BEST BARS 2016

BEST BARS 2016

This is the new golden age of the cocktail, and drinking establishments are better than ever. From a day drinker’s dream to an actual gin palace, here are the top new bars In America

ALIA AKKAM

JEREMY REPANIGH

ALYSON SHEPPARD

1 COLUMBIA ROOM

Washington, D.C.

When Derek Brown first opened Columbia Room, it was in the back of neighborhood hangout the Passenger. Patrons were sad when the secretive oasis shuttered, even though they had Brown’s other watering holes (Eat the Rich, Southern Efficiency,

Mockingbird Hill) to ease the pain. But Columbia Room’s second incarnation in Blagden Alley is worth the wait: It’s more commodious and far grander, with a striking Italian mosaic mural behind the curved burl-wood bar in the Tasting Room.

Here, guests can splurge on threeor five-course menus that might culminate in a Banana Republican (Singani, Guyanese rum, Gocchi Torino, Banane du Brésil, Xocolatl mole bitters) paired with guava three ways. The bar’s Spirits Library, adorned with stately cabinets and leather, is a less formal area. Sit back and enjoy a We Game for the Gold or a Not Far From the Tree (Calvados, sirop de gomme, whiskeybarrel bitters, orange and lemon peels) and an order of Thai chili-spiced edamame hummus. All manner of punches—including the Manhattan Project #2 (rye, Dubonnet rouge, cherry bounce, Sfumato Rabárbaro amaro, berry vinegar)—are naturally the draw of the rooftop Punch Garden.

2 DANTE New York City

In Europe, day dr inking—not getting drunk but patiently sipping glass after glass of lowalcohol beverages such as Campari or Aperol in a ritualistic fashion—is just part of the lifestyle. Dante, an Italian cocktail bar in Greenwich Village, is one of the first to champion this custom in America. “This kind of drinking makes you feel great,” co-owner Naren Young says. “You feel refreshed. You feel invigorated. And you can sit around and have more drinks, hang out longer.” Situated in aspruced-up New York City landmark building, Dante is a place where you’d actually want to hang out longer. (The bar is open from 8:30 A.M. to two A.M. most days.) The drinks menu focuses on refreshing, lowABV ingredients such as vermouth and sherry, as well as the negroni—the king of aperitifs. Dante even has its own negroni happy hour (four to seven P.M. daily), when you can get any of 12 versions of the drink, including one on tap,for $9 each.

Young wants to own certain drinks, to serve the world’s best interpretation of them. To accomplish this, he elevates cocktails with nontraditional garnishes and glassware, or he

3 SUFFOLK ARMS

New York City

tweaks a certain ingredient. His gin and tonic, for example, includes a tonic cordial and a mist of jasmine. But the real point is to be a beacon for the community, as the spot has been since the early 1900s. “We didn’t—we don’t— want it to be a hip place,” Young says. “I know we make great drinks, and that’s fine, but we’re really aiming for people to be able to come in here and feel like it’s a home away from home.”

Suffolk Arms defies expectations. You expect a bar that looks like an English pub to serve pints, not great mixed drinks. You expect a craft-cocktail bar to pay homage to pre-Prohibition America, not Ed Koch and Sonia Sotomayor. And you expect a place owned by an experienced and respected bartender not to devote a whole menu page to vodka cocktails with names like the Porn-Star martini, Twinkle and Grapefruit Cooler. But they’re there in all their glory, under the heading INTRACTABLE & UNAPOLOGETIC.

It may not hit you when you first walk into Suffolk Arms, but once you take in the sketches of iconic New Yorkers on the walls, crack the menu to see an ambitious list of 40 cocktails, relax under the care of the friendly staff and sip your first drink, you will realize that owner and bartender Giuseppe González has expertly combined the comfort of the pub with the craft of the modern cocktail bar.

Order from a list of classic drinks (mai tai, Tommy’s margarita), new classics created by notable bartenders in the past decade or so (Jagerita, Ready Fire Aim!), originals (Horseapple, which is ajuiced Granny Smith, horseradish and your choice of spirit) and of course those aforementioned vodka drinks, sans judgment. You’re getting quality without the hipster attitude.

