Bars near the Statue of Liberty

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. 

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.

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.

  A cocktail bar in the Financial District.

Bouncing back from Hurricane Sandy, Abraham Merchant (Merchant Rivers House) unveiled a beer-focused waterfront bar on the restored Pier 15. On offer are sea-inspired bar bites like lobster rolls, fish-and-chips, crab cakes and shrimp cocktail with heirloom tomato gazpacho. Sip local craft beers like Bluepoint on red bar stools as you watch sports games on seven flatscreens or, better yet, take in scenic skyline views through the floor-to-ceiling windows. During the day, the bar also doles out cones of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt, fit for indulging your inner kid as you soak up rays on the outdoor deck.

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.

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...

The Moxy’s Recreation is the tucked-in polo shirt of bars. It’s not our style—both sartorially and venue-wise—but there was a large crowd that certainly seemed to be enjoying it on the weeknight when we went, so if that’s your look, then go for it, sport. Inside the Financial District hotel, elevator doors open to a 5,000-square-foot area that, during bankers’ hours, is a communal workspace, but by happy hour it becomes a bar and the preferred fuel changes from coffee to cocktails. The intent was to make Recreation feel like “the ultimate living room for the neighborhood,” with shuffleboard, Skee-Ball and Ms. Pac-Man in digs hugged by warm wood and throwback, yellowish lighting. That sounds good on paper—and looks great in photos—but, in person, it felt as if Refinery29 Rooms had built a 30th facade called “Cool-Guy Man Cave” and dropped it in Manhattan. The on-tap cocktails and shared plates do have the going-over-to-a-friend’s-house-to-watch-the-game vibe—that is, if your friend is adept at mixing a pitcher of margaritas (note, however: there are no TVs at Recreation). Curiously, even though the cocktails were premade, the service crawled, but the snacks were dad-on-Pinterest-level cute: We are now adding the everything-bagel–inspired flatbread and the chicken-and-waffles on a stick to our Super Bowl menu. In a room off the bar sits a slick, single-hoop basketball court. A private holiday party was underway—the space is open to the public, when not rented—but we crashed...

Bartender Jeremy Strawn (the Mulberry Project) mixes literary-themed cocktails at this plush Battery Park City lounge. The rye-and-amaro based Moveable Feast nods to Hemingway, while the Finishing Touches—which features absinthe, maple bitters and roasted pecans—references author Jean Kerr, who wrote a novel by that name. A small menu of plates tends toward the decadent: A surf-and-turf burger is made with American Wagyu beef, while the mac and cheese is studded with truffles.

At this bi-level beer hall, servers have donned traditional lederhosen and dirndls for lugging pints of German beers like Schofferhofer Grapefruit and Hofbräu Dunkel. To soak up the suds, find Deutsch bites like jagerschnitzel and sausages. The wooden bar was imported from German town Erding, and there is a 70-seat outdoor space for warm-weather boozing.