It’s that time of year again, when the temperatures drop and all of a sudden everyone feels like they’re coming down with something. But now that scratchy feeling in the back of your throat doesn’t have to mean trading a shot of vodka for a shot of NyQuil. Medicinal cocktails are popping up on bar menus across the city offering an answer for those colds that leave everyone feeling a little more fun than the blankets, tea, and Netflix would. Here are some of our favorite options to help you run away from a runny nose.
The Peaty Penicillin, The Rickey
This bar’s cure for the common cold wastes no time in messaging by serving it up in a syringe! The Peaty Penicillin blends Johnnie Walker Black with ginger-honey syrup, lemon juice, and rosemary for an assertive punch that promises to stop anything in its tracks. The cocktail, coming in at $16, is still less than a box of extra strength cold medicine will cost at Duane Reade, and you still have to show your ID to buy either anyway. The drink is also uniquely perfect for anyone at the bar because it can be made just as well without the alcohol if you’re not looking to cut too loose, while still hanging out with friends.
Smoke & Mirrors, Flora Bar
If walking around the Met Breuer with the sniffles is making you stand out in the quite exhibition rooms, head to the museums in-house Flora Bar for this cocktail. The mixture of bourbon, Cappelletti Sfumato, Benedictine, and bitters is the perfect blend of flavors to keep you warm on the inside while its cold on the outside. The bar is also a great spot to bide time after seeing the art to not have to go outside again.
The Penicillin, The Spaniard
This Greenwich Village bar, along 4th Street, is the house that whiskey built, with two separate cocktail menus, one of which entirely dedicated to the spirit. For whiskey lovers, the Penicillin is a great combination of whisky, ginger, lemon, Heather Honey, an Islay float, poured over rocks that tastes way better than Robutussin with triple the success rate. For those that stay clear of whiskey, The Fix Is In is a cocktail mixing gin, seasonal fruit, and lemon over crushed ice. It’s the perfect way to cool down any signs of a fever with some citrus to help wake up and ease any sore throat.
Hidden Fortress, Manhattan Cricket Club
For all the tea fans that believe in matcha’s restorative power, search no more. This hidden cocktail bar in the Upper West Side is the perfect place to get some green in your drink. The blend of Pluymouth Gin, dry curacao, lemon, egg whites, Thai basil, and matcha powder creates a beautiful green color that looks as great as it tastes. The drink is the perfect answer to tea, honey, and lemon drinkers anywhere advising to stay inside for the night. Nurse your drink, not your cold with this number.
Orange Gold, Wilfie and Nell
“Some guests have claimed that’s better than any Vitamin C supplement this time of year! It’s a cross between a classic sour and a Gold Rush, which is bourbon, lemon juice and honey syrup,” says Turlough O’Neill, bar manager. “We use rye instead, as its spiciness stands up better against the sweetness of the muddled orange wedges. As a bonus, it helps us reduce waste: it’s a great way to use up oranges that we peel for twists to garnish other drinks.”
