The Best New Bars of NYC 2015

Neighborhood: Alphabet City Address and phone: 649 E. 9th St (212-673-1190) Website: macenewyork.com This year, new bars reached for the theme-party stars with their over-the-top “concepts,” from porch-sitting Southern life, to Anchorman tributes. But Alphabet City's Mace got it right by putting flavor first—literally. The low-key bar’s menu draws inspiration from spices and leaves the room comfortable, casual, and gimmick-free. It’s a stealthily brilliant move on the part of drinks mercenary Nico de Soto and co-owners Greg Boehm and Zach Sharaga, whose globe-spanning purview allows them to serve drinks that fit in across the trend spectrum—from a savory Manhattan-esque creation, to a pitch-perfect play on bubble tea, with stops at tiki and Thailand along the way. No flavor is too difficult for de Soto, who tames ingredients as diverse as chili, cocoa, and grass with an arsenal of housemade potions, unexpected spirits, and a knack for balance. The result: spice-themed cocktails that are anything but one-note.—Regan Hofmann Order this: Mace, Dill, Pandan

Neighborhood: West Village Address and phone: 121 W 10th St (212-243-2827) Website: slowlyshirley.com When the Happiest Hour opened in the West Village, it arrived with a message of approachable, attitude-free cocktails—no vodka shaming here—and a damn good burger and fries. The people heard their proclamation and showed up in droves, resulting in a raucous bar that's packed every night and impossible to navigate. The bartenders are all top-notch, but what if you want to be able to actually talk to one of them, rather than shout your order over a pack of finance bros hogging the bar? Head downstairs. The lower-level lair that is Slowly Shirley is a different universe, all vintage L.A. cool and undulating wood-and-brass fixtures. There, the brilliant bar staff is ready to discuss the its collection of vintage glassware, or why Galliano is ready for a comeback. Classic cocktails are the move, with a section of the menu devoted to variations on the “Three Families” (Manhattan, martini, Old Fashioned), but it’s also a great place for a low-proof spritz or In-N-Out inspired burger. Slip back out through the crowd upstairs and feel like an old-Hollywood star traveling incognito for the night.—Regan Hofmann Order this: Quilty; Plum Tuckered; Jerry Thomas, a.k.a. the reverse Manhattan (vermouth, maraschino, rye, and curacao); cheeseburger

Neighborhood: Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Address and phone: 336 State St (718-422-7867) Website: grandarmybar.com The first wave of New Brooklyn bars made quick cliches out of reclaimed wood and pickle-back shots, yearning for blue-collared cred amid a sea of gentrification. Grand Army—a neighborhood joint envisioned by an all-star squad of hospitality pros including Noah Bernamoff (Mile End) and Damon Boelte (Prime Meats)—is more honest about what contemporary Brooklynites want, and it's all the better for it. There's no over-eager theme to contend with here; instead, the handsome room is oriented towards the type of non-prescriptive pleasure-seeking that cements a bar in your regular rotation: Boelte's clever drinks pass muster with the borough's most exacting cocktail nerds, but you'll also find excellent wine and one the city's best non-beer bar beer lists, including rare pours from cultish local breweries like Other Half and Connecticut's Kent Falls. And while the pristine raw bar does justice to these bivalve-obsessed times, wd~50 vet Jon Bignelli also delivers composed plates like Thai chile-kissed hamachi crudo, and enlightened drinking grub like hunks of miche (a rustic French bread) with salty shio-kombu butter. You'll want to come four nights a week, even if you don't live anywhere near the neighborhood.—Chris Schonberger Order this: Raw oysters, ricotta toast, smoked octopus, Fountainhead cocktail, bartender's choice, craft beers

