Drink NYC: Best 3 Cocktail Bars in the West Village
Employees Only
510 Hudson St.
New York, NY
(212) 242-3021
employeesonlynyc.com
Awarded World's Best Cocktail Bar and World's Best Drink Selection at last week's Tales of the Cocktail (a prestigious bartending conference in New Orleans), Employees Only is a bar that takes its craft seriously. Here, mustachioed bartenders wear chef jackets and exude a zen-like focus while mixing drinks. Put their skills to the test with the Billionaire Cocktail (Baker's Bourbon, lemon juice, homemade grenadine and absinthe bitters) or the Provençale (lavender-infused Plymouth Gin, herbs de provence-infused vermouth and Combier Royal).
Little Branch
22 7th Ave. South
New York, NY
(212) 929-4360
Past an unmarked door and down a steep staircase, enter a speakeasy owned by the same people who brought you Milk & Honey. If you don't have a reservation, get here early as the place gets crowded fast, although you can wait by the bar for a table. The occasional live jazz band adds to the 1920s ambiance, along with cocktails such as the Penicillin (blended scotch, lemon juice, ginger-honey syrup and Islay scotch). If you're undecided, the bartenders here are happy to make you a custom concoction. Take note--this bar is cash only.
Highlands
150 W. 10th St.
New York, NY
(212) 229-2670
highlands-nyc.com
Whiskey rules the drink menu at this Scottish gastropub, but even if scotch isn't your thing, there's plenty to choose from on the signature cocktail list. Pull up a stool at the hunting lodge-chic wood bar and try the Iona Abbey (Espolon Reposado Tequila, St-Germain elderflower liqueur, lime juice and cucumber) or the Sweet Ginger Brown (Gosling's Black Seal Dark Rum, muddled lime, ginger and brown sugar). Come early, as seating fills up fast.
Selena Ricks-Good writes about drinks and produces events as The Dizzy Fizz.
