(Photos: Brian Dunn)
Okay, yes, we’ve poked fun at Saxon + Parole for its $8 egg cream but the fact remains that we’ve been huge fans of AvroKO’s in-house cocktails guru, Eben Freeman, ever since he was smoking Coke. So what’s he smoking now? Lord only knows, because his new cocktail place beneath AvroKO’s recently opened GENUINE Superette looks bonkers.
For one thing, GENUINE Liquorette stocks 750 different bottles, embracing outcasts like Midori and flavored Jim Beam whiskey. We still have traumatic memories of our one dabble with Red Stag, so we are steering good and clear of that shiz, but we are 100 percent willing to experience the Cha-Chunker, a machine invented by Freeman that drills a wider mouth into cans so that mini bottles and garnishes can be inserted into them (yes, that’s right: robo Rum-and-Cokes). If this sounds a little too Cocktail meets Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, rest assured that each month Freeman will also tap five real-live bartenders (we’re talking heavy-hitters like Toby Maloney of Chicago’s revered The Violet Hour) to invent drinks using a wacky spirit of Freeman’s choice.
Plus, in a more affordable spin on bottle service, you can have one of those intriguing bottles taken down off of the wall and you’ll only be charged for what you drink, based on a price per ounce. (If you overdo it, rest assured items from GENUINE Superette’s menu are available for consumption.) Or grab a can of beer out of one of the self-service fridges — you’ll never again have to wait an agonizing couple of minutes while the bartender pours some wanker’s perfect pint of Guinness.
The liquorette is designed to resemble a “California, bodega-style liquor store,” according to the press release. The only one of those we’ve been to is The Pink Elephant, where Charles Bukowski got his booze, so we can’t vouch for the decor’s authenticity. We can only tell you that the entry corridor is lined with vintage alcohol and tobacco advertisements and the bathroom pays tribute to Farrah Fawcett. Take that, Williamsburg fern bar!
GENUINE Liquorette, 191 Grand St., Little Italy, 646-726-4633; open from 6pm-12am Tuesday–Wednesday, 6pm-2am Thursday-Saturday.