POP-UP DREIDEL DIVE
Village bar’s Hanukkah spin
It’s a schmear campaign. Santa Claus may be coming to town, but the city’s first Hanukkah pop-up pub, Maccabee Bar, arrives at Ollie’s in the West Village beginning Tuesday.
The breezy Downing Street watering hole will be transformed into a festive nosh pit, with “special decor, themed cocktails and traditional bites.”
The Hanukkah haven is the brainchild of award-winning mixologist Naomi Levy (left), 36, who introduced the concept to Boston in 2018. She felt there was room for a gelt-y pleasure in New York too.
“I love Christmas and all of the Christmas bars that pop up this time of year,” said Levy. “But I always felt like a tourist. There was never really anything for someone like me that wasn’t raised with Christmas.”
Patrons can sample the Latke Sour, featuring apple brandy, potato, lemon and tobacco bitters; along with the Hebrew Hammer, which spotlights vodka, “leavened” sugar, lemon and raspberry — which takes its flavor from sufganiyot, the jelly-filled doughnuts traditionally eaten for Hanukkah. Overall, there will be nine themed cocktails and three spirit-free options.
“The Latke Sour is a lot of fun. It’s not often people see potatoes in a cocktail,” Levy noted.
Maccabee Bar will be hosted by Ollie’s through Dec. 31. The watering hole’s regular hours are Tuesday-Saturday, but it will be open for the eight nights of Hanukkah, which begins Dec. 18.
Ollie’s co-owner Sara Dowling is kvelling over the pop-up.
“When we first learned about the Maccabee Bar concept, we immediately knew we wanted to be involved. Although we are not Jewish, we have many Jewish friends, family, and staff members and loved the idea of creating a more inclusive holiday bar scene,” she said.
Said Levy of the holiday schmooze fest: “Come on out. Come grab a drink and play some dreidel.”