Bottle service is (mostly) gone; this season’s top spots are familiar ones with sparkling new drinks and spaces.
(Bloomberg) — The summer hasn’t started yet, but the challenges that face Hamptons regulars will be familiar.
First there’s the issue of where to eat. This season, many of the most exciting new dining spots are pop-ups from New York and Miami.
Other key information to have: The best places to drink on the East End of Long Island. Not so long ago, this time of year meant the arrival of big-name clubs like 1 OAK. But over the last couple of years, and especially since the pandemic, evening imbibing has centered around bars, at places like Amagansett’s always-packed, time-honored live music den The Stephen Talkhouse, and Montauk mainstay Duryea’s, where the indoor bar continues to be buzzy.
Nick Hatsatouris, the operator behind Moby’s, one of the Hamptons’ most successful bar-centered restaurants, thinks one reason for the move away from a club vibe is that the summer crowd has trended older. He believes that Hamptons denizens are looking for “elevated or low-key” experiences that are less nightlife-focused. He and co-owner Lincoln Pilcher have “evolved Moby’s with that in mind,” adding a new drinks space to their coastal Italian eatery for this upcoming season.
Bodhi Landa, who is part of the management team at Montauk’s beachy-chic hotel and restaurant Crow’s Nest, says that operators that have recently tried to launch nightlife concepts have been “encountering more obstacles with licensure, curfew and their local neighbors.” In the wake of boisterous clubs with lengthy lines comes more bars with later hours and better drinks. A win, we say.
Moby’s and Crow’s Nest will continue to pack the crowds in this year, and for good reason. At least one famed bar is following the dining pop-up model: The Rosewood Mayacoba’s Zapote Bar—ranked No. 11 on the recent World’s 50 Best North America Bar list—will travel from Riviera Maya, Mexico, to make a weekend appearance at Bridgehampton’s Topping Rose House hotel in late July. Other places making news this summer include Navy Beach, where live music has returned, and Tayla, a new Greek eatery taking over the infamous party spot Ruschmeyers. Without further ado, the top places in the Hamptons to drink this summer.
Moby’s, Amagansett
The drinks at the coastal Italian-leaning eatery on Route 27 have always been better than those at most Hamptons haunts. This year owners Hatsatouris and Pilcher have raised the bar (pun intended) higher. New bar director Nathalie Durrieu, formerly of Manhattan’s acclaimed Katana Kitten, is highlighting light, spritz-styled drinks that feature seasonal produce, and summer-styled classics. Look out for the Lillet rosé-laced Lake Como, with fresh grape juice, orange blossom water and a prosecco splash.
The team has also flipped the formerly light and bright front cafe space into the Aperitivo Room, a hunter green enclave illuminated with hanging orb lights. The focus is on booze over caffeine, serving from the late morning to late night. To eat, the new chef Fernando Mayers (formerly of Bad Roman) is offering plates like roasted half chicken with sugar snap peas and Fresno chiles.
Rita Cantina, East Hampton
Since it opened three years ago, the popular Mexican restaurant has boasted the Hamptons’ most sophisticated, agave-based bar program. Diego Rivera from Puerto Rico’s renowned bar La Factoria has once again designed the summer’s drinks with co-owner Adam Miller. Which means frosty, expertly made margaritas, alongside new libations like palomas flavored with hibiscus and passion fruit. The place to sip them is the sandy patio lined with picnic tables.
Talya Cafe, Montauk
The team behind SoHo’s French fixture Maison Close have taken over the notorious Ruschmeyers space—the 1950s hotel-turned-restaurant-and-bar that’s been home to innumerable late-night parties. The restaurant and spacious lawn have been revamped to transport guests to the Mediterranean via beachy woven fabrics and hanging lanterns, along with Greek food and drinks. Barman Adrien Lefort is mixing cocktails like the Tayla Smoothie, made with ouzo, melon liqueur, Greek yogurt and raspberries.
On the menu: Plenty of seafood, including a tarragon pesto-accented grilled octopus salad from chef Geoffrey Lechantoux.
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Navy Beach, Montauk
At this 14-year-old coastal American restaurant housed in a waterside bungalow where diners eat with their feet in the sand. Live music was one of the eatery’s big draws; that stopped before Covid-19. But as of Memorial Day weekend, music is back, with a mix of reggae and DJ-tuned Balearic house beats. Barman Bishop Miller is behind the botanical-based cocktails, with new additions such as the gin-soaked Basil Breeze, flavored with elderflower, basil and lime.
Also notable at Navy Beach: One of the Hamptons’ largest rosé collections, about 20 labels strong.
The Surf Lodge, Montauk
If there’s anything better than a frozen cocktail on a hot beach day, it’s one that gets attention. Which is why mixologist Remi Shobitan of Montauk’s The Surf Lodge—where the sizable waterfront patio is always valuable real estate—is introducing the Pink Flamingo. The pink drink is essentially a watermelon slushie fortified with Aperol, tequila, and rosé wine. For highball fans, Shobitan is swapping the whiskey with sesame-infused vodka, and adding lemon and cucumber juice.
Southampton Social Club, Southampton
Regulars at this popular restaurant and lounge will note the new outdoor cabana furniture that’s been installed for daytime and the DJ-tuned, bottle service nights. There are also updates to the drinks list: For the past 13 years, the Social Coole—jalapeño-infused tequila and watermelon purée––has been the signature cocktail. This year the place is finally offering a slate of new competitors, including a coconut water margarita and strawberry and lemongrass vodka lemonade.
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Crow’s Nest, Montauk
When the Crow’s Nest restaurant and bar open in the afternoon, there’s a daily rush to grab an alfresco table or cabana. The place doesn’t take reservations and its location, just steps away from Lake Montauk beach, makes it one of the best spots in the Hamptons to be when the sun sets and the night starts. As in summers past, there will be no shortage of Espresso Martinis and Watermelon Coolers. Among the new beverages is a bourbon-based elixir that’s a cross between a mint julep and an Arnold Palmer.
Another new drink is inspired by the classic Naked and Famous, with mezcal, pineapple, lime and the Dutch liqueur Boomsma Clooster Bitter.
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