Housed in a building dating to about 1910 and located on a street lined with a mix of small houses, churches, and other storefronts, it would be easy to miss were it not for giant mural painted in white on the black side wall: “Whiskey Got Me into Trouble.” How could you not stop here for a drink?

There’s no smokin’ in the boys’ room, but you can drink whiskey in the library at School House Kitchen & Libations.

This is easily the only bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side—maybe even the entire borough—with hundreds of whiskeys but no shaker, strainer, mixing spoon, or even ice cube in sight.

Since opening in early 2017, NOLA has established itself among the upper echelon of bourbon bars found anywhere outside the United States. That’s thanks to an approach that deftly touches upon both quality and quantity.