A great bar after midnight is a quiet place. The music is lower, the orders are simpler, and the bartender has time to make your drink the way it should be made: very cold, very clean, in a glass that was waiting in the freezer.
The bars we love have a few things in common. They have stools rather than tables, so you can watch the work. They have a short menu and a long memory. And they never, ever bring the bill before you ask.
Order a martini the way you like it, ask for one recommendation, and leave room for the conversation. The best part of the night often starts when the room is half empty.
