Drum Roll
Drinking Whiskey on an 18th-Floor Rooftop

Occasionally, something magical happens in your life. At those moments, you need to shout it from the rooftops.

All you need: the perfect rooftop.

Hence: Drumbar, an elegant perch atop the Raffaello Hotel, opening Friday to tweak the altitude at which you can enjoy a nice glass of scotch.

But first, the small matter of getting to the 18th floor. Our advice: start on the sidewalk. Well, specifically the part where one Mr. Brazil (yes, his real name) stands sentry. He’ll greet you. You’ll nod. He’ll wave you in. (It’s you, after all.)

Then: a pretty young hostess will whisk you to a private elevator. You’ll arrive, the doors will open, and... another pretty hostess will guide you down a barrel-vaulted corridor into what was once the hotelier’s private residence.

At this point you’ll say hello to your host, Ben Newby, that dapper Brit who you entrusted your nights to at Underground and who runs the show here. (We’re sure he remembers how you like your whiskey.)

You’ll make a right, then walk under high ceilings and past arched windows to a waiting table on a terrace. Here, you’ll order a Rose, made tableside with gin and lemonade infused with Bulgarian rose oil, and drink in the astonishing views of the city: the lake, the Hancock, Water Tower Place.

But also: that gin.