GIN BARS

We explore the cream of the crop in one of America’s original ‘cocktail cities’

Virginia checks out some of New York City’s top joints

The pioneering cocktail bars of the 1800s – and again in the renaissance of the last 20 to 30 years – were in New York City and San Francisco, while New Orleans created some of the most important recipes, completing the trinity of the world’s original cocktail cities. NYC remains one of the most vibrant, if often overpriced, bar scenes in the world. Thankfully Brooklyn’s renewal the past decade has brought more affordable, high-quality bars, while Manhattan neighbourhoods like the East Village have become drink meccas, lined with notable bars. Hospitality and friendliness don’t exactly reign in NYC, but the bars that master drink and service are the ones worth returning to – and they’re not always the most hyped. While some of our once-favourite NYC bars like Mace have gone downhill a bit since moving to their new location, these 10 bars (a few of them newer, many around for years) are among the best the city has to offer.