Clemente Bar

On our list of the best cocktail bars in New York.

A cocktail room sits above Eleven Madison Park and keeps its downstairs kitchen's plant-based rules without the formality: wood-paneled walls, murals in mauve and terracotta, and plush striped seating stand in for white tablecloths. Built by chef Daniel Humm and artist Francesco Clemente, it organizes cocktails by technique, fresh, carbonated, clarified, bold, whipped, zero-proof, and the Against the Grain reworks an Old Fashioned with Scotch and miso. Food is vegetarian and Japanese-leaning, from a fried-tofu agedashi 'dog' to a black-truffle tarte flambée. The Studio, a private room within the space, runs a 90-minute omakase-style tasting for anyone who wants the full kitchen experience.