Classic Tiki Drinks with a New York 'tude greet you at the new Painkiller Tiki Bar on Essex St
Image: Robert Haynes-Peterson
RARELY HAS a humble little Lower East Side bar received such a rousing welcome. The Painkiller Tiki Bar opened May 3 (in time for Cinco de Mayo) to a "friends and family" launch party which spilled out onto the street, lasting well into the a.m. The spray-painted facade on a once-dingy (now cool) stretch of lower Essex Street was the focus of attention for scores of hipsters, bar geeks, cocktaliens and Tiki buffs waiting to get inside. The doorman warned people, "It's hot as f*** in there, your underwear will stick to you, you can't move and you'll have to wait 20 minutes for a drink." That didn't deter a soul.
Painkiller (named after a faux-Tiki British Virgin Islands cocktail)--opened in the former East Side Company Bar space by two of the bartenders/owners of Queens speakeasy Dutch Kills--boasts 1940s Polynesian cocktails with a 1970s NYC Punk/Gang vibe, and 21st Century Cocktail Know-How. Many of the signature cocktails are named after classic NYC gangs, and the tropics-with-tude artwork and facade have the feel of a dive Joey Ramone might have frequented. Inside, Giuseppe Gonzalez, Richie Boccato and their team pour multiple styles of rum, crush fresh mint, lean close over classic Tiki mugs, and otherwise entertain. The launch party, packed to the rafters, may have tested their mettle, but their good humor and elegantly crafted drinks (Painkillers, Zombies and Mai Tais) made New York's surprise heat wave bearable.
"It's actually good luck that my cooling system isn't working," insists Gonzalez with a smile. "It didn't work at the Kills opening week, and that went fantastic."
Painkiller Tiki Bar is located at 49 Essex St. UPDATE: Painkiller officially opens Friday, May 7, not Thursday as planned.
Thanks to the guys at Thrillist for the video below:
RELATED STORY: Tiki Scene returns to New York
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Comments
I don't get why the Painkiller is a "faux-Tiki" cocktail.
My friend Asher's brother was the artist/designer here... I heard it was a great place and had a great opening and is a totally cool place to go and hang out in! Thanks for the scoop.
Payman, according to some Tiki purists, "real" Tiki drinks should originate from or have been popularized in Polynesia. The Painkiller was made popular in the Caribbean. That's the only reason.
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