Lovers of Today

Cool little nook if you can’t get past the door at Cabin. The guy makes a mean old fashioned.

Wow now this is a St. Marks speakeasy! Thoughtful artisan cocktails, very eclectic underground vibe. Grungey mid 20’s crowd. If you come with a group take the corner bench to the left. We had it all to ourselves and it gave us an intimate atmosphere to carry on and enjoy our drinks. The bartender was so great, showing off behind the bar and entertaining. For those of you that wan’t the PDT experience without the stress of getting an unachievable reservation, go here. It’s right around the corner and across the street. Every one of my friends was blown away by the experience. Definitely will come back.

Really cool little basement, dive-​bar atmosphere. Kind of feels like a séance down there. Was my favorite bar I visited on the NYC trip. Really chill, nice people, nice bartenders, good drinks. I got the marquee drink, don’t remember the actual name but it was really good it has vodka I think. Definitely wanna show this place to other people when I come back to New York.

So I’ll start this review off by saying that I am obviously a huge fan of #hinge because that’s where I had the pleasure of meeting hashtag Brian (who is the cutest boy in the world). If you or your friends are on any of the latest dating apps slash websites, this is a great first move. Dim lighting, cheapish-​drinks, and a bartender with a hefty pour which is certainly helpful at easing the unavoidable tension. The ONLY issue with this as a first date is that you have to wander down a pretty creepy stairway /​alley to get there which may cause your date to run before your even get to the bar.
Cocktails are very reasonable at $ 12 — especially considering the speakeasy scene in the area. They have a wide selection of drinks that are «love themed». I particularly enjoyed the Handsome Devil. I watched our bartender make them, and he sure did not skimp out on the alcohol component. I definitely left significantly more tipsy than when I arrived. I enjoyed the old school music at the venue as well. There are only two booths and then there’s one table tucked away in the back corner for a more intimate experience. .. .
The space is very small, so I wouldn’t recommend going with a large group — 4 people max. All in all, this was a great experience and sure beats having to wait 45+ minutes to get in to Death and Co or PDT.

Everyone got something different and really liked their drinks. The ratings below are for my personal preference, so make sure to take it with a grain of salt.
VIBE:
This place is packed, can get quite loud. But it is grungy in a cute way. However, because the entrance is through a basement-​level alley, there are tons of smokers hanging out right outside, and you can definitely smell it inside.
THE WAIT:
Despite how small and packed it was, there was space for 5 of us at the bar (this was 11pm on a Saturday). After we ordered our drinks, a booth opened up.
MUST-​HAVES: HK Garden!
* Hong Kong Garden (Gin, fresh lemon, honey, yuzu peppers, cucumber) — 4.5 stars
So interesting! This first hits you as a savory drink. Then you taste the cucumber and the refreshing bits. It doesn’t seem spicy until the last few sips, when it more hits you at the back of your throat than on your tongue. I very much enjoyed this, especially how unique it was!
* Fan Mail (aged rum, fresh lime, house made lavender honey, champagne) — 3.5 stars
Not so much for me, as the champagne flavor dominated way too much. But if you like that, you will enjoy this drink (as my friend did).
* Handsome Devil (silver tequila, fresh lime, house made lavender honey) — 3 stars
My boyfriend found this drink to be bland, not too interesting/​memorable.

Nice little place tucked away in the East Village. Great spot to take a date or catch up with a friend, but the booths are large enough to accommodate groups of 4 – 5.
Cocktails were good and bartender was nice. Although I would have to say, the bartender trolling me and making jokes that my friends and I were new to drinking was uncalled for. He assumed we had all just turned 21, but in reality were probably just as old as he was. I took it as a compliment– at least in the dark I still look young!

«Tight and Cozy»
This is a very small yet intimate place to get a few drinks with very limited lighting. Most of the special cocktails are delicious. The Astral Plane is a must for gin lovers (as I am).
Friday nights are very tight here and I do not imagine that it would be a pleasant experience if you do not have a seat, especially if you are on a date. Lucky for us we were able to acquire a table after a few minutes.
The two bartenders were very cool and energetic. However, due to the many of ingredients in the drinks, it can take a little while to get your drinks-​especially if it is a weekend. I would just that you order doubles of your beverages.

I don’t want to talk about it. Alright, I will. Bartender wasn’t very friendly (that might have to do with me stealing an orange from their bowl) but come on, it’s a Saturday night and after a few drinks, I get a little silly. Even before that, it wasn’t fun to watch a scowling bartender make our drinks. Angry vibes.
Anyways, the place itself was pretty cool. Fun crowd, nice décor.
I tried the Waterloo sunset and it tasted good but probably wouldn’t order it again. The flavors were too confusing. I will perhaps come again to order another drink from another bartender.

Lovers of Today is one of the most memorable bars I have visited in the city.
We decided to come for happy hour around 6p on a Thursday — the place was small, cozy, dimly lit with candles, and empty. The bartender, Alan, made for a wonderful experience here. He gave us a tutorial on old time cocktails from the Hemingway period, and proceeded to give us an array of specialty old-​fashioned cocktails crafted with some of the most unique ingredients I had ever seen. He tailored each drink to my and my boyfriend’s tastes, and we were very happy with all of them.
I would recommend this place for a small gathering with friends, or an intimate date (just as long as it goes better than the one happening next to us. painful)
We will most certainly be back! Thanks, Alan!

