PierAHarborHouse,
Manhattan
Find fresh fare and a killer view in the newDine level of Pier A
O
ncehome to theNewYorkHarborPoliceandDepartmentofDocks, the
PierAHarborHouse isnowservingNewYork’sfinestasahot-spot for
waterfrontdininganddrinks.
Locatedon thesouthernmost tipofManhattan, thedistinguished28,000-
square-foot, three-story iconwasreborn lastNovemberwith theopeningof
Mix, anoysterbarandbeerhallwithnautical styling includingfloor-to-ceiling
windowsoverlooking theStatueofLibertyandEllisIsland.
But thatwas justphaseone; just thefirstfloor.Thisspring,Dineopenson
thesecondfloor. It is toutedasofferingamorerefinedexperiencewithanopen
kitchenserving locallysourcedmeatandproduce; the likesofpekoecrabsalad
withHudsonValleyapplesand farm-raisedquailentreesarepromised.
Dinewillalso feature twobars:TheHarrisonRoom—deckedout inrich
mahoganyand leatherwithastunningstained-glass installationon theceiling
andviewof theFinancialDistrict—and theCommissioner’sBar, acozyspace
dressed inshadesofbluewithgoldaccents.
PIERA.COM
IdleHourBar,
LosAngeles
This quirky establishment is
goingback to its spirited roots
A
NorthHollywood landmark for
almost75years, the fanciful
barrel-shapedIdleHourwasbuilt
in1941asa taproom.Afterspellsas
aflamencodancecenteranda long
stretchsittingempty, ithasrecently
beenrestored to formergloriesby
nostalgia-themedspecialists the
1933Group. Interiorsarevintage
chicwithreclaimedceilingplank
flooring,original stainedglasson
theceilinganddoors, andblack-and-
whitephotographsofothernovelty
buildingson thewalls.Themenu
isclassicAmericana: cocktails,
seasonalbrewsandmenu items like
hotdogswithhousemadesauerkraut.
Outsideon thepatio is theBulldog
Café, agiantpipe-smokingbulldog
that’sareproductionofanoriginal
1928caféand isrentedout forprivate
events.
IDLEHOURBAR.COM
HOTELS &RESORTS
FINEDINING
NIGHTLIFE
Style
fruit.But theymayalsobe temptedbyhis
experimentalbrews, like theNewburg
Scrump, adrycidercreatedbyblending
SomersetRedstreakandFoxwhelpapples.
It’snot just thedrinkersatBushwhacker
thatarebeingseducedbyboozyapple
fizz. In theUnitedStates, salesofcider
totaled$261million in the12monthsup to
May2014—anastonishing increaseof94
percenton thepreviousyear. In thewords
of
InvestorsBusinessDaily
, ciderhascome
fromnowhere toearnclose to1percentof
thedrinks trade innext tono time.
In fact, ciderhasdeeproots in theU.S.,
stretchingback to the timeof thefirst
settlers. ItwasAmerica’s favorite libation
until the1900s,whenGermansettlers to
theMidwestbegangrowingbarley forbeer.
Sowhat’sbehind thecurrentboom?
AsSmithsuggests,discerningdrinkers
maybe looking fornew tastes. Itmayalso
bebolsteredbydiet—cidersaregluten
free —which, alongwith the fruity taste,
alsomakes itanattractiveoption fora
lotofwomendrinkers.Then there’s the
nostalgia thing:Manysay theysee itasan
adultversionof thesparkling,nonalcoholic
cidersand juice theymiss fromchildhood.
“Fora lotofpeople, cider iscomfort-
ing,”saysAlexDay, co-ownerofNewYork
cocktailbarsDeath&Co., 151andNitecap,
andL.A.’sHoneycutandTheNormandie
Club.Customerdemandhasresulted in
mostofhisvenuesofferingcidereitheron
draftorby thebottle. “Inmanywayscider
canwork inplaceofChampagneanddry
sparklingwine,”saysDay, “incocktails
thatrequirebotheffervescenceand the
additionofflavor.Therearevery few ingre-
dients thatbridge thegap fromchildhood
intoadulthood.That’s theHolyGrail
nostalgia triggerwe’reconstantly looking
for incocktailcreation.”
Beyond thewell-establishedbrands like
WoodchuckHardCider,whichhasbeen
on themarket formore than20years, and
AngryOrchard,whichaccounts forrough-
ly40percentofnationalcidersales, the
boomhasgivenrise toamultiplicityofnew
boutiquebrews, includingTexas-based
AustinEastciders,BellwetherHardCider
fromNewYorkstateandTandemCiders
outofMichigan.Otherhave followed in
the footstepsofBushwhacker, and there
arenowdedicatedciderbars inSeattle
(thecozyCapitolCider)andChicago (The
Northman,withmore than100 types
ofcider instock).Meanwhile,back in
Portland,JeffSmithwillopenasecond
ciderbar, this time in thecity’sWoodlawn
neighborhood, inspring2015.
“Overall, Iwouldsay theAmerican
cidersproducedrightnoware thebest in
history,”Smithsaysproudly. “Thequality
andgrowthrateare justamazing, andI
believe they’reonlygoing togetbetter.”
BUSHWHACKERCIDER.COM
FROMTOP:FORESTCASEY;GUILLAUMEGAUDET
CELEBRATED LIVING • SPRING 2015
32
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