Yi Cha serves a menu of drinking-oriented fare, or anju, rooted in chef-owner Debbie Lee's North Korean heritage and Southern upbringing, with a heavy dash of influences from Southern California's immigrant communities. Locals in the area sidle up to the bar for cocktails like the dongchimi-inspired Radish to Riches and the vibrant Jeju Sunrise, which pairs lychee-infused vodka with mandarin, orange, and pomegranate juice.
The Tusk Bar exudes old-guard Manhattan élán-the sort of room that could have doubled as a private clubhouse for the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. The name is a wink to the Gilded Age fascination with exotic taxidermy, and the polished brass trim, elegant marble counter, and stuffed ostrich overlooking the salon would make any louche Robber Baron chortle into his Champagne flute.
The natural wine bar with a nightly dance party that took the Mission by storm in the last couple years is expanding in the neighborhood with a second venue, which will be a nightclub with food and cocktails. Bar Part Time, which started as a pandemic pop-up and has become a popular fixture on 14th Street, was part of a natural wine wave that has drawn in a bevy of young Millenial and Gen Z drinkers in recent years.
The space shifts depending on where you sit: There's a dim, modern barroom that's ideal for after-work drinks and casual dates; a second dining room that leans nostalgic with booths and old-school Italian restaurant touches like paisley walls bedecked in clusters of family photos; and an intriguing downstairs cocktail lounge that would make Frank Sinatra proud. But the draw here is the crackly, light tavern-style pies that feel dangerously easy to finish solo.
If it's been a while, head over to your local bar. Tell the bartender you don't need to see their list of $36 artisanal craft cocktails, thank you. You don't want their watered-down fruit juice in a tiny glass, and if there's a teaspoon of tequila in there, you count yourself lucky. What you want is a Long Island Iced Tea. It's the strong magic potion you're looking for, and here at Esquire, we fully endorse it.
Flying internationally in the winter can be difficult - crowded airports sometimes turn into a no-man's land of grumpy travelers, downcast due to bad weather and flight delays. But I know one thing can make that trip more bearable: a cocktail. Especially when it's in a themed bar. During a recent 16-hour journey from the UK to the US, I decided to visit a speakeasy called Williams & Graham during my layover at the Denver International Airport.
Despite its minuscule size, Backdoor 43 has charm. The four-square-meter space boasts soaring ceilings ringed with rows of rare whisky, yellowing vintage photographs and various other ephemera from butterfly collections to dangling carved hot air balloons, which is a surprising amount to look at in a bar that has only four seats and a to-go window (or the "drink away" window, as Backdoor 43 calls it).
Triple Sec is the name for a category of dry orange liqueurs: it translates to "triple dry" in French. The other major family of orange liqueurs is Curaçao, which are sweeter (and sometimes blue, like in these Blue Curacao cocktails!). Within the Triple Sec category, you'll find a wide range of quality and price: check out my guide to Cointreau vs Triple Sec.
Housed in a former church banquet hall, Hermon's is an 89-seat restaurant named after the lesser-known Northeast Los Angeles neighborhood in which it resides. It is the latest addition to James Beard Award-nominated Last Word Hospitality's growing portfolio of neighborhood haunts that offer city-wide appeal, like perpetually busy Found Oyster in East Hollywood and Historic Filipinotown's Rasarumah. Chef DK Kolender (formerly of Tartine and Dudley's Market) runs the kitchen, serving a crowd-pleasing menu full of Italian, French, and continental American touches
Hidden in a Philadelphia back alley, behind a clandestine door, lies a dark yet spirited cocktail lounge. Called the Ranstead Room, it's one of Philly's best-kept secrets. The speakeasy isn't easy to find, unless you happen to be behind El Rey Mexican restaurant on Ranstead Street. And even then, you'll have to locate a discreet black door with two R's emblazoned into it. But it's worth the quest, and it's one of my favorite lairs in the city.
Come to Rye Bar every Wednesday for free hot dogs with every Hornitos cocktail purchase. Mo and Kat are you bartenders and hot dog slingers for the night (combining their love of hot dogs and tequila), and will pair the perfect cocktail for you for hot doggin' all night. And your pet dogs are welcome, too! Wiener Wednesday Every Wednesday, 6pm to close Rye Bar, 688 Geary St. at Leavenworth, SFFree hot dog with every Hornitos cocktail or shot purchase
There's something about sipping a piña colada that makes you feel like you're on vacation, even if you're just at home. Too many piña coladas taste way too sweet with only a hint of rum. But I've found out that the original recipe for this classic cocktail has a perfect balance between the pineapple juice, cream of coconut, and aged rum.
