Best Cocktail Bars in New York City

New York City is the birthplace of the modern cocktail — the Manhattan, the Old Fashioned, the Cosmopolitan, and dozens of other classics were invented or perfected here — and the city continues to lead the world in cocktail culture, producing bartenders, concepts, and spirits that drive global trends. The density and quality of excellent cocktail bars in Manhattan and Brooklyn is unmatched anywhere.

Death & Co in the East Village — whose 2014 cocktail book is widely considered the most influential bar book of the modern era — remains a benchmark. Employees Only in the West Village has been an institution for two decades without losing its edge. Attaboy, now relocated from its Eldridge Street basement, maintains its no-menu, make-whatever-you-want format. The bar programme at Eleven Madison Park has influenced how cocktails are conceived globally. Brooklyn's Maison Premiere in Williamsburg raises oysters and absinthe cocktails to an art form.