We’re all about the whiskey and cocktails, but there’s nothing worse than drinking on an empty stomach. That’s why this week, we’re featuring an amazing cocktail bar that is also a great Indian restaurant. Located on New York’s historic Cornelia Street, The Drunken Munkey is an Anglo-Indian Bistro & Cocktail Bar that pays tribute to the famous cafes, bistros and supper clubs of Old Bombay.
The team behind Bar & Books Cocktail and Cigar Lounges, Bistro Le Bateau Ivre and the original Drunken Munkey on the Upper East Side, their newest location features a menu influenced by all of India — from the frontiers of the royal Northwest down to the fishing villages of the coastal south. Most of their recipes are known only to Arun and Raju Mirchandani’s family and have been passed down through four living generations. Among its highlights are the Butter Chicken Tikka Masala, Whole Tandoori Fish – Amritsari-style and the Braised Yorkshire Masala Short-Ribs. Not to mention their Naan, which provides the perfect base for their xx cocktail program.
The East India Cocktail Program, created by Head Bartender Lupe Toxtli (also of Bar & Books), is a collection of revived prohibition classics and signature recipes, with a particular focus on gin. Standouts include:
- East India Cocktail: D’usse VSOP Cognac, Combier d’orange, Luxardo maraschino liqueur, Peychaud’s Bitters and flamed orange peel
- Lady Mountbatten: Monkey Shoulder Scotch, Crème de Pamplemousse, house-made Strawberry gastrique, fresh lemon & lime juice and peach bitters
- Indian Spiced Old Fashioned: Lagavulin 16yr. mist, Old Overholt Rye, Indian-spiced gomme, Angostura bitters, Regan’s orange bitters, orange & lemon peel
- Pimms Cup: Pimm’s No. 1, Bulldog Gin, fresh lemon, ginger ale, cucumber twist, fresh orange
- Saffron Sazerac: St. Georges Absinthe rinse, Old Overholt Rye, Angostura Bitters, Peychaud’s bitters, and house saffron sugar
The Drunken Munkey
31 Cornelia Street
New York, NY 10014
Let us know if you have a bar you love or want us to check out on social media with the hashtag, #TWLbar. Please drink responsibly.
