This Super Fun Cocktail Bar Is the Best in the Country in 2024
"On the corner of First Avenue and First Street in Manhattan, next to a shuttered laundromat, across the street from a funeral home and catty-corner from a graveyard, I watched a bar begin to glow a bright neon red around 7 p.m.; inside, the thrum of salsa and reggaeton is enticing, the walls are lined with luchador masks, stools are filled with first-date couples and regulars, and even the lights above the bar seem to swing in time with the music. Ignacio “Nacho” Jimenez’s new Mexican-American cocktail bar feels singular in New York City and beyond: playful but not rowdy, with drinks that are seriously considered and often inspired by food. Standouts include the tequila-based Green Mango Martini—modeled after the mango vendors in the subway and finished with a drop of costeño chile oil that pops like Tajín—and the Mole Negroni, which uses mole fat–washed mezcal with cynar, amaro, sweet vermouth, and chocolate bitters to give a different flavor in nearly every sip. There’s a purple mushroom Margarita served as a slushie with dehydrated pineapple skin (my server called it the best Margarita in town), excellent nonalcoholic options like the Chamoy and Soda, and the best drink overall is an unassuming Vodka y Soda: a maximalist highball of clarified “guava water” with a chile infusion that’s tart, sweet, salty, slightly yellow-tinted, and dangerously refreshing. The food matches the exuberance of the drinks—ceviche served frito-pie style in a halved nacho cheese Dorito bag with jicama, tomato, onion, and plenty of hot sauce; tacos on heirloom corn tortillas with pork tacos studded with chiccaron for perfect crunch; a psychedelic seasonal fruit platter darkened under a red beam; and a showstopping yet restrained birria grilled cheese on bolillo with cotija that satisfies like the best birria taco without being overly greasy, cheesy, or salty. Jimenez plays big flavors and big vibes while knowing when to pull back—he conducts the whole experience with measured restraint." - Daniel Modlin
