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Autumn is crackling with excitement this year: a flurry of new bars and restaurants have arrived, while existing venues are rolling out fresh fall drink menus spotlighting the bounty of all those gorgeous gourds and apples showing up at local farmers markets. And if that’s not enough, this year, permanent outdoor seating has staged a return at many places, allowing extra time to enjoy al fresco drinks during these crisp months full of foliage and upcoming holiday cheer.
For your next outing, here are the drinks to enjoy in cozy bars and outdoor patio spaces, spotlighting darker spirits, autumnal spice, and the first of the mitten-warming hot drinks, all season long.
Must be 21 years of age or older to consume alcoholic beverages. Please drink responsibly.
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Highball Ltd. Midtown
Royal Scotsman
Located just blocks from Grand Central, this bar nods to the golden age of luxury train travel, from the velvet upholstery to squared-off windows that suggest Pullman rail cars and perfectly frame nearby Midtown views. Drink names also nod to railway lines across the world; the Royal Scotsman is named for the opulent Royal Belmond lines that run through Scotland. This rich sipper features Scotch whisky (of course), alongside oloroso sherry, hazelnut liqueur, lemon, and honey. It’s just right for a nightcap.
Titán Dumbo
Tepporocho
While we’re still mourning the loss of Leyenda, the arrival of Titán is more than getting us through. This Mexican restaurant and bar is helmed by chef Alan Delgado and bar pro Ivy Mix, intended to explore the diversity of regional Mexican cuisine. The fall menu just dropped, and we can already see the toddy-like Tepporocho is going to be a cooler-weather favorite, made with reposado tequila, mezcal, ginger and cardamom, served hot. But we wouldn’t’ say no to the Fall Sangrita (golden beet, passion fruit) or carajillo-adjacent Bananajillo (coffee, Oaxacan aged rum, coffee, banana, salted crema) either.
Read more about Titán here.
Raines Law Room Chelsea
Legends of Gotham
After a five-month closure due to a fire in the building, the original Raines Law Room has finally re-opened. It’s been given a well-deserved spruce, with new velvet settees, but the romantic charm remains, including the option to pull a cord to discreetly ring for drinks. Residing on the Reserve Cocktails menu, the Legends of Gotham is a luxe insider’s take on the classic Manhattan: it spotlights an Empire State heirloom rye (from Brooklyn’s Jaywalk distillery) and Degroff Amaro, a label from bartending legend Dale DeGroff, plus touches of Barolo chinato and torino vermouth.
Confidant Brooklyn Heights
M&M Negroni
Following a brief run in Industry City, this comfort food-driven spot has rebooted in Brooklyn Heights. Expect exposed brick, intimate tables, a focus on dry-aged meats and fish, and clever cocktails like the M&M Negroni. No, it’s not about the candy; it’s an insider-y mash-up of a mezcal Negroni and the M&M, a “bartender’s handshake” drink that mixes mezcal and Montenegro amaro. Now you’re in the know, too.
Read more about Confidant here.
Velvet Cowboy Upper West Side
Good Negotiation
Upper West Siders, rejoice: if you already love the barbecue-tastic Jacob’s Pickles and tropical Tiki Chick down the block, you’ll want to add Velvet Cowboy to the rotation. At this ode to the American Southwest, order a Frito Pie or perhaps the beer-battered onion rings, and chase it with the Good Negotiation, a mellow white Negroni riff fleshed out with fig leaf, Rockey’s liqueur, Suze, and coconut. The roadside-motel-Americana style décor just adds to the vibe.
Monkey Thief Hell's Kitchen
Long Kiss Goodnight
Bookmark this spot for your next Broadway theater outing; this pan-Asian spot re-opened in August, and it’s better than ever, with three individual spaces — and drink menus — to try. The Train Car, with a nod to classic rail travel, is a fun vibe, but if you can only book one space, lock in on The Den, a dark and date-worthy room with excellent drinks. We loved the Long Kiss Goodnight, a quirky sipper made with rum, Japanese whisky, black sesame, and cacao. The bartender will instruct: To enjoy the oceanic exhale that transforms the drink, take a bite of the strip of nori balanced on the glass rim, then a sip of the drink.
Mūje Chelsea
Photo by Alexander Stein, courtesy of Mūje
Midnight in Samui
From chef Jungsik Yim, the name of this relative newcomer near Penn Station translates from Korean as “untitled.” Influences deliberately pull from across the Asian continent, and that extends to the drink menu, too. In addition to the thoughtful wine list, look to Asian-inspired cocktails like the Seoul Mule (soju, ginseng, ginger beer), or the Midnight in Samui (pictured here), a butterfly pea-infused rum drink named for the Thai island of Ko Samui, with a can’t-miss-it vibrant purple hue.
