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One of this year's best new bars is actually two bars. But that's okay, because if you can't decide between wine or cocktails, now you can go somewhere to have both - The Counting Room (44 Berry Street, Williamsburg).

As little as three or four years ago, there was nowhere to drink anything decent in the 'Burg but now there is an amazing selection of places for every taste, everything from Hotel Delmano to Rye to Loreley Biergarten. And with the arrival of The Counting Room, you have real sophistication, in the form of an adventurous winelist and creative cocktails, which so far have proven to be the best in the area.

The winelist features interesting wines from small producers around the world. Those in the know will find many gems here - especially since most bottles can be opened and bought by the half bottle. That means the by-the-glass list constantly changes based on what other people order. Some great choices on the list include a 2006 Movia Ribolla and the 2007 Guitian Godello. Check the chalkboard for nightly wines open by the glass.

The cocktail program is run downstairs in the cavernous basement, which provides a bit of a logistical issue. Technically, you need to go downstairs to get a cocktail, which is awkward if you're with wine drinkers upstairs. However, if you get the owner serving you at the bar, she'll make sure your order is placed. But the servers themselves are much more likely to direct you down than make an effort to take your cocktail order upstairs. The policy should be that if you're sitting upstairs, service staff get the drinks from downstairs, not you. Telling customers to do differently when you have waitstaff is awkward, to say the least.

Regardless, the cocktails have proven to be very good and it's a credit to the mixologists that there is a lot to choose from. Our favorite was the Arbitrary Nature of Time, a boozy mix of Wild Turkey Rye, Campari, cherry heering and two types of bitters, mole and orange. Salt & Ash pairs both mezcal and tequila with a lapsong suchong vermouth to equally good, and smoky effect. Another tequila drink, Karmic Delight, was a fizzy delight - tequila, Plymouth sloe gin and egg white. If you're looking for something lighter and more refreshing, try A Lazy Spring, Beefeater gin, rosemary-infused Blanco Vermouth, honey, lemon and black peppercorns.

There is a small food menu of items prepared at the upstairs bar. We enjoyed the "Green Eggs & Ham" Deviled Eggs ($3) while the bag of croutons will do in a pinch. The menu also includes sandwiches such as a tasty Grilled Cheese and the Pork & Philly, but your best bet is to eat before coming to booze.

Some might consider opening on the wrong side of Williamsburg - closer to Brooklyn Brewery than Bedford - to be gutsy, even fatal for a bar of The Counting Room's class and style, but we only hope that in time the crowds will find this terrific new spot. In the meantime, pull up a stool and tell them BoozyNYC sent you.

Night of Joy (667 Lorimer Street) sits on a forlorn East Williamsburg corner in the shadow of the BQE. It also stands in the shadows of the city's great cocktail bars and that's not a good place to be.

At first glance, Night of Joy has some things going for it - a large space, friendly prices ($9 cocktails), lack of crowds and a roof deck. However, stepping into the somewhat schizophrenic, dimly lit space, with its Victorian front, long bar with cushy high backs and rear room with pool table, hopes for something interesting start to fade. The disjointed atmosphere - part lounge, part hipster hangout - just does not gel.

The drink list is short and lacking in information - only the ingredients and booze are listed, not the maker, which in retrospect should have been a clue. It turns out they are not using the top shelf stuff in their drinks - hence $9 cocktails - and the results were, for us, universally disappointing. The drinks are also heavy on herbs - beet and dill vodka anyone? Not for us. We started with a Basil & Lime Gimlet made with Mr. Boston gin. The drink was one-dimensional and would have benefited from a gin with more character. The Jalapeno, Black Currant and Tequila was slightly out of balance and too spicy to fully enjoy, though with ice dilution it became more bearable. Rosemary, Bourbon, Ginger and Lemon was a bit soapy and the Evan Williams bourbon surprisingly got lost. Another spicy drink, the Cilantro Bloody Maria, made with tequila, mostly tasted muddy. Something added an unpleasant note and we suspect the Worcestershire sauce, though we can't be sure. In addition to the cocktails, there are local beers and a short, affordable winelist with selections priced at $8 by the glass and $30 by the bottle.

