With the coming of the sun, New York’s rooftop terraces open up in all their glory. The Gramercy Terrace at the Gramercy Park Hotel is one of the most striking, a stylish, summery space dripping in beautiful foliage and offering dazzling views of the city. Sixteen stories up, with a retractable roof, the terrace has been designed to echo the famous rooftop bars of the early 20th century, to be a “…

Run by sisters Lorraine and Sabina Belkin - hence the name, Duo - this elegant Flatiron bar and restaurant is as chic as it gets in these parts. This is the kind of place where they even lay out little stools for you to rest your handbag on. The bar area is absolutely gorgeous, a gleaming circular central bar surrounded by slender stools – the perfect place to perch with a pre-dinner martini. The…

Taking over the space formerly known as Il Matto, White & Church remains the go-to place for crazy cocktails. Scorpion-topped martinis? They serve them here. Their most popular drink is the Why Not, a mix of tequila, avocado, lime juice and Mexican worm. There’s also a smoked martini, garnished with smoked salmon and a Bloody Mary made with mussels as well as a slightly less daunting collection o…

The Beagle has a Portland pedigree. From the same team behind Clyde Common in that city’s hip ACE Hotel, it’s already gained a reputation as a purveyor of quality cocktails and now it’s wooing the foodie crowd. Their craft cocktails are innovative (the Artist’s Special blends scotch, sherry, lemon juice and red currant syrup while the London Buck is crisp blend of gin, ginger and lime) and they’ve…