HELL’S KITCHEN — A sports bar on Ninth Avenue that has focused on craft beers for the past seven years is rebranding as a “Prohibition-style” cocktail joint with an emphasis on gin.
Brickyard Gastropub closed its doors at 785 Ninth Ave., between West 52nd and 53rd streets, for renovations Monday, owner Pat Burke told DNAinfo New York.
The watering hole will reopen late next week or early the following week as a “cocktail-centric concept” called The Distillery, he explained.
The Distillery will still serve craft beers, but will focus on cocktails, with an emphasis on gin drinks infused with fruit like strawberry and orange, Burke said.
“We’re going to try some new plays on the classic gin and tonic, with some flavored, artisanal tonics to go with the gins,” he explained.
Most of the TVs on the walls will be coming down, as the bar is no longer focusing on sports, and the space will look “completely different,” Burke said.
“It will be much more smoky, dark — Prohibition-style, I guess, would be a good way of describing us,” he said.
The venue will still serve a few of its popular menu items — including its Philly cheesesteak spring rolls and truffle fries — but most of the items will be new offerings like a zucchini noodle salad, a watermelon salad and panko-crusted macaroni-and-cheese, he said.
Gin-centric bars have become increasingly popular in New York City and abroad, Burke noted.
“We felt it was time,” he said of the revamp. “It’s an ever-evolving industry, and we felt that would be the next step for us.”
