Best of New York 2012 • Fun

• Jbird

  339 E. 75th St., nr. First Ave.; 212-288-8033

  Until January, uptowners looking to drink somewhere other than a staid wine bar or a ho-hum pub would hop a train for hipper downtown climes. But Jbird’s arrival on the Upper East Side gives serious cocktail lovers a reason to stay local. The drinks list, from Jason Littrell (Death & Co.) and Marshall Altier (1534), offers five categories of spirits (from sours to Old Fashioneds) and signature drinks like the tiki-esque Jbird Swizzle ($12). A changing seasonal food menu means no one has to drink on an empty stomach, and no looming cab fare home is all the more excuse to have a ­second round.

From the 2012 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine