Dante.

Within four years of re-opening, Dante was named the best bar in the world. The menu is well picked with small fare, but it’s the expertly-crafted cocktails that draw the local crowd. Scoring reservations won’t be an easy feat, but the effort is worthwhile.

Enjoying proper martinis while decompressing from the city’s hectic pace is one of the most romantic things to do in New York City during the holidays.

Better still, pop in for the daily happy hour (from 3-5pm) when generously-poured martinis go for $10 at Dante West Village (on Hudson Street) and negronis clock in at $10 at Dante NYC (on MacDougal Street).

A jack of all trades, every cocktail is expertly made but the martinis steal the show. I can’t get enough of the playful variations on offer. I’m a huge fan of the citrusy “With a Twist” while my husband prefers the bar’s signature martini. Both martinis are discounted to $10 during happy hour (daily from 3-5pm) at the Dante West Village location.

There’s two Dante locations in the West Village (Caffe Dante & Dante West Village), and they’re only a few blocks apart, which can get confusing. During happy hour, Dante West Village offers martinis for $10 and Caffe Dante offers negronis for $10. The price/quality ratio can’t be beat, just make sure you route yourself to the right location.

Longtime readers know that Dante is my favorite happy hour haunt in NYC. The charming cocktail bar cast its spell on me ages ago and I have no intention of changing anything about that. Famous for knock-out libations of all varieites, martinis are Dante’s wheelhouse.

When it comes to martinis at Dante, there’s three key players to know.

• The Dante Martini (fords gin, ketel one, noilly prat, dolin blanc, nardini cedro, olive & lemon bitters)
• The Dirty (reyka vokda, olive oil, olive bitters, cinzano 1757 dry, pinch of salt)
• With a Twist (absolut citron, beefeater, alessio bianco, essence of grapefruit, lemon, lime)

I’m a sucker for the citrus martini but my husband swears by the dirty. Dante’s ability to cater to any palate sets them apart from other NYC martini bars mentioned on this list. There’s two Dante locations in the West Village. Dante West Village (551 Hudson Street) focuses on martinis while Caffe Dante specializes in negornis.

The brown butter pancakes are a perfect companion for an espresso martini, but the smoked salmon toast is great too (toasted brioche with capers, red onion, watercress & a soft poached egg). This a great spot to know about when you want to impress out-of-town guests with excellent breakfast cocktails they’ll remember for years to come.

There’s two locations in the neighborhood. Caffe Dante and Dante West Village, it gets confusing because the bars are only a few blocks apart. But, there’s an important distinction between them.

The menu is well curated with small fare but the drinks is where this popular NYC bar truly shines. The hardest part about this iconic experience is getting reservations because this is one of the busiest spots in the city. Whichever location you choose to visit, it’s one of the best spots in NYC for Instagram photos.