NYC stuff

Nina Yiamsamatha: If you have trouble deciding what to order, let them decide for you. Ask for the Bartender's Choice and tell them what flavors/liquors you like.

Kathryn Yu: Don't miss the bone marrow poppers or the bacon-wrapped lamb chops.

Kathryn Yu: Cold outside? Try one of the new hot tiki drinks -- hot zombie, hot mai tai, coffee grog, spiked apple cider, or hot buttered rum.

Kathryn Yu: Try the Leilani's Fizz with gin, lychee, lime, lemongrass syrup. Or the Tia Mia, a mezcal take on the Mai Tai, with mezcal, Jamaican rum, orgeat, orange liqueur, and lime.

Kathryn Yu: From the Summer 2011 menu: I'm fond of the Tomatillo Highball with gin, tomatillo juice, basil syrup, and jalapeno.

Kathryn Yu: The Oaxaca Old-Fashioned is a modern classic and rightly so. Reposado tequila, mezcal, agave nectar, and Angostura bitters.

Kathryn Yu: Go before 7:30pm on Sundays through Wednesdays. Sit at the bar. Don't trust the doorman's time estimates if he puts your name down--it's very hard to predict when people will leave.

Kathryn Yu: Try the Jungle Bird. Black strap rum, fresh pineapple juice, campari, lime!

Kathryn Yu: Order a negroni with their housemade vermouth. Divine.

Kathryn Yu: Try a Stay Up Later (pisco, mezcal, añejo rum, lemon, and seltzer), a Stepping Razor Blade (rum, lemon, orgeat, and cayenne), or a Bicycle Thief (gin, Campari, grapefruit, lemon, and seltzer).