The Cocktail Crossover

Just as bar eats have gotten a big upgrade at restaurants, so too have craft cocktails—and consuming great ones no longer requires a visit to a dedicated watering hole. Marked by house-made bitters and syrups, inventive nods to classic recipes, and fun uses for liqueurs once regarded as fusty (sherry, we’re looking at you), some of the finest drinks in the city no longer require a barstool. Here, a taxonomic breakdown of our new age in quaffing.

THE 2.0 MANHATTAN

(Spinoffs likely reference a city, town, or neighborhood.)

The Somerville from Clio comprises eight drops of port essence, breckenridge bourbon, dolin sweet Vermouth, and a luxardo cherry. (Photographs by Bruce Peterson. Food Styling by Rowena Day/Ennis.)

Clio
The Somerville

Clio’s Todd Maul gives the standard Manhattan a twist with a few drops of port “essence”—derived from his in-house rotary evaporator—in lieu of bitters. It’s a tiny tweak that gives the classic drink a refreshingly mellow finish.

Bergamot
Le Québécois

Rye, Dolin dry vermouth, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino.

Spoke
The Red Hook

Rye, Punt e Mes, Luxardo Maraschino, Luxardo cherry.

THE SHERRY COCKTAIL

(An underused elixir gets new life.)

Hungry Mother
The Geneva Convention

Manzanilla sherry, Old Fitzgerald bonded bourbon, green Chartreuse, Gran Classico.

Craigie on Main
The Grand Tour 

Amontillado sherry, Herradura Reposado tequila, pineapple, lime.

West Bridge
Queen’s Holiday

Oloroso sherry, Pimms, Licor 43, lemon.

Central Kitchen
Come Dancing!

Amontillado sherry, Ford’s gin, Dolin Blanc vermouth, grapefruit, bitters.

INFUSED SPIRITS

(Pineapple-addled vodka evolves.)

Shojo
Tang Yin’s Plum

Salty-plum-infused rice wine, Cabeza tequila, almond syrup, lime.

The Gallows
Brazen Bull

Jalapeño-and-Scotch-bonnet-pepper-infused vodka, lime.

Erbaluce
Pierrot

Sunflower-infused “gin,” lemon, honey, house vermouth.

Ten Tables J.P.
Champs-Elysées

Oolong-steeped cognac, green Chartreuse, bitters, lemon.