BEDFORD-STUYVESANT — Owners of the West Village bar Little Branch and shuttered TriBeCa bar Silver Lining are planning a new cocktail spot in Bed-Stuy, the owners said.
The unnamed speakeasy, expected to open at 1223 Bedford Ave. later this year, will resemble Silver Lining and feature the same aesthetic, promising a "refined and civilized" drinking experience, according to the owners.
It would be latest bar affiliated under the Sasha Petraske umbrella — which includes Milk & Honey in the Flatiron District, Dutch Kills in Long Island City and Middle Branch in Midtown, along with other bars in Los Angeles and Melbourne.
The chain features signature high-end cocktails, custom-cut ice, small plates, dressed-up staff and live jazz. The newest addition will be no exception, according to co-owner Vito Dieterle.
Bed-Stuy's jazz history, which cultivated luminaries like Lena Horne and Max Roach, made it the perfect backdrop for the group's latest bar, Dieterle said.
"For me, I've always been aware of the history of Bed-Stuy from the jazz perspective," said Dieterle, who started out as a saxophone player at Little Branch before eventually becoming a partner at Silver Lining.
"The reason we chose Bed-Stuy is because it was a perfect fit with what we were trying to do with the music."
The bar — co-owned by Dieterle, Joseph Schwartz and Matthew Clark — will feature nightly jazz performances with no cover charge, the owners said.
While there are other jazz clubs in the neighborhood, the owners wanted to provide an experience that honored the neighborhood's jazz history, Dieterle said.
"Bed-Stuy is deeply saturated in the history of the music," he said. "We felt, given its history, Bed-Stuy deserved such a place."
While the bar will feature many of the same pricey drinks featured at some of the group's other locations — drinks at Little Branch run as high as $13 a cocktail — Dieterle said it will also feature more affordable options, including an expanded beer list.
"If I don't have to pay Manhattan rent then I'm not going to charge Manhattan prices," he said.
The owners hope to start construction next month and it will take at least three months, according to Dieterle.
With a long history that helped contribute to a thriving cocktail scene in New York, the owners said they hope to continue their success in Bed-Stuy.
"We've done a lot of homework and influenced a lot of people, and that's very nice," Dietrele said. "But at the end of the day we've got 15 years experience doing a particular thing."
