Bars near the Statue of Liberty

The Dead Rabbit

At this time-capsule FiDi nook, you can drink like a boss—Boss Tweed, that is. In a redbrick landmark, Belfast bar vets Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry (of Northern Ireland’s acclaimed Merchant Hotel) have conjured up a rough-and-tumble 19th-century tavern. And it’s just the kind of saloon that the bare-knuckle Five Points gang the joint’s named after (its emblem was a dead rabbit impaled on a spike) would have frequented. DRINK THIS: Resurrecting long-forgotten quaffs is nothing new in Gotham, but the Dead Rabbit’s sheer breadth of throwback libations eclipses the competition. Spanning 100-some-odd bishops, fixes, nogs and smashes, the bar squarely hits many of these mid-1800s hallmarks. The Byrrh Wine Daisy ($14), era-appropriate in its china teacup with mustache guard, is particularly well wrought: Puckery rhubarb soda, raspberry eau-de-vie and fresh citrus amp up the fruit-forward Byrrh, while bitter Amaro CiaCiaro and piney angelica tinctures squelch any overt sweetness. Some drinks are less successful in their reincarnations (the Tween Deck is a flat mix of Jamaican rum, Sixpoint cask-conditioned ale, lime sherbet and allspice), but the whopping list holds plenty of sure-footed sips alongside the missteps. GOOD FOR: A working-class drink—though that working class is now buttoned-down bankers instead of roughneck Irish dockhands. McGarry and Muldoon liberate the cocktail from its blue-blood trappings. The snug, sawdust-strewn first floor is made for pints and whiskey slu

The Iron Horse

Taking cues from Coyote Ugly, this FiDi saloon makes its bartenders the main event. The all-female cast of boozeslingers is known to perform feats of fire-blowing and hula-hooping while serving cheap swill like $2 Rolling Rocks—one of them may even pull you up on to the bar for a dance. A full menu includes typical bar fare, and if you go there on a Sunday, you can enjoy gratis burgers and hot dogs when you purchase a drink.

Bar Seven Five

The gimmick at this glam hotel drinkery is the absence of the bar itself. In place of the traditional format, mixologists man glossy black stations, and patrons are free to mingle among them. The cocktails, like the Perfect Pearl Manhattan (bourbon, sweet and dry vermouth, and Lagavulin Scotch), are updated twists on Prohibition classics. For those who choose not to cluster around the mixing stations, servers with wooden carts—modeled after ones used on 19th-century Pullman cars—roll the drinks directly to you.

Bin No. 220

This sleek Italian-style wine bar, where banker types devour cured meats, cheeses and olive oil, offers refuge from the South Street Seaport tourist scene. Located on historic Front Street, this TONY Eat Out Award winner boasts cast-iron columns, a polished walnut bar and a nifty metal wine rack that showcases the horizontally stowed bottles. Most patrons come for the selection of 60 wines (20 are available by the glass), but a well-stocked bar satisfies those who prefer the hard stuff.

Clinton Hall

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 brews: Huyghe Delirium Tremens, Van Honsebrouck Kasteel Rouge and De Halve Maan Straffe Hendrik Bruges Triple, available in pints, half pints or third pints. A flux capacitorbehind the bar controls the carbonation and temperature of each tap, ensuring that pints are served at an optimal 34 degrees. Pub grub includes Bavarian fare like spaetzle, soft pretzels and house-made brats, such as an all-beef link with pickled tomato relish, and lamb sausage infused with cumin and ginger.

Dakota Roadhouse (CLOSED)

A 54-foot bar and 15 flashing neon beer signs serve as welcome distractions for workforce warriors avoiding the gravitational pull of nearby Wall Street. Six drafts (Yuengling, Stella and Blue Moon among them) make up the beer selection, and pub grub includes Dakota’s signature “cheeseburger fries”—deep-fried Black Angus beef stuffed with cheddar cheese and potatoes. Heading back to the trading floor? Sober up with a free cup of joe on the way out.

