Like everything else in New York City , cocktail only get more expensive with each overhaul year . It seems like only yesterday that folks would baulk at $ 15 cocktails . They still balk , and seem to have to do so with greater frequency . As anyone with anactive nightlifecan tell you , it’sexpensiveto be a bon vivant in this city . Hustling to make glad - hr is n’t always realistic , and if you ’re a cocktail drinker unwilling to pass an subdivision - and - a - leg every round , you ’re in a tight office .
Sure , cocktail culture skews more precious than itsdivier kin , but you do n’t really need a induct - service - only speakeasy tended by a suspendered molecular gastronomist to find suitably intricate and delightful grownup - potable . hatful of streak have cheap , though intricate alcoholic beverage on their menu just for you , the special - semen - thrifty .
We take a careful look ( and sip ) and round - up the best cocktails a Hamilton can purchase . So raise a toast to your hardworking barkeeper ( and , y’know , steer appropriately ) and love the estimable cocktails $ 10 or less can buy – no happy - hour required .
The Refresco at The Drift|@chasedoerflinger
Super Power
Galangal Daiquiri , $ 10This tiki bar has a more grown - up esthetic than most of its ilk , with a drink menu to oppose . Its whimsical yet deliberate concoctions may make you smile , but they ’re no jest . $ 10 buys a Galangal Daiquiri , a zingier riff on the classic . snowy rum , galangal amiable , and basswood succus are dish up – this is not the sludgy , syrupy affair the ‘ rum cocktail ’ name unfairly conjures . With its fresh factor , this is a grown - up ’s drink .
169 Bar
Sangria , $ 10Seems like every New Yorker has a story set in 169 – it ’s been a destination diva since 1916 . The leopard - photographic print kitty table , cheap drunkenness , and New Orleans - centric nutrient fare attract a bustling weekend crowd . This hefty glass of house - made Sangria bob with brandy - pluck apple bite . It ’s tart and fruity and hold out down slow , so text your mixologist from your seat ( yes , really ) for another .
Do or Dive Bar
That Coffee Thing , $ 7Do or Dive ’s menu , much like its ' 90 - tilt - ephemera décor , is receive to anyone try out to get some good drinking done . Beside one of the best $ 5 shot / beer jazz group around , it ’s have $ 9 Bloodies and Sours – but the budget success is its $ 7 slushified mélange of coffee , sugar , milk , and either whisky or brandy . Not only a delectable bargain , this potable is a welcome pluck - me - up for anyone in it forthe long - haul .
Skylark
Salty Studebaker , $ 9Basil - infused vodka , fresh - squeezed grapefruit juice , tilt , and a salted brim assault out this take on the Salty Dog . It ’s as perfect a summer drinkable as you may get , ticking fruity , salty , tangy , and herbal box without hitting you over the head or soaking you in booze . Enjoy your libation over a troll of pinball , at a banquette amid the lulling grandma’s - living - room décor , or posted - up at the turning point - location ’s fifth - ave - facing outdoor seating – a premier people - watching position .
Botanica
Ginger Yum Yum , $ 10This subterraneous office is drear and saturnine in the best agency . If not for its glow Ne sign , most passersby probably would n’t mark it , and the feeling of having establish a business district hideaway tot to its boho mystique . The Ginger Yum Yum is a lipsmackingly bright , acidic option to a Moscow Mule , commix rosemary - infused vodka , fresh minced powdered ginger , Rose ’s calcium hydroxide cordial , and pep beer in a respectable glass patsy over ice .
The Bad Old Days
House Punch , $ 10BOD is a region ginmill with smokestack of game , run-in of books , knickknacks , every night special events , and a laid - back atmosphere that ask over you to quell for a while . Get a hefty chalice of tasty , boozy clout for $ 10 . What ’s in it ? That ’s part of the fun . Each bartender concocts their own signature poke using sign - infused syrup and tinctures . When one runs out , try out the next and chatting with its Jehovah is part of the fun .
The Drift
The Refresco , $ 9This dive bar / southerly eatery ’s ski - Sir Oliver Lodge vibes set it adorably asunder from its locating below the BQE . The Drift ’s mavin feature ( no , not the taxidermized bear ) is its back yard . The Refresco , which combines tequila with impertinent watermelon , agave , burnt lime , and chili flake over ice with a salt - rim , is a close second . A well - balance , refreshing pink drink , it ’s odoriferous , salty , acidic , naughty , and tart with a pleasingly boozy undertone .
The Cobra Club
Devil Lock , $ 10Just your typical vicinity yoga studio / community of interests - center / coffee shop / locale / tough stripe . This omnibus establishment espouses a supportive prospect , write on its website that the proprietors philosophically “ turn away the estimate that to be full and well-chosen lives we must desist from all frailty , detach from the world and become saint - like . ” Its Misfits - theme drink menu includes the Devil Lock , a fresher , juicy , spicier Margarita made from jalapeño - infuse tequila , lime , fresh orange succus , agave , and a bang of tabasco .
Sign up herefor our daily NYC electronic mail and be the first to get all the food / drink / fun New York has to pop the question .
Galangal Daiquiri|Beth Kessler
169 Bar|Cole Saladino/Thrillist
Do or Dive
Salty Studebaker|Courtesy of Skylark
The Bad Old Days
The Refresco|@chasedoerflinger
