THE COCKTAIL BAR
Our intimate cocktail bar is nestled under the Brooklyn Bridge.
Below you the river flows idly by. In the distance looms the Manhattan skyline. In the foreground, our skilled cocktail craftsmen buzz quietly about the bar.
At the nexus of skilled mixology and fine hospitality, the Cocktail Bar at the River Café is an experience unique to our city.
Under the guidance of our bar captain, Joseph Miranda, we offer timeless cocktails made with a state of the art attention to detail. Every ingredient is mindfully sourced and seasonally inspired, with a special eye for New York producers.
Classic Bar
With a world-class kitchen at our disposal, our bar team is constantly preparing a wide array of hand-made cordials, syrups, and elixirs under the watchful eye of our masterful executive chef and pastry team. This coordinated effort has established a satisfying continuity between our food and beverage programs, further deepening our guests’ experience at the café.
As a bar truly in and of New York City, we are purveyors of an impressive list of local spirits. While you have a taste of the city’s finest distilleries and breweries, let the piano transport you to a dreamlike oasis drifting apart from the cacophony of the bustling city streets.
Sip on an elegant and harmonious gin martini with a lemon twist. Watch as a bartender jiggers every balanced drop of our house Manhattan to perfection. Try an antique daiquiri with a blend of vintage rums. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a creamy Madeira flip for dessert. Maybe you’d rather try a neat glass of our hand-selected single barrel New York Rye, distilled and aged by NY Distilling Co. here in Brooklyn.
If you’d like to take a step back and forego an alcoholic drink, let one of our zero-proof cocktail selections guide you through your night without the buzz. Our house favorite is a honeyed lavender and grapefruit fizz.
Our bartenders love a good challenge, so feel free to collaborate with us to tailor a bespoke cocktail to your tastes and specifications.
SPECIALTY COCKTAILS
Pastel Hi-Ball
NY vodka, melon,
clarified lemon
Thai Tea
dark rum, coconut,
spiced tea, sweetened condensed milk
A View of Manhattan
The River Café x New York Distilling Co. Brooklyn Rye,
Method Vermouth, Malmsey Madeira, Forthave Marseille Amaro
The ’77
NY Vodka or Gin, lavender honey, lemon,
butterfly flower tea, egg white
The Golden Sting
blanco tequila, hot honey,
chamomile, lemon, whey clarified
Skyline Spritz
blanco tequila, Prosecco,
Primo aperitivo, grapefruit, lime
Norte
Yola mezcal, Empirical Ayuuk, rum clairin
Forthave green, pineapple, rosemary, sage
RIVER CAFÉ CLASSICS
Impeccably Dirty Martini
vodka, aquavit, quince wine, umami bitters
supplement: 3g Pacific Sturgeon caviar (on side) – 21
Stone Fruit Sour
Texas Bourbon, Heimat Nectarine, plum kernel, Amaretto, egg white
Vesper
Dorothy Parker Gin, Maid of the Meadow honey vodka, Forthave Génépi; Shaken
Golden Gimlet
Yola Mezcal, kumquat, sea buckthorn, NEIPA, winter herb
Gin-Gin Mule
Brooklyn Navy Strength Gin, Barrow’s Intense Ginger, lime, mint, celery bitters
Apple Martini
Empirical Soka, green apple, Pineau des Charentes, fennel, cardamom
Cloud-Splitter Old Fashioned
Breuckelen Local Whiskey, Calvados, black walnut, pine, buckwheat honey
PREMIUM COCKTAILS
Madeira Cobbler
Blandy’s Sercial 10yr, pineapple, raspberries, cane syrup
Sazerac
Willett “Family Reserve” 10yr Rye, Domaine d’Aurensan Armagnac, Absinthe, demerara, Peychaud’s bitters
French ‘75
Domaine d’Esperance Cobrafire Armagnac, sauternes, Brut Rosé, vanilla, lemon
Cadillac Margarita
Tequila Cascahuín Tahona Blanco, Grand Marnier Cuvee de Centenaire, lime
ZERO PROOF
Strawberry
strawberry, St. Agrestis Phony Negroni
Ginger
pineapple and lime
Smoked Peach
Lapsang Souchong tea, lemon
Lavender
grapefruit, New York honey
DESSERT COCKTAILS
BB&B – 2 2
Starlight Blackberry Whiskey, Benedictine, Empirical Symphony 6, neat
Grasshopper – 2 3
Cognac, Fernet Branca, Branca Menta, mint, cacao, cream
River Cafe Irish Coffee – 1 9
Coffee, Silkie Irish Whiskey, whipped cream
Madeira Flip – 2 3
Rainwater Madeira, Reposado Tequila, banana, hazelnut, egg