Shift Drink

The Drink List: LOWER EAST SIDE

No one knows better where to find good drinks and cool bars than the people who work in them. So, the staff at Shiftdrink has scoured the city to bring you the finest cocktails and inside information on the staff behind the scenes at the city’s hottest venues. Introducing: The Drink List. For this week’s installment, we visited two bars on the Lower East Side that are serious about mixology. Here is what we drank:


SHE LOVES MEI...SHE LOVES MEI NOT
In our recent visit to The Summit, a new bar on Avenue C, we sampled a drink with one the longest names we've ever come across, the "She Loves Mei, She Loves Mei Not." It's an exotic blend of Peruvian Pisco, Szechuan peppercorn-infused Agave syrup, egg white, lemon, and muddled edible Ecuadorian rose petals. You'll find yourself mezmerized as you watch the bartender carefully strain each of his drinks from a shaker into a hand-held colander, usually over a perfectly chiseled square cube of ice.

The precision of the drinks is reflected in the sleek, modern interior with its glossy black marble surfaces and understated lighting. It's like being inside a giant Prada bag. The mellow soundtrack sends out a vibe that they value comfort over trendiness, which is definitely a selling point if you're on a date with someone you are trying to impress or you are just looking for a place for good convo with little distraction.

THE SUMMIT
133 Avenue C
no phone
www.thesummitbar.net


THE DESERT ROSE
At Yerba Buena on Avenue A, Barman Artemio Vasquez has designed an exotic list of latin-themed cocktails that politely tips its sombrero to the classics. It's rare to find a bar where Sidecars and Aviations share the stage with Caiparinhas and Pisco Sours and they all taste right. That's because there's discipline behind the bar, but they will surprise you too. We loved the subtle tea flavor of the "Boludo Yerba Mate," made with Pisco infused with Yerba Mate, grapefruit and lime cordials, and fresh lemon. It tasted like a Pisco Sour with a little gaucho swagger. Pictured here is the "Desert Rose," as pretty as a Santa Fe sunset, a voluptuous blend of rose-infused Plymouth Gin, prickly-pear puree, and lemon juice. The interior of Yerba Buena is very charming, like a lived-in Cuban social club, and the staff is warm and courteous which goes a long way in creating the neighborhood feel that helped them expand into the West Village and Midtown. I regret not sampling some of the food by Chef Julian Medina whose Nuevo Latino kitchen has a great reputation. As a dedicated Shiftdrinker, though, you know our motto: "Come for the drinks, stay for the drinks."

YERBA BUENA
23 Avenue A
(212) 529-2919
www.ybnyc.com

About the Author

Warren’s feet are sore from too many years in the restaurant business. He lives in New York City where he is working on his first novel, Getting Lucky, a coming-of-age story set in the seedy underworld of Greyhound buses and late 90’s porn. He has no wife, no kids, and does not work lunch.