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We’re spotting crocuses and daffodils in city parks, and that means spring has finally, officially arrived, bringing lighter flavors and the return to socializing on patios and open-air balconies, a glass of something refreshing in hand (booze optional, of course).
The longer days and warmer breezes also signal the return of seasonal celebrations, from pre-wedding toasts to Cinco de Mayo or Derby Day revelry. And right on cue, bars are leaning into the bounty of early produce at city greenmarkets, adding fresh fruit (and increasingly, savory touches like snap peas or ramps) into drinks, or taking inspiration from Mother Nature with floral flavors or a fresh blossom as a finishing touch.
Just as spring flowers are slowly returning, new bar and restaurant openings have blossomed as well. After a particularly brutal winter, we’re here for all of it: slowing down, connecting with friends, touching grass.
Here are the places and drinks to add to your social calendar this spring.
P.S. We’ve got a whole list of spots with great zero-proof options here.
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.
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The Dining Room at Chateau Royale Greenwich Village
Chateau Martini
From the team behind Libertine comes très Français Chateau Royale. Reserve a spot in the cozy, dark-paneled Bar Room downstairs for a bistro-like experience, or head upstairs to the Dining Room for the white-tablecloth experience. That duality applies to the namesake martini, too. The only bar is downstairs, where your martini will be efficiently dispatched, perhaps to accompany a chien chaud (hot dog) topped with sunchoke celeriac relish. Upstairs, that freezer-batched martini will be delivered via a luxe trolley, expertly poured and garnished by a boissonier, a word that roughly translates from French as “drink monger.” Read more about Chateau Royale here.
FREE RANGE at Double Chicken Please Lower East Side
Grapefruit With a Grudge
From the highly creative Plinko game embedded in the menu (intended to help make drink decisions) to the whimsical drinks, Double Chicken Please never fails to delight. This is a new low-alcohol favorite, made with Campari, Aperol, and zero-proof amaro, sassed up with grapefruit, tonic water, and a sprinkle of toasted pecan. Do know that one of DCP’s fried chicken sandwiches only enhances the experience further, too.
Drink Kips Bay
French Kiss
In the 33rd Street space that formerly housed Middle Branch, the second floor of this newcomer operates as a tattoo parlor during the day — putting the “ink” in “Drink” — while the ground floor is reserved for fancy cocktail creations. The French Kiss includes Grey Goose vodka, a housemade “croissant liquor,” tomato water, and olive bitters, served with a small dish of Parmesan and truffled honey. Is the dish meant as a garnish or a snack? Your call, although we’re Team Snack. On a nice day, ask for a seat on the petite patio out front.
Folk Park Slope
The Mangalore
From Jayesh Kumar and the team behind Lore, this South Slope newcomer, already a neighborhood favorite, is all about cocktails and small Indian-inflected dishes. Sure, you could opt for one of the three Negronis on draft or a riff on the classic lychee martini, but this bold, playfully named quaff cuts its own memorable path, made with multiple rums, lime, pineapple, amchur (a tangy powder made from dried green mangoes), and curried coconut cream.
Sanfords Astoria
Old Fashioned
Shh, don’t tell Brooklyn or Manhattan, but one of the best whiskey bars in NYC is in Astoria, Queens. This venerable spot has been open since 1932, and houses a collection of more than 700 whiskey bottlings from around the world — a good many illuminated on the ample back bar. Whiskey fans won’t want to mess around: a minimally adorned Old Fashioned is the way to go. Want a bit more ‘gram-worthy flash? A smoked Old Fashioned is available, too.
The Tavern at Gramercy Tavern Gramercy Park
Smoke & Steel
The shiny-new spring cocktail menu has dropped at this ultra-seasonal stalwart, and — for now, anyway — it includes this margarita-meets-Penicillin riff made with Meyer lemon, persimmon, and ginger. The body of the drink is made with blended Scotch, while a float of mezcal gives it a smoky lift. Keep an eye on what’s fresh at the nearby Union Square Greenmarket: as snap peas and fresh strawberries come into season, those will inform the next spring drinks to join the menu.
Golden Ratio Clinton Hill
The Nasturtium
All the drinks at this zero-waste bar are available without alcohol — though if you’re opting for a full-octane version, no judgment here. Here, the zero-proof Nasturtium, named for the vibrant flowering plant, is made with tomatillo, nasturtium leaves, and a yeast hydrosol, for an earthy, vegetal sip. Seasonal drinks come and go quickly here, so we can’t guarantee this one will be on offer when you arrive. But whatever you try, be sure to pair it with an order of petite Hasselback potatoes, to scoop up every drop of the charred poblano sabayon. And if you’re really hungry, don’t skip the fried hake; trust us. Pro tip: Weekend hours are newly expanded, starting at 1 p.m. Grab a seat by the oversized windows to soak up all the rays.
