The Las Vegas-ization of the Hamptons is underway, with day clubs popping up and myriad afternoon imbibing options such as seaside staple Gurney’s and newbie Naia Beach Club, which has its own pool.
LessThe rehabilitated 1950s boutique hotel and restaurant has been a Montauk fixture for the last decade, notorious for raucous late-night parties. This season, trendy restaurateur Nick Mathers and culinary director Thomas Lim will be importing the kind of food and drinks that make their Aussie-style Manhattan café, Ruby’s, so popular. Cocktails from Julien Calella will feature such fruit-forward libations as Lucky Bay (tequila, watermelon, lime, bittersweet vermouth) and a dynamite Aperol spritz.
The dockside tables at Duryea’s are some of the Hamptons’ most prime spots, but don’t ignore the buzzy bar inside, where the focus is on beer and seafood-friendly wine. A 3,000-square-foot beach club debuted June 25 in Orient reminiscent of Greece’s rosé-soaked, boho-chic boites white furniture, ambient electronic beats, and bottle service. Order large-format wines plus pitchers of watermelon-ginger margaritas and cucumber-vodka coolers devised by Desmond McClain.
With its ultra-chill beach bohemian aesthetic, the Crow’s Nest looks as if it’s been transplanted directly from Tulum. A well-heeled Hamptons crowd packs the place, congregating on the lawn and by fire pits to suck down Celery Spritzes with gin, white vermouth, and lemon. The Dayton’s Ruse (pictured), a blend of tequila and grapefruit with chili salt, is also good. It’s all the brainchild of New York hospitality pro Sean MacPherson, the guy behind the reboot of Manhattan’s Chelsea Hotel.
This beachy, white-washed boutique hotel has an expansive rear patio overlooking Fort Pond and is best known for its velvet rope and rosé-stained evening parties. Pro tip: make a dinner reservation and stay to avoid lines. Fruit-forward elixirs include Birds of Paradise (tequila, aloe vera juice, cucumber, mint) and a Ginger Mint Lemonade (vodka, lemon juice, ginger). There’s even a dedicated zero-proof mocktail collection in partnership with booze-free retailer Boisson.
Although this seaside property has endured nearly a century, new management has slowly transformed it into a modern coastal hotel known for DJ-fueled parties day and night. With outdoor drinking amply divided among three spaces—the property’s white sand beach club has 500 lounge chairs, a spacious, fire pit-dotted patio seats 50, and the seaside representative of Scarpetta’s has more than two dozen patio tables—there are plenty of passion fruit mojitos and red dragon fruit spritzes.
After a decade-long stint of popping up at various venues in the summer, Moby’s is back at its original party location: the big white house on Route 27 between East Hampton and Amagansett, newly restored by Aussie duo Nick Hatsatouris and Lincoln Pilcher. This indoor-outdoor venue functions as a perennially packed market-driven restaurant. The bar’s got a handful of well-made cocktails, from spicy passion fruit margaritas to a gin-Aperol-watermelon concoction, to enjoy on the vast patio.
Over almost 40 years, this unpretentious drinking den and live music venue has hosted 70 members of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Almost every weekend night in summertime, a mob will line up outside to access its three bars and indoor-outdoor wiggle room. This is a flip-flops and shorts venue that’s entirely casual by design; bartenders sling vodka sodas as opposed to fancy drams. Or try its own bespoke line of boozy canned seltzers in such flavors as vodka-lime and tequila-grapefruit.
An immediate hit last summer, thanks to chef Eric Miller’s locally sourced seafood and what is unquestionably the Hamptons’ best agave-based cocktails. This year, Diego Rivera—who hails from Puerto Rico’s La Factoria, a mainstay of the World’s 50 Best Bars list—will oversee the drinks. These includes frozen and classic margaritas spiked with watermelon and cucumber. A new outdoor patio decked out with sand, white picnic tables, and vintage yellow umbrella will channel the beach vibe.
Following a two-year summer dining takeover of Southampton’s Capri Hotel, Naia owner Michael Pitsinos is adding the Hamptons’ first day-club pool party to the venue. The Naia Beach Club is modeled after pool parties in both Las Vegas and Saint Tropez, full-on with bottle service and European guest DJs. Look for pricey Champagnes like Dom Perignon and Perrier Jouet vintage Belle Epoque and five rosé options. Doors open at 11 a.m.; expect to wait from 15 minutes to an hour for a seat.
Known for its summer programing, as in rosé-powered, all-day brunches, this popular restaurant and bar has served as a Southampton drinking hub for more than a decade. It also functions as a nightclub, with private cabanas, bottle service, and DJ sets that last into the early morning hours. The property has plenty of standing room, three bars, and a craft cocktail list with bestsellers such as vodka-laced wasabi lemonade and a gin-forward blueberry-lemongrass elixir.