Night of Joy doesn't have it together yet in the way that nearby Hotel Delmano or The Counting Room does. A little less pretension and higher booze standards would go a long way in rectifying that. Otherwise, that blinking neon out front light may not be illuminating the night much longer.

The wine bar craze continues unabated with the arrival Anfora (34 8th Avenue), from the guys who brought you Dell'anima. Open just a few weeks, Anfora is theoretically a kind of homage to what was the main wine vessel for many centuries, though in reality it's just a name for a sleek, almost souless wine bar that can best be described as a work in progress. At worst, one could say it's suffering from the 7 Deadly Restaurant Sins:

#1 Off putting atmosphere - walking into Anfora can seem like stepping inside a rather stinky sock. On our visit, the smell of the ubiquitous grilled cheese sandwich permeated the air and was borderline offensive. No, we did not try the grilled cheese.

#2 Wine Infanticide - yes, we understand that a lot of wine is sold to restaurants too young. But wine bars really need to make sure the wine being served is ready to drink. Certainly most any red from 2008 is too young. It's nice to see a Sicilian Nero D'Avola in the anfora style on the list but it's too young. Ditto for the Bierzo "Petalos" Descendientes de Palacios 2008 (a 2006 is listed on the website but not available). Neither of these wines are anywhere near ready to drink. The list contains a lot of great winemakers and leans heavily on a favorite producer of ours - Lopez de Heredia. Unfortunately, they seem to have some of the less interesting vintages. The Gravonia from 2000 wasn't giving much and is certainly not on the level of the great, slightly oxidized 1999. Their 2000 "Tondonia" Rosado was better but again somewhat muted.

#3 Lack of Info - too many places these days have staff that don't really know anything about the wines. These servers have been told to pour you a taste without actually talking about the wine. It's ok, we actually like to hear something about the wine before you run off to get us a taste.

#4 Not user friendly - the trend among wine bars to pour half-glass or 3oz tastes is welcome since that means we can experiment and mix and match. Anfora has decided to stick with full glass pours and that's too bad. Less for us to try.

#5 Taking our glass away without asking. Ask. Always.

#6 Glassware more important than customers. Note to restaurateurs - dishes should be done in the back so we don't have to compete with glasses for the bartender's attention. A distinct lack of available glasses during our visit meant staff was busy polishing instead of interacting.

#7 Make sure your food matches the wine. Anfora has several spicy dishes that are not wine-friendly - spicy stuffed peppers that don't say so on the menu kill the palate and don't work with wine. Also suspect, spicy shortbread and curry egg salad.

Anfora has a ways to go before it makes the league of the city's best. But the owners may want to take a cue from their restaurant two doors over - the winelist is more interesting and diverse than Anfora. That's a surprise considering this is a winebar.

Tribeca has gone from up-and-coming to plush and stuffy in a matter of two decades, so it was something of a surprise that Paul Grieco and Marco Canora decided to open an outpost of their hip winebar, Terroir Tribeca (24 Harrison Street) in the land of millionaires, Euro-bankers and moms pushing expensive strollers.

Terroir 2 brings Grieco's signature "wine is cool" sensibility downtown with good effect. The room is well appointed, the bar long and easy to saddle up to, and of course the wine selection is top notch. While a lot of people seemed to be ordering the wine in tetra pak and we hear tell of Finger Lake riesling on tap, we were keen to explore the extensive by the glass list. One of our favorite trends was on hand - the 3 ounce pour - making it easy to try many, many wines (our weak spot). The winelist offers choices for everyone, from the adventurous to the old world connoisseur. We ventured to the wine geek side and were rewarded with excellent by the glass choices such as the Cotes du Jura Nature Berthet-Bondet 2007 ($14.25), La Mothe Pechigo ($11.50), and the Domaine de Montbourgeau 2001 ($16). Also recommended are the Hermann Wiemer Riesling ($13.50) and the nicely balanced Alfred Gratien NV Champagne ($18). Interesting red options by the glass include the Morgon from Domaine Louis Jadot ($11) and the 2007 Givry from Chofflet-Valdenaire ($15).

