East Village, Manhattan ยท bar
You walk into Crif Dogs on St. Marks, step into the phone booth, and pick up the receiver. The back wall swings open into one of the bars that launched the entire modern speakeasy movement. Inside it's leather booths, dark wood, and room for maybe four dozen people (intimate by design, not accident) where the cocktails are inventive without being precious and yes, you can order a Crif Dog through the wall. Nearly two decades in and the trick still lands.
Gourmet beef and pork hot dog from the Crif Dogs kitchen next door
Mezcal, ginger beer, lime, passionfruit puree, and cucumber
Bacon-fat-washed bourbon, maple syrup, and Angostura bitters stirred over a large cube