Restaurant Hospitality’s editorial staff narrowed down a huge field to select 16 finalists for our Best Cocktails in America contest. Many other creations came very close. Take a look at the runners up. See more: • Full report • Meet the winners

Has anybody better described the pleasure of having a cocktail in a perfectly appointed bar as the evening begins? Chandler wrote about his love of cocktails and cocktail bars in his 1953 book The Long Goodbye, but little has changed all these...