Jim Kearns slings customizable cocktails at the Happiest Hour

Choose your booze at this midcentury-minded cocktail haunt from renowned barkeep Jim Kearns (Pegu Club, the NoMad). Kearns starts with seasonal bases (the Link Ray is a play on Cel-Ray soda, made with house-made celery pop and fresh lime), each of which can be spiked with a poison of your picking: jalapeño-kicked tequila, floral gin or sugary rum. “Typically, people have to choose between great drinks at serious mixology bars and a casual time at their local joint,” Kearns says. “We’re targeting both.” At the bi-level lounge, quick cocktail service is key upstairs, while old-school attention to detail is the goal belowground, where martinis are presented with a caddy of accoutrements. “We added touches that you don’t see much of today,” co-owner Jon Neidich says. “It’s fun to bring back the ’50s and ’60s; the optimism, the escapism and, most important, the five o’clock leisure feel.” The dinerlike menu highlights the namesake flattop-griddled burger, with American cheese, confit onions and a relish-based secret sauce. 121 W 10th St at Greenwich Ave (212-243-2827, happiesthournyc.com)