Words by Caroline Spain
New York has long been a mecca for luxury, extravagance, and wealth. Celebrities in couture walking their greyhounds dressed in only the finest brands, twinkling lights in frosty department store windows, and massive skyscrapers decorated in chrome and glass. However, one emblem of class often taken for granted is the classic cocktail- sipped slowly in an amber lit bar. Here is where to order the three most iconic cocktails in New York City.
1. The Old Fashioned
Though the Old Fashioned’s roots are in Louisville, Kentucky… James E. Pepper was kind enough to bring his Kentucky bourbon-based recipe to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City making it our first stop on our aristocratic bar crawl. This hotel is cloaked in history; it was built in 1931 with the intention of servicing New York’s elite. This iconic cocktail consists of whiskey, sugar, Angostura bitters, and mulled lemon and orange peels. Drink yours in one of the beautifully timeless red velvet chairs at the world-renowned Waldorf-Astoria bar.
2. The Manhattan
It doesn’t get more Manhattan than a Manhattan. The cocktail has long been a pillar of New York mixology despite its humble and rather sparse list of ingredients: rye, vermouth, bitters and a maraschino cherry for garnish. The Manhattan has maintained its ere of mystery through the years, rumor has it Winston Churchill’s mother, Lady Randolph Churchill was its original creator. Though this cocktail gained notoriety at The Manhattan Club, the better choice is Keen’s Steakhouse… at least in 2021. The restaurant is filled with dark wood, candles, and old-timey photographs that one might assume are haunted. The ambiance is sexy and subtle just like the cocktail itself.
3. The Martini
As the great American Journalist, H.L Mencken once said, “The Martini is the only American invention as perfect as the sonnet”. We are not going to argue that. The Martini has established itself as a token of sophistication, wealth, and luxury in American pop culture. With its iconic shape and signature status in films such as James Bond, you can’t feel anything but first-class with this drink in your hand. Slowly Shirley on 10th street screams vintage New York with its speakeasy ambiance and timeless cocktails. Their bar is simplistic yet classic similar to its signature drink, the martini.