A Quiet Drink: At Bar ‘21,’ Rubbing Elbows With History

Written By Unknown on Jumat, 21 Juni 2013 | 17.35

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

Bar "21," the less formal of the bars at the "21" Club on West 52nd Street, has Humphrey Bogart in its past and boneless chicken wings and sliders in its welcoming present.

One of the most prominent accounts of goings-on at the "21" Club bar in H. Peter Kriendler's book about that storied restaurant involves the novelist John O'Hara, who, he writes, "was bad at handling his liquor."

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

The famous jockeys outside "21."

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

Edward Kennelly mixes a Perfect Manhattan. 

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

Bar "21" added the Beautiful Fool, a summer gin cocktail, to nod to the new movie version of "The Great Gatsby."

Philip Greenberg for The New York Times

The Southside cocktail has Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, muddled mint leaves and a little sugar.

Mr. Kriendler was an eyewitness, having spent more than 50 years at what was then the family business. (The title of his book is "'21': Every Day Was New Year's Eve.") He describes O'Hara picking fights with any number of customers — the New Yorker writer Brendan Gill, the actor Paul Douglas, a "distinguished neurologist" — and, on one occasion, O'Hara was seen "sprawled in a chair in the lounge, drunk and mumbling."

Based on my recent visits, there doesn't appear to be an O'Hara type in the Bar "21" these days, although there may still be a neurologist in the house.

It's a different era: boneless chicken wings, pizza and sliders are on the menu, accompaniments to first-rate cocktails that have long been a "21" hallmark.

The history of "21" can seem both intriguing and intimidating. Humphrey Bogart and Ernest Hemingway drank there; Robert Benchley quipped there.

The Frederic Remington paintings are still on the walls, but in 2013 there's nothing staid or stuffy about the place. Business casual is the rule in the bar (no jeans, no sneakers), and the room offers a grown-up brand of well-modulated liveliness.

In an age when so many of New York's best cocktail places can be found downtown, Bar "21" is the rare Midtown Manhattan drinking establishment that feels energized.

(A note: Bar "21" is not the Bar Room at "21." Bar "21" is the first space you come to when you walk in. Continuing on, you'll arrive at the Bar Room, the more famous, more formal of the two, with toys hanging from the ceiling and jackets required for men.)

The bartenders at Bar "21," who are friendly but not overly familiar, turn out excellent versions of the standards as well as cocktails of their own creation. The Perfect Manhattan on the "Classics" list is expertly balanced, made with WhistlePig rye from Vermont, bitters, and sweet and dry vermouth. (All cocktails on the menu are $15.) The Southside, a "21" invention, is made with Tanqueray gin, lemon juice, muddled mint leaves, a little sugar, a little soda. It's easy drinking, effervescent and just tart enough. Tara Wright, a bartender, keeps the Tanqueray and lemon theme going, following up with a really nice rendition of a Tom Collins.

The Iron Gate Old-Fashioned — substantial, worth savoring — includes Woodford bourbon and cherries soaked in brandy, and a vinegar-based gastrique that has orange, cherries and sugar in the mix.

The Beautiful Fool is a recent addition, a nod to the new movie version of "The Great Gatsby." It's a superb summer cocktail, composed of complementary ingredients: Greenhook gin made with juniper, cinnamon, camomile and elderflower; camomile syrup; St.-Germain elderflower liqueur; and grapefruit and lemon juices.

New drinks are "done as a team," the bartender Eddie Kennelly said. "It's kind of like a lot of head-bashing. You'll see something in the media like 'The Great Gatsby,' so you'll come up with a cocktail like the Beautiful Fool."

Mr. Kennelly is good with the bartender humor. After spelling his last name, he throws in: "Same as the esteemed senator from Connecticut."

This is a place, he said, where patrons tend to hang out.

"I've had people stay all day because they were having that much fun," Mr. Kennelly said.

Understandable. The martinis are as inviting as a lake at the end of a windless summer day.

How did this one, straight up with Ketel One and olives, get so smooth?

"Because I made it," Ms. Wright said.

We can go with that.

The particulars: Bar '21' and lounge. 21 W. 52nd St. Telephone: 212-582-7200. Website: www.21club.com. Hours: Monday-Saturday 4 p.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday 4 p.m.-midnight. (Closing time may vary depending on the crowd.) Closed Sunday.


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