The entertaining winelist contains all the usual Grieco-isms including "Who Needs a Drink?" starring the Pope, Vladimir Putin and Us (because street fair season has started!) as well as longer pieces on celebrities, obscure and otherwise. Our favorite is the ode to Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff, a member of the International Football Hall of Fame. He had a way with words too and the list includes several famous quotes from him - our favorites being "Italians can't beat you but you can lose to them" and "If I wanted you to understand, I would explain it better."

Canora complements the wine selection with hearty, damn-the-season meaty fare like sage leaves wrapped around sausage, oxtail risotto balls, meatball sandwiches and a few larger "Big Stuff" dishes thanks to kitchen space more than double the EVill location. We definitely dug the "Big Stuff" items - Bev's Famous Pork Blade Steak (right) and the Colorado lamb.

Tribeca has had its ups and downs in the past few years (Chanterelle closing, endless Bouley shuffling), so we can only hope that Terroir's arrival is a sign this neighborhood is going to loosen up and start enjoying life, the way it should.

There is something about cold weather that makes us think about brown spirits and a recent trip to Brooklyn gave us the opportunity to check out a place that is a must destination for brownies like us - Char No. 4 (196 Smith Street).

Char No. 4 tags itself a whiskey bar and restaurant, and it certainly delivers on the brown liquor front. The list has 150+ American whiskeys as well as whiskeys from around the world, so we were excited to peruse the list and take advantage of the 1 oz pour options to taste some obscure stuff.

The long bar was inviting as we slipped in early one night. We started with a couple of cocktails, hoping to ease our way into the bourbons and single malts. Unfortunately, this proved a mistake - the Hound Dog, Ancient Age bourbon, fresh grapefruit juice, honey, mint and lime was initially refreshing but quickly became boring. Even worse was the pointless Kir Royale-esque Kentucky Royale, Henry McKenna bourbon, sparkling wine, cassis and orange zest. The heavy bourbon basically killed any effervescence in the sparkling wine and the drink was a complete failure.

Meanwhile, the bar got busy with people ordering, of all things, wine and beer. In a whiskey bar! Still we were determined to get into the ounce tastings, Bud-swigging neighbors be damned. We started with one of three tastings Char has created - the Belmont Park, which consisted of Four Roses single barrel bourbon, Jameson Irish Whiskey 18 year and a Laphroaig 7 year Signatory Single Malt scotch. At $25 for three one ounce pours, the tasting was a bit steep but nevertheless rewarding. The highlight was the delicious Jameson 18, surprising since Irish whiskey is not our thing. We then jumped to some 1 ounce tastes - the 1990 Lochnagar old malt cask 15 year old ($14, 1 ounce) was quite good as was the Blanton's silver, a rare find ($20, 1 ounce).

And the food? Decidedly meaty, with a Southern flare and actually pretty good. We enjoyed the house cut smoked bacon, the pork sausage with lentils and the lamb pastrami.

This being Brooklyn, the service was friendly at points, unprofessional at others and not enough staff was totally knowledgeable about the booze list. That's unfortunate in a place with this depth of great liquor but perhaps not so surprising when considering that many people just prefer beer to delving into the vagaries of 12 vs 15 year old single malts.

Few cocktail bars have the creative muscle and consistency that Death and Company (433 E. 6th Street) has had. It's often our weeknight 'go to' place - no we don't go out on Fridays and Saturdays - since it is large enough to get into as opposed to tiny PDT, which we also find less consistent. So when we are out carousing, we eagerly look forward to a few rounds of Death and Company cocktails. Unfortunately, on a recent visit, for the first time we were disappointed. Some really good cocktails were off the menu, and in their place, were some less successful newcomers.

First off, we have to have our Manhattan Transfer (Rittenhouse rye, Noilly Pratt dry vermouth, ramazotti, orange bitters) and it remains top notch. Unfortunately, other faves Myra Breckinridge and Grouse Rampant were off the menu. Our rather large party, momentarily derailed by a lack of obvious choices, decided to risk the My Oh My Ty, a wimpy version of the mai tai that was in no way memorable, and a Smoked Horchata (housemade horchata, Herradura silver, Crema de Mezcal), which was way too sweet. Another newcomer, La Vina, was just okay as was the intriguing Daisy Buchanan (chamomile-infused Old Overholt rye, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Aperol & Yellow Chartreuse), which was bone dry on the finish. And the further we delved into the list, the more disappointing it became.

