NYC's Dead Rabbit Cocktail Bar Could Be Coming To Your City
If you want to have a pint at New York City's famous bar The Dead Rabbit, pretty soon you won't have to travel to Manhattan to do so. The New York Times reports that the popular cocktail bar and Irish pub, known for its unique 19th-century aesthetic and award-winning cocktails, will soon be opening a new location in Charleston, South Carolina. This will eventually be followed by two others in New Orleans and Austin by 2023, with plans to expand further within the next five years.
Considering the name of the original bar is a nod to its location (as stated on The Dead Rabbit website, it's named after the Irish-American street gang that was once active in Lower Manhattan where the bar was built) the new Charleston location is taking on a more fitting name. According to the Times, instead of The Dead Rabbit, the upcoming bar will be called Hazel and Apple, after the William Butler Yeats poem. The bar will be located at 549 King Street, in the heart of Charleston.
How the new Dead Rabbit bars will differ from the NYC original
The name isn't the only thing that will be different at The Dead Rabbit's new Charleston sister bar. According to the Hazel and Apple website, it will have a slightly different ambience, too. Hazel and Apple is described as a "Community Tavern" designed to have a relaxed vibe, similar to that of a traditional Irish pub. The bar will still operate as two separate spaces much like The Dead Rabbit does, but instead of The Parlor and The Taproom, Hazel and Apple's layout consists of a front bar which will be known as The Hazel, and a back bar called The Apple that opens to an outdoor patio. As for the menu, Hazel and Apple will offer traditional pub fare like The Dead Rabbit, but will also serve up local Southern dishes.
Both the New Orleans and Austin locations have yet to be named, per the Times, but we're willing to bet they'll share the same Irish pub inspiration with a local flair as the soon-to-open Hazel and Apple. The New Orleans Dead Rabbit location is set to open in a 19th-century, three story townhouse in the city's French Quarter. Drinks International reported on the plans back in 2019, stating the bar would be opening sometime in 2020 — presumably the COVID-19 pandemic is at least partially responsible for the delay. At the time, the outlet shared the menu at the New Orleans outpost would be similar to that of the New York City location.
Whether you're there for the food, cocktails, or just the vibes, it seems you'll be in for a unique experience at any of the Dead Rabbit locations.