Right around the beginning to mid November NYC starts to look like Jolly Old Saint Nick took over, and it can be hard to find a glimpse of Hanukkah blue amidst the red and green. But on November 28th, NYC’s very own Hanukkah-themed bar, Maccabee Bar, made its return!
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!
Naomi Levy stated:
I love Christmas and all of the Christmas bars that pop up this time of year. But I always felt like a tourist. There was never really anything for someone like me that wasn’t raised with Christmas.
Maccabee Bar popped up for the first time in NYC last year at Ollie West Village, and it will make its return this season for an even longer run.
The pop up will once again fully transform Ollie into a Hanukkah-inspired wonderland, complete with festive decor, special cocktails, and traditional grub. Whether you grew up celebrating Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanza, or anything else, there’s fun to be had for all.
There will be brand new cocktails to try along with last year’s favorites, such as the Latke Sour which combines apple brandy, potato, lemon, egg white, havana, and hyde bitters, and the Ocho Kandelikas, made with olive oil gin, honey, apricot, almond, and lemon.
And, if you can’t decide which drink you’d like to try, you can spin a dreidel and let it decide for you!
Plus, a pretty tasty selection of special bites make for a perfect pairing, including latkes, a range of other Hanukkah-themed snacks from Ollie’s kitchen, and jelly donuts from The Doughnut Project.
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 (64 Downing Street) from Tuesday, November 28th through Sunday, December 31st.