What's better than a well-made martini? Drinking one in the clouds high above the city streets. Feel like a million bucks at these sky-high bars that are a world away from the stressful hustle and bustle of New York City roaring back to life.
LessAtop a 1932 art deco building at 70 Pine Street, the team behind ground-floor restaurant Crown Shy has put together the Financial District’s most luxe bar experience. Up a private elevator, then a set of stairs to the 64th floor, you'll find sweeping 360-degree views and a sharply curated cocktail menu. DRINK: Terroir Old Fashioned (reposado tequila, sherry, yellow Chartreuse, honeycomb, sea salt), $24
An oasis for well-heeled wine lovers, the Peak restaurant has a unique bragging point: It’s one floor above the Edge, an already high-in-the-sky observation point. Once inside the 30 Hudson Yards mall, head to the fifth-floor Peak bar, where an escort will take you to a hidden elevator to be whooshed up to the rarefied air of the 101st floor. DRINK: 1,400 bottles or 23 wines by the glass; cocktails, $20
More a view with a bar than the other way around, ascend to Summit One Vanderbilt, the top of the pyramid-shaped glass skyscraper for a series of ticketed experiences ($34 to $83). “Air” is an impressive, immersive art experience/selfie factory that’s especially popular at sunset. Danny Meyer’s Union Square Events oversees Après, the food and drink concession. DRINK: Sunset Margarita (tequila, pear liqueur, pomegranate), $18
A young, energetic crowd keeps the drinks flowing in the 18th-floor bar atop the Graduate, the only hotel on Roosevelt Island, where it neighbors the Cornell Tech campus. The vibe channels a futuristic 1970s disco lounge, while floor-to-ceiling make you feel as if you could climb the Queensboro Bridge like playground monkey bars. DRINK: Old Man and the Sea (sherry-spiked Martini, savory smoked olive), $18