The Best Cocktails in New York

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It — The Best Cocktails in New York

Host: Tiffany Hansen (in for Alison Stewart)
Guest: Becky Hughes, Food Editor at The New York Times
Date: December 4, 2025

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Overview

This episode of All Of It dives into New York City’s vibrant cocktail culture, guided by Becky Hughes, co-author of the New York Times article “Manhattans in Brooklyn and 25 Must-Try Cocktails in New York City.” The show explores how cocktails reflect the city’s neighborhoods, history, and inventiveness, just in time for the holiday season. Listeners call in and text to share their own cocktail picks and spot recommendations across the five boroughs, providing a lively, communal map of NYC’s best drinks.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Story Behind the Cocktail List

• How the List Came About

  • The list was conceived during casual brainstorming at The Times, quickly becoming “so obvious” as an idea for the winter season (01:22).
  • Contributors pitched cocktails that personally resonated or reflected New York’s identity.

• Methodology

  • Cocktails were grouped by type: martinis, easy drinkers, wild cards, new and old classics (02:32).
  • Emphasis on both personal favorites and those that define a neighborhood or era.

Categories of Cocktails (03:04)

• Martinis:
  • Classic, strong, cold.
• Easy Drinkers:
  • Lighter, less boozy, nuanced, “goes down easier” (02:41).
• Wild Cards:
  • Inventive, outside the usual categories, representing unique sides of NYC (03:06).
• New & Old Classics:
  • Self-explanatory; the hard-hitters and tried-and-true drinks.

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Deep Dive: The Ubiquitous Martini

• The Frozen Glass Trick

  • Becky praises the move (done at Hillstone/Houston’s) of transferring martinis to a frozen glass halfway through:

    “At that moment when you start getting like, ugh, I’ve been looking at this for too long... it’s like getting a fresh one. And then the excitement starts all over.” (03:50–04:12)

• Perfect Martini Criteria

  • Needs to be ice cold, served in a V-shaped glass, and preferably with a sidecar from the shaker.

    “I don’t like a martini in a coupe. I want it in a V-shaped martini glass... And I love when there’s a sidecar with the extra from the shaker.” (04:31–05:05)

• Unusual Martinis

  • Instagram drinks with “frozen rosemary,” “cranberries,” and even “edible glitter” elicit both humor and horror.
  • Outlandish examples:
    • Cream of mushroom soup martini (garnished with a green bean).
    • Caprese martini at Jackson Bond: basil, olive oil, tomato vodka, balsamic.
    • Chicken soup martini with a bouillon base.

    “Pickle is really common ... people are just going as savory as they possibly can.” (06:15)

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Community Picks & Listener Highlights

Caller Recommendations

• Best Cosmopolitan:

  • Michael recommends Michael’s Restaurant on West 55th (“the most incredible cosmopolitanfall cocktail I've had anywhere in the country,” 08:51–09:23).

• Rose Gold at Blinky’s Bar (Brooklyn):

  • Dorothy Parker’s Gin, rosemary, bitters, lemon juice—“crisp and refreshing” (11:14–11:50).

• Poquito Bar (Brooklyn):

  • Dre makes a “green bean spicy pickle brine” dirty martini (17:05–17:31).

• Radio Star (Brooklyn):

  • Hibiscus cosmos, “froth it up nicely low on the ice” (17:57–18:13).

• Amor y Amargo (East Village):

  • Known for a wide variety of bitters; “just tell them what profile you like... they’ll just make it on the spot” (18:48–19:14).

• Nonna Dora’s (Tribeca):

  • Elope with Me: prosciutto-washed gin, housemade cantaloupe cordial, basil—“sweet with just a little bit of salty” (19:57–20:15).

Notable Picks from Becky & The NYT List

• Bemelmans Bar (Upper East Side):

  “I do think Bemelmans is the most beautiful room that you can drink a martini in... makes you feel okay paying over $35 for a martini.” (12:05–12:31)

• King Cole Bar (St. Regis Hotel):

  • Famous for the “Red Snapper” (origin story of the Bloody Mary in the US)—classic garnish is “lemon wedge. Very civilized” (20:47–21:47).

• Katz’s Deli-Inspired Martini at The View (Midtown):

  • Gin fat-washed with beef tallow, aquavit (caraway/dill), pickle garnish; “really does kind of taste like pastrami and rye bread” (14:10–14:58).