Hopefully the cocktail issues were just a manifestation of the mid-winter blahs. But what did strike our fancy were the always surprisingly strong food choices. The pulled pork sliders were very good while the prosciutto and cheese flatbread was fantastic. So fantastic, that we ordered more.

Anyway, we recommend proceeding with a bit of caution right now, at least until D+C gets  some "spring" in its step.

We'd heard much about Williamsburg's Rye (247 S. 1st Street), which opened last year to a good bit of fanfare, but had been remiss in making a trip until recently. Finally we did and we're happy to report that advance notice was spot on - where many Brooklyn spots disappoint, Rye is the real deal with good food and great cocktails.

The cocktails skew classic and towards the brown liquors we at BoozyNYC love so. Let us count the reasons to love Rye: The Havemeyer (Rittenhouse rye, Fino Sherry, Carpano Antica and bitters) is a fine Manhattan-esque drink. The very good Classic Old Fashioned. The smoky Blood and Sand (black tea infused scotch, cherry heering, vermouth). The spot-on Sazerac. The terrifically spiced Hot Butternut Rum, a take on the classic using butternut squash butter in addition to aged rum and housemade falernum. However, both the Southside (gin, muddled cucumber, mint, fresh lime, soda water) and Stone Fence (Laird's Applejack, fresh apple cider, housemade ginger beer) were well made, if too sweet for our taste. All cocktails are $10.

The food lived up to advance billing for the most part - it stuck to your ribs, was tasty and worked pretty well with the drinks. The standouts were the grilled quail, which was the best quail we've had in a long time, and the house smoked sturgeon appetizer. The pork belly was merely good - nicely grilled edges but otherwise run of the mill - is NYC officially over pork belly or what? Less successful were the mac & cheese, which needed a bit more flavor not to mention creaminess, and the vaunted meatloaf sandwich - pretty good but completely upstaged by the crispy onions that crowned it. The meat, while moist, needed to amp up the flavor and the bread was superfluous.

The room is a somewhat endearing hodgepodge - the bar dating back to 1890 is majestically dark and imposing, providing a solid foundation from which to get hammered. But the rest of the space looks like a German restaurant circa 1900. The main room is full of large round tables situated too close to the bar, meaning that anyone standing at the busy bar are nearly pushed against patrons on the bar stools. The back area with a smattering of smaller tables gave off a bit of a Siberia vibe.

Rye is well worth a visit. It's priced right, the attitude is in check and there is real talent both behind the bar and in the kitchen.
 

Hotel Delmano (82 Berry Street, Williamsburg) has been around awhile but it never quite made the A-list of NYC cocktail meccas. We had a good experience last year, and while the cocktail list was on the short side upon the opening, there was promise. Recently, we popped in to see what they are up to.

The cocktail list is much longer these days, there are more bartenders, too. Our first round consisted of the Rattlesnake (rye, absinthe, lemon, egg white, $13) and Autumn Leaves (olorso sherry, apricot, reposado tequila, $9). The Rattlesnake was fine though it didn't have much bite while Autumn Leaves didn't work at all. Smoke and Flowers (St. Germain, sherry, dry vermouth, Ardberg single malt scotch, $10), which has a romantic 1930s ring to it, was quite good while the 20th Century (lemon, white creme de cacao, Lillet, gin, $9) was good but a touch sweet. Lastly we couldn't resist the very good, smoky Devil's Garden (lime, agave nectar, mint, chipotle, cynar, and bitter infused mezcal, $12).

Overall, the cocktails are good - misses are likely unavoidable - with such an extensive list, but only the Devil's Garden truly impressed. The space is romantic and inviting, banquette seating cozy but service struck us as efficient but indifferent, which broke the spell a bit. While prices are generally attractive ($9-  13), we'd be hard pressed to give a reason for you to go out of your way to check in to the Hotel Delmano unless you're in the 'hood.

Wine bars continue to pop up around town - with even more coming down the pike in 2010 - and we're fans of the trend. But recent visits to Ardesia, a new addition to the scene, and the year old Ten Bells illustrate that for a seemingly simple concept, it's not always easy to pull off.

