“Where are we drinking tonight?”

In New York City, the question can be paralyzing, and sometimes it can feel like you need a few drinks in you to even make a decision about where you’re really going to go to get some drinks. New boozing destinations pop up every day with ever-more ambitious offerings, while classics cling to their slivers of real estate, counting on the loyalty of their regulars to save them from the chopping block.

With that in mind, we decided to take a step back from the fray and come up with a list of standard-bearing bars—both new and old—that are operating at the peak of their game right now. To whittle down the options, we sought to balance the main lynchpins of today’s drinking scene in NYC: Cocktail joints, tackled by booze writer and Edible Queens editor Alia Akkam; craft-beer bars, covered by Craft Beer New York author Joshua M. Bernstein; new-school wine bars, explored by vino evangelist Jonathan Cristaldi of the Noble Rot; and the no-frills dives where you still go with $20 in your pocket and have a great night.

These aren’t just the brand-new hot spots (though some of them are certainly new and hot), nor places that might have been important at one time but have let themselves slide. Instead, they’re the places where we’d be excited to bend an elbow on any given night, and the ones we’re proud to show off to out-of-town guests looking for a night on the town.

See you out there.

Written by Alia Akkam (@theqnote), Joshua M. Bernstein (@JoshMBernstein), Jonathan Cristaldi (@NobleRotNYC), Chris Schonberger (@cschonberger), and Erin Mosbaugh (@JayBlague)

Updated 11/26/14

Neighborhood: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 110 Atlantic Ave (718-625-8908)
Website: thelongislandbar.com

It was a sad day when Toby Cecchini—the barman who created the modern version of the pink, Sex and the City-approved Cosmopolitan at the Odeon in the late '80s—had to shutter Chelsea watering hole Passerby in 2008. But at least it set the scene for a glorious comeback. What was once the historic diner Long Island Bar & Restaurant has now been reimagined as Cecchini and partner Joel Tompkins’ Long Island Bar. The original red-and-green neon marquee still burns bright, and inside it remains a mid-century marvel—albeit a gussied-up one—with a terrazzo floor, vinyl booths, and a glowing backbar. In keeping with the space, bartenders turn out finely wrought classics like the Sazerac. Newfangled creations, such as the Tailhook (Cherry Heering, sweet vermouth, fresh lemon juice, Point Belgian White witbier), feel as if they could have been on the menu in the 1950s, too.—AA

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 102 St. Marks Place (212-777-6707)
Website: proletariatny.com

Sick of ho-hum bars that throw a few common IPAs and stouts on tap and call it a day? Then you’ll want to make haste to the East Village’s Proletariat, a clandestine little hangout specializing in cultish, unusual and small-batch beers. Plopping down on a swivel stool at the bar is a bit like taking an AP class in beer nerdery. You’ll find around a dozen obscure drafts from the likes of Belgium’s Brasserie de la Senne and Germany’s Freigeist, which are partnered with an equally esoteric bottle list that reps breweries such as Quebec’s Hopfenstark and Italy’s Birra del Borgo. —JB

Neighborhood: Financial District
Address and phone: 30 Water St (646-422-7906)
Website: deadrabbitnyc.com

The boisterous taproom of this bi-level pub from acclaimed Irish barman Sean Muldoon is where nearby Wall Street boys let off steam over a pint of stout, a proper dirty martini, or a nip of Irish whiskey from the bar's staggering collection. But cocktail geeks venture upstairs to the intimate parlor. Here, head bartender Jack McGarry can be found diligently whipping up reimagined historic drinks—there are over 70 listed on the elegant book of a menu—from sours and fizzes to juleps and smashes to slings and toddies, all made with esoteric ingredients like orange sherbet and wormwood tincture. Gracing the bar are striking porcelain bowls of communal punch. When sipping one of the varieties (we are partial to the one with Redbreast Irish whiskey and Suze) from a dainty teacup, be grateful there's now a reason to linger in the Financial District beyond sundown. —AA

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 433 E 6th St (212-388-0882)
Website: deathandcompany.com