• Bar Pisellino (West Village):

  • Aperol Spritz on tap—super carbonated, served with great olives (23:18–23:53).

• Winnie’s (Harlem):

  • S’mores Espresso Martini.

• Skinny Dennis, Brooklyn ("Willie’s Frozen Coffee”):

  • Slushy, whiskey-forward, topped with coffee grounds, Greek coffee cup presentation (25:32–26:32).

Callers on Glassware

• Alan in New Canaan:
  • “The most important part is actually the glass you use... My favorite current glass is the Verve. It’s a martini type shape, but on a very thick, short base.” (26:39–27:40)

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Cocktail Trends & Observations

• Martini Mania:
  • There’s a “martini for everything” trend—sometimes by name or glass, not always by recipe.

    “The implication of the word martini is that it’s gonna be like a strong drink… and it feels festive to say the word martini.” (24:37–24:56)

• Savory/Snack-Inspired Drinks:
  • Pastrami-washed gin, prosciutto-washed gin, and even bullshot (vodka + beef bouillon): New York’s savory drink palette is broad and bold.

    “I have been seeing that at a couple bars... Not just a gag!” (10:54–11:08)

• Bitters and Customization:
  • At cocktail bars, trust the bartender. Places like Amor y Amargo are expert-led and happy to experiment based on your flavor preferences.

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Memorable Quotes & Fun Moments

• On Cocktail Trends Running Wild:

  “The Martini has lost its mind.” —Becky Hughes (06:15)

• On the Magic of Bemelmans Bar:

  “It’s sort of a room that feels like a martini itself.” —Becky Hughes (12:05)

• On Drink Garnishes Getting Out of Hand:

  “If you want to order food, you should just do that and make that choice.” —Becky Hughes on over-the-top Bloody Marys (21:34)

• On Staying a Classicist, But Being Surprised:

  “[Sour cream and onion martini] really does taste like it’s billed... I was really surprised how much I like it.” (10:29–10:41)

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Noteworthy Timestamps

• The list’s origin and methodology: 01:22–03:17
• Defining martini perfection: 03:39–05:05
• Wild martini variations: 05:35–06:53
• Listener picks begin (Cosmopolitan): 08:45–09:53
• Bemelmans Bar discussion: 12:03–12:54
• Bloody Mary/Red Snapper origin: 20:47–21:18
• Bitters at Amor y Amargo: 18:48–19:45
• Aperol Spritz at Bar Pisellino: 23:13–23:53
• Skinny Dennis—Frozen Coffee: 25:32–26:32
• Closing, “Super Bueno” roasted corn sour recommendation: 28:07–28:58

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Final Recommendations

For the upcoming weekend, Becky’s top pick:

• Super Bueno (East Village)
  • Roasted Corn Sour — A whiskey sour infused with corn at every stage, garnished with charred corn husk powder (28:07–28:58).

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The Episode’s Flavor

This episode is equal parts nostalgia, trend-spotting, and genuine reverence for the art of the drink. Becky Hughes and the listeners reveal that New York’s best cocktails are as much about the ambience, history, and quirks of city bars as the drinks themselves. Whether you’re hunting a classic martini, an esoteric savory concoction, or simply the best room to take it all in, this episode is an excellent guide to festive sipping in NYC.

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“You’re paying to be in the room. Really. And you do get free snacks.” —Becky Hughes, on the high price of a Bemelmans martini (13:17)

Transcript

[Caller]

Foreign.

[Tiffany Hansen]

