NYC’s Best Whiskey Cocktails

Fall calls for a dimly lit lounge and a farewell to froufrou summer tipples. Lucky for us, some of the world’s greatest mixologists work in our midst, and they’ve perfected the art of the whiskey cocktail. Find a fireplace and settle in. 

Black Heart at Experimental Cocktail Club
This dark and bitter cocktail, flavored with French roast coffee beans, was conceived last year at Paris’s swank La Conserverie cocktail den. Manhattanites can try the Black Heart at Experimental Cocktail Club, where bar manager Nicolas de Soto mimics the original recipe by stirring Buffalo Trace bourbon with the bitter Italian liqueur Cynar, nutty Maraschino liqueur, and citrus- and chamomile-flavored Bittermens Boston Bittahs. The intense result is served up in a coupette rinsed with rich and peaty Laphroaig scotch.
Experimental Cocktail Club: 191 Chrystie Street

George Cohan at the Rum House
At this revamped Midtown piano bar from the proprietors of Tribeca’s Ward III, co-owner and bartender Kenneth McCoy has created a bourbon-spiked interpretation of the Orange Julius. “The drink has hints of sweet orange zest but is mellowed by Johnny Drum bourbon, which has just enough sweetness and bite and subtle wood for my taste,” says McCoy. He stirs the bourbon with crisp and citrusy Cocchi Americano (an Italian aperitif), fresh lemon juice, simple syrup, and an egg white, then shakes the ingredients vigorously to produce a perfect froth.
The Rum House: 228 West 47th Street, in the Edison Hotel, 646.490.6924

Ragin’ Glory at Pouring Ribbons
For this autumnal riff on a Whiskey Smash, Joaquín Simó (named 2012 Bartender of the Year by Tales of the Cocktail) mixes a delicate Bartlett pear brandy with rye whiskey, muddled lemon, and housemade cinnamon bitters. “I lightly rasp a cinnamon stick before placing it on the drink as garnish. This increases the spice’s aromatic effect while echoing the cinnamon notes in the cocktail,” says Simó.
Pouring Ribbons: 225 Avenue B, 917.656.6788

No. 11 at Whitehall Bar + Kitchen
“It’s a cherry vanilla Coke without the soda,” says bartender John McCarthy of the No. 11 at this West Village resto. McCarthy mixes vanilla bean–infused Johnny Drum bourbon with housemade tart cherry syrup and Angostura bitters. This smooth and fruity drink is served on the rocks and garnished simply with three brandied cherries.
Whitehall Bar + Kitchen: 19 Greenwich Avenue, 212.675.7261

I Hear Banjos at the Wayland
After a summer hiatus, the Wayland’s smoky, spirituous apple cocktail is back for fall. Owner Brian Hawthorne begins with unaged corn whiskey cut with apple cider reduction and flavored with cinnamon. “The corn whiskey has a focused corn and biscuit-like flavor with a lot of pepper and bite,” says Hawthorne. “Rye whiskey is then added for complexity and to make it more of a sipping cocktail.” He traps smoke from applewood and cinnamon bark in an inverted glass on top of the drink before serving, which has the effect of making you feel as though you’re next to a campfire as you imbibe.
The Wayland: 700 East 9th Street, 212.777.7022

Brooklyn Ferry at Henry Public
“It’s a potent concoction with nods to the classic Manhattan and the Sazerac cocktail,” says Matt Dawson, creator of the Brooklyn Ferry at Henry Public. Dawson stirs dry and spicy rye whiskey with Carpano “Formula Antica” vermouth, a bar spoonful of Maraschino, and a dash of herbaceous absinthe. The bartender at this charmingly antiquated saloon will serve you your Brooklyn Ferry up, theatrically igniting an orange peel and then rubbing its oils around the rim of the coup to finish the cocktail. Once you’re at the bar, it wouldn’t hurt to order the milk-braised turkey leg sandwich with crispy fried onions, either.
Henry Public: 329 Henry Street, Brooklyn

Maple Leaf Sazerac at Minetta Tavern
Minetta’s maple syrup–tinged Sazerac pays homage to one of the tavern’s chefs, the Montreal-born Riad Nasr. The drink begins like a standard Sazerac, with an absinthe-washed glass, a cube of demerara sugar muddled with bitters, and rye whiskey. Then comes the twist: Sortilège, a unique maple syrup and Canadian whiskey cordial. Warming, complex, and perfect for just about any day of the year, this one pairs extraordinarily well with rich and cheesy pommes aligot.
Minetta Tavern: 113 MacDougal St, 212.475.3850

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