The People's Best New Bars: Northeast Contenders

The People’s Best New Bars award, presented by Roca Patrón, is Food & Wine’s first-ever poll to rank the most incredible drink destinations in the country. We want to know what you think are the most innovative new bars in the Northeast.

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The People’s Best New Bars award, presented by Roca Patrón, is Food & Wine’s first-ever poll to rank the most incredible drink destinations in the country. We want to know what you think are the most innovative new bars in America.

Regions:
Northeast, Midwest, West/Southwest, Southeast, Northwest/Mountain
Northeast Area Bars

1 Tippling Place

Philadelphia
A rotating list of barrel-aged cocktails and seasonal punches anchor the menu at this cozy, parlor-like venue. 1tpl.com

2 Birds 1 Stone

Photo © Scott Suchman

2 Birds 1 Stone

Washington, DC
In this bright and lively cocktail bar—the newest outpost from the team behind Proof and Estadio—Adam Bernbach serves original concoctions, such as the Darkside (photo), made with gin, Barolo Chinato and star anise. 2birds1stonedc.com

Attaboy

Photo © Danica Jorge

Attaboy

New York City
Elite bartenders Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy are behind the bar at this little Lower East Side cocktail joint in the former Milk & Honey space.

Bar Sardine

Photo © Henry Hargreaves

Bar Sardine

New York City
This compact, neighborhood bar set on a West Village corner features Brian Bartels’s inspired cocktails, like his New Orleans Knickerbocker (photo: vodka, Brazilian banana liqueur, lemon and grenadine) and Dance Up That Alley (two kinds of gin, coconut water and cucumber), plus a few barrel-aged selections. barsardinenyc.com

Booker and Dax

Photo © Gabriele Stabile

Booker and Dax

New York City
This high–tech cocktail bar next to Momofuku Ssäm Bar is headed by mad scientist–mixologist Dave Arnold, the creator of modernist drinks such as the verdant Thai Basil Daiquiri (photo) and the Gin and Juice, made with clarified grapefruit juice. momofuku.com/new-york/booker-and-dax

Carrie Nation

Photo © Annemarie O'Brien

Carrie Nation

Boston
Named after the woman known for vandalizing bars during the temperance movement of the early 1900s, this cocktail bar features a variety of whiskeys and appropriately named signature cocktails, such as December 5th (the date Prohibition was repealed) and Racket Buster (the nickname of a famous Boston police officer), in its main bar and upstairs speakeasy. carrienationcocktailclub.com

The Dead Rabbit

Photo © Gabi Porter

The Dead Rabbit

New York City
Onetime UK–based bartenders Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry created this saloon with a nod to old New York. The taproom offers whiskeys and beer; the upstairs parlor serves more than 70 historically accurate classic cocktails such as the Brandy Daisy à la Johnson (photo), made with Cognac, yellow Chartreuse, sarsaparilla tincture and dandelion and burdock bitters. deadrabbitnyc.com

Dram & Grain

Photo © Shauna Alexander

Dram & Grain

Washington, DC
This reservations-only, speakeasy-style cocktail bar offers three seatings a night. The 15-cocktail menu rotates every month; some past offerings have included the classic Blood and Sand, and the Brooklyn, made with the bartender’s own version of the French liqueur Amer Picon. facebook.com/DramandGrain

Highball Lounge

Photo © Kristin Teig

Highball Lounge

Boston
This casual and funky lounge in the Nine Zero Hotel boasts a wide selection of board games, a menu that you scan through a 3D View-Master, and creative cocktails like the Wallflower (photo, at center), a mix of gin, orange vermouth, basil and honey lavender essence. highballboston.com

Hop Sing Laundromat

Photo © Robert Neroni Photography

Hop Sing Laundromat

Philadelphia
Led by an eccentric barman-proprietor known only as Lê, this speakeasy has strict house rules: no cell phones and no photos. Concoctions include the Henry “Box” Brown, made with fresh red grape juice and aged rum. hopsinglaundromat.com

The Long Island Bar

Photo © Al Rodriguez Photography

The Long Island Bar

Brooklyn
What used to be an old-time Brooklyn diner known for its greasy food is now a retro cocktail bar serving a concise selection of revamped classic cocktails, such as the vodka–based Blood Orange Spritz, made with vanilla syrup and Prosecco, and the signature Long Island Gimlet (photo) with gin and ginger-lime cordial. thelongislandbar.com

The NoMad
Photo courtesy of The NoMad Hotel.