Neighborhood: Greenwich Village Address and phone: 116 MacDougal St (212-260-3000) Website: upandupnyc.com When the Up & Up opened in February, we were psyched about owner Matt Piacentini returning to the NYC scene after the shuttering of his cultishly loved East Village bar the Beagle. What we neglected to realize—but what has become glaringly obvious as the months have gone by—is how necessary a grown-ups’ bar was in the NYU-choked neighborhood. For those times when beer pong at Off the Wagon just won’t cut it, the Up & Up, with its typography-styled logo and William Morris wallpaper, is your adult oasis. The underground space’s mantra is “high-end, low-key,” and its classically styled drinks featuring obscure liqueurs drunk that sorority girls can’t pronounce, plus large-format martinis and Manhattans made for sharing, are exactly that: seriously well-made, without a hint of fussiness. MacDougal Street will never be the same again—thank god.—Regan Hofmann Order this: Shaddock & Smoke, Stone Crush, the large-format Greenbaum Negroni

Neighborhood: Carroll Gardens Address and phone: 221 Smith St (347-987-3260) Website: leyendabk.com It was a straight power move: The legendary cocktail matriarch Julie Reiner joining forces with free-agent chef Sue Torres (of the late, great Sueños) to open a Latin American cocktail bar in brownstone Brooklyn this summer. But once the opening blog posts were written and the wood-framed doors swung open on Smith Street, the scene stealer were the drinks served by Ivy Mix, who was named American Bartender of the Year at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail. Take the Pan-Am sour for example, made with Brazilian cachaça, Elijah Craig bourbon, citrus, and a Malbec float. It’s the classic sour on a quick Rio holiday. (Cachaça, the focal spirit on the list, also dances with mescal, Campari, and Jamaican rum.) Torres deserves praise for her excellence with pupusas and Barcelona-style ham croquettes, which are a fine fit for a room with Spanish tiles and earth tones that already feels worked in. But it’s Mix’s light touch with these tricky spirits that makes Leyenda such a standout.—Matt Rodbard Order this: Cabezaso, Lil’ Smokey, Tia Mia, bottled Paloma, poblano relleno, tacos

Neighborhood: Lower East Side Address and phone: 162 Orchard St (646-918-6835) Website: wassailnyc.com The cider revolution is officially here. But what if the only Pippin you know is the former Bulls forward, and you’re pretty sure a Jonagold is an L.A. food critic? Wassail’s Dan Pucci is here for you. After the success of their Astoria spot the Queens Kickshaw, co-owners Ben Sandler and Jennifer Lim went all-in on cider and brought in Pucci to hunt down the best ciders in the world. Pucci pairs them all—from classic British workhorses, to Champagne-like French sparklers—with an ambitious all-veg menu that finds the balance between delicate and hearty with dishes like charcoal potatoes with goat's butter and sweet, and Japanese turnips with dashi and wild rice. Some of his best finds are from tiny American producers experimenting in crazy new styles, often made in such small batches they end up only in Pucci’s hands. Give him and his ever-rotating drafts list 15 minutes and you’ll join the revolution, too.—Regan Hofmann Order this: The Wassail Blend, made specially for the bar by New York State’s Eve’s Cidery; Red Currant Imperial; Hudson Valley Farmhouse Scrumpy; sourdough bread; turnip; charcoal potatoes; squash

Neighborhood: Harlem Address and phone: 126 Hamilton Pl (212-234-1154) Website: hogsheadharlem.com For all the great craft-beer bars in New York City, they all somehow get grouped in the same few neighborhoods: the East Village, Midtown, Williamsburg, Park Slope. But Harlem's new Hogshead Tavern isn’t merely getting graded on a neighborhood curve—this gorgeous bar is well worth traveling for. To be fair, the bar isn’t located near hustle and bustle 125th Street, but instead in Hamilton Heights, a sleepy enclave full of stunning pre-war brownstones, and a place most New Yorkers have never visited. Perhaps that’s why Hogshead's relaxed customer base skews neighborhoody, with folks of all ages, races, and sexes visiting the site of what used to be a run-down dollar store. Nowadays, drinkers visit the sleek barroom to enjoy 20 craft beer taps, a small selection of well-considered spirits, and even some playful beer cocktails (go for the Hogshead Buck) that pair perfectly with the Hogshead’s popular (and meat-heavy) weekend brunches.—Aaron Goldfarb Order this: Beef sliders, pork-belly grilled cheese, Hogshead Buck, Troeg's IPA, Yeti's Imperial Stout