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Tiffany Hansen in for Alison Stewart. Well, last hour we talked about holiday party tips. We got a tour of New York, and now we're sort of combining the two in a sense. We have a guide to New York's best cocktails for when you feel like hitting the town. Here for a little holiday festivity, the New York Times put together a list called Manhattan's in Brooklyn and and 25 must try cocktails in New York City. With us now is one of the co authors, Becky Hughes. And we're going to take your calls. Hi, Becky. Hi, listeners. Join us. What's your favorite place to get a cocktail here in New York? Any burrow, for that matter? You can shout out your favorite spot. What do you like to get there? You can call us, you can text us. 212-433-9692. We're talking cocktails, Becky. Before that, let's just talk about this list that you curated. You have it divided into groups. But before we talk about those groups, I just want to talk about your methodology in general because, like, I'm imagining you going and saying, and pitching people at the Times and saying, I'm gonna go drink at every bar in New York City and tell people what the best drinks are. Was it really that simple or.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, it's a pretty great job when you think about it. I was talking with my editor and we were, we were just kind of spitballing, and I think we were talking more socially and we were like, oh, you know, it'd be fun to do a cocktail list at some point. And then we sort of looked at each other and we were like, that is so obvious. I can't believe we didn't think of it sooner. And it feels really appropriate for the season because this is kind of, you know, we're all like, hibernating. We need something to live for and to go outside for. And so it just became really obvious that we should do this. We kind of brain dumped our ideas with the other people that contributed to the list. Everyone just wrote off the top of their head the cocktails.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I love the blah at this place.

[Becky Hughes]

Both cocktails we loved and then cocktails that we felt represented New York in a specific way. Something that felt, you know, like it represented a sphere of New York or a neighborhood or some piece of New York history. So once we dumped all of those in there, then we broke them out into categories and sort of everyone picked their cocktails based on what they were most familiar with what they were most excited about. And then we all kind of split and got to the fun part.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So there is a method to the madness. The groups, you have them grouped by. In this article, you have martinis, easy drinkers, the wild cards, and new and old classics. Did I get that right?

[Becky Hughes]

I think that's right.

[Tiffany Hansen]

So I think martinis pretty self explanatory. Easy drinkers. You mean like stuff that's just. Do you mean sweet necessarily or.

[Becky Hughes]

I think most of the cocktails on this list wouldn't be called sweet. Sweet is kind of, you know, it's like a bad word when it comes to cocktails. People just. No one ever identifies as wanting a sweet drink. But these are cocktails that are either like lighter or just less boozy than a martini. Something that doesn't really like smack you across the face, feels more like a mixed drink that is like nuanced and goes down easier.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Wild cards are kind of like the crazy things.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, they're kind of drinks that represent New York in different ways. But don't fall into the category of a martini or like it's not a riff on an old fashioned. They're kind of more inventive than that.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Got it. Well, let's. And then I'm assuming new and old classics. That's pretty self explanatory as well.

Let's talk about martinis, because you do spend quite a bit of time on it. And you write that the best martini is usually the coldest one that can be in your hand the fastest.

What is it about a cold martini that just makes it like. There's something about when the martini has been sitting there for a while and it's all kind of like room temperature and you're just. Okay, it's really lost its luster.

[Becky Hughes]

You know what I think is such a nice touch? And they do this at the Hillstone and Houston's restaurant chain. And they do it at a lot of much nicer places. When halfway through your martini, they take it and they transfer it into a frozen glass. So at that moment when you start getting like, ugh, I've been looking at this for too long. It's kind of getting tepid. I'm over it right then it's like getting a fresh one. And then the excitement starts all over.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Genius, actually.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. Such a nice touch.

[Tiffany Hansen]

What are the criteria for a good martini? I mean, there are so many versions right now, but if we're just stripping it back to kind of like the basics so we have the temperature right. Like it needs to Be cold, Ice cold.

[Becky Hughes]

A glass, a perfect glass. Like the glassware, I think makes a big difference to me. I want to drink out of a really class. I don't like a martini in a coupe. I don't want it in a Nick and Nora glass. I want it in a V shaped martini glass. That's my specific need. And then, yeah, I want a glass that's very light and tall and makes me feel like I'm kind of fancily drinking a martini. And I love when there's a sidecar with the extra from the shaker. My parents call it the extra. So when it comes with the extra over ice, that's the best.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Any strange martinis you won't try? So I'm, you know, Instagram, my Instagram feed is now full of like there's, you know, this holiday drink that everybody's putting the frozen rosemary in to make it look like a tree. And then like the little cranberries and all of the little white dust and the edible glitter is in all of the. All that stuff. I was horrified, Horrified, I tell you, by the martinis that were showing up right before Thanksgiving.

[Becky Hughes]

Oh, I'm afraid I know where this is going.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Cream of mushroom soup.

I kid you not. And then the garnish on it was a green bean and then the other one was. I think it was creamed corn.

