Drinking Man's Game

My NYC go-to watering holes

I have just spent two weeks at a fasting clinic, tucked away in a small lakeside town in Germany. Two weeks of a doctor supervised fast. No solid food—just water, brothy soups, and herbal tea—lots of fucking tea. That means no coffee and no BOOZE. (More on the fast in the next newsletter…) I fell into the groove of the fast quite easily (I like restriction it seems), but alone with my thoughts, I started to think, what do I really miss out of all this. Surprisingly, it was not the food. Sure, when we spent our afternoons walking through town I would stare longingly at the butcher shop window filled with things I love like wurstl, lebekase and speck, and at the weekend markets the smell of sausages grilling was heavenly—but I stayed strong. Far more tempting were the tall golden glasses of beer being sipped in the sun by locals lakeside. (German pilsner, particularly a draft, is my absolute favorite.) Yes, I thought, what I really missed was a drink. Not so much for the buzz, but for the ritual. The lazy afternoon with friends in a cafe sipping a beer, or that end of day cocktail that eases you into the evening. A dry cold martini would have been excellent even with a bland brothy soup, and I would have loved to be holding a bright red Negroni on my terrace as I watched the sunset over Lake Constance. The reality was—none of that was happening—I was to stay disciplined and strong. After all, what is the point in cheating, with all the time, money and effort put into this hard reset. That being said, I look forward to a drink in one of my favorite watering holes as soon as I return to NYC. Below is my short list of favorite places to get a drink. The cocktail of choice in these establishments would be Negroni and Martini. I am a creature of habit and travel in a very small circle so I am sure I have missed some of your favorites, but these are mine.