"Unless you show up right when they open, you'll want to make a reservation, lest you end up on a very long wait list. Death & Co. cropped up on New Year’s Eve, 2007, and made one hell of a splash. The drinks were so precise, containing instant classics now mimicked nationwide (and now available nationwide, too), that it lured talent who have since opened their own famous bars. Look for riffs on classic cocktails like the Jungle Strut, which substitutes the traditional Jungle Bird’s rum, Campari, and pineapple juice for sotol, clairin, and watermelon. Things get much more esoteric than that, though, so flip through the huge book to see what you might want." - Emily Saladino, Devra Ferst