Long Island’s Best Cocktail Isn’t Where You Think (Massapequa)

The best cocktail on Long Island right now lives in Massapequa. "Shadow Cask" at Salumi just took the top award—here’s why it matters.

Most “best cocktail” claims don’t hold up.

This one does—and it’s sitting in Massapequa.

Every year, bars across Long Island show up to compete. Real builds. Real judges. No hiding behind hype.

This year, the drink that walked out on top—Best Cocktail of the Year at the Island Spirit Cocktail Convention—was Shadow Cask from Salumi.

That matters because of who was in the room and who was judging. Chef Marc Anthony Bynum led the panel for the 10-year anniversary—someone who’s been around since Long Island started taking cocktails seriously.

Judged live at The Experience in Hauppauge on April 19, this wasn’t a blind vote—it was decided in the room.

And that whole movement traces back to Matt Kourie putting a spotlight on bars doing it right—pulling from the standards set by Sasha Petraske and Dale DeGroff.

So when something wins here, it’s not random. It means something held up.

This isn’t a loud drink. It doesn’t need to be.

Split base of Dos Maderas 5+5 and Selección rum—both carrying that cask influence all the way through. Instead of going obvious with sweetness, they leaned into structure:

• Coffee-infused Campari (and barely—¼ oz)

• Pando Fino sherry + Pedro Ximénez for depth and tannin

• A measured hit of lemon (half bar spoon, not enough to announce itself)

• Ube-infused Licor 43 to round it without turning it into dessert

• PX-soaked cherry to finish

It started as a Negroni idea. Then Kingston Negroni. Then something else entirely.

What you’re drinking now is the version where they stopped adding and started refining.

Before you even take a sip, you sense the aroma—and that’s where it starts to make sense.

It doesn’t hit like a heavy Manhattan. It moves lighter than that. There’s structure, but it doesn’t sit on your palate—it passes through it.

The dryness from the sherry holds it together. The rum stays present without taking over. And the coffee note? You don’t get it upfront. It shows up after, almost as a memory of the sip.

That’s the difference here.

You can have one. Then another. And you don’t feel like you just drank something that shuts the day or the night down.

If you need your drink to be sweet, this isn’t it.

If you’ve ever ordered a Manhattan and thought, I want this, but cleaner… lighter… more precise, this is exactly it.

This is for people who:

• Move between wine and cocktails without thinking about it

• Care more about balance than alcohol content

• Don’t need the drink to explain itself

You don’t order this because it’s trending. You order it because it makes sense when you read it.

Here’s the part most people miss.

This drink doesn’t exist randomly—it fits exactly into what Salumi is doing.

Wine-driven thinking. Spanish influence. Structure over flash.

And the same logic carries into their second location, Plancha in Garden City—where the audience is just as tuned into food, balance, and experience.

If you’re already going out in:

• Massapequa

• Garden City

• Anywhere across Long Island

You’re not making a trip. You’re making a better decision.

This isn’t a “plan it next week” kind of thing.

This is the kind of drink you go get when you’re already thinking:

“I don’t feel like having the same thing again tonight.”

There’s a difference between hearing about the best and actually having it.

You already know where it is.

Where to Find It

Salumi Bar — Massapequa, NY

Plancha Tapas & Wine Bar — Garden City, NY

Both are part of the same philosophy—wine-driven, detail-focused, and built for people who care what’s in the glass.