(Photo: Alexander Singh)

Bar Pleiades at the Surrey Hotel
20 E. 76th St., nr. Madison Ave. 212-288-3700
It’s a haunt fit for Blair Waldorf: Art Deco details, a sleek black bar, sexy photography, quilted-leather-lined nooks. The Coco Chanel–inspired lounge is part of the Surrey Hotel’s recent $60 million–plus overhaul, and, thanks to owner Daniel Boulud and master mixologist Cameron Bogue, the best reason to drink on the Upper East Side. Seasonally changing cocktails reflect Bogue’s own international travels (and, at $14 to $19 a pop, the bar’s high-rent digs). Right now, one of the themes is Mexico, with spicy concoctions like the Piñasca: Sombra mezcal, grilled pineapple, cayenne, agave nectar, and lime juice ($17). A menu of spruced-up bar food (tempura prawns, cod-brandade croquettes) was unveiled just last week.