Mar's

The outlook for getting a well-made drink in Western Queens keeps getting better and better with the opening of Mar's, a restaurant that emphasises oysters and cocktails. The appealing shabby-chic space showcases a beautiful curving antique bar with gilded numbers painted on it, in the middle of a dark-paneled room with brown-slatted Venetian blinds. Marvin Gaye was softly playing as I opened up the menu to see a well-chosen selection of cocktails arranged by base spirit. It's also always a treat to see interesting brands, such as Dorothy Parker gin and Espolon tequila, specified on the menu. The classics are front and center, with a Perfect Manhattan, Sazerac, Bramble, and Martinez all on offer. (However, my attempt to order an Aviation off-menu - since they had all the ingredients listed on other drinks on the menu - was met with puzzlement. I switched to a perfectly crisp, refreshing Hemingway Daiquiri and was happy indeed.)

The El Medico, a reposado tequila sour with honey syrup, ginger beer, and a Laphroaig float, was rich, complex, and very flavorful, but had a lot of moving parts and flavors to contemplate. The Martinez was perhaps better suited to a plate of briny bivalves, with its piney, aromatic, herbaceous notes and dry finish.