Planning a night out and wondering which cocktail bars in New York are worth your time? Start with the downtown bars that sparked the craft revival, then add a newer favourite or two. This guide shows you where.
For the bigger picture after dark, see the city guide to new york nightlife.
| Bar | Opened |
|---|---|
| Angel’s Share (East Village) | 1994 |
| Milk & Honey (134 Eldridge Street, now Attaboy) | New Year’s Eve 1999 |
| Flatiron Lounge | 2003 |
| Employees Only (West Village) | 2004 |
| Death & Co | 2007 |
The dates come from Punch’s bar crawl through the revival and InsideHook’s history of Milk & Honey. Sources sometimes differ by a year on opening dates, and figures can change, so check the source before you rely on them.
How the craft cocktail revival began in New York
The usual starting point is bartender Dale DeGroff at the reopened Rainbow Room in 1987, according to Wikipedia’s entry on the craft cocktail movement. Joe Baum, DeGroff’s boss there, told him to read Jerry Thomas’s 1862 book How to Mix Drinks.
Per Australian Bartender, DeGroff brought fresh juice back to bars and unearthed classics from old cocktail books. He also mentored many of the bartenders who went on to build the revival in New York.
The speakeasy style followed in 1994, when Angel’s Share opened in a hidden space off a second-floor Japanese restaurant in the East Village, Punch reports. Large parties were not welcome and standing was not allowed. Sasha Petraske later cited the bar as an influence on Milk & Honey.
The downtown bars that set the template
Punch’s tour of the revival’s early bars described them as clustered in a relatively small chunk of downtown Manhattan. Here is how the best-known ones fit together.
- Milk & Honey, now Attaboy. InsideHook says Milk & Honey opened on New Year’s Eve 1999 at 134 Eldridge Street, and that Attaboy has occupied the room since 2012. Early guests were required to telephone before dropping in.
- Flatiron Lounge. It opened in 2003 and brought craft cocktails to the masses, according to Punch.
- Employees Only. This West Village speakeasy opened in 2004 with five partners, including veterans of Pravda and Schiller’s Liquor Bar, Punch notes.
- Pegu Club. Australian Bartender says Julie Reiner and Audrey Saunders opened it in 2005.
- Death & Co. It opened in 2007, and Punch says it has given birth to hundreds of new cocktails.
- PDT. It also opened in 2007, and Australian Bartender describes its entry through a phone booth in the hot dog store next door.
Sam Ross, co-owner of Attaboy, calls the Eldridge Street room arguably the room that helped kickstart this third wave of cocktails, as InsideHook quotes him. He is also credited with modern classics such as the Penicillin and Paper Plane.
Pegu Club earned a reputation for its staff as well as its drinks. Writer Robert Simonson called its roster perhaps the most fearsome lineup of mixologists the modern bar world has ever known, as Australian Bartender reports.
What counts as a craft cocktail?
Wikipedia defines a craft cocktail as a drink made from quality liquors consciously chosen by its creator, with fresh-squeezed juices and the like, and cold and dense ice. You can read the full definition in the craft cocktail movement entry.
The same entry says the movement revived Manhattans, old fashioneds and hand-shaken daiquiris. It displaced mudslides, Long Island iced teas, Midori sours, Appletinis and slushie-machine daiquiris.
The entry dates the first craft cocktail conference, Tales of the Cocktail, to 2003. By 2017, it says, high-quality ingredients, techniques and liquors had become ubiquitous in bars across the United States, and writers began to declare the renaissance over.
Bars then branched out. The same page lists whiskey bars, gin bars, mezcal bars, tiki bars and bars focused on obscure drinks among the diversified establishments that followed.
Where to drink today
As of Decanter’s April 2026 update, its local expert’s list spans old-school institutions, agave-focused bars and rooftop-style views. A few picks worth knowing:
- Attaboy. Decanter says it is known for its lack of menu, so each drink is customised to your preferences. It also reports that the bar space expanded by 1,000 square feet.
- Bemelmans Bar. It is best known for its iconic murals, strong martinis and signature snack trio, and Decanter warns the queue can get pretty robust during peak hours.
- Overstory. Decanter places it on the 64th floor of 70 Pine, with 360-degree skyline views from an outdoor wraparound terrace.
- Sip & Guzzle. This bi-level bar is helmed by Shingo Gokan and Steve Schneider, and blends Tokyo hospitality with New York flair.
In a story dated October 2025, Virgin Atlantic describes The Dead Rabbit as twice named the World’s Best Bar.
If the views are the draw, the guide to rooftop bars nyc covers more high-up options. If hidden doors appeal, a separate look at speakeasies in nyc goes deeper than the PDT phone booth.
How to order once you are inside
A little preparation goes a long way at the busiest rooms. Use these steps as a starting point:
- Arrive early. Decanter says Attaboy is walk-in only and first-come, first-served, so ring the doorbell and get your name on the waitlist.
- Order a Negroni. Cocktail historian Jared Brown told Virgin Atlantic it is a drink that will get the bartender to take you seriously.
- Ask what is new. Historian Anistasia Miller suggests asking whether the bartender is working on anything that is not on the menu yet.
- Describe what you like. At a bar with no menu, your tastes steer the drink.
Frequently asked questions
Which bar started the New York craft cocktail revival?
Show answer
Sources name several starting points. Wikipedia credits Dale DeGroff at the Rainbow Room in 1987, Punch points to Angel’s Share in 1994, and Sam Ross says the Milk & Honey room is arguably the one that kickstarted the third wave of cocktails.
Is Milk & Honey still open?
Show answer
Not under that name. As of InsideHook’s November 2025 story, Attaboy has operated in the 134 Eldridge Street space since 2012, the same room where Milk & Honey opened.
Do I need a reservation?
Show answer
It depends on the bar. Decanter’s April 2026 update says Attaboy is walk-in only and Bemelmans Bar can have a queue at peak hours, so arrive early and check each venue before you go.
Is the craft cocktail trend over?
Show answer
Wikipedia says that by 2017 writers began declaring the renaissance over because quality ingredients and techniques had become ubiquitous in US bars. The bar scene then diversified into whiskey, gin, mezcal and tiki bars, among others.
