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Where to find holiday cheer

Perrie Samotin

November 17, 2006

Eggnog from The Campbell Apartment at Grand Central (handout)

You deserve a little holiday cheer, whether you go out or stay home. Here, five places to imbibe a holiday cocktail. Plus, recipes for good cheer, just in case you'd rather snuggle up at home.

The Campbell Apartment Warm and authentically New York, this 1930s-era bar is located upstairs in Grand Central. By day, it was once the office of early 20th-century tycoon John W. Campbell; by night, an exclusive salon, where prominent New York characters would gather for cocktails. It's not an office anymore, but it's as popular as it ever was as a place for a civilized drink. (Southwest Balcony at Grand Central, 15 Vanderbilt Avenue; 212-953-0409)

Campbell Apartment's Holiday Egg Nog
2 oz. eggnog (one egg yolk and 2 oz. heavy cream)

1 oz. brandy (or cognac)
1 oz. four square spiced rum
½ oz. of white crème de cacao
Splash simple syrup
Dash of nutmeg
Combine egg yolk, cream and splash of simple syrup in a Boston cocktail shaker. Shake vigorously. Add all remaining ingredients. Shake again and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with nutmeg.

Dirty Disco Bi-level, intimate and yet another sceney spot that has made its way into the Meatpacking circus. The theme is sort of 1970's decadent and the decor surprisingly lives up to it, with a high-fashion sensibility. Drinks aren't cheap, but someone's got to pay for the $100,000 sound system. (248 West 14th Street; 212-488-2525)

Dirty Disco's Holiday Disco
1oz. VOX Apple Vodka
½ oz. Butterscotch Schnapps
½oz Goldschlager
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a slice of fresh apple.

Bubble Lounge What better way to toast to the holiday season than with a classically festive champagne cocktail? And what better place to do it than at what's considered the monarch in New York champagne culture. Located on an unassuming street in Tribeca, the joint was created 10 years ago in an attempt to demystify the concept that champagne is strictly for a select few or for a special occasion.

Bubble Lounge's Champagne Cocktail
Champagne Roederer Brut, well chilled
1 Sugar Cube