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5 Most Unique Cocktails In NYC

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New York City is pretty unique and so are its cocktails. Here are five stand-out drinks that are made with everything from yellow curry to squid ink syrup. By Carly Petrone.

Axel Von Fersen at Le Boudoir

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(credit: Le Boudoir)

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Your taste buds won't know what hit them when they encounter the "Axel Von Fersen" cocktail at Le Boudoir. This Brooklyn craft cocktail lounge (located through a secret door of Chez Moi) is serving up a goblet-sized drink that's made with a variety of potent ingredients like bourbon, applejack, sesame, curry and black caraway. The juxtaposition between the silver-plated goblet and this bright yellow concoction is enticing enough, but the striking flavor is what you'll remember most. Mixologist Franky Marshall certainly knows what she's doing. Come try it for yourself.

Garden to Glass at RedFarm

Garden to Glass
(credit: RedFarm)

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Shawn Chen has created quite a beautiful cocktail over at RedFarm. He uses Parce rum as the base for his "Garden to Glass" cocktail, which was inspired by The Aviary bar in Chicago. It'll cost you a pretty penny ($24), but its serves two and it's certainly a piece of drinkable art. Chen unscrews a porthole infuser and fills it with mint, thyme, Goji berries, lemon peel and star anise and refrigerates it before adding homemade honey-infused spice herb and  Domaine De Canton, Velvet Falernum, and Yuzu juice. Finally, he strains everything into a porthole pour sprout using a funnel for a dramatic, yet artistic, presentation.

White Cosmopolitan at Daniel

White Cosmopolitan
(credit: Melissa Hom)

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You've got to try the White Cosmopolitan at Daniel. Not only is this unique cocktail made with white cranberry juice instead of red, but it's fancifully served with a giant orchid-infused ice ball in the middle of the chilled martini glass. The simple, shaken ingredients of 42 Below vodka, St. Germain Elderflower liquor, white cranberry, and lime is served table side and is absolutely gorgeous.

Guardian Nocturno at Salinas

Guardian Nocturno
(credit: Salinas)

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You've probably heard of squid ink pasta but have you ever had a drink made with squid ink syrup? Head over to Salinas in Chelsea and test out the Guardian Nocturno. This rum-based cocktail uses housemade squid ink syrup to give it a pleasantly briny flavor of the sea along with the addition of vermouth, yuzu juice, and bitters to help balance out the flavors. This intriguing drink is served on the rocks and is certainly a stand out.

The Far East Side at The Late Late

The Far East
(credit: Jeremy Sailing)

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Gear up for quite an experience over at The Late Late. This traditional Irish pub is serving up a cocktail that's made with a popular Chinese liqueur called Baijiu. If you've traveled to China you may have tried this earthy-tasting liqueur. Bartender Seth Allen brings this intriguing ingredient to NYC with the creation of The Far East Side cocktail using ginger, a sprig of mint, Baijiu, pineapple juice, and Demerara.

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Carly Petrone is the founder of the lifestyle site Petrone on the Rocks as well as a freelance writer living in New York City.

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