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“Jbird Cocktails Flocks to the Upper East Side”

When you order one of those fancy handcrafted cocktails — where your mixologist pours exact amounts of alcohol into the jigger, swirls the drink with a fancy metal bar spoon, breaks out the housemade bitters, squeezes your juice to order, and cuts the ice just right — you usually find yourself somewhere downtown or in a hipster enclave of Brooklyn. The Upper East Side? Aren’t they all asleep by 10? With their January opening, Jbird Cocktails wants to change that notion.

Owners Jamie Hinojos and Joshua Kaiser opened their first location of Jbird in Midtown in 2010 and now the creative cocktail menu, under Jason Littrell and Marshall Altier’s direction, brings old classics with a twist.

The Brush of the Bush blends Anejo tequila with smoky Mezcal with dashes of sage-infused agave nectar and a mix of cherry bark and vanilla bitters. Or there’s the Thornybush, which is prepared with London dry gin, elderflower liquor, Kaffir lime and celery bitters. It sounds like you could eat these drinks, but there is food available from chef Ricky Garayua’s kitchen. You could order bar snacks like roasted bone marrow or the Damn Good Burger, which is topped with thick-cut bacon that’s been butchered, cured and cut in house.

It’s a 100-seat cocktail lounge that’s chic but aims for a neighborhood vibe. So belly up to the bar and let us know what you think of the Upper East Side’s newest bar. Cocktails go for $10 to $14, bar bites $4 to $12, appetizers start at $9 and entrees range between $14 and $25.

Cheers!
 
Jbird Cocktails is located at 339 East 75th Street, 212-288-8033, www.jbirdnyc.com.
 
— Bao Ong

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