Bringing his experience of working in some of the best West End restaurants, including time with Helene Darroze at The Connaught, classically trained, Master Chef The Professionals Winner, Alex Webb has opened his first restaurant, creating a relaxed dining experience equally suited to celebration or snacking. With a fresh, contemporary ambience, Orion is designed to attract drop-in business to the bar area for signature cocktails and snacks
Pepsi isn't just a fizzy cola you sip straight from the can - it's also a zingy, sugary, effervescent secret weapon in the world of cocktails and mocktails, bringing personality and balance to your glass. A standard 12-ounce Pepsi packs about 41 grams of sugar and 150 calories, giving it a bold sweetness and enough body to stand up to spirits like rum, bourbon, and tequila, while also softening herbaceous and bitter ingredients in non-alcoholic concoctions.
But lucky for us, Wagyu is a common occurrence at chef Chintan Pandya's kebab stand in the Market. Here at Kebabwala, marinated hunks of beef hit the grill, cozied next to skewered slices of onions and red peppers. Wonderfully charred, the kebabs are then finished with a fiery and aromatic dusting of red chili, cumin and dried mango powder. For us, we think it is more flavor than fire.
In the age of boring bowls, Ope Amosu's ChopnBlok in Houston brings a welcome jolt of flavor, energy and joy. One of my favorite dishes was the red stew, made from a base of peppers and onions with this kind of smoky fluorescence from palm oil, and it's served with sweet, chewy plantains and a heap of rice and beans.
Let's all relax a little bit about the martini. It deserves our respect, yesit has served us nobly on thousands of evenings. But it desireth not our piety. It's basically a glass of alcohol, artfully and ever so slightly messed with. That's where the fun comes in, and if you haven't noticed, bartenders across the country are having a blast.
Got a great bottle of bourbon whiskey? Bourbon works in any season. While it's most often thought of in winter and fall with its cozy notes of vanilla and oak, there bubbly, refreshing summer bourbon cocktails, too! I've have made hundreds of whiskey cocktails, and I've found I most often turn to bourbon in classic cocktails because of its smooth and sweet flavor.
Like a generational boxer moving through the ranks, reaching the pinnacle of each weight class before moving on to the next, tougher matchup, Tallboy's rise in the East Bay nightlife scene has been meteoric. But, instead of using jabs, hooks and slips to get there, it's dishing out martinis, vegan hot dogs, free popcorn and revelry. In addition to more than a half dozen martinis, the Tallboy menu includes alcoholic slushies, house jello shots, and creative cocktails like the Pretty Privilege, with Maker's Mark, Aperol, oloroso, strawberry, rhubarb and lemon.
Among New York City's fine-dining scene, L'Abeille is chef Mitsunobu Nagae's Michelin-starred playground, where he and the team experiment with French and Japanese ingredients and techniques to elegant results. The space is the definition of quiet luxury: stunning yet understated, stunning with velvet chairs and booths but no white tablecloths. It makes sense that director Celine Song filmed a scene for Materialists here, suitable for big-deal occasions, friend hangs, and family meals.
Since its opening in August 2024, Belle's - also known as Belle's Bagels, Delicatessen, and Bar - has quickly established itself as an all-day fixture on foot-traffic-heavy York Boulevard, slinging BEC bagelwiches and gravlax toast in the morning before shifting to chicken schnitzel and pickle martinis come sundown. After more than a decade as a pop-up, the deli has emerged as the rare new restaurant that feels like it's been there forever thanks to an upgraded-greatest-hits Jewish diner menu, retro-cool décor, and a spacious back patio complete with a crackling fire. A rotating menu of bar snack specials and a notably inventive cocktail program ensure that repeat visits feel fresh, even for regulars.
San Juan, Puerto Rico is one of the coolest places I've ever been. The city is vibrant and colorful, alive with a contagious, undying energy. When I was planning my trip, I was overwhelmed by the myriad food and drink options - how in the world would I make it to so many places? Of course I couldn't try everything on my list, but that gives me an excuse to go back sooner than later.
First and foremost, it's not a smooth tasting vodka, with added minerals that create a strange, almost saline-like flavor. Even more disappointingly, we felt that Skyy vodka tasted light and fresh initially, but the finish was too strong and the flavors just weren't balanced. Skyy is missing the pure, clean finish that smaller batch distilleries have mastered, and crucially, it's not a vodka that you can enjoy on the rocks either.
Emidio Oceguera has managed some of Chicago's best-known restaurants, including De Cero and Chicago Cut. When he began entertaining the idea of opening his own place, his parents kept him grounded. Their advice ultimately inspired him to launch the Pilsen restaurant Cerdito Muerto in his childhood neighborhood last summer. Oceguera brings unapologetic personal touches to the space and menu. In a Mexican food scene as rich as Chicago's, Oceguera isn't interested in chasing trends or being anything but himself.
