Overstory: Award-Winning Cocktails and Stunning Manhattan Views from the 64th Floor

I never imagined I would have to climb a steep marble stairwell on the 63rd floor of New York’s 70 Pine Street to get from the two-Michelin-starred restaurant Saga to Overstory, an impressive bar on the 64th floor with a wraparound terrace and 360-degree views of the skyline.

To be clearer, I wasn’t prepared to exercise to be amused by the 15th Best Bar in the World, but it was worth more than those few steps.

Photo: Courtesy of Overstory

I often write about some of The World’s 50 Best Bars, and understand the quality that merits these awards, but everywhere I have been in the past decade seemed the same old until we tried Overstory.

The art deco lounge, designed in a light earthy palette, has 28 seats, but only 12 are at the bar, where we sat and had the best conversation with our friendly bartenders. (One of them, Antonis Giannopoulos, a Greek compatriot of mine, shared an up-to-date list of the coolest places to visit in Athens.)

Photo: Courtesy of Overstory

The cocktail menu, which changes periodically, offers a selection of 12 choices, and we tried half of them in an hour. We wished we could have stayed longer but had a hard-to-get reservation at Chez Fifi, a beloved new restaurant in town (which I will describe in a future issue).

Our first round consisted of the Pink Tuxedo, a mind-blowing and balanced mix of vodka, cherry blossom, vermouth, strawberry and absinthe. It tasted like a love elixir, so easy to drink it spurred a sense of instant happiness.

Our second cocktail, Maravilla, was exactly that—wonderful! It featured marigold flowers that had been processed to obtain a calendula marigold extract mixed with pineapple, apricot and Timut peppercorn. It left me wanting another round, but we had to make room for others.

Photo: Big Bang. Courtesy of Overstory

At this point, we ordered the grilled cheese sandwich, a delightful, aged Comté cheese with black truffle and a sweet mustard sauce. We were recommended El Bandito, combining tequila, tomato water, mango, lime and yuzu kosho. The tomato water concerned us, but when the drink arrived, milky white, we felt we had tasted glory itself.

Photo: Satsuma Ice Cream Sandwich. Courtesy of Overstory / Peter Marquez

Meanwhile, the Guava Crush, a mezcal with strawberry, guava, lemongrass, lime and sumac, was something a White Lotus character would have multiples of. To end our unforgettable sunset cocktail hour, I ordered The Last Frontier, which mixed gin, sherry, mandarin, beeswax and Yellow Chartreuse in a way that contributed to the best martini I have ever had.

I am picky with my gin martinis because I only like them extra dry, but now The Last Frontier is my favorite cocktail, and I can only get it at Overstory. My friend ended with the Easy Money, vodka, coconut, yuzu and soda adorned with a fragrant sprig of lime leaves. It was smooth as smooth can be but beware the buzz—which we relished as we departed for our next stop.

Best For

Innovative potions served in a sleek art deco setting in the sky.

Verdict

This highly acclaimed bar delivers an unparalleled experience for guests seeking superb cocktails in a glamorous environment.
overstory-nyc.com