Summer’s here, and we’re ready to quench our thirst at New York’s outdoor patios, breezy riverside spots, and dark, subterranean bars chilled to air-conditioned perfection. Here’s your guide to this season’s best sips, from a melon-y margarita with pan-Latin American heritage to a fruity delight served in a coconut, to enjoy from within the shade of a cabana. Make notes for where to take all the friends and family who come to visit during the summer months, and be sure to save a few choice barstools for yourself, too.
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.
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How to Do Summer in the City
Only Love Strangers Lower East Side
Photo courtesy of Only Love Strangers
The Drink: Nu
Bathed in deep azure and white, this newcomer on the Lower East Side offers a host of colorful drinks with musical names, food that channels the Mediterranean, and nightly jazz performances. The Nu is for all the espresso martini fans: vodka, cacao liqueur, espresso, and hazelnut liqueur mean this pick-me-up can double as dessert. Read more about Only Love Strangers here.
Photo courtesy of Only Love Strangers
Aldo Sohm Wine Bar Theater District
The Drink: Aldo’s Negroni
Wait, isn’t this a temple to wine, from the eponymous Le Bernardin super-somm? Yes, but starting June 12, cocktails are now served at this Theater District wine bar, too. Now, you can pair drinks like Aldo’s Negroni (made with mezcal instead of gin) with decadent bar snacks from chef Eric Ripert, including an over-the-top charcuterie “tower.”
Another Country Union Square
Photo by Max Flatow, courtesy of Another Country
The Drink: I May Destroy You
Named for the 1962 James Baldwin novel, this mellow vinyl bar is located in the former space of Union Square icon Chat ‘n Chew (RIP). Expect cozy orange lighting and warm wood tones, including a reclaimed plank floor taken from the walls of the former diner, and a dimly lit back room that’s just right for a date night and can be rented as a private event space. Many of the drinks name-check musical references, including the tall, saffron-tinted I May Destroy You (vodka, honey, orange, saline) from the bar’s opening menu.
Photo by Max Flatow, courtesy of Another Country
Bitter Monk Industry City
Photo courtesy of Bitter Monk
The Drink: Bijou
Harlem’s Sugar Monk set up this Industry City tasting room outpost in March, with an adjacent micro-distillery that will turn out the Atheras Spirits line of amari, herbal liqueurs, and bitters. Admire the colorful stained glass back bar with a lightly bitter Bijou in hand, made with gin, amaro and sweet vermouth from local New York state producers, plus hoja santa and orange bitters.
Photo courtesy of Bitter Monk
L’Americana Gramercy Park
The Drink: Sunny Days
Those weary of waiting in line to get into teeny Martiny’s will celebrate the opening of L’Americana, a larger space next door, run by the same team. Oddly, it’s Italian — not Japanese — but the drinks and food remain top-notch, with Japanese touches evident here and there. Case in point: the orange-hued Spritz-like Sunny Days (Nikka Days Japanese whisky, Grand Marnier, kumquat, soda), which we saw sailing out by the trayful to tables seated outside on a warm Saturday afternoon.
Chica and the Don Gramercy Park
Photo by Noah Fecks, courtesy of Chica and The Don
The Drink: Meloncito
A refreshing, melon-y margarita seems just right in this Latin America-inspired tropical lounge framed by a ceiling of lush fern fronds and festive pops of bright color on the wall. Tequila, lime, orange liqueur, honeydew melon, and pineapple hit all the right notes. Food and drinks are inspired by the team’s Latin heritage from Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and beyond — which means we’ve also spied a rum and Coke variation made with Venezuelan rum and Peru’s Inca Kola. Pro tip: Happy hour knocks $5 off the usual $20 drink price.
Photo by Noah Fecks, courtesy of Chica and The Don
Hana Makgeolli Greenpoint
Photo by Daniel Huang//Meeting Place Studio, courtesy of Hana Makgeolli
The Drink: Sesame Sour
This Greenpoint facility spotlights Korean makgeolli (rice wine). Stop by the tasting room to sample a flight, or sip on cocktails like the Sesame Sour, inspired by a Korean noodle dish. In it, melon-y Takju 16 makgeolli gets transformed into a syrup and filled out with white rum, Suze, pineapple, soy sauce, vinegar, and a dash of sesame oil, shaken with egg whites into a tall, fluffy confection.
