Bars near the Statue of Liberty

  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 looks like slumming hipsters will put up with anything to say they’ve been to a “legendary” strip club. That’s the only explanation for the Pussycat’s current vogue. The decor is shabby; the strippers, predictably bored; and the management, unabashed about airing unpleasant prejudices. If you must go, eschew the desperation downstairs in favor of the upstairs lounge. Its wooden beams and vaulted ceiling oddly bring to mind a countryside retreat—now frequented by the prepsters who call the Financial District home.

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. 

Five and Dime NYC is located within the lobby of the iconic Woolworth Building and serves as a coffee bar by day and cocktail hotspot by night. Stop in for happy hour every day from 3-6pm for discounted drinks, with live opera music on Tuesdays from 7-9pm. They also screen original films by local filmmakers—so head to their Instagram for dates and times.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.