Once your table is ready you will be summoned. Then, you will walk beyond a thick curtain and enter Death & Co.'s dark, glamorous underworld, with crystal chandeliers and suede banquettes. Of course, a well-made classic can be had, but the comprehensive menu of newfangled creations should inspire more than a Sazerac request. One way to boldly begin the evening: the Cafe Sandanista, with rum, sherry, coffee- and chile-infused Campari, fresh orange and lime juices, demerara syrup, and a pinch of salt. There is plenty to sip here, so fortify yourself with bacon and gruyere mac and cheese, and make this the one and only stop on the bar crawl. —AA

Neighborhood: Greenpoint, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 615 Manhattan Ave (718-389-6034)
Website: torstnyc.com

Years from now, historians beer geeks will look back on the opening of Tørst as a bellwether moment in the evolution of New York beer culture. The sleek Scandinavian brew hall, kitted out with a state-of-the-art draft system and custom glassware, was the most buzzed-about beer bar to open not only this year, but maybe ever, in the city—and it didn't have to dress up like a sports bar or Irish pub to pull it off. The nerds have officially taken over, and they're ready to go deep on a mind-boggling stash of creative ales from Evil Twin's Jeppe Jarnit-Bjergsø, who is a partner, as well as an ever-changing selection of obscurities that you'd be hard-pressed to find anywhere else in town. Oh, and that's not even to mention that one of the city's best new restaurants is hiding out in the back. As they say on these here Internets, Tørst FTW!—CS

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 213 N 8th St (347-763-1506)
Website: bkwinery.com/

This is a wino's wet-dream: a working winery outfitted with reclaimed furniture and decor in the heart of Williamsburg that offers tours and features in-house wines made from a rockstar resident winemaker, Conor McCormack. His experimental style is deftly showcased in his barrel-fermented Riesling ($29 for a growler), which might be one of the most interesting domestic wines you may ever taste, showing a rich mouth-feel alongside the zippy acidity and citrus notes Riesling is known for. There’s generally 11 in-house wines and a handful of international selections of varying styles on tap or by the glass, growler or bottle, and a team of dedicated chefs, just as bonkers for wine as the staff, dish up tasty wine-friendly pairings (the duck confit flatbread goes great with the North Fork blend). The winery has become a destination for weddings, because —who wouldn’t want to get married in a winery? Even people who don’t drink want to get married here because it’s fucking awesome (read: romantic) to get married amidst wine barrels. —JC

Neighborhood: Gowanus, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 514 Union St (347-223-4410)
Website: royalpalmsshuffle.com

If you like pretending you live in a retirement community in Florida (who doesn’t?), Royal Palms is your mecca. There are ten bright blue shuffleboard courts lined up in a row at this 17,000-square-foot warehouse space in Gowanus, but you won’t find senior citizens—just 20-somethings taking sips of craft beer in between pushing pucks (technically, they’re called biscuits). The pink-flamingo wallpaper in the bathroom and black-and-white-striped cabanas really make the ‘70s Palm Beach theme pop. On the menu? Key-lime fizzes, coconut cocktails, and a variety of snacks from rotating food trucks.—EM

Neighborhood: Williamburg, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 388 Union Ave (718-302-6464) 
Website: barcadebrooklyn.com

Beer and arcade games are the twin focuses of Williamsburg’s Barcade, a warehouse-huge hangout crammed with dozens of old-school machines such as Rampage, Paperboy, Galaga and Punch-Out!!, all of which cost a single quarter. Though seemingly gimmicky, the concept succeeds due to the bar’s single-minded dedication to stellar American craft beer. The heavy-hitting, rapidly rotating tap list includes heavyweights such as Dogfish Head and Victory served alongside local breweries like Bronx, Chelsea, and SingleCut. —JB

Neighborhood: Union Square
Address and phone: 13 E 13th St (646-873-6071)
Website: corkbuzz.com