Kees West Village
Dolamite
Located in the space beneath Mixteca, this isn’t exactly a speakeasy, but you need to know it’s there. Slip down the stairs into a subterranean space meant to channel the Stork Club and other long-gone midcentury icons. (It’s the exact opposite of Highball Ltd., another new bar from Please Don’t Tell (PDT) alum Jeff Bell, where visitors find a hidden elevator to be whisked upstairs.)
Spring is peak spritz season, so opt for a Dolamite, a low-ABV variation made with Doladira aperitivo, blanc vermouth, sparkling wine, and grapefruit soda. Read more about Mixteca and Kees here.
Seirēn Chelsea
Spicetrade
Inspired by all things seafaring, this newcomer has managed an impressive feat: giving tinned fish a glow-up into cute conservas accompanied by pickled vegetables, bonito, and other accoutrements. To drink, try briny martinis or the Spicetrade, a hearty whiskey sour poetically enlivened with fuji apple, saffron, and “trade winds.”
Stone & Soil Kips Bay
Pink Tango
At this innovative Japanese cocktail bar, this rosy, juicy drink takes seven days to create — and it’s worth the wait. The main star is koji-fermented pineapple, which arrives topped up with pink grapefruit soda, resembling a pineapple-tinged paloma. The finishing touch: a salt-and-sugar “rock candy rim.” It’s available as a delightful non-alcoholic cocktail, or fortified with mezcal and Campari. Read more about the serene Stone & Soil here.
Cocktail Omakase Lower East Side
Mizunara Negroni
A great date-night option: In partnership with Tokyo’s Bar Libre, this well-choreographed, one-hour experience brings four small drinks paired with four izakaya-style bites. You choose full-strength, low-alcohol, or no-alcohol, and that’s the last decision you’ll need to make. The drinks will change every few weeks, so here’s hoping the delightful Mizunara Negroni (gin, Japanese mizunara oak liqueur, sweet vermouth, Campari, and ume), poured from a sleek silver fish flask, remains on the menu. Pro tip: If you can’t reserve one of the 12 omakase bar seats, Bar 7 — a petite Japanese-style bar hidden behind a screen — accepts walk-ins.
The Domino Room Yorkville
Dunes
This Upper East Sider, an after-dark accompaniment to the uptown outpost of all-day Café Maud, has a wraparound balcony to catch the first warm breezes while enjoying this saucy, spring-green sipper. Bell pepper and pineapple provide a fresh foil for Tequila and mezcal, sassed up with a half-rim of black sea salt and spice. Note: While most bars welcome guests 21+, Domino is one of the few with a 23+ policy.
Hello Hello Bar and Cafe New York
Espresso Martini
This Chelsea spot has multiple personalities: A mellow all-day café. A high-energy upscale “dive bar,” with a 1970’s vibe and DJ sets ’til late. A distillery. Yes: beyond the bar is one of Manhattan’s few working distilleries, formerly Pernod Ricard’s Our/Vodka. Today, that distillery, Silent Alibi, produces 11th Hour Coffee Liqueur, which you’ll find in Hello Hello’s excellent espresso martini (you’ll spot it on the backbar of other in-the-know bars around NYC, too). Don’t sleep on the pineapple kimchi hot dog.
Oddball New York
Lightspeed Drifter
Yes, the drinks are intentionally quirky at this new Alphabet City spot, meant to feel both familiar and futuristic, with flavors that seem like they shouldn’t make sense — but they do. Case in point: this inventive, rosy-purple daiquiri-ish drink made with blueberry, “salty whey,” and prickly horseradish adding a wasabi-like note. It’s available with or without alcohol.
The Eighth Cocktail Bar Chelsea
Negroni No. VIII
This new bar is a dark and sexy space, where everyone is attired in black and silver snake sconces slither up plush purple walls. Don’t blow the mystique by ordering a spritz: this room calls for a “ritual-driven” drink with more mystique. Enter this enigmatic Negroni, which arrives in a glass box that exudes a waft of cherry-wood smoke when the cover is lifted. Pro tip: Stick around for one (or more) of the three nightly cocktail and bite “ceremonies” at 8 p.m, 10 p.m, and 12 a.m.
Myth Prospect Lefferts Gardens
Palm Reader
This Caribbean-inspired spot offers dishes like braised oxtail flatbread and jerk chicken quesadillas, and leans into drinks with a certain sense of mystery. The Palm Reader ties together earthy saffron, lemon, and honey with reposado Tequila and “rose water mix,” garnished with a dried rosebud. It’s a versatile, season-spanning drink to take us from early spring’s bluster and into late spring’s breezy blooms.
