Your Ultimate Guide to East End Cocktails
Friday
East Hampton and Montauk
4:30 p.m.: Highway Restaurant & Bar (290 Montauk Hwy., East Hampton, 631-527-5372)
To kick off my eighth annual crawl, my posse and I belly up to the bar at Highway, where skilled mixologist Mark Noonan whips up Sagponack Slings (Flor de Caña four-year gold rum, coconut water, honeydew, bitters), a refreshing companion to pork buns with spicy slaw.
5:15 p.m.: Service Station (100 Montauk Hwy., East Hampton, 631-267-5603)
Next, we check out Michael Gluckman and Shane Dyckman’s new restaurant, housed in a former gas station from the 1920s that was previously home to Winston’s. We fuel up on oysters Rockefeller, baked clam casserole, and Old Fashioneds (Bulleit bourbon, sugar cane, bitters).
7:00 p.m.: The Saltbox (99 Edgemere St., Montauk, 631-238-5727)
We munch on fish tacos and behold the whimsically adorned Salty Mary (Tommyrotter vodka, spicy tomato juice), which is garnished with a mini lobster roll and a fried pickle.
7:30 p.m.: Grey Lady (440 W. Lake Dr., Montauk, 631-210-6249)
Co-owner Callum McLaughlin suggests Blueberry Lemonade (Triple Eight blueberry vodka, lemon juice, ginger beer), which hits the spot.
8:15 p.m.: Duryea’s (65 Tuthill Rd., Montauk, 631-668-2410)
Duryea’s has upgraded from plastic seats to stylish wood chairs, white banquettes, and umbrellas. Handsome French managing director Steven Jauffrineau pours us the house rosé, Château Régusse Pierrevert, from magnums.
9:00 p.m.: Arbor (240 Fort Pond Rd., Montauk, 631-238-5430)
At this sleek new wine bar, 20 wines are available by the glass, thanks to an Enomatic dispenser. The night ends with flights of red wine and charcuterie. What’s with all this wine? Are cocktails a thing of the past? I hope not.
Saturday
Bridgehampton and Southampton
6:00 p.m.: Topping Rose House (1 Bridgehampton–Sag Harbor Tpk., Bridgehampton, 631-537-0870)
Anticipations are high with the recent arrival of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, and barman Michael Sturgis and his Watermelon Coolers (Hornitos tequila, fresh watermelon, muddled cucumber, lime, club soda) don’t disappoint.
7:15 p.m.: Café Klyde at the Southampton Inn (91 Hill St., Southampton, 631-283-6500)
We sip refreshing Strawberry Mojitos (10 Cane rum, homemade strawberry sorbet, mint, fresh strawberries) in the outdoor courtyard and pair them with Korean fried duck wings.
8:15 p.m.: Kozu (136 Main St., Southampton, 631-619-6660)
At Zach Erdem’s elegant new Japanese-Peruvian eatery, located in the former home of Nammos Estiatorio, we savor sashimi and chilled sake while doing some serious people-watching.
9:00 p.m.: Jue Lan Club (268 Elm St., Southampton, 631-353-3610)
For our last stop, we sit under Chinese lanterns at this new outdoor nightlife playground and sip Far East of Manhattan cocktails (Macallan 12-year Scotch, vermouth, honey syrup, bitters). If you can’t dig a hole to China, this is the next best thing.
A version of this article appeared in the August 1, 2016 issue of HC&G (Hamptons Cottages & Gardens) with the headline: Cocktail Crawl.