With the emergence of this “wine studio,” New York City has officially sealed its place the epicenter of the young, hip, and sophisticated wine scene. Owner Laura Maniec, a 33-year-old Master Sommelier, went to town on the décor and lighting—the place has an opulent feel under an amber glow, like looking out on the world from the inside of an ageing Premier Cru Burgundy. Working pros and industry moguls huddle around the front bar, sampling light bites with flights and glasses of wine from the fairly extensive and worldly wine list. Though there’s plenty of Old World gems, start off in Santa Barbara with the small production wine called Sandhi Chardonnay ($16), a wine produced by the inimitable sommelier, Rajat Parr (author of Secrets of the Sommeliers) and Charles Banks (Screaming Eagle). Communal tables in the back are perfect for the long-haul adventure in wine exploration. An evangelical and well-informed staff preaches the gospel of wine (Maniec wouldn’t have it any other way), and if you’re keen to get deep, the studio offers an array of classes that cover serious ground—and by ground, we mean terroir. —JC

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 43 E 7th St (212-982-3006)
Website: jimmysno43.com

Welcome to the unofficial club house of the New York craft-beer scene, where on any given night you might find a pairing dinner with a visiting Italian brewer, a guided tasting of rare and obscure brews (for just $10), or a cook-off featuring amateur cooks and plenty of suds to go around. Because owner Jimmy Carbone is so involved in fostering the local beer community, his taps tend to be where brand-news beers make their debut in the city. The subterranean space—a former Ukrainian social club—is rough around the edges in all the best ways, and you'll often find Jimmy himself woking the room, high-fiving friends new and old as he introduces them to his latest finds. —CS

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 211 Avenue A (212-260-2914)

After this former Laundromat’s last wash, it transformed into dive bar dedicated to suds, err, craft beer. At the half-rectangle bar—rescued from the defunct and infamous gay bar the Cock—no-bullshit bartenders dispense several dozen fresh brews (the tap lines are regularly cleaned) from well-regarded breweries such as Green Flash, Greenport Harbor and Founders. They’re served by the 20-ounce imperial pint and sold for just $6 or $7, a fair price that becomes a steal ($3 and $5) during the daily happy hour until 8 p.m. —JB

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 120½ First Ave (212-777-1643)
Website: internationalbarnyc.com

We shed fat, salty tears when International Bar closed in 2005. That was one less East Village dive to chug watery beer and quarrel with piss-drunk grandpas. But instead of letting I-Bar die like so many brain cells, owners Shawn Dahl and Molly Fitch brought this narrow, grungy old-timer back from the grave. In a swankifying downtown, the International is a skuzzy outpost where rockers, students, and ne’er-do-wells congregate to down $2 cans of bottom-rung beer and do shots of equally whiskey. It's wonderful. —JB

Neighborhood: Midtown East
Address and phone: 218 E 53rd St (212-355-6607)
Website: hudsonmalone.com

Patrons were outraged when legendary barman Doug Quinn was ousted from P.J. Clarke’s in 2012 after a disagreement with management. But he’s back in Midtown with a vengeance, just two blocks away, with an old-timey tavern flaunting a burger that may just have the edge on his old employer's much-adored patty. Pair it with any of Quinn’s precise classic cocktails, from a refreshing Papa Doble to a balanced Blood and Sand. The vintage New York-style barroom is not exclusively a playground for drink snobs, however. Old regulars of Quinn's have followed him to his new digs, which means you can comfortably sip a pint of Schlafly, eyes peeled on the big screen, or choose from one of the wine bottles standing sentinel. As Quinn’s Laws—delineated on a giant chalkboard—explain, “Mediocrity Sucks.” In this lackluster bar 'hood, Hudson Malone proves quality is indeed worth holding out for.—AA

Neighborhood: West Village
Address and phone: 281 Bleecker St (212-462-468)
Website: blindtigeralehouse.com

This beloved West Village pub is mecca for New York’s craft-beer geeks, serving an assiduously curated selection that ranges from the newest, rarest brews to the finest vintage ales—care for a Geuze Mariage Parfait from 2007? Snagging a seat after 5 p.m. is a nightmare, but the Tiger is a dream for afternoon and weekend imbibing, when you can slowly, steadily sip your way through the 28 revolving drafts reaping first-rate breweries such as Michigan’s cultish Kuhnhenn, Evil Twin, and Virginia’s Blue Mountain. P.S. The cask ales are among the freshest in town. —JB

