Martinis sit at the heart of the Brutes menu, with a martini card allowing drinkers to customise their cocktails according to their preferred base spirit, style and garnish. That means you can have your martini dry, wet, dirty or brutal, and garnished with everything from blue cheese olives and gildas to pickled onion Monster Munch and chicken scratchings.
A new cocktail bar is making the claim that it's okay to cry, or as SZA sings, "Call Me Miss Crybaby." Crybaby brings Alpine wines, cocktails, and food to the Lower East Side at 153 Bowery, at Broome Street, when it is scheduled to open in the spring. Crybaby's core inspiration is the Alps - the mountain range spanning several European countries, with notable winemaking regions like France's Jura and Savoie, as well as cheeses and cozy, hearty foods.
The project comes from a deep bench of hospitality heavyweights: Jimmy Rizvi, the restaurateur behind Bungalow, and Kanvar Singh, of Midtown's ever-popular Elsie Rooftop, lead the partnership along with beverage director Hirotomo Akutsu, formerly of Tokyo's Bar Trench (ranked 94th on the World's 50 Best Bars 2025) and creative director Rio Azmee of Shinka Ramen. Every detail, from the way a cocktail is built to the way the room feels, is deliberate.
Since Backbar opened in 2011, tucked into a weird little former office space attached to the now-defunct Journeyman restaurant, the acclaimed cocktail bar has probably served around 3,000 distinct cocktails, according to cofounder Sam Treadway. That includes about 700 different clarified milk punches-smooth, clear drinks infused with complex flavors (his favorite tasted like trail mix)-and countless cocktails inspired by wide-ranging themes, most notably Star Wars.
Hazie's is an American restaurant and cocktail bar in Hayes Valley built for pre-show dinners. It's usually easy to grab a table, there's tons of seating, and people are bound to find something they like on the eclectic menu with anything from latkes to seared scallops, gnocchi, or poke.
Chin Up, a new Lower East Side cocktail bar that opened this week at 171 Chrystie Street, is staking its entire identity on the idea that gin, long treated as a supporting character, deserves to headline the menu. The bar comes from industry veterans Brian Grummert and Blake Walker, whose experience includes beloved New York spots like Nitecap and Amor y Amargo.
Members Only, the fashion brand known for its 1980s bomber-style jackets, is opening a bar and store on November 21 at 53 West Eighth Street (between Fifth and Sixth avenues) in Greenwich Village. The three-level bar is meant as a permanent hangout, not a pop-up, with a ground-floor room for cocktails and snacks, a mezzanine retail space, and a more secluded lounge below for late-night groups and private events.
The much-loved cocktail spot has had a full refurb, reopening on 13th November with a nostalgic nod to the nineties and a few surprises that'll make you want to stay all night. Founded in 1998, Be At One's always been about good times and great value drinks, and the new space keeps that spirit alive but with a glossier edge.
Bar Rêve in Cobble Hill is inspired by Belle Époque Paris, with plenty of red velvet and crystal chandeliers. They'll shake and stir all the classics, but their original cocktails riff off different paintings from masters like Renoir and Monet.
One sip here and you might think you've stumbled into a Parisian salon from another era, not a cocktail bar tucked into the heart of Brooklyn. Bar Rêve opened earlier this month at the corner of Smith and Butler Streets in Cobble Hill, bringing a cosmopolitan flair to its craft with a curated selection of specialty cocktails. Guests receive the cocktail menu in a bound book, which can also be purchased, and is refreshed every 12 to 18 months.
You could go to Mr. Mahjong's several days in a row and have completely different experiences each time. This Financial District cocktail bar packs its calendar with near-nightly events, like live music, comedy shows, calligraphy workshops, and, naturally, mahjong nights. Depending on what's happening, you'll find the action either upstairs or downstairs, both of which have the same dark, speakeasy feel with glowing red lanterns and the occasional Chinese lion head.
