I write a lot about whisky (or whiskey, depending on where the stuff comes from, but that’s another story). But my tastes are more catholic. I love to check out the ever-changing bar scene in NYC; and I love all kinds of spirits, with a serious passion for rum. Only problem is, I’m so busy writing about whisky that I neglect to mention all the other great spirits and cocktails I discover. So consider this a bit of a clearinghouse for some of the great venues I’ve visited and bottles I’ve cracked over the last year. It’s just the tip of the iceberg, of course, and it’s NYC-centric, since that’s where I live. But they all helped make my 2023 a little better than it would have been otherwise, and I’m sure they’ll do the same for you, should you decide to explore them in ‘24.
THE IRISH EXIT. It may seem strange that one of the best new bars in NYC is in a food court at an Amtrak station. But The Irish Exit is run by the team from The Dead Rabbit, a perennial best-bar-in-the-world candidate, so its pedigree is impeccable. It’s a must-visit whether you’re waiting for the train home, getting ready to zip off to Boston or Philly for a day trip, or if, like me, you live within walking distance of Moynihan Train Hall and want a tasty cocktail. You’ll find get terrific Irish-themed craft cocktails — including, in my opinion, the world’s best Irish Coffee, made Dead Rabbit-style — served up lickety-split so you don’t miss your train. And of course you can get anything else your rail-riding heart may desire, from Bacardi on the rocks to a machine-made espresso martini that’s actually quite delicious. The bar bites, served in Tupperware takeout containers, lay a great base and then some.
The presentation of the Flight To India cocktail trio is almost as delightful as the cocktails … [+] themselves.
“FLIGHT TO INDIA” COCKTAIL FLIGHT AT JUNOON. Hemant Pathak is the GM at Junoon, one of the best upscale Indian restaurants in Manhattan, but he’s also a ridiculously talented bartender/drinksmith, with a talent for infusing American cocktails with Indian flavors. The Flight To India features three of his greatest hits in one high-octane cocktail flight, served on a gorgeous bespoke gold lacquered tray. The Stinging Vesper includes Indian gin, vodka, Old Duff Genever, Lillet and Genepy herbal liqueur; the “Junoon in Manhattan” employs a house-made amaro and Indian single malt from Amrut; and the Masala Rye is a smoked Old Fashioned with Knob Creek bourbon, Pathak’s own masala syrup, Regan’s orange bitters, orange essence and star anise smoke. The presentation alone is pretty spectacular, but the drinks are all distinctive and ridiculously good. Perfect for sharing, too — downing one yourself requires an ample base of Junoon’s excellent food.
LA MAISON & VELIER FLAG SERIES GUYANA 1998 24 YEAR OLD RUM. I love rum as much as I love whiskey, and don’t write about it nearly enough. Which is why it’s taken me a few months to mention what may be the most memorable rum I tasted in 2023. Part of La Maison & Velier’s new Flag Series of cask strength, additive-free rums, this one was produced in the Port Mourant double retort wooden pot still in Guyana, which was built in 1732. After spending two years in ex-bourbon barrels in Guyana, it was then brought to Europe, where it was aged another 22 years in a single port cask. Bottled at a cask strength of 59%, it’s a whopper of a rum, with big tropical fruit notes on the nose and herbal, savory, almost meaty notes on the palate, along with dark fruits and a bit of honey. I had a taste of this stuff back in August, and it’s haunted my dreams ever since. Only 685 bottles were made, and at $275 a bottle it’s a bargain compared to a whisky of similar age and proof. What are you waiting for?
Rarities is situated in a 19th century mansion… and looks it.
RARITIES AT THE LOTTE NEW YORK PALACE. Pretty much a hotel guests and invitation-only hideaway for many years, Rarities is reaching out to the high end-spirits lovers of the Big Apple, making a little more noise and trying to get New Yorkers in the door as well as well-heeled tourists. And if you’re in town for whatever reason and are feeling flush, get there pronto. Situated in an 1884 mansion that screams “Gilded Age,” it’s not only one of the most gorgeous and comfy rooms in town in which to drink, but it also has a tremendous roster of rare spirits (and only spirits — no cocktails here, although there’s also a bar in the hotel). From Russell’s Reserve 13 Year Old bourbon to pre-Castro Cuban rum to a 1969 Bowmore single malt that you can only get by the pour here, Rarities is guaranteed to have something that will knock your socks off. It’s not cheap, but it’s worth the splurge.
