New York is a great city for cocktails, hence the Manhattan. If you’re visiting the Big Apple and looking to meet fellow travelers over drinks, consider a cocktail tour. On a recent summer visit we took a craft cocktail tour in NYC with Urban Adventures. This is a fun way to discover former speakeasies in the East Village while learning about prohibition, gangster and food & drink history over tasty libations.
William Barnacle Tavern
William Barnacle Tavern is one of the most historic pubs in the East Village of Manhattan. Our guide Jillian told us stories of pre-prohibition history while we sipped absinthe cocktails. Life was rough prior to prohibition and the water wasn’t very safe to drink in the late 1800’s, so people in the area consumed more alcohol at that time than any other time in history. Prohibition occurred from 1919-1932 and people secretly drank at the William Barnacle Tavern, hence the name “speakeasy.”
Absinthe traditionally has a natural green color and is often called the green fairy. It’s an anise flavored spirit made from botanicals, including the flowers and leaves of artemisia absinthium (grand wormwood), together with green anise, sweet fennel, and other medicinal and culinary herbs. It’s high alcohol content of 45–74% ABV isn’t for lightweights.
Attached to the William Barnacle Tavern are two other historic establishments. A lot of famous people performed at Theatre 80 St. Marks early in their careers including Frank Sinatra and John Coltrane. The theatre’s mission is to make the arts more accessible to the public and performers, making it a good off-broadway stop.
Also attached to the tavern is a Feltman’s of Coney Island, selling one of the best hot dogs in the city. Feltman’s (not Nathan’s) is the original Coney Island hot dog. In 1867 German immigrant Charles Feltman first sold NYC style hot dogs in Coney Island from a pushcart. You can grab a delicious one at the William Barnacle Tavern today. Their hot dogs have a nice crispy skin, and are loaded with sauerkraut.
Also attached is the Museum of the American Gangster, which was not part of our tour. Between the second and final bars, our group was given the option to visit Astor Wine and Spirits to learn more about local spirits. We voted as a group to skip it in favor of heading straight to the third bar.
The Late Late
The third and final stop of our tour was The Late Late. Irish hospitality meets contemporary New York society at this hip East Village hangout. The chic bar is modeled after a 1960’s era Irish residence.
We had a choice of two cocktails included in the tour, the Jefferson Airplane and Sympathy for the Devil. Jefferson Airplane combines Smith and Cross, lime, honey syrup and Brut champagne. Sympathy for the Devil combines Deleon Silver, lemon cassis and ginger chili demerara. We ordered one of each to try both. Both were tasty but we preferred Sympathy for the Devil.
Our final stop was another opportunity to chat amongst our group. One tour participant had taken all three tours with Jillian that day. He was telling us about an interesting Tour de France tour he previously took, among other adventures. While we once attended the 2010 Tour De France’s opening stage in Rotterdam, we never previously thought about a tour surrounding that event. A multi-day biking tour of Belgian breweries or French wineries has been on our radar though.
It was a cool group that had a lot to share on travel and life. After the tour was finished, we appreciated receiving an email from Jillian recapping everywhere we went. If you’re a cocktail aficionado looking to meet fun and interesting people, consider taking Urban Adventures Tour.
Highlights of Urban Adventures Craft Cocktail Tour in NYC
- 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 the USA with fresh, artisanal ingredients
Inclusions: Local English-speaking guide, 3 cocktails, light snack
Exclusions: Additional food and drink, bottles of spirits, souvenirs, tips and gratuities for the guide
Disclosure: New York City Urban Adventures hosted us on their Craft Cocktail Tour in NYC. All photos and opinions expressed here are ours. Also, the hotel links are affiliate links. If you make a booking through those links, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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