Where to eat, drink and be merry in New York this holiday season? The city\u2019s swankiest new nightlife destinations promise A-list mixologists, decadent interiors, irresistible bites and the most enviable people-watching in Manhattan. Here are six to hit.<\/p>\n
Ba53ment<\/a> | 53 W. 53rd St.<\/p>\n A gilded and orange sliced cocktail at Ba53ment. Courtesy of Altamarea Group<\/p>\n Hidden beneath the Monets, Pollocks and Rauschenbergs in the David Geffen Wing of the MoMA, this bo\u00eete oozes moody modern Asian elegance with a hint of Art Deco. Not quite a speakeasy, but certainly a spot for those who already know, it\u2019s literally an underground effort from head bartender Aaron Kim.<\/p>\n Formerly of haute hipster haunts like Chapel Bar at Fotografiska and Pastis, Kim started crafting cocktails here after a soft opening in September. The menu takes inspiration from the Asian fare in the upstairs restaurant 53 NYC. Look for ingredients like yuzu, pandan, toasted rice, Sichuan bitters and even MSG on their deep list of pricey potables ($26 to $36 a pop). Half a dozen designer martinis get their own subsection of the menu. Drink all that in while nibbling on next-level nosh like kaluga caviar, a wagyu quarter-pounder topped with foie gras or a crudo trio of oysters and uni, shrimp and salmon.<\/p>\n Residents of the Jean Nouvel-designed 53W53 \u2014 the condo building above, where home prices soar to $64.7 million \u2014 get their own entrance to the bar, so keep your peepers peeled, you never know who you\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n One4One<\/a> | 141 Chrystie St.<\/p>\n This modern sports club includes billiards among other fan faves. Courtesy of Matthew Kappas x One4One<\/p>\n Dylan Hales and Ronnie Flynn \u2014 the Down Under duo behind New York\u2019s coolest fashion industry and celebrity party spots \u2014 f\u00eated the opening of their newest buzz factory with famous friends (like \u201cBridgerton\u201d actress Simone Ashley, Tame Impala\u2019s Cam Avery and rapper G-Eazy) just before Halloween.<\/p>\n Known for downtown bars like the Flower Shop, Loosie\u2019s and Little Ways, their latest hang is a grown-up \u201csports club\u201d called One4One, where athletic polyamory is in. You\u2019ll fall in love with whatever\u2019s on here \u2014 from Formula 1 and cricket to NBA and NFL \u2014 over house cocktails with sports themes. A Bases Covered is a home run with whisky, eucalyptus, lemon and honey, while the food menu serves slam dunks from chicken wings to mozzarella sticks. You\u2019ll find the two-story club hidden behind an avocado supplier\u2019s storefront, with a bar, sunken living room and theater-sized projection screen. Head upstairs to find a second bar with a window looking out at Lion\u2019s Gate Field, as well as a VIP section.<\/p>\n Nostalgic, clubby and casually cool? Now that\u2019s a hat trick.<\/p>\n The Weather Room<\/a> | 30 Rockefeller Plaza<\/p>\n A DJ spinning at the atmospheric Weather Room. Courtesy of The Weather Room \/ Julia Khoroshilov<\/p>\n Foul or fair, there\u2019s always action at the Weather Room at the Top of the Rock. For a year now, 360-degree skyline views have lured people-watching popcorn \u2014 a miscellany of awestruck tourists, lounging lovers and Brooks Brothers suits \u2014 to this all-day cafe and bar.<\/p>\n Now, creative lightning has struck this cloud-high cocktail club with a new event series descriptively titled \u201cAfter Dark.\u201d Created by Los Angeles-based event inventors Sister Midnight, these $20-a-ticket events (every Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. until 1 a.m.) are a sexy storm of DJs, performers, martinis and a menu of snacks by Michelin-starred chef Ryan Farrar. Think: tins of osetra caviar, escargot, shrimp cocktails and classic New York hot dogs. The first After Dark kicked off in October with a cumulonimbus clap of dashing dudes and demoiselles downing dynamic drinks like the Vapour Trail \u2014 dark rum, citrus, honey and bubbles.<\/p>\n Recent sightings include Sof\u00eda Vergara, Simon Cowell, Terry Crews and Mel B. The talent behind the tables has been equally heavy, with Questlove, Odalys, Kristy Baez and Laura Se Fue fueling atmospheric surges. When it rains, it pours.<\/p>\n Sub-Mission<\/a> | 7 E. 17th St.<\/p>\n A dish of sushi, sashimi and tuna rolls at Sub-Mission. Courtesy of Patrick Dolande<\/p>\n We submit for your approval an intimate cocktail lounge pulsating with Japanese-Peruvian panache. Hidden beneath Nikkei hot spot Mission Ceviche in Union Square, this underground bar opened at the end of September, weighing in at a minute 1,000 square feet. It\u2019s all the better for it.<\/p>\n Exclusive seating at the fluted bar here means that cocktail capit\u00e1n Oscar Valle \u2014 formerly of Mexico City\u2019s beloved Licorer\u00eda Limantour \u2014 and his slick shakers can personally take your drink order. It will boast carefully balanced sweet, sour and savory flavors like tequila, taco mix, pineapple and coriander salt (in the Margarita Al Pastor); gin, vermouth, cherry tomato infusion and basil (in the Sub Martini); and cherry tea-infused gin, nigori sake, lychee and yuzu juice (in the Rinda).<\/p>\n Get here by sneaking past the hostess stand through a discreet door leading down to the bar \u2014 but be sure to have a reservation. A stage at the back for live performances means this slim space is always filled out with a pre- and post-supper set.<\/p>\n