L.E.S. Neighborhood bar: Top Notch Whiskey selection & Great Cocktails

(212) 477-2998

121 Essex St (nr. Rivington St.)
New York, NY 10002 40.719561 -73.987679

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Neighborhoods: Lower East Side, Downtown

THEWHISKEYWARD.COM

Hours:

Mon-Sat 5pm-4am

Sun 6pm-4am

Last updated 8.29.11

Category:

Bars & Pubs, Sports Bars, Neighborhood Bars

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Happy Hour

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Whiskey Ward

The Owner

Whiskey Ward

Owner

Extensive selection of Bourbons , Single Malts, Ryes, Irish , Canadian & American Whiskeys. Sample a few with our WHISKEY FLIGHTS! Or a "Taste of Whiskey?-1 oz pour= 1/2 list price, a GREAT way to try something new! NEW $9 Top Shelf Cocktail Menu! HAPPY HOUR: Mon-Sat 5:00-8:00 $4 Well Drinks and Draughts, $5 Sauza Margaritas (Reg., Mango or Pomegranate) $15 Pitchers of Sangria (60 oz) SUNDAY SPECIALS: $5 Sauza Margaritas or Manhattans w/Homemade Bourbon Cherry. $15 Pitchers of Sangria (60 oz)ALL NIGHT! SUN-THURS $1.00 off All Bottled Beer! DAILY SPECIALS: The Parker- A Pabst & Shot of Jack…

Provided by CityGrid

Read more from the owner

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

With its wide open room, 12-foot-high tin ceilings, exposed brick walls and handmade furnishings, it's hard to believe this Lower East Side bar used to be a hardware store. As its name suggests, Whiskey Ward stocks dozens of bourbons, single malts, ryes and Irish whiskeys, in addition to many bottled beers and six taps. Whiskey flights allow you to sample three one-ounce pours of any three whiskeys for half the listed price. Pair a shot of Woodford Reserve with a Guinness, or treat your palate to a slightly sweet Pappy Van Winkle 12-year-old bourbon and a chaser of Young's Ram Rod bitter beer.…

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
Happy hour (Monday through Saturday, 5pm-8pm) means $4 well drinks and drafts, and $7 for a well shot and a pint of beer.
The Extras:
A pool table in back attracts more drunk hipsters than pool sharks, so don't be intimidated if you want to get in on a game.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “The atmosphere is relaxed, the place is clean, and the crowd tends to be non-pretentious.”
  2. “The mix of people can get interesting, regulars, real drinkers, groups, romantic couples, pool players, the occasional biker and yet all are made to feel comfortable.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “drinks are great, the bartenders are sweet as pie, the music is perfect and any night of the week you can find yourself having an intersting chat with someone.”
drinks
94.79000091552734% positive
  1. “cold beer, beautiful people, feels like home.”
  2. “Got a big glass of Jack and a beer for $6.”
  3. “great place to go for a quick drink with a friend or for a more raucous night with a big group.”
  4. “drinks are great, the bartenders are sweet as pie, the music is perfect and any night of the week you can find yourself having an intersting chat with someone.”
  5. “The Whiskey Ward has an excellent beer and wine selection and really tasty cocktails.”
  6. “We all know Thursday is the best day to drink in NYC, and now I've found the best place to do it.”
  7. “You order a drink and they come to tell you not to spill it.”
  8. “Good neighborhood bar”
  9. “whiskey ward is the best bar in all of new york city!”
  10. “The bartenders are great and always remember your name and your drink.”
  11. “best neighborhood bar and best bartenders”
  12. “Relaxed, friendly, good beer/whiskey and cool crowd.”
  13. “For whiskey lovers, the owners (really nice folks) make sure to stock the bar with excellent premium label bourbon, rye, single malt, and Irish whiskeys.”
  14. “Although the neighborhood has changed for the mundane, one can still go to the Whiskey Ward, order a Parker all the while conversing with the drink special's name-sake and rock to the dj's eclectic collections.”
  15. “Great cold beer, excellent selection of top-shelf whiskeys, beautiful girls and great people all around.”
  16. “Whether it is to run campaigns to save animal shelters, or to stand up to unfair laws, by patronizing this taproom one is partaking in the benafaction of all the 26 wards in NYC as well as getting great drinks at great prices by great people.”
food quality
100.0% positive
  1. “The Whiskey Ward has an excellent beer and wine selection and really tasty cocktails.”
menu variety
83.33000183105469% positive
  1. “Great cold beer, excellent selection of top-shelf whiskeys, beautiful girls and great people all around.”
  2. “The Whiskey Ward has an excellent beer and wine selection and really tasty cocktails.”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “We all know Thursday is the best day to drink in NYC, and now I've found the best place to do it.”
  2. “great place to go for a quick drink with a friend or for a more raucous night with a big group.”
  3. “After bumming around the City looking for a good place to throw back a few, I remebered this place.”
service
81.11000061035156% positive
  1. “The bartenders are great and always remember your name and your drink.”
  2. “The mix of people can get interesting, regulars, real drinkers, groups, romantic couples, pool players, the occasional biker and yet all are made to feel comfortable.”
  3. “Whether it is to run campaigns to save animal shelters, or to stand up to unfair laws, by patronizing this taproom one is partaking in the benafaction of all the 26 wards in NYC as well as getting great drinks at great prices by great people.”
  4. “Rude staff!”
  5. “warm, friendly staff.”
  6. “Great cold beer, excellent selection of top-shelf whiskeys, beautiful girls and great people all around.”
  7. “Relaxed, friendly, good beer/whiskey and cool crowd.”
  8. “cold beer, beautiful people, feels like home.”
  9. “best neighborhood bar and best bartenders”
  10. “The staff is horrible, always making you feel that you did something wrong.”
  11. “great owners, hot bartenders, zombie djs, a pool table and of course miss bettie page!”
  12. “And of course, the bartenders are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable.”
  13. “Staff is friendly and unpretentious and skilled.”
  14. “drinks are great, the bartenders are sweet as pie, the music is perfect and any night of the week you can find yourself having an intersting chat with someone.”
  15. “shauna is my favorite bartender and the owner sandee is the best!”
value
100.0% positive
  1. “good music, good toilet, affordable, and well conditioned hair all around.”
  2. “Whether it is to run campaigns to save animal shelters, or to stand up to unfair laws, by patronizing this taproom one is partaking in the benafaction of all the 26 wards in NYC as well as getting great drinks at great prices by great people.”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “great place to go for a quick drink with a friend or for a more raucous night with a big group.”
3 Star Rating: Average

