FEBRUARY 2 0 1 8 I BOROMAG.COM 23
hangs in the front window. When she found
out they were looking for some vintage signage
as decoration, she recommended her
friend Tommy Holiday, Coney Island’s sign
painter. Holiday had previously made the
neon light and was trying to find the right
home for it.
“That kind of sign either would go to a
collector or museum or something very,
very specific, like this kind of a place,”
Mastrion said of Madam Marie’s.
“The sign found us,” Higgins said. “We
didn’t find it, so that’s even better.”
Madam Marie’s debuted their cocktail list in
early January, which the bartenders curated
“through many nights of drinking,” according
to Higgins. The results are both fun and flavorful,
and their names have classic rock references.
The Southside Johnny, for instance,
has muddled mint and cucumber, lime juice,
simple syrup and gin. It’s Higgins' favorite, and
he hopes it takes off once the weather gets
warmer. Spirit in the Night is a mix of bourbon,
maple syrup and bitters, while Bad Medicine
contains vodka, pickle juice and lime juice —
“Not that I’m a Bon Jovi fan,” said Higgins of
the latter, “but I thought it was a great name for
a drink. Because either you’re a Bruce Springsteen
fan or a Bon Jovi fan. You can’t be both,
in my book.”
He’s a Springsteen fan, but that should be
obvious by the name of the bar. “When you
get pulled over in Jersey,” he added, “the
cop asked you for, like, license, registration
and favorite Bruce Springsteen album.”
In addition to their signature drinks, they
have a rotating draft list, with craft beers like
Allagash, Lagunitas and Dancing Gnome,
along with the more classic Pabst Blue Ribbon
and Guinness. The bartenders at Marie’s
are very personable and attentive, which is
very intentional.
“One of our biggest things is making
sure that you get a smile,” Higgins said.
“You get a hello, goodbye — maybe a dirty
joke in between.”
His hope is that Madam Marie’s will become
a neighborhood fixture, and already,
the atmosphere is lively, irreverent and
boozy. They have big plans to open up the
back deck this summer and put some arcade
games outdoors. They also host trivia — Immortan
Joe’s Trivia Thunderdome, more specifically
— every Wednesday at 8 p.m., which
is punctuated by the “Mad Max” soundtrack.
They also just started playing bingo every
Tuesday at 8 p.m., hosted by the charismatic
drag queen Glace Chace.
“She’s hysterical,” Higgins said. “She
just had me and my partner laughing the
minute we met her.”
Higgins described Madam Marie’s as
off-beat — like a platypus. “Just a little different,
but it works.”
Photos: Marie Torio/BORO