Sandbar Rooftop
Let’s face it, 2020 needs a major redo and so many summer traditions (like NYC happy hour rooftop outings) have been taken away. Yesterday I got the privilege to be amongst the first to experience the new Sandbar Rooftop in Chelsea. LOVED IT!
Sandbar Rooftop is a new Chelsea destination designed to be a hotel rooftop Hamptons getaway. The refreshing and well-thought-out drinks, fused with the simple yet delectable menu is enough to get you excited, but THEN when you add the beachy ambience it’s the perfect place to meet up with your friends for good times and memories.
Like most bars, you can and should start with the cashew nuts, however warning these are oddly addictive. The nuts will remind you of the sweet ones from the street carts (you know, the ones that you can smell a block away and drool over). These however have an added dash of spice. We then got right to business and explored the entire cocktail menu and have to say they are all dangerously delicious.
Sandbar Rooftop Cocktails
For starters these cocktails were created with a lot of love for the craft. The moment you start sipping your drink you quickly notice that the mixologist of these drinks really did their research and sourced the best produce, mixers, and garnishes. You can find the full cocktail menu HERE and all of them are great! Seriously! But here are my top 3 suggestions:
1. Banzai Pipeline- It’s a vodka drink that goes down like a summer lemonade and should be distributed in cans for picnics. The Banzai Pipeline has a slight bite with the ginger beer and ginger ale, yet it is lightly sweet with a hint of rhubarb syrup.
2. Nosara- For anyone who does not think they like Gin or Cilantro, this drink will convert you! It is light and refreshing, and before it weirds you out the cilantro acts like mint (actually, I am wondering what other drink I can swap out mint for cilantro). The mixture of cucumber juice, tonic water, and lime combine to make the perfect afternoon drink.
3. Maverick- I am a whiskey girl so it’s no surprise that my first pick was the Maverick, however, I LOVED this! The muddled blackberry and mint were enough to get me excited, but it was honestly a great year-round drink. For those of you who aren’t whiskey drinkers but want something sweet and love blackberry this is for you. Honestly, you barely taste whiskey.
Once we started drinking, we wandered the space. The design is simple and cozy and for those who crave the beach or haven’t seen the beach in 2020, it semi-teleports you to a beach boardwalk or beach outdoor hotel lounge. The color palette is appropriately white and blue and many of the sourced items are things you find on the beach. For example, the side tables are made of combined driftwood and painted white. The benches are made of reused white painted wooden pallets and topped with a blue striped cushion. Two other great sourced pieces are the front desk Vespa converted into a wine rack and the whiskey barrels made into swings. All together the design makes for a relaxed, classy, and good vibes atmosphere.
Sandbar Rooftop
Finally, the food will also keep you satisfied. It’s a selective menu designed in a way that is casual cuisine with large sharable portions and then made with great ingredients. It’s mainly pizza’s so that should already make you smile but then they have the Market Fresh Crudité which I loved with its basil and crème dip. And don’t worry if you’re a skip the meal and go straight to dessert person they have a Stracciatella, it’s as big as a pizza but topped with berries and Nutella.
As a whole Sandbar Rooftop is a chill and satisfying experience for a date or gathering. Like with everyone they are following social distance guidelines so make sure to make a reservation.