Photo by Daniel Huang//Meeting Place Studio, courtesy of Hana Makgeolli
George Bang Bang NoMad
The Drink: Old Boy
We first became aware of this K-town speakeasy when it started popping up in the Instagram stories of all the hot bartenders in the area. It’s no longer just an industry secret, and the dark, intimate bar, low-lit with a sexy red glow, is now open six days a week (closed Sundays). Try the Old Boy, one of the bar’s signature drinks, made with mezcal, Lillet Blanc, and pear. Pro tip: The bar is located behind lauded Korean pork broth restaurant Okdongsik; you might want to stop there first and then grab a nightcap at GBB.
The Portrait Bar NoMad
Photo by Eric Medsker, courtesy of The Portrait Bar
The Drink: Kolkata – India
Located in The Fifth Avenue Hotel, drinks at this newcomer from bar pro Darryl Chan are drawn from global travels, with every cocktail named for a different location around the world. Described as a “mango lassi Painkiller,” this cooler includes rum and sotol (a spirit similar to mezcal), plus mango, coconut, and a “Bombay spice blend.” Don’t miss chef Andrew Carmellini’s elevated “parlor snacks,” like crispy oysters and “Caesar” deviled eggs.
Photo by Eric Medsker, courtesy of The Portrait Bar
Kin Gin Lower East Side
Photo by Noah Fecks, courtesy of Kin Gin
The Drink: The Forest of Joboji
Japanese ingredients and flavors take center stage at this splurge-worthy modern izakaya, as in this lightly fruity, low-alcohol refresher. Oka Kura Sake sweet vermouth, amontillado sherry, and tart cherry are served cobbler-style over pebbled ice, garnished with fragrant shiso and a gilded cherry. Pair it with an equally opulent and eye-catching dish, like amberjack sashimi bathed in blood orange dashi.
Photo by Noah Fecks, courtesy of Kin Gin
Cafe Mado Prospect Heights
The Drink: Grand Fir
Especially when it’s hot outside, there’s nothing you’d want more than something supremely refreshing, and this sipper delivers. Made with fresh pine needles locally foraged by Tama Matsuoka Wong (read all about her here), limestone, and hints of citric and malic acids, this non-alcoholic spritz is best described as a “Nordic Sprite,” says beverage director Piper Kristensen. And he’s not wrong: It’s got tons of citrus and grapefruit notes, with slight herbal, grassy quality from the pine needles. Pro tip: You can also grab it to go for a picnic in Prospect Park.
Forsythia Lower East Side
Photo courtesy of Forsythia
The Drink: Gin Summery
Pasta and martinis are a classic, seasonless pairing in our humble opinion, and when a martini has “summery” in the name, how could it not be ideal for the season? That’s the case at this cozy Lower East Side destination for handmade pasta and Roman-style fare, where bar manager John Ware goes deep on the martini. In addition to the refreshing Gin Summery, made with sour lime cordial and vegetal Chartreuse, they’ve also got a savory version with ramp gin, a tequila-based martini with an artichoke amaro, and, of course, a classic espresso martini.
Photo courtesy of Forsythia
Gitano Seaport
Photo by Melissa Gutierrez, courtesy of Kokos at Pearl Alley
The Drink: Koko Loko
Cocktails in coconuts. A walk-up ceviche cart. Cabanas with views of the East River and the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s not exactly a Caribbean getaway, but this newcomer at The Seaport’s Pier 17 has just the right tropical vibes to make a post-work outing feel a bit sunnier. The Koko Loko mixes reposado tequila, Ancho Reyes Verde, coconut, kiwi, and lime, landing somewhere between a spicy margarita and a super-fruity colada, housed in a fresh coconut. Manhattan’s an island, after all, so you might as well sip an island drink.
Photo by Melissa Gutierrez, courtesy of Kokos at Pearl Alley
Record Room Long Island City
The Drink: Dance Yourself Clean
At this vibrant Queens listening lounge, a vinyl-themed café leads to a secret door. Within, a rotating cast of DJs spin their favorite vinyl from a wide range of different eras. Lean into the music instead of the booze with this non-alcoholic sipper: blackberry, sweet spices, verjus, and citrus. Light bites are available until 10 p.m.
Dear Irving Gramercy Gramercy
Photo by Eric Medsker, courtesy of Dear Irving
The Drink: Gibson
This classy craft cocktail stalwart celebrates its 10-year anniversary this summer — and in September will add a third location, Dear Irving on Broadway, in the Theater District. Select a seat in the sparkly front room, the streamlined bar, or the French salon in the back with risqué toile print wallpaper and order this stiff, savory classic: gin, bianco vermouth, and a pickled pink onion; a splash of the pickling brine is the secret ingredient that makes the drink shine.
Photo by Eric Medsker, courtesy of Dear Irving
