New York's cocktail history
The Manhattan and the New York Sour were named here; the Cosmopolitan was popularised here; the modern cocktail bar revival of the 2000s had some of its most significant early outposts here (Milk & Honey, now closed, is the canonical example). The city's current bar scene reflects this history — there's a critical mass of serious bartenders and an audience that knows the difference.
By neighbourhood
East Village and Lower East Side — the highest density of bars per block in Manhattan, ranging from genuine dive bars (cheap beer, no pretension) to some of the city's most technically accomplished cocktail programmes. Worth a crawl that lets you hit multiple places in one outing; the blocks between 2nd Avenue and Avenue B are particularly dense.
West Village — a quieter, more upscale bar scene, good for a serious cocktail or two rather than a long night. Several long-running neighbourhood bars that have been serving the same crowd for decades sit next to newer, well-regarded cocktail bars.
Williamsburg — bars that blur into live music venues and back again. The Williamsburg bar scene runs late, is aimed at a younger crowd than the West Village, and has a consistently good local beer selection from Brooklyn's active brewing scene.
Midtown — hotel bars are the best option here; many have genuine bartenders rather than just volume-service staff. Avoid the tourist-bar strip immediately around Times Square.
Rooftop bars
Most rooftop bars in New York are more about the view than the drinks. That's a legitimate thing to go to — but manage expectations on the cocktail quality. Budget for significantly marked-up drinks, expect a wait or a reservation requirement for the best-view spots, and go at sunset rather than after dark when the view is the entire point.
The dive bar
New York's dive bar tradition — cheap beer, cash only, a jukebox, regulars who've been coming for decades — is genuinely under threat from rising rents, but enough of them remain to be worth seeking out. The East Village, Astoria, and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn have some of the most intact examples. A dive bar drink in New York costs $5–7; no one will judge you for ordering a PBR.