Read more about Múje here.
Photo by Alexander Stein, courtesy of Mūje
Bar Chimera Midtown East
V.P. Vesper
Bring a friend with an expense account to this splashy three-in-one bar (plus still more downstairs) from the Cote team. We couldn’t resist the siren call of their dedicated martini bar — and the excellent V.P. Vesper, made with Altamura vodka and Harahorn gin, plus eau de whey and quinine — but we’ll be back to take the whiskey and wine bars for a spin as well. Pro tip: Look to the garnish list for your preferred accoutrement; note the $1 upcharge for Gordal blue cheese-stuffed olives or spicy piparra-stuffed Spanish olives. (Both are worth it.)
Read more about Bar Chimera here.
Dravida East Village
Badak Old Fashioned
Jam & Jaggery opened in mid-September and is the downstairs speakeasy-style lounge of Drāvida, the South Asian restaurant from celebrity chef Aarthi Sampath, who won Food Network’s “Chopped” and “Beat Bobby Flay.” Here, South Indian flavors rule, as in the Badak Old Fashioned, made with duck fat-washed shochu and cream sherry, plus cardamom bitters and jaggery, the eponymous concentrated cane sugar sweetener.
Read more about Jam & Jaggery’s home, Drāvida, here.
Clover Club Brooklyn
Port of Call
When the holidays roll in, bring the out-of-town fam for a boozy brunch at the venerable Clover Club. This modern classic, devised by CC’s own Tom Macy, has all the Thanksgiving flavors in one glass: ruby port, cranberry preserves, bracing London dry gin, and autumnal cinnamon spice. That said, if you prefer nightcaps to day drinking, keep an eye out for weeknight vinyl sessions.
Ambassadors Clubhouse New York NoMad
Patiala Peg
The buzzy outpost from London’s acclaimed original channels the mansions of Northern India, and delivers vibrant Punjabi flavors. To accompany the seven-layer samosa (aloo mattar satpura), consider the Patiala Peg, an old-fashioned variation built around Johnnie Walker Black Label and Afghani saffron, poured tableside.
Read more about Ambassadors Clubhouse here.
Bar Bête Carroll Gardens
N.A. Highball
While this cozy bistro is known for its well-curated list of French wines and comfort-food bites like duck-fat potatoes and a chicken liver “parfait,” cocktail fans will find delights here, too. Three boozy options named Light, Citrus, and Dark, change with the seasons, and the always-on zero-proof N.A. Highball truly shines, an effervescent mix of Pathfinder NA amaro, honey, lime juice, and ginger beer.
Chin Up Bar Bowery
Martini/Dirty Martini
Who says gin bars have to be stuffy? Not this high-energy spot, which just happens to have one of the largest gin collections in the city with more than 200 and counting. Choose your favorite gin from anywhere around the world (England? Japan? Africa?) and have it mixed with dry and blanc vermouth for a classic martini, or brine from the Lower East Side’s own Pickle Guys for a dirty variation. We’re also fond of the tropical-leaning Saturn, made with gin, guava, and a nut-free sunflower seed orgeat.
Dante Elizabeth Street Nolita
Elizabeth Street Martini
The newest addition to the Dante famiglia is also its most spacious, ideal for group celebrations, brunches, and the like. In addition to the classics, try the signature Elizabeth Street Martini at this location, which combines gin, vodka, and sake with manzanilla sherry instead of vermouth. It’s pre-batched and bottled for a quick serve, poured over crushed ice for extra chill and garnished with a fat caperberry. It’s nuanced and dangerously delicious — luckily, you’ll find plenty of wood-fired accompaniments, from sea bream to pizza-like flatbreads.
Ai Fiori Midtown
Il Diavolo
If you’re just not ready to let go of summer, this drink offers a glimmer of tropical escape, through the lens of the French and Italian influences that inform this Midtown spot. The Il Diavolo (“The Devil,” in Italian) is a loose interpretation of the Jungle Bird, a tiki classic made with amaro and Jamaican rum. Here, Haiti’s clairin — a particularly funky rum made with sugar cane juice — forms the core of the drink, while Jamaican jerk spice, cinnamon, and Calabrian chile are infused into Italian amaro for a bit of saucy, devilish heat.
The Up & Up Greenwich Village
As Much as a Duck
At this enduring Greenwich Village cocktail institution — in business since 2015 — the drinks are always a standout and this smoky, spicy sour is a particularly ideal choice for the fall season. Made with mezcal, scotch whisky, strega, and amaro combined with lemon and lime, cayenne pepper, and egg white, it’s ideal for sipping on a cozy night out.