[Becky Hughes]

Oh, no. Yeah, that's disturbed.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Hey, if you love it, great, go for it.

[Becky Hughes]

Everyone should stick with it.

[Tiffany Hansen]

But everyone do what they want. But I'm just right. Except if it's that are there. Obviously. I feel like the cream of mushroom soup is probably over the line for you. Are there others that you won't. Maybe a little more common. Everybody loves the pickle thing now.

[Becky Hughes]

Pickle is really common. I wrote a story a couple years ago, I think we called it the Martini has lost its mind about how these martini combinations are getting out of control and people are just going as savory as they possibly can. So I tried a lot of interesting ones for that story. Like a Caprese martini at Jackson Bond, which had. It was like a Caprese salad. So it had. What's the name?

[Tiffany Hansen]

Mozzarella. Basil.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, basil, olive oil, tomato infused vodka, balsamic vinegar. And it was kind of quite sweet from the tomato and the balsamic. That was not what I was expecting it to be and I was.

Not totally moved by it, but I'll try anything. And I like the idea of getting really, really savory with it. I think when I'm expecting A dirty martini to be really dirty. I want it. There's one that I wrote about in this story which I didn't try because someone on the Internet made. It was a chicken soup martini that's made with like a chicken bouillon kind of mixture. And it's like intensely savory, chickeny, sort of a stock base. And that sounded amazing to me. Did you try it? No.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay. I think I'll pass on that. We have a text here that says Tuker Alley in Prospect Heights. The house cocktail is Evening Falls gin and lavender. That sounds lovely.

[Becky Hughes]

That does.

[Tiffany Hansen]

We're talking cocktails and some of the best cocktails around the five boroughs for these holiday festivities that we have coming up. If you're headed out and about and looking for a good cocktail, the New York Times has put together a list called Manhattan's in Brooklyn and 25 must try cocktails around New York City. We're talking with one of the co authors, Becky Hughes, and we want you in this conversation, of course. What kind of cocktail do you like to get when you're out and about? Any burrow? Shout out your favorite spot. What do you like to get when you go there? You can call us, you can text us at 212-433-9692. We're talking martinis, Becky. You know, it's gin, vodka, discuss.

[Becky Hughes]

I see. I actually, I'm. I do dry gin with a twist, and I like it with Hendrix. And I have one exception, which is when I go to my local bar, which is Finelli Cafe, I always have a dirty vodka. I don't know why I've, like, associated a specific type of martini with going there. And now I can never change it. And everywhere else I'm consistent.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I like it. All right, let's bring Michael into the conversation. Michael in Manhattan. Good afternoon.

[Caller]

Good afternoon. I like traditional drinks and I love cosmopolitans. And I have sort of made it a study going about the city, trying to find the best one. And rather by accident, I went to Michael's restaurant on West 55th street and had the most incredible cosmopolitanfall cocktail I've had anywhere in the country.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Michael.

[Caller]

Incredible. They're invariably too sweet or taste like they come from a mix. But not at Michael's.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I love it. And Michael, presumably you're not Michael of Michael's restaurant.

[Caller]

I only wish because then I could enjoy them every day. But no.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Love the suggestion.

[Caller]

I live in Harlem and so it's a long way from me, so I don't get to go there as often as I'D like to.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Well, thank you so much for the suggestion. A good Cosmo. Any other good suggestions there, Becky?

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, I think Michael's is the perfect place to be drinking a Cosmo. I love that suggestion. I also, I think the one we wrote about in the story is at Long Island Bar, which is where the bar owner invented the modern Cosmo at the Odeon and now works at. I'm pretty sure I have this right. Someone's going to fact check me. Of course, now works at Long Island Bar, and that one is just phenomenal. And the one at the Odeon is lovely. And at any sort of, like, classic Manhattan institution, I feel like you get a great one.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Good recommendation here. Perhaps the sour cream and onion martini at corner store says a texture.

[Becky Hughes]

Have you had that? I've had that, yeah. And it really does taste like it's billed. It's lovely. I actually was really surprised to find how much I like it, given that I am kind of a classicist about these things.

[Tiffany Hansen]

My German. Here's another text. My German grandmother used to like to stump the bartenders by ordering a. Oh, yeah. They never knew what that was, and she'd happily tell them that it was vodka with beef bullion. Wow.