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn Address and phone: 295 Grand St (718-599-4900) Website: fourhorsemenbk.com We know, we know—LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy. But The Four Horsemen, a wine bar the former frontman opened with his wife Christina Topsøe this summer, has proven itself to be much more than a celebrity-driven pet project. Murphy's menu riffs on a familiar theme: an affordable selection of mostly natural wines, which are poured generously alongside dishes like olives escabeche, pork terrine with Calabrian chili oil, and ricotta salata with cashews. That is: small plates of salty, snacky, sharable dishes made by a Franny’s vet. There are larger plates too, like a NY strip and a Danish brown bread and butter basket that is $6 and worth ordering twice. And if you find that the Maconnais Chard is every bit as barnyard-y as the waitstaff warned you, they will very likely take it back and bring you something else. This is not a written rule, but I’ve done it twice (asshole that I am!) and they were very cool about it. In the end, somebody will drink that wine—maybe even James Murphy.—Matt Rodbard Order this: Steelhead trout, roasted sunchokes, bread basket, fried potatoes, beef tartare, brown bread ice cream

Neighborhood: Alphabet City Address and phone: 95 Ave A (212-614-6818) Website: motherofpearlnyc.com No, there’s not a tiki bar trend. They never went away, or returned. Same goes for the everlasting desire to be somewhere and drink something that feels vaguely tropical, especially in the most non-tropic of locales—like, say, the East Village. The problem, however, is that this attempt to 'escape' into a tropical paradise follows a rote formula: Dark, dank dens with faux-Polynesian accents, serving de rigueur painkillers, mai tais, and pu pu platters. Enter barmaster Sother Teague and publican Ravi DeRossi, who eschew the cliches in favor of billowing white curtains, windows everywhere, and white neon lights. It’s a new kind of escape, and the drinks have personality for days: The “Shark Eye” is a close-fisted punch of bourbon, passion fruit, and tiki bitters (whatever those are). Doesn’t matter: You’ll have another. Maybe something from the “shots” menu as well. The entire food menu is nothing short of stellar, too—in a year where Big Island cuisine starting showing up more and more in New York, one of the best dishes of tuna poke you’ll ever have (dotted with macadamia, flavored with miso, and padded with soy tapioca) hides quietly at the bottom of the Mother of Pearl menu. You’re stuck on the mainland, in need of a cold drink, a warm spot, and an escape in plain sight? This is the best option you have. Go now, mahalo later.—Foster Kamer Order this: Shark Eye, Sugar Cane Magik, 62 Degrees, tuna poke, chicken wings, uni kalani

Neighborhood: Lower East Side Address and phone: 245 Eldridge St (212-475-4411) Website: bargoto.com It's impossible not to root for Kenta Goto, who put in years of loyal service at the trailblazing cocktail bar Pegu Club before pouring his heart and soul into his own sleek spot on the Lower East Side. Rather than churning out endless Old Fashioned riffs like so many new cocktail joints, Goto forges his own ground with Japanese-inspired drinks like the Sakura Martini, a subtle blend of gin and sake with salted cherry blossom, and the barley- and hop liquered–infused Improved Shochu Cocktail, served in cypress box fashioned by Goto himself. These sorts of personal touches pop up throughout the space, from the intricate kimono fabrics on the walls (courtesy of Goto's grandmother), to the cast-iron pans of pork- and seafood-spiked okonomiyaki inspired by a restaurant his mother used to run in the Tokyo. In a city full of overrought bar concepts and faux-exoticism, Bar Goto is at once unassuming and brilliant, just like its ever-present proprietor.—Chris Schonberger Order this: Sakura Martini, Improved Shochu Cocktail, Yuzu-Calpico Fizz, miso wings, okonomi (The Classic)