Columbia Room’s Decaf Cowboy: Combine 1 oz. Avuá Amburana cachaça, V2 oz. Barbadillo amontillado, 3A oz. fresh lime juice, 3A oz. café de palo syrup, the white of 1 large egg and 3 drops espresso in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake vigorously. Strain into an empty shaker, shake again and pour into a chilled coupe.

WHITECHAPEL

San Francisco

Yes, one could sip scotch at Whitechapel, but the raison d’être of this Tenderloin spot—from bartender Alex Smith and Martin Cate of Smuggler’s Cove glory—is gin. It takes a lot for a joint to stand out in drink-happy San Francisco, and Whitechapel has amassed well-deserved kudos. A true shrine to the spirit, this fantastical Victorian-inspired wonderland with a barrelvaulted ceiling boasts the largest collection of gin—500 varieties—on the continent. The cocktail menu is just as comprehensive, taking guests on ajourney from goes-down-easy highballs with seltzer, lemon-celery bitters and orange oil to myriad martini and gin-and-tonic interpretations. Classics like the labor-intensive Ramos gin fizz get a prominent shout-out, as do such “lost and forgotten” tipples as the Chapelle, with Italian vermouth, pineapple and lime. Many are

made with the bar’s own London dry gin recipe, courtesy of local Distillery No. 209. Among the original creations are the autumnal Flemish Purl and the effervescent Hippie Wallbanger (Leopold’s gin, Galliano, orange juice, club soda, lime juice), which is laced with a patchouli tincture. It’s a good way to ease into the hot-curry-laden mussels vindaloo.

OCCIDENTAL Denver

Bar aficionados know that the LoHi speakeasy Williams & Graham, helmed by Sean Kenyon, is an obligatory stop in Denver. They’re also quickly learning that Occidental—Kenyon’s second bar, just next door and opened with partner Todd Colehour—is equally captivat-

Sweet Liberty’s Mezcalero: Pour 1 oz. Del Maguey Vida mezcal, 1 oz. blanc vermouth, 1 oz. Âperol and 2 dashes grapefruit bitters into a rocks glass over ice. Stir and garnish with grapefruit peel.

ing, though more casual and grungier than the subdued, hidden-behind-a-bookcase original. Occidental’s centerpiece is a collage of about 1,000 cassette tapes spray-painted silver; the wallpaper incorporates images from old Adbusters magazines, and the bathroom doors pay tribute to Iggy Pop and Debbie Harry, reinforcing the unapologetic countercultural theme. Head to the pinball machine with a Moscow mule, or for something more ambitious, try one of the libations named after 1980s music. The TV Party is a nod to Black Flag’s 1982 EP,

while the Paul Collins (gin, peach liqueur, lemon, ginger, soda) honors the frontman of power-pop band the Beat.

BAR LEATHER APRON

Honolulu

Passionate Honolulu bartenders are fast replacing the saccharine mai tais that pervade Waikiki resort menus with thoughtful, inspired creations. One such mixologist is Justin Park, who, after making his mark at the bar Manifest, teamed with Tom Park of shoe retailer Leather Soul to create Bar Leather Apron. The mezzanine location inside downtown Honolulu’s Topa Financial Center is decidedly unglamorous, but the lounge, where you can relax while sipping

New York sours and matcha old fashioneds, is far swankier than the building facade suggests. Secure a reservation at the coveted six-seat bar for the best experience: Visually stunning drinks such as the Tavern Keeps Treasure—served under a glass bell swirling with the smoke of charred American oak barrel chips—are offered only here. Brown spirits are especially prized; the selections include A.H. Hirsch Reserve 16-year-old bourbon and Yamazaki 25-year-old Japanese whiskey. One of the bar staff, wearing a namesake leather apron personally designed by Park, will guide you through the range.