Neighborhood: Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 210 Smith St (718-855-7939)
Website: cloverclubny.com 

Julie Reiner is one of the figureheads of the NYC cocktail scene, and her first Brooklyn foray is still as relevant as ever. The ever-evolving cocktail menu, which always features thoughtful seasonal selections, balances the old-school and the novel like few other spots in the city. But while the drinks are aces, what we like most about the place is that it's really a comfortable place to bend an elbow—huge windows facing the street make it one of the borough's most coveted day-drinking spots, while the Victorian-style den in the back, complete with a fireplace, is a fine getaway on a cold day. —CS

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 298 Bedford Ave (347-335-0446)
Website: maisonpremiere.com

Do not presume, because Maison Premiere serves $1-oysters during happy hour, that this Williamsburg hangout is where frat boys come to embark on a feeding frenzy. This handsome ode to New Orleans has nothing in common with the countless bars channeling the debauchery of Bourbon Street; instead, it channels the Big Easy's past as a cocktail capital with a gorgeous horsehoe-shaped bar dispensing Vieux Carré cocktails and immaculate bivalves. As the intricate absinthe fountain on display attests, the anise-flavored spirit is the focus here, popping up in drinks such as the Frenchmen Roulette with rye, maraschino, and Creole bitters. Sit in the backyard, and all that greenery might have you thinking you've been transported to a Crescent City courtyard. —AA

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 538 E 14th St (212-228-2240)
Website: ottosshrunkenhead.com

Even as gentrification enters its fourth (fifth? sixth?) wave in the East Village, there are still places to get weird. Otto's Shrunken Head is among the best—a cheap, raucous tiki bar packed with pompadour'd rockabilly types, punk rockers, and other people who are more interested in a frozen drink out of a machine than molecular mixology. This is a hard-drinking, offbeat type of place where you don't have to think too hard—or at all, really—about why it's fun. Just listen to surf-tune cover bands, do some swing dancing in the back, or hang out sipping Mai Tais until you can barely stand. —CS

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 113 St. Marks Place (212-614-0386)
Website: pdtnyc.com

A lot has changed since we first started drinking at PDT. In earlier days, walking through the phone booth of a grungy East Village hot dog shop (Crif Dogs) to sit down in one of the speakeasy's curvy black booths and sip a smoky Benton's bacon-infused Old-Fashioned was adventurous, not frustrating, and Jim Meehan was still cutting his teeth rather than winning awards as one of the nation's most celebrated bartenders. What keeps us returning is the intimate, always civilized barroom, which remains that way thanks to a strict reservations policy that prevents douches from shouting over our heads for a Bud Light they could happily chug elsewhere on St. Marks Place. The ever-changing, often seasonal cocktails are still among the city's best, too, and pairing them with tater tots and hot dogs always helps to keep things from getting too precious. —AA

Neighborhood: Soho
Address and phone: 77 W Houston St (212-473-7348)
Website: peguclub.com

Audrey Saunders, bartending's grand dame, first opened Pegu Club in 2005, when the housemade bitters she had on display were a true novelty rather than a rote hipster norm. Today, we still relish a visit to her timeless second-story drinking den in Soho. The understated East Asian furnishings and sexy low tables are a posh reprieve from the loud, elbow room-only bars that dominate our evenings, and the Gin-Gin Mule—one of Saunders' signature drinks that marries from-scratch ginger beer with gin, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, and mint—quenches just as satisfyingly as it did so many years before. —AA

Neighborhood: Long Island City, Queens
Address and phone: 27-24 Jackson Ave (718-383-2724)
Website: dutchkillsbar.com

Queens teems with ethnic culinary gems, yet is short on quality tipples for, say, a post-Thai nightcap. Luckily, modern-day speakeasy pioneer Sasha Petraske decided to give Long Island City his classic touch, and the borough's most devoted cocktail lovers have been heading to Dutch Kills—his and barman Richard Boccato's bar in the shadow of the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge—ever since. It's a sophisticated joint, with subtle lighting and snug, date-ready booths, but it's also welcoming to the masses—a pretense-free place where after-work revelers can kick back with a beer and not have to worry about an eye-rolling bartender. Although menus are available, sidle up to the bar and put your fate in the hands of one of Dutch Kills' skilled barkeeps. Whether your palate is jonesin' for rum (in which case a crushed ice-laden Queens Park Swizzle might come your way) or whiskey, you won't find a more ably crafted drink this side of the East River. —AA

