Go inside the swanky, Cuba-inspired lounge that was just named the best new cocktail bar in America

This week, the 11th annual Spirited Awards - essentially the Oscars of the drinks world - crowned New York City's BlackTail the Best New American Cocktail Bar. 

While only less than a mile away from owners Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's other award-winning sister bar, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, BlackTail's atmosphere and cocktail recipes are worlds apart. BlackTail transports you to 1920s Havana, serving up colorful, punchy, and, at times, fruity cocktails.

Last fall, we met with BlackTail's bar manager and cocktail aficionado, Jesse Vida, to get the full story behind this beautiful new bar at the very southern tip of Manhattan in Battery Park.