11/26/11

Nice!

by Scottytheman at Citysearch

The name says it all.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/29/09

Don't Let the Name Fool You

by Ankush at Citysearch

This is one of the classier "dive" bars that I've been to in NYC. The atmosphere is relaxed, the place is clean, and the crowd tends to be non-pretentious. For whiskey lovers, the owners (really nice folks) make sure to stock the bar with excellent premium label bourbon, rye, single malt, and Irish whiskeys.

But don't let the name fool you...The Whiskey Ward has an excellent beer and wine selection and really tasty cocktails. The unlimited peanuts in the shell are also a nice touch. And of course, the bartenders are friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable. I like this place so much that I visit at least weekly after work to play a round of pool and knock back a couple of rye whiskeys. But I also like swinging by for a few drinks when I go bar hopping.

  • Pros: Great liquor, excellent service, and a relaxed atmosphere
  • Cons: More
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/24/08

Best Bar on the LES

by imnotmisty at Citysearch

You can keep your Libations and Fat Babies, I'll take the Ward. Staff is friendly and unpretentious and skilled. Music is top notch and the jukebox is the best on the LES. Drinks are well priced, and there's FREE peanuts. You probably haven't even read the end of this post because you've already left to go sample it for yourself.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/29/07

Love this place!

by adamvk at Citysearch

After bumming around the City looking for a good place to throw back a few, I remebered this place. Glad I did. Relaxed, friendly, good beer/whiskey and cool crowd. Definitely one of the good ones.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

10/21/06

Good neighborhood bar

by heapchk at Citysearch

The bar is classic "neighborhood". Pool tables, stained wooden floors, everyone drinks beer with no fancy cocktails, the jukebox plays the same 6 songs over and over. Not my scene, but if you like that sort of place, then you'll probably love this one.

The Details on Whiskey Ward

Place Categories:

  • not recommend place
  • great hot bartenders
  • friendly staff
  • best neighborhood bar
  • great cold beer
  • great people
  • great drinks
  • cold beer
  • never fails jukebox
  • very open dj
  • good beerwhiskey
  • really tasty cocktails
  • order parker
  • nice folks
  • excellent premium label bourbon
  • cool crowd
  • big glass
  • best owner sandee
  • good toilet
  • great spot
  • romantic couples
  • great owners
  • excellent rye
  • affordable good music
  • big space

As Seen In…

Best of Citysearch

New York

Best of Citysearch

New York

Message from Whiskey Ward

  • Dozens & dozens of Whiskeys
  • A Box that Rocks
  • Pool Table

Extensive selection of Bourbons , Single Malts, Ryes, Irish , Canadian & American Whiskeys. Sample a few with our WHISKEY FLIGHTS! Or a "Taste of Whiskey?-1 oz pour= 1/2 list price, a GREAT way to try something new! NEW $9 Top Shelf Cocktail Menu! HAPPY HOUR: Mon-Sat 5:00-8:00 $4 Well Drinks and Draughts, $5 Sauza Margaritas (Reg., Mango or Pomegranate) $15 Pitchers of Sangria (60 oz) SUNDAY SPECIALS: $5 Sauza Margaritas or Manhattans w/Homemade Bourbon Cherry. $15 Pitchers of Sangria (60 oz)ALL NIGHT! SUN-THURS $1.00 off All Bottled Beer! DAILY SPECIALS: The Parker- A Pabst & Shot of Jack or Turkey $7, The Shorty- Glass of Beer Shot Combo $7, Pitchers of Sangria (60 oz)- $25

Whiskey Ward