No matter how much time passes, there are bars that retain a stellar mystique. There are bars that immerse you in an undoubted trip to the past, while forging ties with the modernity of the present. That is precisely what he has achieved. Temple Bar with its reopening in New York.
Originally a favorite among a devoted crowd of art world figures and intellectuals, the bar had closed its doors in 2017 when its owner, the doctor of German origin, passed away George Black ; until David Rabin and Maneesh K. Goyal decided to reopen it in 2021 with a totally renewed interior and decoration by Melissa Bowers.
The entrance to Temple Bar, in New York.
“Temple Bar is one of the most legendary venues in New York . It opened in the late 1980s and became a hot spot among downtown artists and the uptown elite. It was a perfect snapshot of New York . When it closed at the end of 2017, my partner, David Rabin, and I immediately set our eyes on it. We contacted the original team of Temple Bar to start conversations about its reactivation. It took us a few years to make it happen (thanks Covid!), but we finally opened last year. It is a great honor to revive this emblematic New York cocktail bar ”, mentions Maneesh K. Goyal, in an interview with Condé Nast Traveler Spain.
Quite an emblem before the turn of the century, at that time figures such as Lauren Hutton, Brice and Helen Marden, Robert Rauchenberg , Chuck Close, Basquiat, and also personalities of the fifties like specialists in antiquities, Alan Moss.
Temple Bar renovated by Melissa Bowers.
Overseen by the executors of George Schwarz's estate, Temple Bar It is one of the must-see addresses if you return to New York this, or next year, shining thanks to the renewal of Melissa Bowers and Andrew Bly , who have worked on the creation of the brand and a wide range of details inspired by the history of the bar.
Seeking to assert original '90s glamor and classic New York quintessence, creative director, Melissa Bowers , has reimagined Temple Bar maintaining part of the design and its original atmosphere, although with an unmistakable avant-garde touch that has also been reflected in the restaurant, Sona, and in the hotel, ModernHaus SoHo.
Based on a dark green palette combined with browns, the author of American Bar has paid homage to timeless places such as Loos American Bar of Adolf Loos in Austria, Harry's Bar , in Venice, and The Fumeir of Claridge's London, resulting in a sensual, timeless and intimate environment that shows its welcoming personality as soon as we immerse ourselves in it.
The bar maintains the essence conceived by its creator, George Schwarz.
His idiosyncrasy rooted in the artistic world, works by Kiki Kogelnik - who was married to George Black —, and avant-garde aesthetics are complemented by proposals for drinks such as 'Great Bambino' (bourgbon, Fernet Branca, fresh pear, lemon and orgeat), 'Trouble Maker' (gin, sweet vermouth, lemon, cucumber and strawberry), and 'Blue Negroni' (gin, blue kampari and white vermouth).
“The creators of our cocktail menu are Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy , two of the most important creators of cocktails today. They've built something incredibly special, reimagining some of the cocktails they're best known for, like the 'Penincillin', and they have created totally new cocktails , like the 'Olive Oil Martini'”.
Temple Bar awaits in New York.
“Even the food menu is the best of an elevated bar menu: from the caviar service to our famous pig in a blanket, the bar menu it is a perfect complement to our tempting drinks”, concludes Maneesh K. Goyal.