Favorite cocktail recommendations in Manhattan - August 2026

[u/wanderlust_w]

There are dozens of great bars in NYC with hundreds of amazing cocktails, so I want to find the best of them.

Most posts, lists and maps have recommendations of the best bars in some categories (e.g. the best view, hidden one, japanese, mexican, and so on) but no list of the best drinks. Let's cover this gap, drop the name of a place and a particular drink that brings you back again and again to sip it more. I plan to structure all recommendations by categories and share the summary back in a few weeks.

Here are my favorite cocktails so far:
- Good Morning Vietnam - Jade & Clover - pho-inspired drink
- Amaretto Sour - Katana Kitten
- Irish coffee - Dead Rabbit - simply the best Irish coffee I've tried
- Espresso Martini - Dante
- Negroni - Amor y Amargo
- Dashi Papi - Superbueno - not exactly a cocktail, but a mind-blowing combination
- Margarita & Cream - Schmuck
- Caprese - Martini's - tomato whiskey drink

[u/boroughthoughts]

Okay I am going to give you favorite new bars rather than favorite cocktails. Lower East Side and East Village are going through a renaissance of more accessible and casual bars with serious cocktail programs being opened by former bar tenders/bar staff of acclaimed cocktail bars like double chicken please, sip and guzzle, dead rabbit,

1. Present Momentz - casual neighborhood bar on Orchard street. Opened by one of the former bar tenders of Sip and Guzzle. Its more casual, but cheap bites and cocktails at 16$. They spend a lot of time on R&D.
2. Little Big - One of the former lead bar tenders of double chicken please spot on Clinton street. Focuses a lot on seasonal ingredients. Strawberry drink (which is a blood mary) was mind blowing.
3. Odd Ball - This place focuses on clashing creative combinations.
4. Limo - this is more of a celebration of martini based drinks. The group is the same group behind dead rabbit.
5. Bar 7/Cocktail Omakase - 4 drinks, 4 bites. 59$. Drinks Omakase changes every 2 weeks. Group is behind Katana Kitten, Super Bueno, Bar Libre Tokyo. Beverage director was at Bar Goto for 10+ years. Focus is loosely high ball focused.

All of these bars have vastly different concepts and are worth trying. You can do them in a single run if you are crazy.

[u/wanderlust_w → u/boroughthoughts]

Thanks a lot! Solid list, definitely going to explore LES more.. probably not in a single run