Ten Bells (247 Broome Street) has a lot going for it - the winelist is full of interesting options, if you are a vin naturel fan, and by the glass prices are very reasonable, mostly $8 - 10. The wrap-around bar is nice, but for the best attention sit on the side that does not have the "kitchen" area. Get there early or you'll find that side populated by friends of the bartenders, industry insiders and regulars. Like the wines, the place is quirky and full of character, which we like, except when the quirkiness is highly impractical such as the puzzling refusal to print a winelist. It's on the website so why not print it on paper? Customers are forced to read the entire list written in chalk on boards lining the walls, which is not only not very consumer friendly but also hard in the dim light. Also, be warned - no credit cards are taken at all. In this day and age, that's an odd choice but it's their right. Just don't expect us to carry around a couple of hundred bucks in cash to drop on a bottle or magnum - and the list of magnums is indeed worth exploring. And no, we're not using that sketchy ATM across the street. Ten Bells is worth a visit, not least of all for its interesting wines at great prices - just bring a pocketful of cash. (And maybe a flashlight.)

Ardesia (510 W. 52nd Street) is pretty much the opposite of Ten Bells. The room, in a brand new residential building closer to New Jersey than Times Square, lacks the intimacy of downtown spots or the nearby Casellula. The design is reminiscent of Le Bernardin (an owner works at the Ripert 4-starrer) in that it skews corporate nice-but-cold, polished but lacking personality - not the type of place we'd want to hang out in. To our taste, it's a bit style-over-substance, focused on pricey wines - a glass of good Rioja will run you $18 - in pretty glassware that are not always ready to drink (we tasted a bunch). A more interesting - and affordable - choice was Muskateller ($11) but there should have been more options like this. In a wine bar, we look for interesting wines at affordable prices and these prices are decidedly restaurant-level. Maybe that's why so many people were drinking beer.

FiDi has long been the domain of one family of restaurateurs - the Poulakakos family. While not the biggest name on the NYC dining circuit, the proprietors behind Bayard's, Harry's, Adrienne's Pizza Bar, Ulysses and Financier are a force to be reckoned with. And now, without any advance notice, they have landed a game changer - Vintry Wine & Whiskey (57 Stone Street) - a wine bar and cocktail lounge that is a welcome addition to the Lower Manhattan wasteland of Irish pubs and sports bars.

Thanks to one of those fancy machines that dispense (and preserve) wine - and Harry Poulakakos'  wine cellar - Vintry can offer wines you rarely see poured by the glass. Here, you can try them by 2oz or 5oz pours (or go for a full bottle), sampling vintages going as far back as 1979 at fraction of the price (e.g. $165 bottle vs. $14.50 for two ounces), should you feel adventurous. We tried a number of wines from the dispenser and truth be told we were not exactly bowled over (some of them seemed to be fading and many are not prized vintages), but there were some highlights such as the deliciously earthy 1998 Dujac Morey St Denis ($11 for 2 oz, $25 for 5oz, $125 bottle). Otherwise, you can skip the older vintages and instead have a lot of fun with great values and very good wines. The selection is deep and quite interesting, and there are plenty of wines to try at $3.50 - $5 per two-ounce pour. This is a place to explore wine at any price point.

Prefer something stronger to wine? Or looking for well-made cocktails? Vintry has you covered too, with an exhaustive selection of single malts and bourbons, as well as whiskey based cocktails (sorry, no cosmos here. it is 2009, after all). The Jerry Thomas (Basil Hayden bourbon, dubonnet rouge, grand marnier, peychaud's bitter and benedictine) was an excellent starter as was the Angel's Share (Woodford reserve bourbon, agave nectar, fernet branca, lemon and Hawaiian sea salt), which could easily lose the fancy salt rim. While we enjoyed Harry's Whiskey Sour, made the classic way, it was the ridiculously named Flaming Bubinga (Higland Park 12 year old scotch, blume marillen apricot eau de vie, lemon, fresh blood orange) that was the overall favorite - perhaps the best scotch-based drink we've ever had. Cocktails are $10 - $14.

Small plates of terrific veal meatballs, gnocchi with lamb ragout, cheeses and well-sourced charcuterie (from pheasant pate to jamon iberico) will keep you fortified as you explore the many wines and whiskeys on offer.

FiDi has finally gotten a proper cocktail and wine bar. It's about time.

