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Any mook can go into a liquor store or bro-hole and get himself a shot of Jim Beam or Knob Creek. But what of the true kentucky colonel, the conniseur who can detecct notes of vanilla, wood, and caramel with a single whiff? Where does he or she go? Well....
If there is a better liquor store in the world, I want to go there sober. With an immense wine and spirit selection, and supremely knowledgeable staff, Astor makes it easy to learn and easier to get bombed.
The gold standard of high-end liquor stores, Sherry-Lehmann not only has the finest and most expensive wines, but also many of the world's great spirits. Not the place to find a great $9 shiraz though.
If there was ever a great drinker's bar in New York, this is it. It gets a little crowded, but the cask ales, beer and liquor selection, and the general boozy feeling here makes this a Mecca for the tipsy.
Low-brow but high-minded dive bar with a serious commitment to bourbon whiskey. Not a place to pick up girls or have a good time; the thing to do here is to drink whiskey.
There are two things to know about Blue Smoke, both of them good. The first is that this isn't a barbecue restaurant; it's a restaurant that serves barbecue, a sister to legendary restaurateur Danny Meyer's venerated restaurants like Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. So you can't compare the hospitality and service aspects to any of its rivals. Secondly, although the actual barbecue was a weak point for the first couple of years here, owing to legal difficulties with the air exhaust system, they have since been fixed and Blue Smoke now produces barbecue with the robust smoky flavor it was meant to have all along. Go for the barbecue, but stay for the service, the sides, and a bourbon list that just won't quit.
The Brandy Library is practically a shrine to brown spirits: they line the walls and fill whole catalogs. The place shines with a golden glow, and soft seats support the nether parts of drinkers deep in study.
An urban ode to Southern tastes, this is a swank bar hiding the soul of a barbecue restaurant. In truth the barbecue, while delicious, lacks smoky oomph, but it's delivered with refinement and care. And, more importantly, the bourbon selection is one of the biggest and best in the city.
A small but very well-curated liquor store with a truly impressive selection of bourbon, including many obscure or small batch brands.
A very fine example of the "lardcore" or modern southern restaurant; certainly the most refined. It shares with its brooklyn sibling, Char No. 4, an extensive bourbon selection.
