plenty of rum.

The Drink: Oaxacan Negroni

Opt for a heartier version of an aperitivo at this low-key Williamsburg wine and cocktail bar, featuring mezcal, Brooklyn’s own Faccia Brutto red bitter, and Alpine amaro Braulio. Exposed-brick walls and a wall of glass windows facing the sidewalk make people-watching a pleasure without having to sit outside in freezing temps. Those seeking non-alcoholic options might try the St. Agrestis Phony Negroni.

The Drink: Bend and Snap

The Wooly is back, although it’s no longer in its namesake location, the landmarked Woolworth building in the Financial District. Instead, it’s moved north to the edge of Little Italy. The scrappy rec-room vibe includes wallpaper with trippy pastel trees, bouquets of peacock feathers, a wood-paneled sound system, and a collection of CDs and cassettes — yes, cassettes. Pair the sassy Bend and Snap (sesame fat-washed rum, ginger, raspberries, soda) with an order of “drakes in cakes” (duck franks in a blanket).

The Drink: Deux Chats Martini

From the team behind Le Dive and The Nines, Deux Chats has become a go-to for dramatic seafood towers in a space that suggests a French brasserie. Think velvet upholstered seating, antique mirrors, and a lavishly tiled bar with Art Nouveau details. Bring your favorite Francophile to sip martinis improved with hints of manzanilla sherry and celery, an ideal pairing for oysters.

The Drink: Las’ Rum Punch

This festive rum bar celebrates the Caribbean. Especially when the lights are low, Las’ Lap feels a little like an island getaway, washed in shades of pale blue, plant tendrils lazily draping the walls — a perception aided by a dose of the fruity house rum punch, available by the glass or the punchbowl, which took the staff six months to perfect.

The Drink: Waiting on a Table

With a menu curated from all around Mexico and intended for sharing, El Lugar Cantina is where you’ll want to cozy up with a friend or three. Order crisp “Mexican pizza”-like tlayudas or a whole roasted fish glazed with salsa roja, and finish with churros and what might be the ultimate nightcap: an espresso martini-carajillo mash-up (reposado Tequila, Licor 43, coffee liqueur, espresso, and burnt cinnamon).

El Lugar Cantina accepts reservations through its website.