Vintry Wine & Whiskey
57 Stone Street, website

Much has been written about the resurrection of faded NYC institution Minetta Tavern (109 MacDougal Street), from puff pieces about the genius of Keith McNally to the accolades of various critics. But our question as we sat at the packed bar and watched the dining room fill at the ungodly hour of 5:30pm was, is it any good?

We'll reserve judgment on the menu since we just tried a few dishes - notably the excellent Berkshire pig trotter. The subject here is booze and in this area the results were mixed.

The hands down favorite was the Murray Sour, a delicious mix of Yamazaki 12 year whiskey, cardamomm-infused agave nectar, lemon & orange. A bit less successful was the oddly named Dodd Cocktail, Basil Hayden bourbon, La Fee Absinthe, peach bitters, lemon and egg white. It was good but one dimensional. Unfortunately, Ginger in the Rye, Michters rye, angostura bitters, La Fee absinthe, ginger beer and pressed limes, was merely a dark 'n' stormy knock-off overwhelmed by absinthe. Cocktails were a hefty $14.

Flying in under the radar this week was Pennsylvania-themed (huh?) Rye House (11 West 17th Street).The write-ups were intriguing enough -  house-made rye? sausage, coleslaw and fries in a sandwich? - plus we are big fans of brown liquor so went in for an early look.

If you're used to speakeasies and other such quaint watering spots, you'll likely be disappointed in Rye House. The place is big - as in expect huge after work crowds big. While the wood-centered design is not unattractive, the front bar room is too wide with a set of high tables opposite the bar and a good amount of real estate between, while the back room has communal tables and booths for large groups. Not where you want to sit unless you are decor-insensitive.

But as always, it's about the drinks, and the cocktail list is off to a good start. Topping the proceedings is the off-the-list Creole Daiquiri. This is not your mom's daiquiri - it's made with Old New Orleans Rum, chorizo-infused mezcal and pomegranate molasses. Nicely balanced and quite delicious. Almost as good is the Moonshine Mountain Punch, made with Catdaddy moonshine, something we've had in other states but had not seen in NYC before. With the additions of spiced rum, grapefruit, lime, bitters and chai, this goes down oh so easily. Also intriguing was The Mansfield made with your choice of Blue Coat gin or Tito's handmade vodka,  vermouth, yellow chartreuse and grapefruit bitters. Skip the vodka and go for the gin for pretty floral and herbal flavors with a kick of citrus. Unfortunately there is no house-made rye as we were led to believe - a slap on the wrist to UrbanDaddy for misleading us. Cocktails are $12 and a dozen American craft beers are also available on draft for $7.

The menu is full of offbeat takes on pub grub. Yes, the Pittsburgh sandwich is good. The spicy andouille sausage pieces are tasty if a bit unwieldy, but any sandwich with fries inside can't be bad, can it? (Actually, the fries get soggy quickly so hope your sandwich gets to you from the kitchen fast.) The star of the sandwich might well be the excellent coleslaw. Mama's fried mac & cheese came as an odd quartet of fried balls, overpriced, slightly underseasoned and not cheesy enough. The duck and foie gras quesadillas soak up the booze but lack a certain finesse like a fresh accent to cut through the richness and make them less one-note.

Since the cocktail program is interesting enough of a draw, we'll be back - as long as there is room at the bar.

Momofuku Ssam Bar (207 2nd Ave) is our favorite (accessible) David Chang joint and we'd been trying to get drinks there for a while. Of course, the rule is you must order food if you want a cocktail before midnight. Finally we were in the hood after midnight so we swung by for a drink. We're happy to report the endeavor was quite a success though worker productivity the following day took a nosedive.

We started with an NCL (tyrconnell single malt irish whiskey, carpano antica and aperol) and the Celery + Nori (nori-infused laird's applejack, celery syrup, celery bitters). Both came in oversize rocks glasses with a giant ice cube. The NCL was rich and delicious - not being Irish whiskey drinkers, we were impressed with the drinks complexity. The Celery + Nori was perfectly adequate but left us a little flat after an intriguing start. Ssam's rendition of the Brooklyn (rittenhouse rye, dolin dry vermouth, maraschino, amer picon) was even better than the NCL. We have no idea where they got amer picon in the U.S. but we're happy to see it. Cocktails are $12 - $13.