Neighborhood: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 188 Havemeyer (718-963-2574)
Website: postofficebk.com

It seems like every bar in Williamsburg these days has a shelf stocked with brown spirits, which are as critical to the 'hood's Americana-fueled benders as cans of PBR and Genesee. Still, you'd be hard-pressed to find a spot that pays as much attention to small- batch American whiskeys as this laid-back South Williamsburg haunt. The massive menu—well over 70-selections deep with bourbons, ryes, and other selections from obscure distilleries around the country—is annotated with helpful descriptions, but the best move is to chat up the bartenders and find something new to sip. We've discovered plenty of rare pours while drinking there, like High West Rendezvous Rye and Whipper Snapper, a weirdo hybrid of Scotch and white dog from Oregon. Two bonuses: Post Office mixes the stash of brown spirits into well-made classics like Old-Fashioneds and Manhattans, and the bar food is top-notch. The chicken-liver pate sandwich with bacon is worth a trip on its own. —CS

Neighborhood: Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 215 Prospect Park W (718-788-8779)

Do not be fooled by the name. Nary a crumb of food has ever been served at this Prohibition-era Windsor Terrace clubhouse, where firefighters, cops, and grizzled men assemble at the stool-less bar to watch sports, shoot the shit, complain about women, and glug domestic beer in 32-ounce Styrofoam cups—or perhaps a dainty seven-ounce goblet. Want a mixed drink? That’s whiskey served over ice, which also fills urinals. True dives are a dying breed in this city—embrace this one while it's still around. —JB

Neighborhood: Park Slope, Brooklyn
Address and phone: 191 Fifth Ave (718- 230-7600)
Website: bierkraft.com

Is it a bar? A bottle shop? A restaurant? A brewery? The Park Slope institution is the gumbo of craft beer (though the brewing license is still in the works), shoehorning these elements into two glorified hallways filled with coolers and communal seating, plus a backyard packed with picnic tables. Either pluck beers from the fridges or fill a 64-ounce growler with one of 16 drafts and cask ales (local breweries like Carton and KelSo rub shoulders with Bear Republic and Jolly Pumpkin) and share it with pals. Word to the wise: The stellar sandwiches are big enough to feed two people. —JB

Neighborhood: East Village
Address and phone: 413 E 12th St (646-602-1300)
Website: wineisterroir.com

Paul Grieco’s ever-expanding empire of wine bars (there are now locations in Tribeca, Murray Hill, and Park Slope) began with this intimate East Village location—the veritable “Cheers” of oenophilic haunts. Despite having one of the nerdiest beverage lists in the entire city, Terroir succeeds by deflating the pomp from wine drinking and injecting it with a sense of humor. The massive menu reads like a manifesto, with essays, bizarre asides, and paeans to under-appreciated producers and styles. Grieco has made turning people on to Riesling his passion project, and you'll find more than 80 bottles of the high-acid, citrus-fueled German varietal on offer. The bartenders are skilled at helping newbs and aficionados alike unearth a wine that will excite, and they are happy to talk through the experience in the glass. On occasion, an exuberant patron will order something special off the menu—maybe a large-format Burgundy—and send glasses around room. That's the beauty of being both accessible too all, and beloved by industry insiders. —JC

Neighborhood: Bronx
Address and phone: 216 West 238 St (718-601-0204)
Website: bronxalehouse.com

For years, the Bronx was a craft-beer wasteland where IPAs were as hard to find as a Red Sox fan. That changed with 2009’s arrival of the Bronx Alehouse, which has blossomed into one of the city’s best suds havens—in any borough. The accommodating brick bar dispenses 16 super-fresh drafts ranging from local standouts Bronx Brewery and City Island to Stone and Left Hand, as well as exotic bottles such as funky Oude Gueuze Tilquin a l’Ancienne. Plus: free popcorn! —JB