Right around the beginning to mid November NYC starts to look like Jolly Old Saint Nick took over NYC, and it can be hard to find a glimpse of Hanukkah blue amidst the red and green. But, as of this month, NYC just got its very own Hanukkah-themed bar, dubbed Maccabee Bar!
The spot was started in 2018 by award-winning bartender Naomi Levy when she saw a huge gap in the holiday market.
She started Maccabee Bar as a Boston-based pop-up, making it possible for visitors to celebrate Hanukkah and Jewish culture in a welcoming space–regardless of what holiday they grew up celebrating!
“I love Christmas and all of the Christmas bars that pop up this time of year,” says Levy. “But I always felt like a tourist. There was never really anything for someone like me that wasn’t raised with Christmas.”
This December, Maccabee Bar has popped up for the first time in NYC at Ollie West Village. The space has fully transformed into a Hanukkah-inspired wonderland, complete with festive decor, special cocktails, and traditional grub.
Sip on drinks like the the Hebrew Hammer featuring vodka, leavened sugar, lemon, and raspberry (which takes its flavor from sufganiyot, the jelly filled donuts traditionally eaten for Hanukkah), or the Latke Sour, which combines apple brandy, potato, lemon, egg white, havana, and hyde bitters.
And, if you can’t decide which drink you’d like to try, you can spin a dreidel and let it decide for you!
Whether you come for the holiday decor or the festive cocktails, one thing’s for certain–there will be plenty of Latkes and lots of Chutzpah!
Maccabee Bar will take over Ollie West Village at 64 Downing Street Tuesday, December 13 through Saturday, December 31.
They’ll be open Tuesdays 5p.m. – 11p.m., Wednesday-Thursday 5p.m. – 12a.m., and Friday-Saturday 5p.m. – 1a.m.
During the week of Hanukkah, which falls December 18 – December 26, the bar will be open every night.