Broken Shaker: a cocktail bar above Gramercy
Two rooms, two terraces
On Lexington Avenue, a few minutes' walk from Madison Square Park, the top floor of the Freehand New York is home to Broken Shaker. Run by the Authentic Hospitality group, the bar is spread across two indoor rooms (one with a checkerboard floor, the other more of a lounge, with banquettes and arched windows) and two open-air terraces filled with plants. The outdoor bars have a retractable roof, so you can enjoy the terraces later into the season.
From the 18th floor, the view takes in the rooftops of Gramercy and the Flatiron District, with the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building front and center, and Lower Manhattan on the other side.
One-price cocktails and small plates
Every house cocktail on the menu is $18: negronis, old fashioneds, and creations built on tequila, mezcal or rum, plus a few mocktails at $14. Tuesday through Saturday from 4pm to 6pm, Golden Hour brings $13 cocktails. On the food side, guacamole, shrimp ceviche, fish tacos, spicy tuna crispy rice, sandwiches and a burger go with the drinks.
DJs set up on Friday and Saturday nights, and the space can be booked privately for groups of 15 to 400 people.
Practical information
Broken Shaker is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 4pm to midnight, and Thursday through Saturday from 4pm to 1am; it's closed Sunday and Monday. After 6pm, it's 21 and over only. Reservations are available online, but the wait can be long when the weather's nice. In the warmer months, you enter on 24th Street; when it's cold, through the hotel lobby. Subway: 23rd Street (6 train), a two-minute walk.
