PAPER
Word of Mouth
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Fall has finally decided to go, taking its cruel outbursts of 60 degree days and leaving us to get the next three months of "wintry mix" over with. As such, we decided to make the best of all the sleet and ice to come with a roundup of bars and restaurants to keep toasty in! Below, grappa-infused toddies, habanero simple syrups, cozy fireplaces and free s'mores chip in to keep you comfy during the teeth-chattering days to come.

DRINK UP
In Tribeca, sleek subterranean lounge B Flat (277 Church St., (212) 219-2970) has a sinus-clearing, wasabi-infused vodka and sake martini called Giant Steps ($13), humanely garnished with a slice of cooling cucumber. In the East Village, it's also the house cocktail at mod Yakitori hideaway Mr. Jones (243 E. 14th St., (212) 253-7670) -- mixologist Shin Ikeda designed both cocktail lists -- and a dollar cheaper.

At Macondo (157 E. Houston St., (212) 473-9900), the Lower East Side's airy, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez-inspired latin eatery, bright, tropical cocktails will restore your vim and vigor on dreary days. Try the Tamarindo+Tequila, a peppy elixir made with acidic tamarind juice, D'Aristi Xtabentun (a spicy, honey liqueur from the Yucatan), ginger liqueur and glass rimmed in chili salt ($7.50) .

The mad scientists at Albert Trummer's Chinatown cocktail lab, Apothéke (9 Doyers St., (212) 406-0400), are serving Gluewhein ($15), a traditional Austrian mulled wine spiced with cloves and cinnamon, and, despite its name, is free of adhesives (you never know with these dudes). Trummer says he's filing the drink under "Health and Beauty" on his medicinally-themed menu, and would prescribe the drink for a sore throat. Cough drops are overrated, anyway.


Huckleberry Bar (588 Grand St., (718) 218-8555), has lots of $10 bone-warming options on its winter menu including a Spiked Hot Chocolate, served with your choice of spike, and a toddy-ish Sine Metu, made with Jameson, yuzu (a lemon-like fruit from Japan), and a homemade caraway liqueur. FYI: Christmas eve night, HB bar will be serving homemade mulled wine (made with a schmancy fig jam base) and egg nog.

A few new kids on the town are getting in on the winter drink action as well. Month-old Irish Tapas spot Wilfie and Nell (228 W. 4th St., (212) 242-2990) in the West Village has a spicy margarita made with a habanero simple syrup, grapefruit juice, tequila and triple sec ($9). And next week Williamburg's Walter Foods (235 Grand St., (718) 387-8783) unveils a winter drinks menu that includes a Hot Toddy made with chamomile-infused grappa, lemon, and honey ($14). Up in Harlem, brand new speakeasy 67 Orange Street(2082 Frederick Douglass Blvd., (212) 662-2030) uses muddled jalapeno to punch up their Baxter cocktail made with agave nectar and fresh lime and orange juice ($13).

COZY UP
Sycamore (1118 Cortelyou Rd. (347) 240-5850), the endlessly charming flower shop/bar in Ditmas Park, has an espresso maker and coffee cocktails on the way. In the meantime they're staying adorable with free s'mores made courtesy of their backyard chimney fireplace.

Greenpoint pub Black Rabbit (91 Greenpoint Ave., (718) 349-1595), pictured above, has a gas burning fireplace in back and cute little booths (equipped with call buttons for table service) to get cozy in with hot apple ciders and a rib-sticking fondue served with a Welsh Rarebit dipping sauce made with cheese, beer and cream.

Bleecker Street's Blind Tiger Ale House (281 Bleecker St., (212) 462-4682) is keeping things toasty with their stone fireplace and ledged hearth big enough to sit on. But the view's much better from one of the stools along the street-facing windows with a craft brew and a plate of wings.

Near Columbus Circle, the Empire Hotel (44 W. 63rd St., (212) 581-5290) boasts an enclosed rooftop deck where a rotating mix of d'oeuvres including crab cakes and Philly cheesesteaks are served for free on Mondays and Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.

In Crown Heights, the garage-turned-beer-garden Franklin Park (618 St. John's Pl., (718) 975 0196) has a new "annex" (they purchased the vacant hardware store next door), which has a copper fronted fireplace in the center of the room, toddies and Irish coffees, and a soon-to-come Ginger Root martini ($9).

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