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BlackTail Channels Prohibition-Era Cuba In Battery Park
By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 16, 2016
Modified Aug 17, 2016
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By
Nell Casey
Published Aug 16, 2016
Modified Aug 17, 2016
Share
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Since opening over three years ago, The Dead Rabbit has won just about every prestigious award revolving around cocktails, including being named the World’s Best Bar by Tales of the Cocktail in 2015. But "international barman" Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry—who both hail from The Merchant Hotel in Belfast, itself the winner of World’s Best Cocktail Bar at Tales of the Cocktail in 2010—aren't ones to rest on their laurels, opening up their new cocktail haven BlackTail this week in Battery Park.
In reality, they haven't traversed much geographically from their first NYC home on Water Street, setting up in a second floor space inside Pier A, the beautiful landmark that has been a Harbor Police port, a VIP entry for Ellis Island and an FDNY station since being erected in 1886. Spiritually, however, we're meant to be transported hundreds of miles away to balmy Cuba, like the many New Yorkers who actually escaped there via plane during Prohibition. Think of it as a baby step before you can make it to Havana yourself.
Sink into a soft leather couch to peruse the drink list—well, more like book—which spans five categories, each boasting eight different interpretations for the glass. Get an education in punches or sours or Old Fashioneds, or all of the above. With 40 different options, it'll just take you a bit to work your way through the entire catalogue.
Luckily, there's food to fortify you along the way. The era-appropriate food offerings lean heavily on seafood and other ingredients that would've been common in Cuba during the '20s. There's an interesting high/low balance at play here, where a Sloppy Joe ($18) shares an equal place of honor near a Traditional Caviar Service ($75).
Pier A Harbor House, 22 Battery Place, (212) 785-0153; blacktailnyc.com
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Nell Casey
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