ST. AGRESTIS PHONY NEGRONI. I am not now, nor have I ever been, a fan of non-alcoholic drinks meant to taste like cocktails. If I’m abstaining, I prefer to go for club soda or my not-so-secret vice, Diet Coke. But around Thanksgiving I got shingles, and for a solid month my energy level was near zero. I could either go out with friends and not drink, or I could booze it up and be wiped out for the next 2-3 days. A few weeks of enforced sobriety weakened to my resistance to zero-proof cocktails, and my favorite going away was the Phony Negroni. Unlike its boozy counterpart, it’s carbonated. But it delivers 100% of the flavor I expect, it’s less than 45 calories per serving, and even the bottle itself is stylish enough to make you feel cool drinking one. St. Agrestis also makes a Phony Mezcal Negroni which I’d swear packs a full complement of boozy agave spirit if I didn’t no better. How do they do it? Not a clue. But I’m glad they do, even though I’m more glad that I’m over shingles and can drink boozy Negronis (which they also make) again.
The Key Lime Pie, a must-try at Double Chicken Please, a must-visit bar in downtown NYC.
KEY LIME PIE COCKTAIL AT DOUBLE CHICKEN PLEASE. I’m not the type who generally enjoys cocktails that taste like food, but I make an exception for the drinks at the Lower East Side’s Double Chicken Please, which validate its selection as best bar in North America in 2023 by the folks at 50 Best. My favorite of the bunch is the Key Lime Pie, made with Bombay Sapphire gin and Empirical Spirits’ “The Plum, I Suppose,” made with plum pits that impart an almond/marzipan flavor. Add sweet cream, winter melon, lime, egg white, and a bit of soda, and you’ve got a dead ringer for the dessert, right down to the light, frothy texture. Don’t forget to order one of their insanely good chicken sandwiches so you can pair dinner, dessert and a cocktail all in one go.
THE IVORY PEACOCK. New York’s newest gin palace opened across the street from Tommy Tardie’s venerable Flatiron Room on West 26th St., and it makes perfect sense, because the Peacock is to gin what the Flatiron Room is to whisky. A selection of literally hundreds of gins, a cocktail menu that takes advantage of that vast selection, and a beautiful main room (plus a downstairs area that includes a few secret spaces) have made this one of my go-to spots over the last year. My advice: start out with a Procera gin martini with a twist, and explore from there.
HOLMES CAY REUNION ISLAND GRAND AROME RUM. Holmes Cay is an independent bottling company founded and run by two rum fanatics who source quality rums from around the globe, and bottle them unadulterated and undiluted. They’ve released some fantastic bottles over the four years of their existence, and one of my favorites is this unaged gem, bottled at a powerful 57.5% ABV, from the Savanna distillery on the French island of Réunion. Located near Madagascar, Reunion’s molasses-based rums are big, weird, complex, and delightful — grand arome rums have been called the French equivalent of funky Jamaican pot still rums. This is no exception, with sweet tropical fruit flavors playing off savory, slightly briny notes of olive (??) and the tang of sundried tomato (???). It’s not for everyone, but if you’ve got a taste for adventure, it’s love at first sip.
The Mischa Martini, one of my unlikely favorite cocktails of 2023.
MISCHA. The East 50s in Manhattan has become a surprisingly solid area in which to eat and drink. Mischa on 53rd, the latest endeavor from Alex Stupak, is my favorite of the bunch. It’s best known for the $29 hot dog that’s already become a signature NYC dish (and is actually worth the coin, I swear), but the cocktail program, headed by Steely Dan superfan Noah Small, is pretty terrific as well. I’m still working my name through the menu of goofily-named drinks (I have not yet ordered the Dude’s Car Got A Little Dinged Up only because I don’t want to utter the phrase aloud) but so far, I’m most impressed with the Mischa Martini. I’m not a vodka drinker and I don’t like carrots, and yet somehow I fell in love with this carrot-scented vodka martini, with carrot garnish no less.
FOURSQUARE ISONOMY RUM. It may be lazy to call the Barbados-based Foursquare the Pappy Van Winkle of rum, but it’s also somewhat accurate — serious rummies go nuts for these bottlings, especially the ongoing Exceptional Cask Series, which sell out within nanoseconds of their release. Isonomy, the 20th in the run, came out in late 2022; I tried it in January, and it was not only one of the best rums I had all year, it’s up there with the best Foursquares I’ve ever tasted. A blend of pot and column distillate aged in Barbados for 17 years in ex-bourbon barrels, it’s bottled at a cask strength of 58%. A rum aged for that long in tropical conditions could be an overoaked mess, but Foursquare grand poobah Richard Seale knows what he’s doing, and Isonomy is a masterpiece, with big, powerful notes of butterscotch, dark chocolate, baking spices and dark fruits, notably cherries. I wanted to taste it again and revise my tasting notes but alas, my sample has long since been emptied. Seale has made his share of enemies in the industry over the years, but even his naysayers don’t deny the quality of his product.
