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Courtesy of The Dead Rabbit
What makes a bar unique? Is it the atmosphere, or the drinks? Perhaps its location? Maybe it’s all three?
It’s hard for any new bar to attract customers to its doors. But this one bar has won the approval of many people with its unique style, drinks and food. Located on Water Street in lower Manhattan, this bar may seem out of place with its out-of-the-ordinary name but is perfect for where it is situated. This bar has proved more than once that it is the perfect bar for people to visit and have a blast; especially since it recently won the ‘Worlds Best Bar’ award. but one has won the majority approval its unique style, drinks and food — The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog
This one-of-a-kind bar opened its doors on Feb. 12, 2013 and over the past two years, it has won seven Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards. Tales of the Cocktail is prestigious award company just for bars. It is said winning one of these awards is like winning an Oscar!
The Dead Rabbit has received seven awards which includs the awards, ‘World’s Best Bar (awarded in 2015),’ ‘World’s Best Cocktail Menu (awarded in 2015),’ ‘Best American Cocktail Bar (2014),’ ‘World’s Best Drink Selection (2014)’ and ‘World’s Best New Bar (2013).’
With raving reviews and a tremendous amount of awards, The Dead Rabbit is no doubt a must-visit bar. Co-owners and business partners Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon made sure that The Dead Rabbit became something other than just a bar, and indeed it has.
So, what distinguishes The Dead Rabbit? It is the fact that it is just not a bar, as seen in its full title, The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, it is also a grocery. “Dead Rabbit’s grocery was always meant to be more of a novelty than an actual shop,” commented co-owner Jack McGarry. “We do offer items for guests to have at the bar or else take home in old fashioned grocery bags. Our grocery was done more for historical accuracy and to fit the theme of our bar as opposed [to] anything else.”
The Dead Rabbit is an Irish-American two-story bar, that has a taproom and a parlor room, allowing customers to have a wider choice of drinks.
The name, The Dead Rabbit, is one with historical relevance; as told on its website, a mid-1800s New York-based gang had the same name. At the time, Water Street was known to be dangerous due to The Dead Rabbits brawls, robbery and pick-pocketing. The Dead Rabbits were also known to start a fight-turned-gang war with another New York-based gang, The Bowery Boys.
“We knew, therefore for our story to have relevance, we had to find a building in that area- preferably built before or during that timeframe. Somewhere we could retell these stories,” McGarry said. “We found a five story townhouse on Water Street and it was built in 1828 that ticked all the correct boxes. We could have our Irish immigrant bar on the ground floor that would have sawdust strewn floor, a long narrow bar, the largest Irish Whiskey selection in New York City, Oysters, Grog and a Grocery.”
Courtesy of The Dead Rabbit l Taproom
The drinks served at The Dead Rabbit are modified 17th, 18th and 19th Century drinks. “We [McGarry and his business partner Sean Muldoon] challenge [bartenders] to go out and find ingredients no one else is playing with, study them, work on flavor marriages and we then integrate those flavors into our drinks,” commented McGarry. “We want to give the guest something new all the time and keep both our guests and ourselves on our toes. In New York, if you stand still you’ll be left behind.”
Drinks are separated into three volumes, each of which play a part of a story. At the back of each menu is a story that customers can enjoy reading. Some drinks that McGarry would recommend to new customers are as follows:
Black Rose: A stirred drink filled with aromatic bitters, cane syrup, nux alpina walnut liqueur, averna biz, Pierre Ferrand dry curacao and Tullamore dew. This drink was created by bartender Jillian Vose and is put into an old fashioned glassware.
Sanhedrin: A shaken drink created with mint leaves, mace tincture, lime juice, pineapple juice, macadamia nut syrup, apricot Eau-de-vie and Mount Gay Eclipse. This drink is served with mint spring and nutmeg and served in a bar glass.
Pirate Queen: A shaken drink made with strawberries, Creole bitters, lemon juice, ginger, honey, cinnamon, cane, bols genever and five year aged Plantation. This drink is served with nutmeg in a smash glass glassware and is created by bartender Jillian Vose.
To accompany the bar are a selection of lunch and dinner options, that range from small delicacies — mini crab cakes and sliders — to large plates. “Our food ethos is about showcasing the best of Irish and British cuisine with contemporary touches to suit the 21st century consumer,” McGarry explained. “We have our traditional pies, roasts, Irish breakfast, Scotch eggs and sausage rolls, but also with salads, soups & burgers.”
“Again, our philosophy is all about doing everything the best we can and we take great pride in with our food offering.”
Visit The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog and receive a history lesson or two.
For more information about The Dead Rabbit gang and the history behind the name of The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, please visit the ‘About’ page on The Dead Rabbits website.
-by Gaelle Gilles