Best of Lounge 2009 - Winners

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar

The Loungerati readers have voted via PollDaddy for the 2009 Best of Lounge, and the results are in:

Best Bar/Lounge Newcomer: DUTCH KILLS
Honorable mention: Raines Law Room, Fort Defiance, Mayahuel, Ward III

Best Bar/Lounge Veteran: DEATH & COMPANY
Honorable Mention: PDT, Flatiron Lounge, Clover Club, Pegu Club

Best Burlesque Act: THE MINSKY SISTERS
Honorable Mention: Legz Malone, Melody Sweets, This Is Burlesque with Angie Pontani

Best Lounge Event: WIT'S END
Honorable Mention: The Salon at Players Club, Jazz Picnic at Governor's Island, GMT New Year's Eve

Best Barfood: CLOVER CLUB
Honorable Mention: Minetta Tavern, Mayahuel, Freemans, PDT

Best Jazz/Swing/Lounge Band: MICHAEL ARENELLA & HIS DREAMLAND ORCHESTRA
Honorable Mention: Queen Esther & J Walter Hawkes, JC Hopkins Biggish Band, Gelber & Manning

Best Dressed Lounger: EFF BLANGIARDO (LOUNGERATI)
Honorable Mention: Mr. Swank, Jack Newcastle

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: HAVANA CLUB RUM (CUBAN BARREL PROOF)
Honorable Mention: Dolin Vermouth (Bianco), Fee Brothers Whiskey Barrel Bitters, Orgeat Syrup, Manzanilla Sherry

Best Cocktail of 2009: SMOKE & MIRRORS (Raines Law Room)
Honorable Mention: Prescription Julep (Ft Defiance), The Slight Detour (Mayahuel),Twisted Whiskey Mac (Artesian Bar - London), The Cat's Meow (Dutch Kills)

Editor's Picks:

Best Seat in the House: F14 at CLOVER CLUB
Honorable mention: Bar seat at Dutch Kills and the "regular" at Employees Only

Best Cocktail for the Road: THE PORTO FLIP (St. John Frizzel)
Honorable Mention: Hanky Panky (Brad Farran), The Wild Turkey Flip (Thomas Waugh), The Eagle's Dream (Matt Dawson)

Best Saloon: WARD III
Honorable Mention: Henry Public, The Richardson, 124 Rabbit Club

Best of the Internationals: CURIO PARLOR (Paris)
Honorable Mention: Rick's (Edinburgh), Rheingold (Berlin), Artesian Bar (London), 69 Colbrooke Lane (London)

We do apologize for the New York-centric nature of this list. We did go out to the readers to submit nominations and well, most are from New York. Hopefully that will change in the next year.

On the hit list to visit in 2010: Sweets Shop at Duane Park, The Varnish in LA, B-Flat in Tribeca, more Shanghai Mermaid,Summit on Ave C, Heaven's Dog in San Francisco, Violet Hour in Chicago, POV in DC, Eastern Standard in Boston, Tales of the Cocktail Part Deux, The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, and so much more.

Please join us on December 5th for Holiday cocktails at Ward III in New York. It is Repeal Day and Loungerati's third birthday.