Very cool entrance but it’s a very small venue. It wasn’t overly crowded at about midnight but there was a decent crowd. The two bartenders there are working their butts off and providing awesome customer service. The drinks are «cheap» for the area at $ 12 but they’re good. They served me one of the biggest whiskey sour drinks that I’ve ever had… And it was a pretty good one.
There are people making out everywhere! Haha

Needed a fun new cocktail spot before dinner so my roommate recommended I try this little dark spot out. It’s a little bit difficult to find. It’s around the corner from Niagra down the stairs.
Once you find this place, it’s very dimly lit with a few tables and cool bar setup. They had a bunch of signature cocktails written on the board, which is what we all went I with.
I had two drinks. First, the Waterloo sunset. A bourbon based drink that was very good but I feel like it would be so much better during the fall. If you taste it, you’ll get what I mean. The second drink was the marquee moon which was a vodka based drink and made me want to go back to the Caribbean.
Both drinks were boozy and just fit the spot. I will return to this place if I’m ever in the area for some before dinner drinks.

If a dive bar and a speakeasy had a baby, Lovers of Today would be the result. You wouldn’t know this place existed unless you had an unhealthy interest in walking down into someone’s basement entrance.
This is an underground bar with nothing more than christmas lights lining the entrance to the bar. After you make your way down to the bar, you notice the bouncer and the door to the bar (usually cranked wide open).
Once you get in, there are a number of cocktails on a lit up sign behind the bartender that will piqué your interest. Hong Kong Garden, Astral Plane and Waterloo Sunset are my faves. There are a few booth-​like tables toward the back edge and bar seating as well.
If you’re in a big group, you might want to skip this place. However, if you’re looking for a place to order a great drink, not deal with pretentious people and still impress the friend (s) you’re with, check this place out.

We didn’t plan to go there: we just saw a sign, on the sidewalk, saying something like
«REWARDED AS THE BEST BAR IN TOWN*
*by the manager and his employees».
We found it very funny, and decided to check it by ourselves.
The bar is literally hidden. Without this sign, impossible to know that such a lovely bar was located here.
Perfectly named, this is a very nice and romantic spot.
I ordered an alcohol free cocktail, delicious, and my boyfriend tried a VERY spicy drink.
And by VERY spicy I mean «my throat is still sore» haha
Great place though.

You can pretty much tell how much I like you depending on what cocktail bars I’ll take you to. If I actually take you here, or suggest it, then chances are I’m not feigning affections with you.
Ironically, I was brought here by a rather mediocre date. Although the company wasn’t memorable, the bar left a lasting impression. Intimate, somewhat speakeasy-​esq, but without the pretentious fussy vibes of some of the more well known establishments nearby. Cocktails are written on the wall next to the bar, but you’ll be in good hands if you name a base spirit and chat up whoever is manning the bar as well (this is my preference).
Go on an off night and get to know the staff. Cozy up and sip something strong and bright. You won’t regret it.
also, the prices are a steal for the quality!

Such a great cocktail bar.
The space is weird to me. Very tall ceiling and randomly placed limited seating. The menu is written on a huge chalkboard on the wall. There’s no table service, so you just order your drinks from the bar and grab seats. We found a perfect little nook in the corner.
It’s quite low-​key and dark inside, none of the fancy trappings, but the drinks are so fantastic! Even if you pick the sweetest, girly drinks as I did. I had the Astral Plane and the Marquee Moon. Both were so good and really well mixed. It’s also a great date spot, very chill and non-​pretentious, but with cocktails of equal caliber to the high-​end places.

I think I have a new favorite cocktail spot. Bonus points for also being a wondeful date spot. I came to Lovers of Today on the recommendation of a friend. It’s downstairs in a random alley (I wouldn’t agree that it’s a speakeasy though…). It’s dark inside with two big booths, two small tables, and a corner counter with some bar seating. Very quaint.
All of their signature cocktails are written on the menu behind the bar. The ones I tried were:
1) Hong Kong Garden — a cucumber-​y, a little spicy, and very refreshing drink. So delicious.
2) Rumble — made with tequila and tamarind chipotle grenadine
3) Astral Plane — gin cocktail with herbs de provence and champagne. Super refreshing albeit a bit girly.
4) Marquee Moon — made with blueberry preserves and vodka. On the sweet side, but well balanced.
The bartenders are attentive and work really quickly for how in depth the cocktail recipes are.
It’s very non-​pretentious (which is becoming more rare for NYC cocktail bars), but they don’t skimp on quality or the thought they put into their recipes. A solid 5 stars!

I wish I had the ability to give this bar 6 stars. Despite plugging the address in my phone and following my way there, I walked right past it, twice. Truly a basement dive bar, Lovers of Today puts off the right vibe and ambiance for an East Village bar. Great cocktails (all $ 12), dark and cozy, killer music selection. I’ll be back whenever I’m in NYC again. Well done.