NYC's 5 Best Bars For Group Drinks

Gather your posse and head to this bowling alley-meets-rock club for a guaranteed good time. Put your name in for one of 16 lanes, while you grab drinks at the cocktail bar and munch on Blue Ribbon chow such as their famous fried chicken. In addition to the bowlers' lounge, there's a music stage featuring big-name indie and hip-hop acts most nights.

So long as it's not booked for a private event, City Winery is a sprawling place for groups to gather, sip wine and nibble on Murray's Cheese and Mediterranean plates. Overlook barrels of fermenting grapes while you lounge at rustic wooden tables and chairs. The space doubles as a music venue, drawing acts such as Suzanne Vega and Scott Weiland.

Is 6,000 square feet of beer hall enough for your group? Bring your thirsty bunch to Greenpoint and sip German brews at communal tables at this immense beer garden from the owners of Spitzer's Corner. Choose from more than two dozen drafts and sustain yourselves on pizza and sausages.

This behemouth Southeast Asian lounge features three levels of restaurant and party space, so even if some spaces are booked for private parties you should be able to find a nook for your group. Roll in from 4 to 9 p.m. daily for happy hour specials such as $5 draft beers, $6 draft beers, $7 wines and $8 cocktails. Specialty cocktails, $12, include exotic treats such as the Silver Obha (Partida Tequila, pineapple juice, yuzu juice, lemon juice, shiso leaf and agave nectar) or the Thai Kwon Gin (Plymouth Gin, Thai lavender tea, lemon juice, lemongrass, rosemary and egg white).

Gather 'round the punch bowl at this East Village Cuban rum bar from the team behind Death & Co. and Mayahuel. Painted in vibrant colors and featuring plush furniture, this is a festive setting for potent drinks by the ladle-full, such as the Hotel Nacional (Appleton Estate 12 year rum, apricot brandy, pineapple juice, lime juice, mint and Cava).