[Becky Hughes]

I actually have been seeing that at a couple bars recently, I think. Oh, I don't want to say the bullshot's gonna have a moment, but there's a new bar on the Bowery that's serving it on the menu, and I have seen people ordering it there. It's not just a gag.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, Becky, let's bring Monk in Brooklyn into the conversation. Hello.

[Caller]

Hi. How's it going?

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right.

[Caller]

Yeah, I know of a bar in Brooklyn called Blinky's Bar. It's been there since 2020. And they had this amazing drink called the Rose Gold, which is basically Dorothy Parker's Gin, which is actually distilled right around the corner from there, as well as some rosemary, bitters, lemon juice, and I'm sure some other delicious things, but it's just crisp and refreshing, and it's. It's incredible. And I just wanted to shout out, shout out Blinky's Bar.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Love it. All right, thanks, Monk. So that's the Rose Gold at Blinkies. One of the places on your list, Becky, for Martini, is on the Upper east side at Bemelman's.

[Becky Hughes]

Why?

[Tiffany Hansen]

Why is that one of your picks?

[Becky Hughes]

Well, as I wrote in the story, I. It's so impossible to say where the best martini is, but. But I do think Bemelman's is the most Beautiful room that you can drink a martini in. And it's sort of a room that feels like a martini itself. It's beautiful. Gold everywhere, live jazz music. And it's covered in these murals from the 1940s painted by Ludwig Bemelmann. And it's just a room that makes you feel okay paying over 30. $35 for a martini.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah. There is something about the hotel bar because you had another one on your list here, I guess. Oh, I guess it was King Cole Bar.

[Becky Hughes]

Yes. Another gorgeous bar with a gorgeous mural.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Back to Bemelman's though. They have a whole list of martinis that they. Which one did you pick for your list?

[Becky Hughes]

I think I wrote that. It's just whatever. How would you pick your martini?

[Tiffany Hansen]

I mean, I noticed there's one like Elaine's Smoke show. I was poking around their list. Madeline's Martini. We were talking about the gin vodka debate. That's a mix of gin and vodka, huh? And yeah, like you said though, the. We're talking $30 minimum for a drink. But you know, at a place like that, you kind of expect it. Right. And it's kind of then an outing.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. And you're paying to be in the room. Really. And you're paying for live music and you do get free snacks that they refill. So I don't know. I guess that's. You gotta balance.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Oh, we have more. We have more bullshot people chiming in here. A good bullshot contains a bit of tomato juice too. Wow. Okay. And also, please say where your guest article is. I shall. It is in the New York Times. The article is called Manhattan's in Brooklyn and 25 must try cocktails in New York City. The co author with us here is Becky Hughes. We're talking about the best cocktails in and around the five boroughs. I'm wondering about Katz's Martini. We're talking about kind of strange martinis. This as at the View.

Is this enough to get me to go to midtown?

[Becky Hughes]

I'm really loving the View. I think it's phenomenal. It's the restaurant at the top of the Marriott in Times Square and it spins, which is sort of a gimmick and maybe is not necessary because it is just a fabulous bar on its own. And some of the cocktails on the menu are inspired by beloved New York dishes. Dishes. So there's one that's inspired by the Magnolia Bakery banana pudding. And then there's one that I love that's a Katz's Deli inspired martini where they gin wash or they fat wash the gin with beef tallow and then they put aquavit in it to make a wet martini. And Aquavit has that like caraway and dill flavor. And then they garnish it with a pickle so it really does kind of taste like pastrami and rye bread. And also like a really strong, lovely drink.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Not sure that'll get me to midtown, but it was a good effort.

[Becky Hughes]

Fair enough.

[Tiffany Hansen]

A couple of texts here before we take a quick break. I love the five lamps on York on the Upper east side. Great atmosphere, good staff. My favorite drink is the bramble gin BlackBerry lemon juice. Also, the Blue dog on West 50th does a riff on the French 75. We are talking about cocktails for this holiday season with Becky Hughes. The article we're discussing is the New York Times has put together this list called Manhattan's in Brooklyn. 25 must try cocktails in New York City. We're looking for you to join the conversation. What's your favorite cocktail? You can call us, you can text us, 212-433-9692. We'll get to those calls right after this quick break. This is all of it. I'm Tiffany Hansen in for Alison Stewart. Don't go anywhere.

