Bars near the Statue of Liberty

Missed out on cruising around Europe this summer? Yeah, us too. Thankfully, Ariel Arce (yes, the very one behind Heroes, Pearl Box and the once beloved Champagne lounge, Niche Niche) opened her very first hotel bar this spring, inviting all of us to her Italian terrace. Taking to the skies for her first hotel bar, Arce opened Leonessa, a spritizing and snacking bar on the 16th floor of the Conrad New York Downtown. The jewel-box-like roof is seemingly lifted from the motherland, with limoncello-colored couches and corners, a bubbling lion's head fountain and lush greenery, including a few real lemon trees. No, you won't be able to gaze upon the waters of the Amalfi Coast, but you can at least give a wave to Lady Liberty herself. Cycle through spritzes and bitter-forward drinks like the Sbagliato (with prosecco a la Emma D'Arcy). Yet the drink of the summer has to go to the Sgroppino, a Belvedere vodka and prosecco-based cocktail that comes with a foamy head of lemon sorbetto. Snacking will come at a later season (there are currently only nuts and olives for eating), so make sure you get a little something in you before you get to spritzing.

This Revolutionary-era tavern now operates as the first stateside outpost of Dublin’s Porterhouse Brewing Company. Tangles of filament bulbs above the bar and distressed mirrors on the walls smack of artificial ye-oldeness, but the real pedigree of the place still holds appeal for beer-swilling history buffs, who can geek out over the thought of George Washington drinking here in the 1700s. Hoist imperial pints of Porterhouse’s own brews—we like the smooth, slightly tangy Oyster Stout and the easy-drinking Porterhouse Red—or sample the globe-trotting selection of guest beers, including Victory Prima Pils on tap and bottles of Schlenkerla smoked beer.

Down in the Financial District, you can find a few spaces animated by the threadbare spirit of old New York. And though it may not be even close to the oldest establishment in the city, the neighborhood, or even this list, The Dead Rabbit cultivates that all-too elusive atmosphere to great effect. That’s not to say this place is old-man-y; though you can certainly enjoy an expertly-pulled Guinness or nice glass of wine in the warm, inviting environs, Dead Rabbit’s inventive cocktail program earns it a place on critics’ lists year after year. The vibe: Old New York but innovative. The food: The food menu consists mostly of well-realized Irish-core but it there’s plenty of vegetarian takes on the favorites, so how can I not recommend the all-day Irish Breakfast? The drink: Order a citrusy Sunlit Sin cocktail starring vodka, Yuzu, and tangerine.

Overstory is as cozy as a music box in the sky inside, with views that seem to go on forever out on the wrap-around terrace. Perched on the 64th floor of 70 Pine Street above sibling spots Crown Shy and Saga, it's the just-drinks cherry on top of the trio of outstanding spots. The futniture's plush, the cocktails are crafty and even the ice is extra nice at what's become one of NYC's most elegant cocktail destinations since it opened last year. 

  A cocktail bar in the Financial District.

A stone's throw from its 19th-century namesake, Castle Clinton—America's first beer garden—the folks behind Watermark Bar honor the storied nabe with a 4,000-square-foot Battery Park beer hall of their own. At the marble bar, 20 taps rotate selections of hard-to-find German and domestic brews, available in pints, half pints or third pints. A flux capacitor behind the bar controls the carbonation and temperature of each tap, ensuring that pints are served at an optimal 34 degrees. Pub grub includes 10 different types of burgers, a sweet-and-salty donut grilled cheese, and classic bar bites like waffle fries and Bavarian-style soft pretzels. 

It's only a whiskey stone’s throw away from the Dead Rabbit—Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry’s exceptionally successful cocktail bar on Water Street (dubbed the World’s Best Bar at 2015’s Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards)—but the sequel from the renowned team couldn’t be further away in terms of theme. Where the original tavern looked to the Irish gangs of Five Points- in New York, this second outfit, located inside the Pier A Harbor House complex, channels Prohibition-era Cuba, a time when Americans flocked to the island nation for the liquid pick-me-up that U.S. law was denying them. A statue of Cuban lit hero José Martí stands proudly at the rum-flowing bar, where the stools are modeled after those in Ernest Hemingway–frequented joints in balmy Havana, and the expansive menu is loaded with more than 50 cocktails pulling from the 1920s through ’50s. And unsurprisingly, those cocktails are excelente.ORDER THIS: Meticulously researched cocktails ($16) created by some of the planet’s most illustrious bar talent. A collaboration between McGarry, Dead Rabbit head bartender Jillian Vose and BlackTail head barman Jesse Vida, the menu upholds Cuban classics like daiquiris and mojitos, which are made with the bar’s proprietary “Cuban Rum Blend” (Bacardi Heritage, Barbancourt White Rhum, Caña Brava and Banks 5 Island). A humble rum and Coke is elevated with the refined fizz of champagne, the amaro edge of Fernet-Branca and a few dashes of house-made Orinoco bitters; the...

If there ever was a bar fit for the Sherman McCoys and Patrick Batemans of New York, this new offering from David Tobias and Eric Adolfsen should technically be it. Tucked into the base of the storied Woolworth Building, an old-world skyscraper with a $110 million penthouse under construction, a 100-year-old gilded lobby and a location plumb in the heart of the Financial District, all the stars seemed aligned for the bar to fulfill its soft-jazz, $25-cocktail destiny. Instead, the publike barroom—a sister bar to private-event space the Wooly—touts its stately ancestry not with highfalutin fare or snooty service but with cheeky woolly mammoth paintings and Whitney Houston on blast. The inevitable suits gather by the bar, but a more mixed crowd can be found munching burgers and sipping cocktails among hanging plants, framed vintage photos and faux-marble wallpaper in the sitting area. It may not exude the luxe grandiosity that F.W. Woolworth envisioned for his skyscraper, but it certainly gives his vision a rollicking run for its money. ORDER THIS: The cocktail menu by Eryn Reece (Death & Co.) is divided into two sections: Old Souls and New Editions ($15), with the former riffing on early-20th-century drinks and the latter comprising modern quaffs. Of the New Editions, the vodka-based Icelandic Pop evokes none of its frosty name, instead manifesting as a rich, bittersweet twist on a tropical drink with aquavit, raspberry syrup and ginger. Twisting the Lion’s Tail, a 1930s...

Leather banquettes, stained glass, brass rails and mirrored walls make Suspenders a Cheers facsimile. It’s just as comforting and yes, maybe a tad melancholy, with regular-folk patrons and staff to match.

In the perplexing Bermuda Triangle of Wall Street, it can seem as if no fun is to be had. Not so: Business types and locals alike unwind over 20-ounce pints of Bass and oysters at Ulysses. The enormous Irish tavern eschews the usual Guinness-and-shamrock shtick with a vast selection of specialty beers, and snug nooks along the 130-foot oblong-shaped bar where you can better get to know your favorite coworker.