An authentic Irish pub in New York City was just named the best bar in the world
Buried in a sea of skyscrapers in New York's Financial District, a four-floor brick building on Water Street is home to the best bar in the world: The Dead Rabbit.
It's an Irish tavern like few others. In New York, "a sports bar with a Guinness sign in the window calls itself Irish," one bubbly bartender tells Business Insider.
Dead Rabbit, which opened its doors just after Hurricane Sandy struck, tells the story of how the Irish settled into New York in the 1800s. Its no-frills vibe radiates authenticity, from the sawdust on the floor to the stiff Irish-whiskey punch.
There are 800 images of daily life in Belfast, Northern Ireland, that hang from the ceiling in the taproom. The owners photocopied them from a magazine in their hometown.
Sean Muldoon (L) and Jack McGarry (R) first met as boys, playing a Belfast game of "cribby." Years later, McGarry, who started bartending at age 15, went to see about getting a job at The Merchant Hotel, a cocktail bar Muldoon managed.
"[Sean] said, 'You can be two types of people in this bar,' and he had two different pieces of ice in his hand," McGarry remembers. "'You can be the perfectly shaped, crystal-clear ice, or you can be the jagged, cloudy ice.'"
!["[Sean] said,](https://staticbiassets.in/thumb/msid-54744052,width-700,height-525,imgsize-803874/sean-said-you-can-be-two-types-of-people-in-this-bar-and-he-had-two-different-pieces-of-ice-in-his-hand-mcgarry-remembers-you-can-be-the-perfectly-shaped-crystal-clear-ice-or-you-can-be-the-jagged-cloudy-ice-.jpg)
McGarry opted to be the former. He read mountains of cocktail literature and perfected his craft. In 2013, the Tales of the Cocktail awarded him International Bartender of the Year.
After feeling like they accomplished everything they could in Belfast, the pair immigrated to the US to open The Dead Rabbit. "We were packed from the get-go," McGarry says.
The crowd is a mix of regulars who work in the Financial District and tourists who've heard of The Dead Rabbit's reputation from across the pond.
It's home to the largest collection of Irish whiskey in America, and possibly the second largest in the world. With 145 types on hand, whiskey cocktails make up half the menu.
Now in its second volume, The Dead Rabbit's cocktail menu looks more like a graphic novel than a bar menu. It's a bound book with beautiful illustrations.
The 2015 edition chronicled the life of John Morrissey, an Irish immigrant and bare-knuckle boxer who ran the Dead Rabbits gang of New York. The drinks are sectioned, based on their flavor profile, to illustrate the eight stages of Morrissey's life.
The Fiery section, which features earthy and aromatic cocktails, captures the time a young Morrissey got in a scrap and his opponent pinned him against a pile of hot coals.
In total, there are 72 cocktails on the menu. McGarry says he's most proud of the Irish coffee, calling it the "best on the planet."
Their rendition uses only the finest filter coffee and Clontarf Irish whiskey, stays warm in a vacuum-sealed sous-vide, and is topped with heavy cream and a dusting of nutmeg.
While the taproom is the crown jewel of the Dead Rabbit, others head upstairs to the parlour for a quieter, sit-down experience. Small plates are served all evening.
The housemade country pâté is topped with cornichons and Dijon mustard, and served on sourdough baguette.
The cupcake-sized mincemeat pie is a daily special, inspired by British tavern fare.
The food menu ranges from the $7 baby lamb chops to a $26 cheese and charcuterie platter. Most cocktails cost $14, a fair price in New York's Financial District.
Despite its accolades, The Dead Rabbit remains entirely unpretentious. Bartenders welcome regulars by name and pour drinks, heavy on the liquor. It's the Irish way.
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