Men’s magazine GQ sent their intrepid reporters out into the field to do some research on cocktail bars. They toured cross-country, following up on recommendations from bartenders, blogs and drunken scrawls on napkins. They toured over 100 bars in twenty-one cities and they drank no fewer than three cocktails at each bar.

It’s a hard job but somebody has to do it.

In the end, GQ‘s writers compiled a listing of what they thought were the best cocktail bars in America. Criteria ranged from ambiance to service, but of course, the defining benchmark was the taste of the drink itself.

Inside Death & Co., New York City

So as to not steal their hard-earned thunder, here are the top ten picks off their list of twenty-five:

1.  Zig Zag Cafe in Seattle
2.  Angel’s Share in New York City
3.  The Violet Hour in Chicago
4.  Clover Club in Brooklyn (New York City)
5.  The Alembic in San Francisco
6.  Death & Co in New York City (it should also be noted that this bar also won many top honors at this year’s World Cocktail Awards)
7.  PDT in New York City (this also won a Food Network award this year and is attached to Crifdogs, a gourmet hot dog shop)
8.  PX in Alexandria, Virginia
9.  Comstock Saloon in San Francisco
10.  Holeman & Finch in Atlanta

If you’d like to see the rest of the list, or view GQ‘s reasons for picking these establishments, check out the current copy of the magazine on newsstands, or just go online to GQ‘s website.

And if you’d like more suggestions on where to go to get your drink on, check out Playboy‘s Best Bars in America list.

[Photo courtesy of Death & Co]

A featured dancer at the Lincoln Fair Burlesque Expo

Ditch you typical bar and lounge habit and add some spice to your nightlife activities with a visit to the monthly Vaudezilla Lincoln Fair Burlesque Exposition in Chicago. This month’s show is set for October 15 with two different performances at 9PM and 11PM at Lincoln Tap Room, 3010 N. Lincoln Avenue. Read More »

Just to be clear – in no way am I advocating this stunt, and in fact there are many, many better things to do in New Orleans than this (which is why I didn’t do it – I just watched.)   What, you ask? Oh, just stopping by Jesters Mardi Gras Daiquiris and Pizza on Bourbon Street and ordering a 3 foot tall plastic tube of neon green alcohol. That’s apparently a gallon, but who’s really measuring? It’s a lot. Apparently, it actually tastes pretty good (there are about a dozen flavors), and it does what you shell out $25 to for it to do — namely, make everything really, really funny (including the word “gumbo”), and even better, make Bourbon Street smell less like the gym clothes you left in the trunk of your car for 2 months.

I do, in part, jest – these drinks are hilarious to watch be consumed, and at $25 a pop, I wish I had invented the idea! What’s more, everyone in the street will stop you and ask “whereEVER did you get that?”

After you enjoy your beverage, it’d be a good idea to head back to your hotel, and hopefully one that’s close to Bourbon Street. It may be a short walk, but I can tell you from experience that if you’re with friends who have had these yard drinks, and you’re sober, it will be like herding cats.

Photo: Ray Devlin

Bourbon Street

Rosa's Lounge

Chicago is famous for its own brand of electrified blues and you can enjoy the sounds on any day of the week in countless bars in the Windy City.  The problem is, much of what passes for blues in the downtown tourist mecca tends to be watered down drivel. There is a quintessential blues experience that requires  a no frills decor and an equally unembellished delivery.  It also used to involve lots of smoke but that’s been outlawed so plain dim lighting will have to suffice. Here are the top five Chicago blues clubs offering the most authentic blues experience: Read More »