Dreaming of Cocktails at the Baccarat Bar NYC

It’s Saturday and I am dreaming of cocktails at the gorgeous Baccarat Bar in NYC! While the doors of the glorious Baccarat Hotel New York remain closed, for now, join us as we imagine our 5 pm (somewhere!) cocktail at one of New York’s most iconic bars.
Arriving at the indiscrete yet magnificent ground-floor entrance of the Baccarat Hotel New York never gets old. Designed by the Paris-based interior design firm Gilles & Boissier the hotel’s interior combines Baccarat’s French classic aesthetics with a fanciful modern sensibility.
Making an Entrance
A tall dual-sided fireplace welcomes us, paying homage to Baccarat’s furnaces, which are stoked 24 hours a day to produce the world’s most coveted crystal. Behind the entrance sits a wall formed with nearly 2,000 Harcourt glasses, the brand’s most iconic crystal piece. Laid horizontally and illuminated with LED lights, the installation subtly flickers and flashes. A truly beautiful sight! And oh so Baccarat!

Heading Upstairs
The elevator takes us to the second floor where the doors open to the glamorous Grand Salon. Not our stop on this visit. But with its 35’ ceiling and plush, platinum, and champagne-hued palette it is certainly a stop worth making.

The Baccarat Bar NYC
We flutter into the darkly opulent Baccarat Bar NYC, a daring and seductive setting for after-work, after-dinner, or late-night cocktails. A dramatic barrel-vaulted ceiling, a whimsical 60-foot bar inspired by the stables at Château de Versailles, three monumental chandeliers, tracked stage set lighting, crimson velvets, dark leathers, and a black-and-white checkered floor give the space a theatrical feel.

Art Lovers Delight
One of my favorite features of The Bar is the one-of-a-kind art collection by Stéphanie and Frédéric Chambre. The lauded French curators masterfully assembled a collection that spans important aesthetic movements since 1764, the year of Baccarat’s founding. From classic to contemporary each piece offers up great conversation for art lovers.

The Terrace
Beyond the bar, overlooking the Museum of Modern Art, oversized French doors lead to the hotel’s beautiful landscaped terrace. Dotted with topiaries and comfortable seating, the terrace on a summer night is simply magical.

Cocktails & Champagne at the Baccarat Bar NYC
Tonight at my imaginary cocktail hour I am with two of my dear girlfriends. For me and Savanah, it’s the Baccarat Rouge, a premium cocktail to die for! Clase Azul Plata Tequila, passionfruit, Allspice Dram, Cardamaro, lime, Baccarat Blend Tea over a hibiscus ice cube, and garnished with an amazingly delicious candied hibiscus.

For Jenny, it’s champagne. According to her when you visit a place with the largest champagne list in the country featuring 260 references curated by the hotel’s wine director Matthieu Yamon, champagne is a must.
Matthieu, poetically born in Champagne, France, began curating the largest champagne menu when he started working at Baccarat nearly three years ago. He said this became his goal here vs. other places he worked at because “there’s no better place to curate something like this than at Baccarat Hotel.” Between the brand’s French pedigree dating back to 1764, the same time that many of the finest champagne houses were introduced (including Ruinart and Louis Roederer); and the fact that champagne is served in the finest vessel possible to drink champagne in – Baccarat crystal flutes. “What other hotel can say that every piece of glassware – and every piece of crystal throughout the hotel – is Baccarat”. If you are a champagne lover you must meet Matthieu Yamon and try a bottle from his list.
Light Fair at the Baccarat Bar NYC

As our cocktails and champagne sink in we decide some light fare is in order. So we order up a Baccarat Signature Three Tier, a fabulous Alsatian-inspired cuisine sampler from Culinary Director and Two Michelin-starred Chef Gabriel Kreuther. And to top off of this dreamy evening we indulge a bit more with an artful plate of Chocolats and Macarons.