This is all of it on wnyc. I'm Tiffany Hansen in Allison Stewart Today. And we're talking holiday cocktails. Well, not specifically holiday cocktails. Cocktails to enjoy around the holidays. We're talking with Becky Hughes, who's an editor at New York Times Food. We're talking about the article in the Times, Manhattan's in Brooklyn. 25 must try cocktails in New York City. Becky, we have a couple of great texts here. I always start off the holiday season with the classic whiskey sour at Gallagher's Steakhouse. Lovely. Let's see. Oh, there was another one here. A mai tai. Gorgeous French Quarter style escapism and stunning cocktails at Maison Premiere in Brooklyn.

So lots of people have a little tradition around these cocktails in the holiday season.

Let's. Becky, bring Andres in Brooklyn into the conversation with us. Good afternoon, Andres.

Hello.

[Caller]

Hi there. Hi.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah. You have a good suggestion for us?

[Caller]

Oh, yeah. I'd love it if you could come over to Poquito Bar. We're on the South 4th street between Bedford and Drake's. We've been here for 10 years. It's a small, small little bar. Yeah, we kind of call it our little clubhouse. But we have great martinis and I'll always highlight the dirty. We call it the dirty. Everybody calls Me, Dre. I make the green bean spicy pickle brine for this martini, and you can ask for it with gin or vodka.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Got it. All right, that's Poquito Bar in Brooklyn. Green beans, but not necessarily as green bean forward, I think, as the. As the other one we were talking about. Becky. All right, let's just go ahead and bring another caller into the conversation. How about Jane?

Hi, there. Can you hear me? We can hear you.

[Caller]

Great.

[Becky Hughes]

Thanks for having me on. My favorite cocktail right now is at.

[Caller]

Radio Star, right near Transmitter park. Wnyc Good Friends. It's a hibiscus cosmos. They froth it up really nicely low.

[Tiffany Hansen]

On the ice, and they serve it.

[Caller]

Up in a nice champagne glass, and it is delicious.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Jane. Thank you, Becky. Another Cosmo.

[Becky Hughes]

People are talking about Cosmos.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I guess I thought it was kind of like a 90s thing, but I guess they're back.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. You know, the espresso martini was back a few years ago. The Cosmo was sort of in its footsteps. And you know what? Lately, I've been really liking to have a Cosmo, but with Mezcal instead of vodka.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay.

[Becky Hughes]

And most places that do a great Mezcal is smoky. Smoky. Yeah, you have to, like, smoke. Add a little bit of a sort of nice smoky warmth to the classic.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, Olivia in Queens joining our conversation. Hi, Olivia.

[Becky Hughes]

Hi. My favorite spot is Amore. I am Margo. It's been there for ages. They recently moved back into their old spot and renovated it. But Southard Teague makes amazing cocktails. It focuses on bitters, so if you need bitters, that's the spot to go. They do a fantastic Angostura highball. But if you're not sure what to get, just tell them what profile you like and bitters and alcohol, and they'll just make it on the spot.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Thank you, Olivia, for that suggestion. Becky, as somebody who really doesn't know much about bitters, there. There are a lot of different varieties. And if you don't know, if you're a novice like me and you don't know what you're asking for, if you. If somebody asks you, like, what kind of bitters you want in something, I don't know, what do you say?

[Becky Hughes]

I. You know, Amorani Margot is a perfect place for this because these are people who are, like, experts and bidders and know everything about it. And I've gone there and.

[Tiffany Hansen]

And where is that?

[Becky Hughes]

It's in the East Village.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah.

[Becky Hughes]

I think on East 6. I've gone in there and said, I don't know anything. About anything when it comes to bitters. And, like, you can really get a lesson there. It's lovely.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I love it. All right, I say the name of that again.

[Becky Hughes]

Amore I am Margot.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Amore I am Margo. All right, text here. My favorite cocktail in New York City is the Elope with me at Nonna Dora's in Tribeca. It's a prosciutto washed gin house made cantaloupe cordial with basil sweet with just a little bit of salty.

Wait, not can't prosciutto wash gin. So basically it like, soaks the gin for a while.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Is that what we're doing?

