Liquid Assets Featuring Private Roof Club…

Knowing what to drink is almost as important as where you’re drinking it. And so we deliver another fine Liquid Assets feature, the insider’s guide to the city’s best cocktails.


Gramercy Hotel Private Roof Club’s Sagatiba Maca Martini
At the Gramercy’s swanky Private Roof Club (you can get in by checking into the hotel, scoring an invite to a private event or snagging a coveted membership offer) the fresh, crisp-tasting Sagatiba Cachaça anchors the cocktail menu. Called a Brazilian Rum, Cachaça is actually made from sugarcane rather than the molasses of traditional rums. The Sagatiba Maca Martini, the Roof Club’s signature cocktail, flaunts the spirit and tickles the tongue.

HOW TO MAKE IT
2 oz Sagatiba Cachaça
1/2 oz elderflower cordial
1/2 oz fresh pressed lime juice (juice of half a lime)
2 1/2 oz apple cider

Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with an apple disc and mint sprig.

Available at The Private Roof Club (Gramercy Hotel), 2 Lexington Avenue (21st & 22nd Streets), (212) 920-3300, gramercyparkhotel.com/roof_club.

Rayuela’s Piña Partida
The muy deliciosa cocktails at the new L.E.S. resto/lounge Rayuela are creative and playful thanks to celebrated Mexican mixologist Junior Merino (The Modern). To compliment the Latin fare, Merino’s innovative cocktail menu includes signature drink Piña Partida. The light and fruity creation is perfect for the summer palate. Viva la Partida!

HOW TO MAKE IT
2 slices English Cucumber, 1/4 inch thick
2 chunks of pineapple
1/4 of a lemon
1/3 oz Partida Agave Nectar
1 1/2 oz Partida Tequila Blanco
1/2 oz Sprite

Available at Rayuela, 165 Allen Street (Stanton & Rivington Streets), (212) 253-8840, rayuelanyc.com.

Amalia’s The Demeter
The chandeliers, the floating staircase, the Baroque ceiling portraits. Amalia’s opulent interior by SLDesign, has stolen the show. Until now. We found the cocktail menu’s secret gem, The Demeter.

HOW TO MAKE IT
3 black cherries, muddled
3/4 oz elderflower cordial
1 1/2 oz Martin Millers London Gin
splash of soda

Top cherries and elderflower cordial with the gin. Add a splash of soda and garnish with a lemon twist.

Available at Amalia, 204 West 55th Street (Broadway), (212) 245-1234, amalia-nyc.com.

Aquavit’s Pom
The Swedes know a thing or two about their spiced drinks, and the chefs at Aquavit know how to perfect the age-old Aqua Vitae recipe into their White Cranberry flavored Aquavit New York brand liquor. Try it in this sweet and sour concoction.

HOW TO MAKE IT
2 ounces of Aquavit New York - White Cranberry
2 ounces of Sour Mix
1 ounce of Pomegranate Juice
Top with Martinelli’s sparkling cider

Shake in an ice-filled tumbler and strain over ice. Top with Martinelli’s sparkling cider.

Available at Aquavit, 65 East 55th Street (Madison & Park Avenues), (212) 593-0287, aquavit.org.