This past weekend, I joined New York Urban Adventures for their happy hour cocktail tour.  This tour explores the hidden speakeasies in New York’s East Village and the history of some of the city’s most notorious gangsters.  I’ll admit, I’m not a huge drinker but it was fascinating learning about how certain drinks were made back in the day.  The tour started out in Tompkins Square Park in front of the Temperance Drinking Fountain. There are four stops on the entire tour.  Our first stop was at The Blind Barber. Their signature drink is the strawberry field cocktail, which contains lemon honey vodka, fresh lemon juice and a touch of parsley.  Other stops included William Barnacle Bar (where we watched absinthe getting prepared) and Sweetwater Social. If you plan to be in the New York City area and want to take a local tour, check out www.urbanadventures.com.

Image: Temperance Drinking Fountain in Tompkins Square Park