It’s been a while, so let’s review: when the sun is shining, and the temperature is rising, you need to put yourself in a good drink-in-hand/no-roof-overhead situation. Herewith, the five best drink-in-hand/no-roof-overhead situations in town right now.
The scene: Rows of picnic tables beneath a canopy at the South Street Seaport. You’re
within a stone’s throw of massive sailing ships named Peking and Wavetree. And there’s
a bonus rooftop.
The provisions: Spicy cucumber-tequila cocktails and seaside lobster rolls. Okay,
riverside lobster rolls. But still.
The scene: A second-story Greenpoint rooftop with unimpeded views of Manhattan, its own
separate bar and an Australian bent.
The provisions: Lamb skewers with cucumber sauce and Pimm’s Cups by the carafe. The only
civilized vessel for Pimm’s Cups.
The scene: A quiet miniature beer garden behind what is easily the city’s best beer
bar... at the foot of the Queensboro Bridge.
The provisions: Unpronounceable sour German beers, Evil Twin brews, beet deviled eggs.
Maybe don’t drink that last one.
The scene: A Hamptons-style porch deck in Meatpacking, full of woven furniture and Pastis
mourners in need of comfort.
The provisions: Comfort in the form of mint gin fizzes and Chilean sea bass skewers. An
early front-runner for classiest food-on-a-stick of ’14.
The scene: A mixture of hotel guests and neighborhood folks taking full advantage of a back
patio and the grassy knoll next to it.
The provisions: The coffee-bar-by-day turns to beer and wine once the sun goes down. It’s
like the Jesus of coffee bars.
