Best Bars IN AMERICA 2015

THE COCKTAIL REVOLUTION IS OFFICIALLY OVER, AND THE HANDS-DOWN VICTOR IS THE AMERICAN DRINKER. THE QUALITY AND VARIETY OF ESTABLISHMENTS ON OUR ANNUAL RANKING OF THE BEST NEW BARS IN AMERICA ARE MORE IMPRESSIVE THAN EVER: OF THE 20 BARS ON THIS YEAR'S LIST, NO FEWER THAN THREE TAKE THEIR INSPIRATION FROM THE TIKI TREND; TOP-NOTCH COCKTAIL NIBBLES FREQUENTLY ACCOMPANY THE LIBATIONS, AND SNOOTY MIXOLOGISTS ARE NOWHERE TO BE SEEN. TEXT BY ALIA AKKAM BEST LATIN-INSPIRED BAR ? jCeyeJteU, /Veto tfork • Across the street from Julie Reiner's beloved Clover Club is Leyenda, her newest project with partner Ivy Mix (below). Mix has spent time in Guatemala, so Leyenda's array of tequila, mezcal, pisco and cachapa drinks—such as the maiden name (cachaca, lime, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon, passion fruit, nutmeg)—is a manifestation of that vivacious Latin spirit. 221 Smith Street, Brooklyn, leyendabk.com BEST JAPANESE-INFLECTED BAA BAR GOTO, NEW YORK When Kenta Goto left Audrey Saunders's celebrated Pegu Club to open his own joint there was no doubt it would be a quality one. The sexy Lower East Side space is exactly that, with addictive okonomi-yaki, a mandatory accompaniment to every crisp gin-cherry blossom-maraschino sakura martini. 245 Eldridge Street, bargoto.com BEST SOUTHERN-ACCENTED BAR ? tfideft. Houston • Alba Huerta's mission is to honor the South. Since opening Julep, her menus have paid homage to Houston, the region's rural roots and great port cities. This is captured in such thought­fully crafted libations as the low country, which unites Carolina Gold rice cream with cachaipa, lime, cinnamon and absinthe. 7979 Washington Avenue, julephouston.com BEST COCKTRXL BRR FOR WINE LOVERS SHIFT DRINKS PORTLAND, OREGON The wine list skews geeky at this downtown spot, and co-owner Alise Moffatt deftly weaves vino into the cocktails too, including the besos for pesos, a simple mulled wine meets Mexican Coke. The physically forgot­ten, an aperitif that melds gin, Cynar, maraschino and bitters with lemon oil, will turn oenophiles into cocktail converts. 1200 SW Morrison Street, shiftdrinkspdx.com BEST SPIN ON TIKI ? /Kotker oj 7>&*rt /Vcw t/or/c • There is very little rum—and just a smidgen of kitsch—on the menu at this airy green-and-white tiki-influenced bar. Instead, Jane Danger's menu captures the escapist mind­set usually associated with thatched huts and mai tais via such refined creations as the sound of silver (rosemary, Gran Classico, velvet falernum, apple brandy, rye). 95 Avenue A, motherofpearlnyc.com BEST REVIVED DIVE HOLIDAY COCKTAIL LOUNGE NEW YORK Typically landmark bars re­open to lukewarm reviews. Not this East Village dive. It's every bit as vibrant in its new incarnation as it was when it was Madonna's playground, except this time the drinks are much better. The original horseshoe bar is a prime spot to unwind with a Brooklyn babe (gin, ginger beer, honey syrup). 75 St. Mark's Place, holidaycocktaillounge.nyc BEST PATIO BAR ? BestV/ifeations Cfucapo • It's pleasant to knock back a wondermint malted in the company of the jukebox inside this Logan Square spot, but the cabana is even more allur­ing. For its summer debut, the alfresco bar cranked out horchata margaritas that have us yearning for warmer weather. 3281 W. Armitage Avenue, best in ten tionschicago.com BEST NEIGHBORHOOD HANGOUT (THAT HAPPENS TO BE A TIKI BAR) ? jCostjCaAc, Cfucayo • Three Dots and a Dash mastermind Paul McGee strikes gold with this tropical hideaway. His imaginative creations include the hula hips of heaven (tequila, mezcal, grapefruit, lime, velvet faler- num, cinnamon, Angostura bitters, absinthe), paired with Chinese sausage-pineapple fried rice from the bar's adjacent eatery. 3154 W. Diversey Avenue, lostlaketiki.com BEST COCKTAIL BAA FOA THE HUNGAV DAMN THE WEATHER, SEATTLE Beyond the chicken-fat fines and blood-sausage sliders, there are many reasons to visit this brick-and-marble oasis in Pioneer Square. Bryn Lumsden and Jay Kuehner have an extensive spirits collection and a penchant for dreaming up intriguing drinks such as the shiso-laced, rye-centric black cherry smash. 