[Becky Hughes]

All right. You know, I can't say anything bad about it because I was just writing really hard for the pastrami wash. Yeah, you were.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yes, you were.

[Becky Hughes]

So who am I to poo poo this? Who are you to poo poo that? I'll give it a shot.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, let's try to get off martinis here a little bit and talk about Bloody Mary's at the King Cole Bar. We mentioned that, you know, sitting in a grand bar, you know, at the St. Regis on the east side, they have the Red Snapper that you wrote about. So tell us about that.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. So the lore is that the Bloody Mary, which was created in France, actually, in the 1930s, the creator of the Bloody Mary introduced it to the bar. They loved it, and they wanted to put it on the menu, but the name was a bit too edgy. And so they renamed it the Red Snapper. And that's kind of like the first established Bloody Mary type drink. And it's still called the Red Snapper. And it's got all the usual suspects. It's vodka, tomato juice, Worcestershire, celery salt, Tabasco, and it's just a perfect iteration of that.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Help me understand what happened to our collective consciousness that we had to start putting giant, giant things into Bloody Mary's that have stacks of meat, usually lots of meat and things. Why are we doing that?

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, at that point, I think if you want to order food, you should just do that and make that choice. But what I do appreciate about the Red Snapper, the King Col bar, is that it's garnished with a lemon wedge. Very civilized.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Oh, I like it. That does seem very similar. Yes. No, the no meat version.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Okay. Becky, let's bring Marlene in Windsor Terrace into the conversation. Hi, Marlene.

Hello. You have a good recommendation?

[Caller]

Yes, I do. For Dutch Hills. That's my son's bar in Long Island City.

[Tiffany Hansen]

What do you like to Drink there, Marlene?

[Caller]

I don't drink, period. But it's a great bar.

And the upstairs has. It's called Debbie. And it's called Debbie because there's a picture of maybe a flamenco.

A dancer. That was my aunt many years ago.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I love it.

[Caller]

That's a little fact.

[Tiffany Hansen]

I love it.

[Caller]

So thank you for publishing.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Absolutely. Thank you, Marlene. Okay. Shout out to the moms, giving props to the kids. We're always there doing our bit. I love it. Let's talk about Bar Picciolino and an Aperol Spritz. Again, for somebody who is kind of a novice when it comes to Aperol spritz, is there only one type of Aperol? Is there only one person, one company that makes an Aperol? I'm not going to have somebody go, but which variety do you want? Which. You know, it's like, you get it, and it is what it is. And what is it? Tell us.

[Becky Hughes]

Aperol is Aperol. It's an operativo and it's an Italian. Yes.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah. And it's mixed. So an Aperol spritz is mixed with that. It's an orange color. Yeah.

[Becky Hughes]

Prosecco Aperol. And then often topped with soda water and usually served with an orange wedge as garnish. And the one at Bar Picciolino is. I mean, I'm a fan of the Aperol Spritz. I feel like it's got a very, you know, it's a time and a place. It's evocative of the summer and sitting outside. And the one they have at Bar Picciolino is on tap, and it's super carbonated, so it comes out, and it's that, like, beautiful tangerine color. It stays really sparkly in the glass. And then they serve it with the most amazing olives I've ever had.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, we have a text here. Kudos to the Aperol Spritz at Bar Pisolino. Then.

We have a text here that says Winnie Said on Amsterdam in Harlem. The cocktail menu is full of beautiful, tempting creations, but I can't resist the S' mores Espresso Martini. Ooh. I mean, it sounds pretty great.

Martinis are very versatile, and they're also kind of everywhere, aren't they? I mean, you could probably do an entire book on all the versions of martinis at all the places in New York City, and still, it would probably be a tome. I don't know.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. I mean, especially when.

[Tiffany Hansen]

What is it about the martinis?

[Becky Hughes]

Any kind of cocktail that, like, whatever the s' mores drink is I feel like probably bears very little resemblance to the martini by definition, but ultimately you serve it in a V shaped glass. And the implication of the word martini is that it's gonna be like a strong drink. Yeah. That you'll be, you know, and it feels festive to say the word martini.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Is it that it's a sort of a good palette to experiment on. I mean, because a true martini is really just the. Either the gin or the vodka and a little bit of vermouth and that's it.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Right. With an olive or a twist of lemon.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah. So most people would say that the cocktails we're talking about are not martinis at all.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Right.

