Cocktail Place

How To Make It In America: Insane cocktails at mad Austrian scientist's lair in Chinatown. Ridiculous showmanship, jaw-dropping presentation. Look for the crowd begging entry under the "Gold Flower Restaurant" sign. [BlackBook] Read more.

Food & Wine: This subterranean lounge has live jazz, excellent Asian-influenced small plates and cocktails named after jazz classics like "Giant Steps."

Kathryn Yu: Go before 7:30pm on Sundays through Wednesdays. Sit at the bar. Don't trust the doorman's time estimates if he puts your name down--it's very hard to predict when people will leave.