Five bar tabs
Daily Mailing this week from the Big 🍎, I somehow made time to sample these spots.
Gin Bar at Enoteca Harlem
A human recommendation is unnecessary when the Google gods control your phone. An unprompted map highlight is what pointed me toward this slim but abundantly provisioned eight-seat bar in Harlem on an August Sunday. I chose a sampling of four gins for $45, allowing an affable bartender to assemble my selections. My two favorites were the chai-spiced Opihr and the copper-pink colored St. George Dry Rye Reposado. A Ferrari shot (1/2 oz Fernet Branca topped w/champagne) - procured by a friendly seatmate with a British accent - sent me out into the afternoon light with a golden glow and a gentle buzz. Total tab w/tip: $61.24. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5. 🥇
Holiday Cocktail Lounge
This quaint no-frills haunt nestled inside buzzy East Village came by recommendation from the aforementioned affable Brit. ‘They do the nicest pours in tha city,’ he whispered at Enoteca. In a subdued wood-paneled room dotted with delightfully tacky Christmas lights, I dove into the Crazy 88, a Hennessy concoction with a velvety mix of lemon, blood orange, strawberry and orange bitters. I hit my go-to gin martini next but it could not stand next to the Crazy 88, which left my taste buds wanting and stands as the best cocktail I had all week. The extremely personable bartender came with one flaw: She was overly chatty, which left my request for water unfulfilled. Total tab for two drinks w/tip: $51.56 … 4.7 out of 5 ⭐ ⭐⭐⭐
Mace
A $12 cocktail in any part of New York City is irresistible — so though appreciated, I didn’t need the recommendation from a departing guest who enjoyed the old fashioned ‘for what it’s worth.’ The old fashioned was my obvious order since its worth was set at exactly $12 on the happy hour menu. There’s invariably some risk attached to a deal and the frugal man’s penalty in this instance was a sugar-ladened passion fruit syrup that soiled this classic recipe with an overabundance of sweetness. Total tab for one drink w/tip: $15.06 … 3.9 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐
Phebe’s
This casual spot in the Bowery was the venue dedicated for my Daily Mail happy hour, where the editor holding the tab was slightly taken aback by my order of a gin martini shortly after the 6 p.m. hour. ‘If I did those, I’d be on the floor,’ he admitted. I (lied and) told him the potency of this minimally diluted elixir kept me from drinking too quickly. Now I can’t remember if I had two or three, but I was self-aware enough amongst colleagues to eventually transition to the milder gin and tonic. This evening might’ve ended with some (good-natured) shouting about how to craft a headline. Total tab for 4-5 (?) drinks w/tip: Unknown … 4.1 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
La Compagnie Des Vin
One translated into English, ‘The Company of Wines’ sheds the elegance and romance of La Compagnie Des Vin. So while seated at this sexy Soho spot just after happy hour, I morphed into a Parisian selecting a Clos de la Vierge (which I had never heard of) for my white before moving on to the more memorable Cote du Rhone. Always tempted by a white wine near twilight, I should’ve saved the calories for the vivacious crimson red Cote. While the service at La Compagnie started slow, I couldn’t help but be touched by the kind bartender who ran after me down the street to return my eyeglass cloth that I left behind at the bar. The rap that NYC is full of assholes is off-base. Every bartender I interacted with this week was warm-hearted. Total tab for two glasses with tip: $68.17 … 4.5 out of 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