The NoMad

New York City
At its new location, this bi-level bar evokes glamorous, old-school New York with dark wood–paneled walls, marble-tiled floors and a 25–foot mahogany bar. Bar director Leo Robitschek features classic cocktails such as Pimm’s Cup, as well as a selection of reserve cocktails priced between $28 and $198. Splurge items on the menu include the 50-year-old-Cognac–based Vieux Carré and the Jack Rose, made with 1965 vintage Calvados. thenomadhotel.com

The Partisan

Photo © Neighborhood Restaurant Group

The Partisan

Washington, DC
The Partisan’s mixologist Jeff Faile’s cocktails, like Today Your Love (photo), made with Ransom Old Tom gin, fortified wine and the herbaceous liqueur Kina L’Avion D’Or, pair well with food on the menu, such as the impressive charcuterie plates. thepartisandc.com

Portland Hunt & Alpine Club

Photo © Meredith Perdue

Portland Hunt & Alpine Club

Portland, ME
In a city that’s only starting to show off its cocktail chops, PHAC features original craft cocktails such as White Noise, made with Cocchi Americano, elderflower liqueur and grapefruit zest, from bartender Andrew Volk (an alum of Clyde Commons in the West Coast Portland). There’s a Scandinavian-themed menu to go with the drinks. huntandalpineclub.com

Pouring Ribbons

Photo © Paul Wagtouicz

Pouring Ribbons

New York City
This is the newest project from the Alchemy Consulting team, including Joaquín Simó and Troy Sidle. Cocktails are arranged in an innovative matrix and measured by two scales: “refreshing to spirituous” and “comforting to adventurous.” pouringribbons.com

Oxalis

Red Light

Washington, DC
This dessert and cocktail bar specializes in boozy desserts and original libations such as the Riverstone Slush, made with ice wine, Aperol, fruit nectar and winter fruit. redlightbardc.com

Roof at Park South

Photo © Michael Wantz

Roof at Park South

New York City
This grown-up watering hole perched on the top of the Park South Hotel boasts unobstructed views of New York City’s skyline. Bar director Ted Kilpatrick mixes unique cocktails like the Matchbook (with rye, lemon, grenadine and bitters) and Baby in a Corner (with 10-year old Scotch, elderflower liqueur and the Hungarian herb liqueur Zwack). roofatparksouth.com

Southern Efficiency
People's Best New Bar Winner

Photo © Three Chords LLC

Southern Efficiency

Washington, DC
Bar manager J.P. Fetherston creates a full gamut of whiskey-based drinks sourced from traditional and craft distillers. The soda for the White Whiskey and Smoked Cola cocktail (photo) is both made and smoked in-house. whiskeyhome.com

State Park

Photo © Andrew Wang

State Park

Cambridge, MA
At this super-casual dive bar decorated with taxidermy and neon signs, guests sip cocktails like Green Walnut (with caramelized rye) and share $29.50 pitchers of Jack & Maine Coke, while playing games available around the bar such as shuffleboard and pinball. statepark.is

Tavern Road

Photo © Mike Diskin

Tavern Road

Boston
Nestled in the up-and-coming neighborhood of Fort Point, Tavern Road specializes in seasonal, handcrafted cocktails like Fishnets and Fangs (photo), made with mezcal, Peychaud’s bitters and Drambuie, using small-batch and locally sourced spirits. Notable on the menu: a rotating list of cocktail flights. tavernroad.com

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