Your Guide To Experience Westlight, A Rooftop Bar At The William Vale Hotel In Williamsburg

Enjoy the phenomenal view of the New York City skyline while sipping on delicious cocktails at Westlight, the highest rooftop bar in Williamsburg.

Westlight is a 22nd-floor rooftop bar with sweeping views of New York City atop The William Vale, a boutique hotel in Williamsburg. The bar opened its doors to the public in Sept. 2016, and has since garnered raving reviews from locals and tourists alike.

Westlight features an indoor bar and lounge area with floor-to-ceiling glass windows for you to enjoy the panoramic views. Additionally, you can step outside to the terrace for an even clearer view of the cityscape.

The bar program at Westlight is led by Anne Robinson, and presents a dynamic menu of original and classic cocktails alongside rare spirits, craft beer, and wine. Try unique cocktails like the New Kind of Kick (Great King Street Scotch, Fernet, Thyme, Orgeat, Lemon, Suze) or In Good Company (Macallan 12-year Double Cask Scotch, Cherry, Angostura, and Orange Bitters)

You can also enjoy savory and sweet bites at Westlight, featuring a menu of small plates curated by Chef Andrew Carmellini. Order everything from Roasted Eggplant Dumplings with sweet chili and bonito to Kurobuta Baby Back Ribs with crispy peanuts and cumin.

Top 5 Delicious Vodka-Based Cocktails To Enjoy This Summer

Frozen Spicy Kiwi Cocktail

Ingredients
1/2 cup infused Blue Ice Vodka *
1 scotch bonnet pepper
1 cup frozen mango cubes
2 kiwifruits, skinned
Water (to thin drink to preference)

Directions
Infuse Blue Ice Vodka by adding scotch bonnet pepper, pricked with a fork, to a lidded jar. Add Blue Ice Vodka. Shake and place in a cupboard or pantry for one day. Strain the peppers.

To create the cocktail: Place kiwifruit and frozen mango in a blender and mix. Once the fruit is smooth and combined, add the vodka and blend. Depending on personal preference and ripeness of kiwifruit, add small amounts of water to thin the drink and make it more sip-able.

Garnish with sliced kiwifruit round on the rim of the glass.

Blueberry-Basil Vodka Tonic

Ingredients
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup water
⅓ cup fresh blueberries, plus extra for garnish
4 large basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
Ice
Blue Ice Vodka
Tonic Water

Directionrs
Combine the sugar, water, blueberries, and basil leaves in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently, and continue to boil until the blueberries have popped and the sugar is dissolved, about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, transfer to a heat-proof container, and then chill until cold.

To make cocktails: fill a high ball glass (or a pint Mason jar!) with ice, add in two tablespoons of the blueberry-basil syrup, followed by 1½ ounces of vodka. Fill to top with tonic water.

Garnish with extra blueberries and basil leaves, if desired.

Anise Infused Blue Ice Vodka

Ingredients
1.5 cups Blue Ice Vodka
Anise (8-10 stars)
Cinnamon (1 stick)
Ice

Directions
Pour Blue Ice Vodka into a large mason (or similar) jar. Add 8-10 anise stars and add in the vanilla bean and close the jar tightly. Keep covered and let infuse in a cool place for 3-7 days.

Strain mason jar content and shake in a cocktail shaker and pour into glass

Blue Ice Vodka Spritzer

Ingredients
4 Limes 
3 tbsp sugar 
1 liter club soda 
1 cup Blue Ice Vodka 
1 cup blueberries 
1 cup raspberries 
Ice

Directions
Halve the limes and squeeze the juice into a pitcher. (If desired, cut the squeezed limes into small pieces and add to the pitcher.) Mix in the sugar. Add the club soda, vodka, blueberries, and raspberries. Pour over ice.

Homemade Orange, Vanilla and Clove Vodka

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 orange
1 tbsp whole cloves
1 vanilla bean
1 750-ml bottle of Blue Ice Vodka

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine water and sugar. Bring to a simmer and stir occasionally until all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

Peel the zest from an orange in thick 1-inch strips using a vegetable peeler and add zest and cloves to the sugar syrup. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds into the sugar syrup. Set the vanilla bean pod aside.

Pour vodka into a large mason (or similar) jar. Pour in the flavored sugar syrup and add in the vanilla bean and close the jar tightly. Keep covered and let infuse in a cool place for 3-7 days.

The solids can be strained out of the vodka before bottling (or left in for visual effect).

The Django, a New Jazz Club In NYC’s TriBeCa, Concocts Creative Cocktails In Its Subterranean Location

The Django

Tucked away in the basement level of The Roxy Hotel in the chic TriBeCa neighborhood, The Django - a new jazz club from scene makers Vito Dieterle and Joseph Schwartz - has been impressing its patrons with unique, craft cocktails, delectable small bits, and nightly live jazz music since its opening on September 2015.

The Django

In line with its subterranean location, The Django exudes a cave-like ambiance that is further accentuated by the dimly lit candles and vaulted ceilings. The artistic brilliance of Dieterle and Schwartz is sprinkled throughout The Django’s interior design, including the hand-picked vintage lighting fixtures from antique markets. While I did not get to try savory items on the menu, the small plates are reminiscent of those you would find at a classic Jazz Age Parisian boîtes, such as Chicken Mushroom Truffle Vol Au Vent (chicken and mushrooms in a white truffle sauce served in a puff pastry shell) and Oysters Herbsaint (fried oysters with creme fraiche, fennel, cucumber, and herbsaint).

The impressive selection of creative cocktails run the gamut from classic to variations, such as Old Fashioned (bourbon, sugar cube, angostura bitters), Martini (gin, dry vermouth), and Margarita (tequila, lime, combier) on the Classics page to the corresponding Variations of these cocktails like Chet Baker (aged rum, sweet vermouth, honey), Rolls Royce (gin, sweet vermouth, dry mouth, benedictine), and Made in Mexico (tequila, lime, cucumber, mint). You can let your creativity run wild by asking one of the skilled bartenders to make you whatever you want.

The highlight of Django, of course, is the nightly live music. You will see and hear musicians trumpeting and singing, while people tap their feet, nod their heads, and dance to the beat of the music. Make Django the next destination for your night out - it won’t disappoint.