116 First Avenue South, damntheweather.com BEST RESTRURRNT BRR SPOON AND STABLE MINNEAPOLIS The food from Daniel Boulud vet Gavin Kaysen keeps raking in the accolades, but the bar, helmed by Robb Jones, is also worth roosting at. Jones offers daily-changing libations and spins on the classics, including a sidecar with pear brandy and orange-vanilla bitters. 211 First Street North, spoonandstable.com BEST TRADITIONAL TIKI BAA LATITUDE 29 NEW ORLEANS One would be hard-pressed to find a more informed tiki expert than Jeff "Beachbum" Berry (below). When he opened his bar inside the French Quarter's Bienville House, he had no choice but to make it a great one. The presence of a Ponchartrain pearl diver (Jamaica rum, lime, passion fruit, honey-butter spice mix) indeed confirms it is so. 321 N. Peters Street, latitude29nola.com BEST SUBTERRANEAN BAR MIDNIGHT RAMBLER, DALLAS Beneath the Joule Hotel sits the animated rock-meets-deco Midnight Rambler, where the drinks—such as a temple of the moon (jasmine-infused pisco, pineapple, lime, Texas mineral water, nutmeg) or a digestif of Irish whiskey, cassis and Ethiopian single-origin coffee—inspire deep thoughts. 1530 Main Street, midnightramblerbar.com MOST IMAGINATIVE COCKTAIL CONCEPT ? /Mace, /Vcw tfork • Mace opened in the East Village just in time to revive jaded drinkers, wowing them with Nico de Soto's menu that evokes a spice shop. Black-mustard-seed-infused Suze mixed with banana liqueur and lemon juice proves complexity is still alive and well behind the stick. 649 £ Ninth Street, macenewyork.com BEST CASUAL COCKTAIL BAR ? Yke A/ormcuu&c C0ut> • The Normandie Club, a Koreatown collaboration between Proprietors LLC and 213 Nightlife, is devoid of pretense. The menu is devoted to classics with compelling tweaks (to wit: a coconut bourbon old- fashioned). Bonus: The Walker Inn, a more intimate lair, is tucked inside. 3612 W Sixth Street, thenormandieclub.com BEST BAR IN AN ON-THE-RISE HOOD ? Yoryery., Sa/i Francisco • Western SoMa, site of a burgeoning high-tech corridor, is also home to the brick-walled Forgery. Jacques Bezuidenhout and Ken Luciano (below) preside over the bar, making quaffs such as el vampiro (mezcal, Manzanilla, crfeme de cassis, salt). Savor one while people-watching through the floor-to-ceiling windows. 1525 Mission Street, forgerysf.com BEST SPERKERSV PEPE LE MOKO PORTLAND, OREGON Leave it to Jeffrey Morgen- thaler to elevate such once- cloying drinks as the blue Hawaii and the amaretto sour. By embracing qual­ity ingredients, these up­grades, whipped up behind a handsome zinc bar, barely resemble the originals. Sip a Jagerita (yes, a Jagermeis- ter margarita) in the swank surroundings. 407 SW 10th Avenue, pepelemokopdx.com BEST BAR WITHIN A BAR ? Stou/fy Sturfy /V&w tfork • Descend from the vodka- fueled chaos of the Happiest Hour into Slowly Shirley, a throwback to 1940s art deco glamour. The fancy cocktails that barman Jim Kearns might turn out in this base­ment den include the gin and Irish whiskey-forward plum tuckered, with plum sake, Aperol and cucumber. 727 W. 10th Street, slowlyshirley.com BEST COCKTAILS IN RN OVSTER BRR GRAND ARMY NEW YORK This dark, dreamy oyster bar in idyllic Brooklyn also serves some of the city's best new cocktails, courtesy of Damon Boelte. Only a tipple like the boardwalk flyer (aged cachasa, Carpano Bianco, Giflard Banane du Bresil, fresh lime, mole bitters) could make a dozen briny bivalves even more transcendent. 336 State Street, Brooklyn, grandarmybar.com BEST BRR IN R TRRIN STRTION COOPER LOUNGE DENVER Revamped Union Station is an architectural masterpiece. Sitting in this elegant botte, one almost expects the Orient Express to glide through. TTie mezzanine locale guarantees downtown views to relish alongside cocktails such as the St. Therese (tequila, Benedictine, Ancho Reyes liqueur) and Colorado Wagyu tartare spiked with sriracha dressing. 1701 Wynkoop Street, cooperlounge.com. BEST BAR FOR DAYTIME DRINKING ? 4BV Sa/t Yrancisco • This Mission District bar from Ryan Fitzgerald, Erik Reichborn-Kjennerud and Todd Smith opens at two p.m., which means it's quite possible to spend an afternoon getting delightfully sauced on the likes of a jackel (rye, lemon, pineapple, cardamom) before tackling a burger draped in Cottonwood cheddar for dinner. 3174 16th Street, abvsf.com