Made with local vegetables and herbs, the Hungry Cat's Holy Mary (vodka, fresh juices from carrot, lemon and ginger, plus rosemary and parsley) is terrific with chef David Lentz's burgers and seafood.
The husband-and-wife chef team at this cozy restaurant serves great small plates (like veal sweetbreads over heirloom grits) and a mix of updated and classic cocktails, such as yuzu margaritas and Bra
Star chef David Myers of Sona has created a modern brasserie, complete with Parisian staples (steak frites) and updated retro cocktails like the Gin & Tarragonic.
This lounge inside an early 1900s power plant serves handcrafted cocktails, an amazing selection of gins and snacks like lobster-sausage corn dogs with mustard crème fraîche.
The center of Miami Beach nightlife, Lenny Kravitz's updated 1950s Cuban–style lounge has live music (played on a Lucite grand piano) and Latin-inspired drinks.
This pan-Latin spot serves traditional sangrias and mojitos as well as estilo libre ("freestyle") cocktails. These combine unexpected ingredients like ginger, jicama, pineapple and mezcal.
Recently restored by its new owners, Chick's maintains the original pressed-tin ceiling and cherry bar, and features great classic-inspired cocktails.
At his elegant hacienda-style restaurant, owner David Suro, who grew up near agave fields in the Mexican state of Jalisco, serves drinks by mixologist Junior Merino and about 100 tequilas.
This exclusive bar with a no-standing policy is all about well-crafted cocktails, both classic and innovative. The waitstaff flames twists over drinks tableside.
At Craig Min's superchic Silverlake coffee shop, one of the ways coffee is brewed is by heating water, then mixing it with ground coffee using two glass globes.
Jonathan Rubinstein's espresso shop in the West Village has been a hit ever since it opened in 2002. Rubinstein recently switched to beans from Ecco Caffe, a boutique Sonoma roaster.
Even the drip coffees, whether to stay or to go, are served with a proper spoon and saucer.
Owner Ken Nye is often credited as the first person to bring serious coffee to New York City in 2001.
This charming café, with its big window seat overlooking the cobblestones on Germantown Avenue, feels more like a living room (albeit one with a small-batch roaster) than a coffee shop.
Even the drip coffees, whether to stay or to go, are served with a proper spoon and saucer.
Even the drip coffees, whether to stay or to go, are served with a proper spoon and saucer.
Candace Nelson's cupcake empire started with this Beverly Hills shop in 2005, serving creative varieties like Ginger Lemon and Chai Latte.
This tiny, more-than-30-year-old gelato shop features about 30 flavors, all served in silver coupes set on doily-topped white plates.
Genevieve Ostrander's sweets are an ode to the South: lemon chiffon cake, pecan bourbon pie, whiskey bread pudding, even Coca-Cola bundt cake.
This L.A. classic started by Jane Lockhart more than 20 years ago is known for its pretty, over-the-top cakes, like the Triple Berry Shortcake.
Candace Nelson's cupcake empire started with a Beverly Hills shop in 2005, serving creative varieties like Ginger Lemon and Chai Latte.
Christopher Elbow's innovative chocolates include unexpected ingredients like popping candy and pink Hawaiian sea salt.
Staffers sell quirky, delicious flavors like Secret Breakfast—bourbon ice cream with cornflakes.
Self-taught baker Meg Ray has taken the Parisian patisserie as inspiration for her dainty shop and repertoire of exquisite cakes and pastries.
Michael Recchiuti's jewel-like chocolates are delicately flavored with unexpected ingredients like bergamot tea.
TV star Nicollette Sheridan is a fan of these playful sweets. Try the donut muffin (tastes like a doughnut, looks like a muffin)!
Justine Pringle and Andy Laird have a single source for all their chocolate confections: one family-run farm in eastern Colombia.
Christina Tosi's ingenious desserts like candy bar pie riff on lowbrow sweets (in this case, the Take 5 candy bar).
