Cocktail Bar · East Village · 214 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: Great vibe, rum drinks, and happy hour. M-Sa 5-7, Sunday all day $7 cocktails and half price punch bowls. As good for a date as it is good for a group to get hammered off boozy punches.
Cocktail Bar · Greenwich Village · 59 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: Tons of seating, vaguely romantic but good for groups, foosball, shuffleboard, and tasty strong cocktails. Get Bouquet #2 (scotch), Sho'gun (mezcal), and Dirty Hipster (rye). Tues-fri 5-8pm happy hour
Cocktail Bar · Union Square · 244 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: The owners of Raines Law Room created a new speakeasy twice the size, with reservations, with many French themed rooms. It's still the perfect date spot, but just bright enough to go with friends.
134 Eldridge St (btwn Delancey & Broome St), New York, NY
Speakeasy · Lower East Side · 241 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: The best bespoke cocktails in NYC now? Sam Ross, the owner, created the Penicillin. Even if you don't like scotch, order it. Then get the "Ralphacillin", a riff with maple dark rum.
Cocktail Bar · Greenwich Village · 18 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: This NYUer filled area desperately needed a cocktail bar, and now finally got a good one from an Apotheke alum. Lots of tequila, pisco, and rum drinks.
30 Water St (btwn Broad St & Coenties Slip), New York, NY
Cocktail Bar · Financial District · 489 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: Worth the hike downtown for some of the best cocktails in NYC. Get overwhelmed by a dozen pages of great sounding drinks. Ask for a bartender'a choice instead. Have 3.
131 Chrystie St (btwn Broome & Delancey St), New York, NY
Speakeasy · Lower East Side · 122 tips and reviews
Noah Weiss: The drinks are a bit on the sweet side -- and there's proseco on tap if that's your jam -- but it has a chill vibe in the back of an art gallery that's a great reprieve from the rest of the LES.