[Becky Hughes]

But I think it's a nice structure for people to understand when they see the word martini on a menu. They know what kind of glass it's going to come in. They know it's going to be served up and not over ice. And they have a sense that it's going to be pretty boozy.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah. So we were talking about a S' mores espresso martini. If we talk about the frozen Willie's frozen Coffee at Skinny Dennis in Brooklyn in Williamsburg. So talk to us about coffee drinks and why you picked this one in particular.

[Becky Hughes]

Yeah, this I love. It's served at a few different bars like Skinny Dennis, Rocka Rolla do or Dive. They're all part of the same bar group. And everyone calls it the coffee thing. I only learned it's real biblical name through this story. But it's a frozen drink. It's a slushy kind of coffee drink and it's got a whiskey floater and it's served in an anthora Greek style coffee cup. And then it's got coffee grounds on top. And it sounds crazy and especially people who know me and what I like to drink. It sounds like something that I would never even look at. But I love it. It's surprisingly balanced. It's really a strong drink and it has like a very whiskey forward flavor. And there's something fun about slurping up those little coffee grounds and kind of munching on them.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, let's talk with Alan in New Canaan, Connecticut. Hi, Alan.

[Caller]

All right, so my favorite drink is actually made at home in my own personal bar. So I can't recommend that to anybody. But it's a vesper, it's spelled V E S P E R.

Basically put together by Edith Fleming for his James Bond series.

Specifically Casino Royale. It's made of 2/3 gin and one third vodka. The gin I use is Hendrix. It has a really nice taste to it. And shaken violently. Not just shaken, not stirred, but violently. But the most important part of it is actually the glass you use. And I have a series of different glasses. They're all bought at Bought, believe it or not, a Crate and Barrel. My favorite current glass is the Verve. It's a martini type shape, but on a very thick, short base. But they have a ton of really interesting martini glasses, including ones that have a shape like the Shot Weasel.

[Tiffany Hansen]

And.

Alan, you sound like quite an aficionado when it comes to cocktails and cocktail glasses. Thank you so much for the call party at Allen's in New Canaan this weekend. So, Becky, last recommendation. It's almost Friday. Folks are thinking about heading out this weekend for a little festivity. What from your list, what do you suggest for this weekend? Something we haven't touched on.

[Becky Hughes]

Okay, let's see. I think if you haven't been to the bar called Super Bueno in the East Village, they have an amazing list of cocktails. And the one that I wrote about for this story is the roasted corn sour. And the idea is that this is kind of a Mexican American cocktail bar. And.

Nacho Jimenez, who makes the drinks there is like, thinks that this is the quintessential Mexican American drink because it's basically a whiskey sour, which feels very American, but it's infused with corn at every different stage. So there's like roasted yellow corn that the whiskey is infused with and that's made into a syrup as well. And then they char the corn husks at the end. And so that's what you see on top of the drink.

[Tiffany Hansen]

It's this, oh, interesting.

[Becky Hughes]

Beautiful dark colored powder on top. And that's charred corn. Husky. So you get basically an experience like every way that you could consume corn through this drink.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right, so say the name of it again and where folks can find it.

[Becky Hughes]

Yes. The bar is called Super Bueno and it's in the East Village.

[Tiffany Hansen]

All right. And we have been talking with Becky Hughes, who is an editor at New York Times Food, talking about Manhattan's in Brooklyn and 25 must try cocktails in New York City. That's the list that the New York Times put together. People, including Becky, put that together. Becky, hey, thanks so much for your time and recommendations.

[Becky Hughes]

Thanks, everyone. EL for the recommendations.

[Tiffany Hansen]

Yeah. Appreciate it.

[Caller]

This is Ira Flato, host of Science Friday. For over 30 years, the science Friday team has been reporting high quality science and technology news, making science fun for curious people by covering everything from the outer reaches of space to the rapidly changing world of AI, to the tiniest microbes in our bodies. Audiences trust our show because they know we're driven by a mission to inform and serve listeners first and first and foremost with important news they won't get anywhere else. And our sponsors benefit from that halo effect. For more information on becoming a sponsor, visit sponsorship.wnyc.org.