These 2 CT Bars Are Among America's Best: Daily Meal

As winter takes hold for real, there’s nothing like the warm cordiality of a favorite watering hole, which The Daily Meal called “the great socioeconomic equalizer” in its roundup of “The 150 Bars in America for 2019.” Connecticut had two on the list.

Members of The Daily Meal’s editorial staff have been compiling the list since 2011, explaining the process: “The Daily Meal walks into a bar and — we peruse the menu, the clientele, and the drinks list; we scrutinize the drink, the place, the vibe; we take mental notes. Then we decide to grab a wad of cocktail napkins and start scribbling notes for a list like this. …”

The list includes everything “from simple beach bars and swanky cocktail lounges to innovative houses of ‘molecular’ mixology to dusty dive bars and dens of iniquity,” The Daily Meal said.

Among “The 150 Best Bars in America for 2019” in Connecticut that left a big impression on The Daily Meal staff are:

Tap Room at The Griswold Inn in Essex
Ranking on the list: No. 92
The inn opened in 1776 and the taproom in 1801. It has been popular with celebrities including Katherine Hepburn, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Billy Joel. The Tap Room features its own Revolutionary Ale and award-winning New England clam chowder.

Oyster Club in Mystic
Ranking on the list: No. 125
This isn’t hard to imagine, but the bar is famous for oysters that are shucked at the bar. It features 200 wines by the bottle, 16 by the glass and a number of popular spirits and cocktails, including its own take on the Dark & Stormy. (Sign up to receive a free daily newsletter and breaking news alerts from your Connecticut hometown.)

Bars “are ubiquitous and unifying,” the site said, adding: “Nearly anyone of legal age can enter a bar, pull up a stool and buy him- or herself a refreshing glass of liquid luxury in its many forms: from a budget ice-cold brew to a fine wine to a potent shot to a classic cocktail to a spectacular modernist creation.”

Read more on The Daily Meal.

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