Cuban cocktail favorite Blacktail is being revived in NYC
With an infectious atmosphere powered by live jazz and Cuban drinks, Blacktail was one of New York City’s most fun-loving and finely tuned cocktail bars during its late 2010s tenure. Now, four years after the beloved drinkery from The Dead Rabbit crew officially shut its doors, the concept is making a comeback as a rum-soaked residency at Back Bar.
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The three-month pop-up in Back Bar's Hidden Bar is part of the brand's “Visiting Luminary Series," a curated calendar of events spotlighting the brightest minds of the global cocktail scene: so far, the series has welcomed the bartending talents of Moe Aljaff and Juliette Larrouy, the brilliant duo behind Schmuck, and Meaghan Dorman, the creative mind behind Raines Law Room and Dear Irving. The series is a collaboration between LT Hospitality team members Chris Lauber, senior director of operations; Jason Hedges, beverage director; and chef-owner Laurent Tourondel.
“We feel we can utilize our space to collaborate with the best bartenders and bars of the past, present, and future. After successfully collaborating with iconic teams and bartenders, such as Angel’s Share, Schmuck, Joaquín Simó, Meaghan Dorman, Dale DeGroff, and others, we’re now looking forward to welcoming our biggest buildout of the space (to date) with Blacktail,” Lauber tells us. “We loved Blacktail at Pier A, and it’s our honor and privilege to collaborate with some of the original team to bring it back to life.”
Back Bar will, indeed, bring a little Prohibition-era Havana back to Manhattan with the Blacktail residency, which will stretch from May through July. Fans of the original will surely recognize some familiar faces behind the bar—former Blacktail head bartender Will Pasternak will be pouring drinks alongside other veteran staff members—as well as décor touches from the old room, including some of the bar's iconic artwork and tropical greenery. "I’ve gone through painstaking lengths with Jason and Will to bring back the best of Blacktail," said Lauber. "We’ve re-interoperated original art, created new murals and large-scale imagery, and focused on bringing back Blacktail to the best possible interpretation at Back Bar."
And, yes, music will be a big part of that, with Pasternak joking: "I've spent more time than I care to admit curating the music, and I think people are really going to enjoy it. I'll drop the playlist once we're open!"
However, the most important piece of that revitalization, of course, is the booze: "Guests who are familiar with Blacktail know that we take our menus seriously. We’ve developed a cocktail menu that pays homage to the historical bars of Havana and their impact on the greater drinking landscape,” Pasternak says. “I’m really proud of this menu. We didn’t hold anything back. We will be serving up 24 cocktails across 5 different styles.”
Among the pop-up potables, guests can enjoy original Blacktail recipes like the Rum & Cola (Bahamian Rum, Italian Amaro, Cola, Champagne, Aromatic Bitters), the Nacional (Cuban Rum Blend, French Bitter, Banana, Apricot, Yuzu, Pineapple, Lime) and the Mary Pickford (Cuban Rum Blend, Maraschino, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Lime, Burlesque Bitters). "Obviously, we will be serving a ton of Daiquiris and Mojitos,” adds Pasternak. “Some deeper cuts from Blacktail’s opening menu will be on the menu, as well, like the Brandy Alexander, and Celery Sour.” New menu offerings will include standouts like a Curaçao Collins, a Melon Martinez and a Cigar Old Fashioned.
So why Blacktail, and why now? "You can tell when a bar makes an impact…based on who’s upset when it closes. I remember reading about the closure in January of 2020, and I remember being one of many that were so sad to hear the news. It was beloved,” says Lauber. “That’s why we were so excited to bring it back in collaboration with Will and some of the original bar team.”
Pasternak echoes that sentiment: “This is a special moment for us right now. When we closed, we saw our team disband and go on to be successful in their own ways. It will be fantastic to have everyone back under one roof. Blacktail has now been closed longer than it was open, which is wild to think about. So, it is really a testament to the bond of the team that everyone is willing to come back to be a part of this again."
And will there be more Blacktail, perhaps more permanently, in the future? "I think myself and a lot of our guests would love to see Blacktail open again," Pasternak shared. "If the right opportunity presented itself, reopening would absolutely be on the table. We're exploring all options right now."
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