It's hard to find a proper neighborhood bar in the East Village these days, as the area is being run over by yuppie joints and frat boys. But Mama's Bar, owned by the same people who run Mama's Food Shop next door, is like the bohemian Cheers, with an authentic solid-wood bar offsetting edgy art collected by the owner (whom everyone just calls "Mama"). The bar's big draw is its infused vodkas, which Mama or his staff make themselves. They come in a range of flavors, including grapefruit, garlic, and cucumber, but it's the ginger vodka that is the most sublime. Available only intermittently (they have to let the flavors soak), the ginger vodka is so good, with just the right amount of sweetness and tartness, that you can drink it straight. (Though be advised that you will be drunker, sooner, than you expected. Or maybe that's a good thing.)

manhattan
34 Avenue B
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Phone: 212-777-5729