When the VinePair team isn’t busy working at HQ, we’re in the field doing what we do best: scoping out the best cocktails, wine, and beer in the five boroughs. Here are the cool, current, and flat-out excellent drinks you should try in New York right now, according to our editors.
April has been a month of intense uncertainty so far. From the never-ending back and forth regarding the state of tariffs to the more classic springtime swings between sunshine and rain showers, it’s never clear what each day will bring.
So what’s a team of beverage pros to do when faced with the perpetually unsure future of foreign booze stateside? When toggling between cozying up by a fire and drinking al fresco? We felt a couple rounds of French sparkling wine, Chartreuse-forward cocktails, and glasses of sake were in order.
Here are the best things to drink in NYC this April, according to our editors.
Bijous at Crevette
If any new restaurant in NYC screams spring, it’s Crevette. This bright, sprawling space — located on a buzzy corner of the West Village that used to house Holiday Bar — evokes a chic, candle-lit dinner party on the French Riviera. Seafood is the star here with perfectly constructed bites like the bluefin tuna draped over finely chopped guindilla peppers on a crispy, hash brown-like potato. Fitting the easygoing, coastal theme, most of the cocktails are aperitif-adjacent. Right on the line between quaffable and boozy is the house Bijou, made with tarragon gin, green Chartreuse, and sweet vermouth. Its invigoratingly herbaceous flavor profile helped remind us that there are warmer days ahead.
French Bubbles at Cactus Wren
Cactus Wren is a new neighborhood wine bar on the Lower East Side from the team behind the Michelin-starred tasting menu spot 63 Clinton, which is known for its high-end take on a breakfast taco and overflowing caviar hand rolls artfully constructed on a tableside cart. Despite its more casual atmosphere, Cactus Wren still piles on the caviar with options like a seven-layer bean dip topped with a hearty scoop of fish roe to an aged comte and honey pizza with the option to add a dollop on each slice. And what better to pair with caviar and comte-covered pizzas than bubbles? Cactus Wren offers an incredible selection of sparkling wines by the bottle and a few great picks by the glass as well. We opted for the toasty, nutty Domaine Pignier Brut Nature Crémant du Jura.
A Soft Landing at Bar Kabawa
Bar Kabawa is all about rum. The new wine and Daiquiri bar from the Momofuku team explores the spirit’s range in an extensive menu including at least six different Daiquiri variations, rum-centric riffs on other classic cocktails, and even the option to mix your rum of choice in a whole coconut for two. Though Bar Kabawa’s house Daiquiri, made with a pile of freshly shaved snow ice, is wildly impressive, we’d be remiss not to mention the Soft Landing, bartender Kathryn “Pepper” Stashek’s take on the Air Mail. This version features El Dorado 5-Year Rum, Cava, lemon, and brown butter, which adds a touch of richness to the otherwise light and airy drink. Bubbles from the Cava make it a great pairing for the bar’s fried patties.
Angostura Highball at Amory y Amargo
Just in time to celebrate its 14th anniversary, Amor y Amargo — the East Village shrine to all things bitter — has added a very special Angostura Highball to its menu. Inspired by Chicago’s Best Intentions, Amor y Amargo sources 18-liter vats of the world-famous aromatic bitters, gently carbonating the ingredient to a velvety frizzante texture. Two ounces are poured from the tap into a highball glass over ice, topped with Topo Chico sparkling water, and garnished with a plump orange twist. Come for one of the most unique and compelling highballs in the city — stay for the just-launched Spring 2025 menu, which also includes an on-tap riff on the Americano dubbed the Quiet American.
Wine and Sake at Chambers
If there was one constant this April it was the constant confusion regarding the state of tariffs and the future of foreign booze in the U.S. So why not head to Chambers and let one of the world’s best sommeliers guide you through a number of interesting bottles, even if it might be your last hurrah with European wine or Japanese sake for a while. No matter what the future holds for these products, paying a visit to Pascaline Lepeltier will always lead to exciting new discoveries. On a recent evening sitting at the bar, we fell in love with a rich and aromatic Rumeni Muškat from Slovenia and a fruity, full-bodied sake from Terada Honke made using ancient methods.
Juicy Reds at Liar Liar
The menu at Brooklyn’s newest wine bar only plays the hits — big plates of steak frites, parm-cloaked caesar salads, Martinis, and, of course, a wall filled with bright bottles of natural wine. That’s what’s so great about Liar Liar: You don’t have to overthink the menu. There are only about five dishes to choose from (order them all) and when it comes to wine, it’s all about the easygoing, quaffable bottles. We selected the Les Foulards Rouges “Octobre” off the wine bar’s stacked shelves, and the juicy, medium-bodied blend of Syrah and Cinsault from the south of France was just what we needed to wash down the decadent serving of steak.
Sake and Sour Cocktails at Papa San
Papa San recently opened its doors in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood, and despite the somewhat inconvenient location, it’s well worth the trip for some sake and sour cocktails. As a part of the Llama Group of restaurants — which includes Llama Inn locations in Brooklyn, London, and Madrid, as well as Llama San in the West Village — one can expect the same Peruvian-Japanese influence on both the food and drink menus. A wide range of sakes are on offer, from light and fruity to bitter and umami, with some served cold while others arrive hot. If cocktails are more your speed, don’t miss the Papa Sour, the house take on a Pisco Sour, or the Marxxxtini, a puckering combination of gin, St-Germain, passion fruit, tonka, and sparkling wine.
Skin Art Martini at Thyme Bar
As we were gearing up for VinePair’s recent Martini Madness showdown, some of us took on a few warm-up rounds prior to the main event. As such, we treated ourselves to a visit to Flatiron’s Thyme Bar to get a first look at its new “Identity” spring menu. One of our favorites is bar director Erin Gabriella’s Skin Art Martini, an extra savory take on the 50/50 served at a bracing 4 degrees. Built with Arbikie AK’s Scottish gin, sherry, ginkgo leaf, and orange oil, the drink serves up an herbaceous, slightly oxidative profile with hints of honey, black pepper, and brine without the de facto splash of olive juice we encounter at many other bars around the Big Apple. It’s topped off with salt, pepper, and a cured Chinese ginkgo nut, taking the cocktail’s savory profile to the next level. If you make the trip, be sure to order some of Thyme Bar’s snacks, too, specifically the pretzel nuggets with foie gras mousse and cranberry jam.