Demi Monde (CLOSED)

Cocktail hotshots David Kaplan and Alex Day—respectively co-owner and former bartender of the exemplary Death & Company—transport enlightened tippling to a larger, louder stage with this 120-seat subterranean bar and New American eatery. Ditching the hushed tones and slo-mo stirring of Death & Company, the pair kitted out the glossy dark granite bar for speed with foot-pedal-controlled sinks and four filtered seltzer taps. Festive bubbles are the star of the drinks program—half of the 16 cocktails are effervescent, and the menu offers four house-made sodas (including celery and strawberry-tarragon) and ten sparkling wines. Plunk down on one of the plush gray banquettes and sip the Heads Up, which combines Aperol, acid phosphate, seltzer and a cutting-edge elixir: vermouth blanc is flash-infused with watermelon via a whipped-cream canister. Day, along with head bartender Scott James Teague (Pegu Club), also created a number of sophisticated noncarbonated concoctions, like the Wolf Tone, made with pisco, grappa, elderflower, eucalyptus and bitters. An art installation of knotted ropes made by bondage artist Midori hangs near the oak-and-brass chef's table, where Phillip Kirschen-Clark (Vandaag) will serve a tasting menu. But his inventive booze-friendly small plates—including Negroni-cured oysters and absinthe-pickled eggs—are also available throughout the space. In the coming months, Handsome Coffee Roasters will open a daytime café in the upstairs lobby.

Fresh Salt

Probably the closest thing the seaport has to a Williamsburg vibe, this cozy, nautical-themed spot fosters a robust bar scene. Locals have made it a headquarters, downing suds and fancy cocktails in equal proportions. The raised seating area has rough-hewn pews and comfy booths where you can pick at bar snacks (salads, sandwiches) and get a bird’s-eye view of the evening’s shenanigans.

Growler Bites & Brews

At this canine-themed tavern, the word growler refers to both jugs of beers and bellowing pups. Dog-lovers can bring their pets to the oak-paneled spot—which features antique prints of dogs and an outdoor patio—and choose from 20 American craft suds (Sixpoint, Allagash). To eat, find hot dogs from Mile End and sausages from Salumeria Biellese in pretzel brioche buns, plus fried pickles and sandwiches.

The Institute of Culinary Education

This educational center offers recreational cooking and baking classes, as well as courses covering wine and spirits.

The Irish American

The owner of Liam's and Dark Horse is behind this Irish pub. Choose from 30 draft beers and comfort-food plates, like shepherd's pie and Jameson-chipotle buffalo wings.

Jeremy’s Ale House

It’s happy hour in reverse: Jeremy’s 8 to 10am “eye opener” is just the ticket for day traders seeking liquid assets. The deal offers 32-ounce Styrofoam buckets of Coors for just $5. After work, you’ll find off-the-clock Wall Streeters and hard hats comfortably sharing the bar. Join them to nibble crispy fried clams while catching up on the game, broadcast on five televisions.

Keg 229

Keg No. 229 (CLOSED)

Set back from the foot traffic of touristy South Street Seaport, this sleek watering hole is a beer lover’s retort to the grapecentric Bin No. 220 across the road. Thankfully, the fancy wallpaper and reclaimed-wood tables doesn’t translate to inflated prices—most selections from the East Coast–leaning draft lineup (Flying Dog, Southern Tier) are fairly pegged at $6 each, while well-chosen craft cans (Oskar Blues Old Chub, 21st Amendment Back in Black) go for $5. It’s all rather civilized, until you find yourself at one of the four pour-your-own stations in the back—high-top tables with two beer taps that allow you to top off freely and track your consumption via an LED screen. With a chalk leaderboard glorifying the biggest boozers, it's tough to avoid to urge to go for broke.

Les Halles (CLOSED)

The downtown location of Anthony Bourdain’s famed brasserie supplies virtually the only energy in a neighborhood where nightfall brings urban tumbleweeds. Weekday lunch and happy hour hum, but the long bar maintains its buoyancy on evenings and weekends. All the bistro standards—affordable French wines, tasty steak frites—are served in an airy, mirrored space that feels like Paris without the cigarette smoke.

The Libertine (CLOSED)

Packed with hangdog bankers, Todd English’s mediocre gastropub restaurant is a clichéd finance man’s haunt. While the pub pie, featuring a harissa-laced crust and fork-tender lamb, was simple and satisfying, other dishes felt like overkill. The signature burger was hyperaccessorized with too many toppings, and fried “carpetbagger” oysters would have been fine without the extraneous addition of raw beef. Regressive recession indulgences rule the dessert menu—see the very McDonald’s fried apple turnover—and not in a good way.