New York Craft Cocktail Tour

Highlights / General details

Taste delicious craft cocktails at some of New York’s best bars; Learn how prohibition shaped NYC, and the speakeasies and gangsters who influenced the city’s cocktail culture; Discover new spirits from local micro-distilleries; Find the best tucked-away places to grab a drink in New York’s East Village; Learn how bartenders are revolutionizing cocktails in America with fresh, artisanal ingredients.

Inclusion

Local English-speaking guide; 3 cocktails; Light snack.

Exclusion

Hotel pick-up and drop-off; Bottles of spirits; Souvenirs and items of a personal nature; Gratuities.

Hours of operation

Available daily departing at 6:00pm.

Duration

Approximately 2.5 hours.

Location

Tour departs from Corner of Avenue A and St. Mark’s Place at the entrance to Tompkins Square Park. Meet on the park side of the intersection (east side); and tour ends at Near the corner of Lafayette and Great Jones St. in the East Village.

Itinerary

Your NYC cocktail tour starts in Tompkins Square Park in the East Village, a site that’s famed for being the gathering place for political radicals and socialists, as well as the city’s immigrant poor — an appropriate place to begin since so much of NYC’s cocktail culture was invented by these very same people.

The East Village of New York was once an immigrant neighborhood, but today is one of the prime nightlife districts of the city, with great restaurants, bars, and theatres — and we’re taking you to discover the best local haunts and hidden corners.

We’ll start out at a drinking fountain dedicated by a temperance advocate who extolled the virtues of water over whiskey. But don’t worry, we’re not going to listen to him. Instead, we’re taking you to visit three of New York City’s best cocktail bars, where we’ll sample drinks, meet the people behind the bars, and learn how their craft cocktails are made.

Along the way, you’ll hear stories of how the modern cocktail came to be, how prohibition in America affected the bar scene, and how cocktails are enjoying a resurgence as a result of the craft distilling and cocktail movement.

We’ll keep the discussion going with visits to the sites of former speakeasies (hidden illegal bars that operated during the prohibition era) and share tales of the gangsters and politicians the kept the liquor flowing despite the 18th Amendment.

We’ll also swing by New York’s premier wine and spirits store, Astor Wines, where our expert guides can help you pick out the perfect boozy souvenir to take home with you after the tour. We’ll show you what to look for when buying different spirits and will highlight the new local micro-distillers that have opened up over the last several years and are producing delicious whiskeys, rums, vodkas, and gins.

In between stops you’ll learn all about the East Village, its history, and what is happening there today, including where to eat, drink, and play.

Additional Information

Dress should be appropriate for a night out. Please avoid wearing shorts, baseball hats, t-shirts, or flip-flop (thong) sandals.

Participant restrictions

Travelers under 21 years of age are not permitted to join this tour.

Policies

Cancellation: 2 days prior 100% penalty. No show 100% penalty.

Guests must bring government-issued photo identification as proof of age. Passports and/or driver’s licenses are acceptable.

Complete information, including local telephone numbers at your destination, will be included on your Confirmation Voucher.

**All information requested must be supplied or booking is subject to automatic cancellation**