Shopping for booze (liquor) in New York City?

Since moving to NYC I've been very dissapointed with local liquor stores. With the exception of a little basement place in Chinatown on Allen, where I can get a 13 buck fifth of Brugal (good starter rum by the way), there is no place I like here yet. And, apparently no one drinks Tequila in NYC because all you can get is Cuervo, Don Julio and Patron at most stores I've been to.

What I'm really looking for is a dedicated spirits house - something like Binney's. I could give a F about whiskey and scotch, not my thing. I want a broad selection of mezcal, grappa, and central European fruit brandies. I want at least three or four different labels of arak (not ouzo, not rakia). I wanna get drunk on some good hooch I buy in a good store in NYC. Is that too much to ask?

I realize many on the forum don't live in NYC. Still, we are pretty diverse (and knowledgeable) as a group. Hopefully someone will bite.

Best,

Habibi

I've never been there in person, but I do a small amount of business with DrinkUpNY.com who has their actual store location in Brooklyn:

http://www.drinkupny.com/aboutus.asp

Borisal Liquor and Wine
468 4th Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11215


Like I said, I've never been there in person, but I've dealt with them online and over the phone and have been nothing but happy.

Yeah, the pickings are slim in my Brooklyn neighborhood, so I just head into Manhattan when I need something beyond the basics. So far, I've been impressed with Astor Wines and Spirits. A quick search of their website returns 100 different tequilas. I imagine they'll have (or know where you can find) almost anything you want, although probably not at bargain prices. Please let me know if you find any other good sources.

Astor Wines and Spirits
399 Lafayette St
(212) 674-7500
Subway: 8th Street (NYU)

Thanks guys.

Paul I've walked past that place a billion times in the last 10 years on various NYC excursions and never stepped in. I'm surprised it didn't occur to me when I posted. Will check it out!

Warehouse Wines and Spirits has a good selection of spirits at reasonable prices. The spirits are considerably less expensive than Astor Place. There is a very strange selection of wines and I think I've only purchased spirits here. The wine selection is very good at Astor Place (great champagne) and Union Square Wines and Spirits (which often has an interesting closeout wine or two).

Warehouse Wines and Spirits
212-982-7770
735 Broadway New York, NY 10003
(between Waverly and Astor)

Union Square Wines and Spirits
140 Fourth Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 675-8100
(at 13th St.)

I think one of the best selections of spirits (wines too) in NYC is Astor Wines at Astor Place.

I'm obviously incredibly late to reply to this thread, but in the interest of putting the information out there for future searchers to discover, an excellent option for those of us in Brooklyn is Best Buy Wine & Spirits:

Best Buy Wine & Spirits
701 Fulton St (just south of Fort Greene Park)
Brooklyn, NY 11217

They usually have free tastings on the weekends, and I've always found the prices to be very reasonable. The wine selection isn't top shelf, collector-type quality, but it's a decently large and affordable variety.


In Manhattan, btw, Warehouse Liquor at 8th and B'way is where it's at.