Dutch Kills (27-24 Jackson Avenue) has intrigued us since it opened earlier this year - mainly because it's in the middle of nowhere. Co-owner Sasha Petraske has done some interesting things - Milk & Honey - and some not so - East Side Company, a coffee place? - so we didn't know what to expect. But what we did know was that after Le Fooding (aka Le No Boozing) we needed a drink.

So why would anyone open a bar in this desolate area? Beats us but we were happy to see the bar sign lit up from a block away. This aint' Manhattan folks - they want people to find this place. And when you do find it and step inside, you'll find a handsome joint with seating in the front, a narrow hall, and a smallish bar where all the mixology happens.

Fine and dandy, but what about the drinks you ask? Pretty darn good based on generous sampling.

Flatiron Lounge (37 W. 19th Street) has become sort of an also-ran among today's fancy cocktail places. It doesn't have the cachet of PDT/Death&Co/Milk & Honey or a cool East or West Village location and it's older than all the other speakeasy type places. Yet somehow it soldiers on, neither showy nor particularly innovative. Since it had fallen off our radar, we recently popped in to see what they're up to. A pineapple fetish for one thing.

The drinks never blew us away at Flatiron but this time they seemed oddly out of sync. Technically still summer, we expected lots of fresh drinks and certainly the plethora of pineapple threw us for a loop. But we persevered. First up - Maiden's Swizzle (rum, campari, st. germain & a touch of velvet falernum) and Captain Cook's Folly (muddled fresh tarragon, pineapple, lime and pisco). The former was passable while the latter was way too sweet and no attempt to fix it could rectify this folly of a drink. Rathbone's Delight (12 year Highland Scotch, cynar, campari, pineapple) continued the pineapple train - it was also fairly bitter, no surprise considering it contained 2 amaros. Quiet Village (blanco tequila, fresh lime, grapefruit and cinnamon bark) didn't offend but did not wow us either. Cocktails were $13 and not worth the disappointment on this visit.

Flatiron Lounge
37 W. 19th Street, 212-727-7741
www.flatironlounge.com

The other night we dropped in the bar at the Ace Hotel. It was oddly quiet - isn't this supposed to be some sort of hotspot? The short cocktail list was as uninspired as the guests lingering in the shabby-cool space. Unfortunately what plays well in Portland seems kind of forced in NYC. And then there was the bathroom...

First the booze - what drinks we did try were bleh - The Flatiron ($12) was a dull version of a dark n stormy - neither dark nor stormy, so there really was no point. They do donate $1 of the price to Madison Sq Park though so it's not a total wash. The Ace Old Fashioned ($14) should have worked - reposado tequila, agave nectar, bitters - but was also flat. Bitter Lemonade (prosecco, aperol, fresh lemon) was hardly lemonade at all - just a bit of lemon - and a dash of simple syrup (not on the ingredient list) gave it an unwelcome sweetness. Hey folks, bitter means bitter.

Worst of all was the bathroom (right) - maybe it was trashed by peeved residents not otherwise allowed in the lobby - but this is really inexcusable in a supposed upscale hotel looking to make a good first impression. Sorry guys, you gotta clean up once in a while.

Breslin Lobby Bar at the Ace Hotel
20 W. 29th Street

We've hit Raines Law Room (48 W. 17th Street) quite a few times since it opened and we have to say it is constantly getting better and better. At this point, some of the buzz has worn off - people are fixated with places like Mayahuel or the bar at the Breslin - but for our money we'd rather be at Raines. Plus it's a lot easier for us to get in.

The secret to Raines' success is that the cocktails (most $13) are just that good. A recent sampling confirmed what we already knew - the breadth of possibilities makes this the best new bar in NYC.

We tried a mix of new concoctions and old favorites and came away impressed by the newbies.
The Five Points (Lairds Applejack, Dolin vermouth, Marie Brizard apry, amaro ciociaro, orange twist, brandied cherry) was complex and very good. The Communist Daughter was perhaps the best use of Beefeter 24 gin we've had (ably assisted by aperol, grapefuit juice and a spritz of pernod absinthe). The Iconclast (Johnnie Walker Black, amaro averna, Marie Brizard creme de cacao, lemon juice, orange bitters, a rinse of green chartreuse) was dark, smoky and delicious. And there was certainly no suffering to be had while enjoying the Suffering Bastard (Bulleit bourbon, Plymouth gin, lemon juice, sugar and muddled ginger), which was a great balance of smooth and bracing.

