NYC's bitters boom

Fatty Crab Uptown | Petronas Cocktail

Drinks at Fatty Crab need enough oomph to stand up to the bold Malaysian cuisine, and the custom bourbon from Buffalo Trace—used as a base in the Petronas Cocktail—has a fittingly spicy finish. This riff on a Manhattan also uses Charbay pomegranate dessert wine, Maraschino, dry vermouth and house-made lemongrass bitters for a little lift.

Bartender Allan Katz believes in only "reinventing the wheel when you need a new set of wheels." In this case, the invention involved steeping the citrusy stalk in "the mother sauce of all bitters," good old Angostura. What you end up with is a stiff crimson cocktail that seems staid on the outside but quite fun once you get familiar with it, a bit like the namesake Petronas Towers. Did you know there's a mall with a KFC and Chili's inside those imposing Kuala Lumpur spires? Huh! ($12)

The bitter truth: 4 stars (out of 5). While fruity enough to appeal to casual drinkers and storied enough for the snobs, a more prominent lemongrass note would elevate the cocktail even further.

Fatty Crab Uptown (2170 Broadway at 77th St., 646-863-9105)