Bargain $9 Cocktails

At last weekend’s F&W Classic in Aspen, superstar sommelier Bobby Stuckey of Frasca Food and Wine in Boulder, Colorado, said that this economy means there’s never been a better time to be a wine drinker. So funny, because I was thinking there’s never been a better time to be cocktail obsessed in New York City. While it’s still easy to find very pricey drinks (especially if you choose to socialize on hotel rooftops), there are some remarkable cocktails for under $10 all over town. Specifically, the $6 Hudson Sour (bourbon, apple liqueur and lemon) at Damon Wise's Frugal Friday in Manhattan, the $9 Steinway Punch (rye, lemon, Curacao and soda) at Dutch Kills in Long Island City and the $9 Applejack Sazarack (applejack, absinthe and bitters) at Prime Meats in Brooklyn (PM’s $5 daily changing punch can also be terrific, depending on what they're ladling out of the punch bowl that evening).