And as always a trip would not complete without the Gold Rush - just make sure they aren't skimpy on the bourbon. Raines Law Room is the real deal and it just seems to be getting better and better.

A while back we posted about Eleven Madison Park's new cocktails and recently we got a chance to try them out.

But first a word about Crispy Cornets of Veal Sweetbreads. Yes folks, crispy and full of juicy, delicious sweetbreads. This may be the bar snack of the year. Do not, I repeat, do not forget to order these. You get 2 for $8 and we do not recommend sharing.

Now for the drinks - you can tell the Danny Meyer imprint is all over them. They are efficiently made, generally solid and appeal to everyone. (These are all compliments by the way.) Perhaps without peer when it comes to NY restaurateurs, Meyer ensures good dining experiences whatever the occasion - from proper service in the dining room to well made cocktails to restaurant week menus chock full of interesting choices.

Our favorite of the drinks we tried was the Oaxaca 747, which is off the menu though listed online. This delicious mix of mezcal, gin, creme de violette, maraschino and agave nectar is slightly sweet but extremely balanced. Balanced is actually the word that came to mind a lot - the New Amsterdam, a new drink made with genever gin was also nicely balanced as was the very good A La Louisiane, a version of a Manhattan made slightly bitter with the addition of Benedictine.

Cocktails are a rather steep $13 - $15 but you will get a nice assortment of olives, nuts and housemade potato chips. The service is professional as expected.

Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Avenue
Cocktail Menu Online (currently slightly out of date)

Ward III (111 Reade Street) has been open two weeks and our first visit left us wondering how they would adapt to the market, so we dropped in again on a recent night. The bar was quite busy - it was later than our first visit - and we were immediately given menus without a word about the concept. So much for bespoke cocktails, I guess.

We ordered a Ward 111 (Makers Mark, strawberries, lime, egg white, peychauds bitters & nutmeg) and The Collective (blended scotch, Dolin sweet vermouth, lemon, honey, egg white). The Collective was delicious while the Ward 111 was fine but not memorable. Another well made but fairly non-descript cocktail was The Singer (rye, fresh raspberries, orange bitters, fresh lemon, honey water). As for food, we still have our quibbles. For some unknown reason the deviled eggs called our names but what arrived was a big letdown - exactly one and a half eggs for $6. They certainly weren't good enough to justify $2 per half of egg.

In the meantime, we're still waiting for the glass eaters and contortionists promised by the website. Maybe in week 3...

We've probably spent too much money at the underground lounge at Tailor (525 Broome Street) since it opened but we wondered how the place was doing after its recent troubles, so we popped in for a visit.

The upstairs sat empty, a sad but probably inevitable occurrence since they never did make the dining side work - part location, part victim of hype and part just not hitting it out of the park menu wise. Downstairs some "djs" were spinning but the place was fairly desolate. The drinks list was pretty much the same but there was one drink that stood out - the Lovage Sour. We ordered one (gin, lemon, lovage aquavit $13) as well as the Waylon, a bourbon and smoked coke drink we've always liked ($12). The Lovage Sour was fantastic, one of the best drinks we've had all year, and the Waylon was reliably good. For a nightcap, my partner in drinks ordered the Aqua verde (tequila, tomatillo, cilantro, habanero $13), a drink that always struck me as inexplicable. It's not that it's bad - okay it's pretty bad if you ask me - but that it's terribly vegetal. There's certainly nothing delicious about it, but defiantly it remains on the menu, alongside that awful bubble gum drink.

Will Tailor survive the bankruptcy and "temporary" closure of the dining room? Who knows. You can make a lot of money in this town off booze but enough to operate a space like this and pay off debts? That's a tough one. As for the drinks, people like experimentation to a degree but you also have to put out delicious product. Tailor sometimes succeeds and sometimes doesn't. But when a drink like the Lovage Sour works, it kind of restores your faith in creative cocktail-making.