7 Unique Places in NYC for a Drink this Holiday Season
By Rob LeDonne
As gloriously depicted in films like Miracle on 34th Street and Elf, New York City is a wonderous time during the holiday season.
Whether you’re a far-away tourist or Big Apple local, there’s a plentiful array of jolly options to celebrate, and with a drink in hand. Here’s some of the most unique places to get together with friends, family, or go for a solo drink around the city that never sleeps.
From an elegant Italian restaurant to a night out listening to music, magnificent margaritas and everything in between, it’s as Ella Fitzgerlad once sang: “The great big city’s a wondrous toy, just made for a girl and boy. We’ll turn Manhattan into an isle of joy.”
Fasano Baretto
280 Park Ave, New York
Steps away from Midtown, Manhattan Christmas delights like the Rockefeller Center Tree sits this high-class Italian restaurant known for power dinners and authentic cuisine. With a family restaurant history that stretches back to 1902 in northern Italy, the Fasano brand is well known across Latin America. For their New York location (which opened in 2022) spearheaded by family member Geno Fasano, the elegant space is perfect for a special holiday meal and boasts culinary delights ranging from Veal Milanese to lucious burrata. Proving to be a perfect pair, upstairs is Barretto; a tucked-away jazz club which regularly features GRAMMY-winning artists who play classy standards as patrons sip on martinis and wine. It’s dinner and a show, all in the same space.
Drink this: One of Fasano’s many Negroni variations which alongside a classic encompasses a Smokey Nero (made with scotch) and their “A.W.M.” (concocted with mezcal).
Brooklyn Nets at the Barclays Center
620 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn
The holiday season means it’s basketball season! Deep in the heart of Brooklyn lies the storied Barclays Center which has welcomed some of the biggest events and entertainers in the world since opening just over a decade ago. It also serves as the homebase of the Brooklyn Nets which most notably last made it to the semifinals in 2021. Forget about standard arena grub: the F&B program honors the best of Brooklyn with Nathan’s hot dogs, Junior’s cheesecake and Parm sandwiches, and a series of bars including the Jay Z-backed 40/40 club as well as Modelo and Corona-branded watering holes.
Drink this: A beer and a Nathan’s hotdog.
Pink Taco
7 Times Sq, New York
Is there anything better than cocktails that remind you of summertime when the weather gets cold? After you’re done galavanting around Broadway, pop into this space opened this past spring and is known for their unique tacos and lip-smacking libations. Born in Los Angeles and inspired by both California and Mexico, the menu encompasses anything but run-of-the-mill grub. (Think: creamy lobster enchiladas and coconut shrimp tacos.) When it comes to what to wash it down with, you can’t go wrong with any assortment of the many margaritas the menu proudly boasts, including classic varieties along with strawberry, cucumber, spicy, and frozen – among others.
Drink this: A margarita, anyway your heart desires.
Whiskey Wonderland
686 Broadway, New York
It’s a boozy salute to the holiday season. Over in the NoHo, Great Jones distillery is known for their inventive pop-ups, recently hosting a collaboration honoring the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat. For Whisky Wonderland, they’ve turned their cozy speakeasy into a charming and cheery oasis with a roaring fire, lit-trees and a menorah. As you’re taking in the warm and festive atmosphere, sip on their in-house whiskeys including a special edition Four Grain Straight Bourbon cooked up for the occasion.
Drink this: The Gingerbread Delight cocktail; made with Four Grain Straight Bourbon, cream and egg.
Foul Witch
15 Avenue A, New York
Tucked away in a nondescript location in Manhattan’s Alphabet City lies this inventive eatery from the team behind the popular Roberta’s pizza. True to their tongue-in-cheek name, Foul Witch is known for their unique spins on traditional plates. Forget about the traditional; here the menu is Italian-inspired with ever-changing plates (at press time they include goat shoulder and Maine lobster with Carolina rice). While the restaurant doesn’t feature cocktails, who needs them when you have an extensive and adventurous beer (including suds from Northern Italy) and wine lists, the latter of red, white and orange varieties?
Drink this: Travel to the mountain and seaside region of Veneto with Birra Dolomiti Rossa, an amber red lager.
As You Are
252 Schermerhorn St, Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s outpost of the popular ACE Hotel boasts an impressive F&B selection perfect for overnighters in town for the holidays or locals searching for a getaway from the norm. Their in-house restaurant As You Are features eye-popping art and a lean but mighty menu of foodie favorites (including a rib-eye burger and masa fritters), while their bar and lounge in the lobby makes for a perfect place to order a cocktail and shmooze the night away with its cadre of hip clientele. But it’s the cocktails at As You Are which shine bright like a winter sky on a starry night, with inventive concoctions including the Penicillin-adjacent Bond Street (scotch, peach liquor, ginger and lemon).
Drink this: Private Eyes, a refreshing cocktail made with tequila, watermelon, honey and line.
New York Philharmonic
10 Lincoln Center Plaza, New York
It’s the historic space that made people like Leonard Bernstein and Gustav Mahler global superstars and showcases some of the best musicians in the world. Founded in 1842, the New York Philharmonic boasts an array of festive programing including Handel’s Messiah and a holiday brass show. Their lobby bar boasts wine, beer and cocktails for before the show and during intermission.
Drink this: Sip a red wine and enjoy a symphony.
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