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10 Bars That Serve Up Frosty Sips

Compiled by Linda Perney | NYNewsday.com

The taste of summer: a fruity, frosty margarits (Courtesy of the Distilled Spirits Council)

A sampling of bars throughout the city where you can kick back with something cold.

MANHATTAN

El Rey del Sol. This is a happy place, good for a party. The service is friendly, the surroundings are relaxed, and there's classic Tex-Mex on the menu. The garden has picnic tables, where you can order up a big pitcher of fruity margaritas, $27 for the largest, which serves about four. The crowd mixes up ages and styles, and it really gets busy starting on Wednesday evenings. (222 West 14th Street; 212-229-0733)

Iris & Gerald B. Cantor Rooftop at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Is this or is this not the ultimate place to watch the sun go down? The drinks menu is extensive enough to satisfy a summer craving for tropical coolers: margaritas, pina coladas, and daiquiris as well as the usual martinis and other mixed drinks. There are sandwiches and salads, but the best things are the Lichtensteins--and the sunsets. Note: Last call is at 8:15, so go early. (1000 Fifth Avenue; 212-535-7710)

Cibar. Downstairs at the Inn at Irving Place, this place gets busy early with a 30-ish professional crowd that has been described as good-looking but unpretentious. The ratio of men to women is about equal. Starting around 7:30 p.m. on weekdays, there's a DJ to loosen things up. There's also a small garden with tables--and you can smoke out there. Drinks lean to the esoteric, with a menu of about 15 martinis, including apple (made with cinnamon-infused vodka and a hint of champagne) and mixed berry. (56 Irving Place; 212-460-5656)

BROOKLYN

Barbes: Named after the immigrant neighborhood in Paris, this is a sophisticated place for a drink. The owners are French, and they've imbued the place with a certain savoir faire, all ensconced in a classic New York bar with a tin ceiling. The crowd varies--depending on the eclectic range of music: techno to traditional Irish. As you might expect, the place draws a lot of musicians. To drink, there are the usual mixed drinks, but the real standouts are the cocktails spiced with pastis, the anise-flavored French aperitif: The house cosmopolitan shouldn't be missed. (376 Ninth Street; 718-965-9177)

Vera Cruz: Back in the day, when Williamsburg was just starting to hot up, there was Vera Cruz. There is still Vera Cruz, a cheerful neighborhood hangout that's as hip as it wants to be. It's almost always crowded, and it's almost always noisy. For drinks, the house fave is, not surprisingly, the maragrita, which comes in flavors like peach, melon, grapefruit, and pineapple. Pina coladas are also tasty. If the bar gets too crowded, you can take a seat outside and savor your drink al fresco. (195 Bedford Avenue; 718-599-7914)

QUEENS

Mardi Gras: This is a good place for a party--friendly, laid back, with not a trace of fussiness. The bar is a big L-shape, and there's a lounge where you and a couple of buddies can kick back and attack the margaritas, which range from the $6.25 frozen fruit variety to what the house calls the Cadillac, for $7.50, with a top-drawer tequila. The crowd ranges from the younger 20's -set on weekends to the midweek regulars, who tend to be a little older. There's Mexican food to fill up on, and there's a killer drink called Sex at Sunset: Stoli, Amaretto, Frangelico, and sweet vermouth. (70-20 Austin Street; Forest Hills; 718-261-8555)

STATEN ISLAND

Jade Island Polynesian Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge: Located in a shopping mall, this is a classic tiki bar, a throwback to the '50s, with its Polynesian themed menu, and of course, its Polynesian-style drinks, some served in fake coconut shells, some served in real pineapples. You might try the Pineapple Passion, but the house special is the Jade Island, a mix of rum, brandy, and lemon juice over cracked ice. (2845 Richmond Avenue; 718-761-8080)

BRONX

Tito Puentes Restaurant: Named for the Latin music great, Tito's keeps the tradition going with Latin jazz on Friday nights. The crowd is as friendly as the staff, and the drink menu covers all the bases, rum punch to pina coladas. The house specialty -- the Banana Miranda -- is a frozen rum-based drink concocted with banana liquer, fresh bananas, lime, and crushed ice, a grown-up smoothie. There's no water view, but there are tables outside. (64 City Island Avenue; 718-885-3200)

DO IT YOURSELF

In case you fall in love with the drinks and want to whip up a batch or two at home, here's are two recipes guaranteed to cool you off.

Cosmopolitan
Barbes 2 ounces Absolut Citron
3/4 ounce Triple Sec
3/4 ounce lime juice