Image via Complex Original
Cocktail and craft beer culture continue to expand in 2012, meaning greater diversity on the scene. Part of this diversity manifests itself via cutting-edge bars like Momofuku's Booker and Dax, or super-niche beer joints like Proletariat.
For the casual drinker, this diversity can be felt as the backlash against connoisseur conversation, which has given rise to bars that, though they offer great drinks and draught selections, aren't inaccessible dens of snobbery. These bars are about having a fun night, without having to swill Miller or well drinks.
Going along with this is the bottle shop model, where a spot will function primarily as a grab-and-go beer retailer, but also provide a space for drinking on the premises. This allows for an unfettered drinking experience that encourages conversation—no music, no throwing elbows to get the bartender's attention, just relaxation over a pour.
All of this is great news for alcohol lovers the city over.
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10. Middle Branch
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Address: 154 East 33rd St.
Website: n/a
Murray Hill is more than a little douchey (a quick glance at our list of NYC's douchiest bars confirms this). It was with open arms, then, that many welcomed the arrival of Middle Branch, the spin-off of the excellent Little Branch. The decor is simple, classic; the cocktails are elegant, respectable. Have an East Side (gin, lime, cucumber, mint) brought to your table upstairs, or mill at the bar below. Quiet and calm, the perfect place to unwind after work, Middle Branch is a welcome addition to a neighborhood in need.
9. ABC Beer Co.
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 96 Ave. C
Website: abcbeer.co
Maybe we’re getting old, or maybe we’re just enormous haters, but sometimes the hypercharged East Village bar scene is enough to make us want to jump in front of the F train. When the day calls for a quiet, relaxing pint (most days, really), we migrate to Avenue C and take refuge from the unsavory hordes at ABC Beer Co., a smart new bottle job that doubles as a laidback barroom. Leather chairs and reading lamps are inviting if you just want to max with a copy of a 50 Shades of Grey and some Brooklyn Brewery Sorachi Ace on tap, and there are big communal wooden tables if you want to post up with your crew. And unlike most Manhattan bars that have embraced the $8 pint, ABC keeps most pints at a fair six bucks. We also appreciate that they offer half-pints ($2–$3) for those looking to sample the full lineup without ending up face-down in the gutter.
8. Pony Bar UES
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Address: 1444 1st Ave.
Website: ues.theponybar.com
Another sign of the revitalization (from a drunk's perspective) of the Upper East Side, the latest Pony Bar outpost is near-copy of the Hell's Kitchen location. And there's nothing wrong with that. Cozy tables, barrels as chairs, and 20 American craft beers on draught for $5 a pour—why fuck with a great model? If anything the place is more spacious than its big brother, another perk. Naysayers are worried about aging frat boys rolling through, but that's missing the point. The UES needs this.
7. Booker and Dax
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 207 2nd Ave.
Website: momofuku.com/restaurants/booker-and-dax
The space next to Momofuku Ssäm Bar has served as an incubator of sorts over the years, housing the first incarnation of Milk Bar, as well as David Chang’s weekday-only duck lunch annex. But the possibility that it could be gone tomorrow isn’t the only reason to hit up Booker and Dax, the latest project to take up residence there. Helmed by food-technology wizard Dave Arnold, the cocktail bar is currently serving some of the most boundary-pushing drinks in the city. Bartenders wield flaming hot pokers, liquid nitrogen and other experimental tools to build your cocktail, mostly to delicious effect. Look out for the Banana Justino, which is rum centrifuged with banana, then served on the rocks. Thank you, scientists.
6. Alewife Queens
Neighborhood: Long Island City, Queens
Address: 5-14 51st Ave.
Website: alewifequeens.com
A stranger comes to town—the set-up behind many a yarn, usually ending in tragedy or epiphany, maybe marriage depending on what genre your story settles in. The tale of Alewife Queens, fortunately, ends in a great draught selection (28 taps) and mac and cheese topped with BBQ pulled pork croutons. The strangers are the beer aficionados behind Alewife Baltimore and Lord Hobo in Cambridge; they've come to Queens to feed you well and get you drunk. Stay after 11 p.m.—not asking too much of someone who's already two pints in—and the pizza menu becomes available.
5. The Wayland
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 700 East 9th St.
Website: thewaylandnyc.com
An understated spot in Alphabet City, the Wayland's atmosphere is Southern by way of the 19th century school down the block where the lamps, tables, and other furnishings were salvaged from. The bartenders sometimes double as musicians during the week, one hand on a cocktail shaker, the other pounding a piano. But the expansive windows and plain walls keep things from feeling oppressively hip. You aren't drinking in an antique shop, thankfully. The drink menu features exciting alterations of standards, like the margarita with kale juice, in addition to standards like a Tecate can with the works.
4. The Guthrie Inn
Neighborhood: Spanish Harlem
Address: 1259 Park Ave.
Website: n/a
The Upper East Side used to be no-man’s land for fun, but that’s all changed thanks to a group of new bars that have conspired to bring quality boozing uptown. Earl’s Beer & Cheese kicked off the movement last year, blessing the neighborhood with craft beer and the most ingenious bar food we’ve had in years (like Killa Season, an Eggo waffle with seared foie gras, aged cheddar and bacon is so weird it’s good). Next came ABV, serving smartly-curated wines, European brews, and more of the off-the-wall comfort grub from chef Corey Cova. Now, the final piece of the triumvirate is in place: Guthrie Inn, a friendly, shoebox-size cocktail bar slinging drinks as good as you’re used to below 14th Street. While there are some solid house concoctions, the best stuff comes from the canonical part of the menu, which ranges from a 19th-century Martinez to new classics like the Oaxacan old-fashioned, a blend of mescal, reposado tequila, and mole bitters invented at Death & Co. in 2007.
3. Tender Trap
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 245 South 1st St.
Website: tendertrapbk.com
What the hell is a classy dive, and how did it come to describe one of Williamsburg's best new bars? No matter—you'll forget the paradoxical language when you slip into the Tender Trap (sans cover, of course) for $3 Genesee and a live DJ (there's one every night). You might be skeptical about the DJ, but if we told you the emphasis was on vinyl, and that the folks behind the decks tend to embrace soul and rap, would you feel differently? We bet you would after a pint-glass cocktail or two. Dancing in a sweaty drunk jumble, that's what Williamsburg is for, ideally.
2. Proletariat
Neighborhood: East Village
Address: 102 St. Mark's Pl.
Website: proletariatny.com
If you love craft brews but don’t vibe with the rustic-chic gastropub/fancy-pants sports bar aesthetic that reigns at many beer bars, Proletariat may be your new mecca. Decorated with framed tattoo flash art along one wall, the skinny barroom is a temple to “rare, new, and unusual beers” from around the world. While prices are a bit steep, and pours tend to be small, you’d be hard-pressed to track down a more exciting list of suds. The ever-evolving stash covers everything from gypsy breweries and European classics to local breweries (Wandering Star, Barrier) and cutting-edge trends, like barrel-aged pours and new-school session brews. With newly-expanded digs and plans to add a seafood menu from chef Sother Teague (Prime Meats, Booker & Dax), it looks like things will only get better at Proletariat.
1. Donna
Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address: 27 Broadway
Website: donnabklyn.com
Forget bootleg “beer gardens” (read: parking lots) and douchbag-strewn rooftops: We’re declaring Donna the official bar of summer. While there’s no outdoor space, the breezy, Central America-inspired spot feels perfect with the windows thrown open to the streets and a rum-based cocktail in hand. Instead of attempting to decipher the Illuminati-style menu, do yourself a favor and order the Brancolada, an ingenious pina colada riff that has been winning over cocktail nerds at an alarming rate. Upgraded with minty Branca Menta, it’s the thinking man’s beach drink—complex, yet dangerously easy to drink.