SWEET LIBERTY

Miami

Miami locals will surely recognize John Lermayer from his longtime stints at the buzzy Shore Club, Delano and Regent Cocktail Club, where his drink-making prowess and hospitable nature were on full display. He now brings those traits to the emerging Collins Park neighborhood, where he and partners David Martinez and Dan Binkiewicz have opened Sweet Liberty, which was crowned this year’s best new American cocktail bar at the consumer-industry confab Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Devoid of nearby South Beach nightclub pretense, it’s a relaxed space with whimsical wallpaper and 75-cent oyster specials. Gorge on brisket sandwiches and cauliflower nachos during Motown on Mondays, and while the remixes spin, sample drinks such as the floral Collins Park sour or the fragrant Baby Bison (Zubrówka Bison Grass vodka, apple juice, Aperol, citrus, cinnamon). Insiders wisely book the bartender’s table, an intimate nook where you can savor a slate of snacks and wash them down with the barkeep’s choice of concoctions.

8 COMPÈRE LAPIN

New Orleans

The French Quarter may teem with tourist-perfect charm, but New Orleanians know the Central Business District is a must for discerning diners and drinkers. It is here where one may discover the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, and within its trifecta of revamped warehouses is Compère Lapin, a restaurant with classy brass accents and brick walls. St.

Lucia native Nina Compton presides over the kitchen, and her Caribbeanand Creole-inflected cooking is complemented by bright, refreshing cocktails including the Andromeda and the frozen Misty Slipper sangria (rum, rosé, brandy, melon, Amaro Montenegro, lychee) served at a blue-tiled bar that pops against a mosaic floor. Resist a night of Bourbon Street revelry and instead find salvation with a moody Harvey Jones (coffee, Galliano, genever) made by beloved head bartender Abigail Gullo—she garnered myriad fans behind the bar at SoBou—while peering into the hypnotic window overlook-

ing the kitchen. That will inevitably lead to an order of conch croquettes paired with pickled pineapple tartar sauce.

9GREENRIVER Chicago

The 18th floor of a Northwestern Medicine building is the unlikely location of this

rum, Noilly Prat Ambre vermouth, Amaro Nonino, banana, Crème de Noyaux, absinthe, Decanter bitters) pays homage to the tireless labor organizer and Mother Jones namesake, just as the Mr. Dooley references a series of Chicago Post articles by Finley Peter Dunne. Perch at the wood-topped bar across from the open kitchen or on the wraparound terrace overlooking Lake Michigan with a yuzu gin and tonic in hand. At the adjacent Annex, a dark, intimate hideaway, GreenRiver’s head bartender, Julia Momose, constructs thematic cocktails that amplify the spices and florals.

OLD GLORY

Nashville

Scores of L.A. and New York transplants are finding serenity in Nashville. In recent years this creative Southern metropolis has established ample culinary cred thanks to such lauded restaurants as City House and the Catbird Seat. Music City’s bar game is just as strong, as evidenced by the adventurous Old Glory. A clandestine alleyway leads to this industrial playground in the mixed-use devel-

Whitechapel’s Coco con Ginebra: Combine 2 oz. No. 209 gin, 4 oz. coconut water,

V4 oz. simple syrup and V4 oz. lemon juice in a shaker filled with ice. Shake, strain and pour over ice in a rocks glass or a coconut cup. Garnish with lemon wheel and cherry.

Streeterville restaurant and bar from Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry (both of New York’s the Dead Rabbit and Blacktail fame) and Danny Meyer (Union Square Events). Such a powerful collaboration yields more than mere hype. A tribute to Chicago’s robust Irish heritage, the thoughtfully elaborate cocktail menu celebrates notable Irish Americans such as Mary Harris Jones. The Coal Miner’s Daughter (Plantation Barbados five-year-old Grande Reserve

opment of Edgehill Village. Decked out with a smokestack, original tiles featuring the OGlogo and plenty of cement and exposed brick, this onetime boiler room for a 1930s laundry facility is punctuated by a grand, modern staircase. Dreamed up by Miami-reared siblings Alexis and Britt Soler—Britt got her start slinging drinks at Alexis’s first Nashville bar, No. 308— the menu highlights playfully named cocktails that incorporate straight-from-the-kitchenpantry ingredients. Sip on the Beet Happening or the Garden Hoe (Fords gin, arugula, pineapple, yellow Chartreuse, falernum) while finding fortification in smoked baby potatoes cloaked in paprika butter. ¦