In the East Village, you can't spit without hitting a cocktail bar of note.

So any new watering hole that opens here must demonstrate some serious bitters-washed swagger. The Beagle, which recently came to life on Avenue A, has more than proven it can hold its own.

Its owner, Matthew Piacentini, also has a hand in Clyde Common, the Portland, Oregon-based bar responsible for bringing barrel-aged cocktails Stateside. There are barrels in the works here as well, but the Beagle may be on to something even better: the compelling pairing boards ($17) that comprise a third of the menu.

Inspired by a pairing of pickled herring and aquavit in which the latter was brewed specifically with the former in mind, Piacentini has created matches in which the food is cooked with its specific liquid partner in mind. So for the board with pressed pig's head and rum, the curvy sweetness of the aged Diplomático Reserva Exclusiva envelops like a sweater, surrounding the brine and fat of the pork head with its warmth.

Other pairings--lamb neck with a rye-based cocktail, burrata and spicy braised celery with a gin martini, black-olive shortbread and seared foie gras with Pineau des Charentes--dovetail just as uniquely, directing our attention to overlooked corners of flavor.

The Beagle is certainly a new dog--with plenty of tricks.

The Beagle, 162 Avenue A (between 10th and 11th sts.); 212-228-6900 or thebeaglenyc.com