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DECEMBER 2014 | BOROMAG.COM | 37 I saved my money. Begged, borrowed, and stole, and opened Sweet Afton. BORO: Why Astoria? MK: I’ve never lived anywhere else other than Astoria. I have been here ten and half years. I have always kinda loved it here. There’s not much pretension and there was a need for it. The neighborhood was a little underserved as for a downtown Manhattan vibe. BORO: And now, The Bonnie… RC: The Bonnie is our most aggressive and biggest project to date. It took five months to build the Bonnie. What we were trying to do was keep the general aesthetic of our other bars. As we grow as a business, we try to continually challenge ourselves with every element of what we do. Along the way, we picked up a lot of talented bartenders and mixologists. BORO: What is the difference between Sweet Afton and the Bonnie? MK: Inherently the design is different. The space is a lot bigger. You can tell that it’s in the family but it has a more polished approach compared to Sweet Afton. It has a different kind of soul then Sweet Afton does. We do a little more food. All in all, people don’t know we opened another bar. They walk in and they see me and they are like, “You opened another bar? We kinda thought it was Sweet Afton.” BORO: What can you share about the cocktails? RC: Everything is botanical based when it comes to the menu. Four different ice machines for different types of ice. Little things like the ice cubes make a big difference to the drink. Both quality of the drink taste, and aesthetically as well. MK: I knew when I sat down with the guys that we wanted to bring in a botanical feel, as we have the garden. One of the bartenders, Mike Ditota, went to school for horticulture, so I approached him and we had a few concept meetings. I let him know that I wanted things to be a little more botanical and floral. He ran with it. We wanted to do something different, so there are more syrups, and a lot more infusions. The cobblers were something that we put together when we expected to open in the summer. Something a little sweeter with the crushed ice. An old school drink that no one is doing right now. BORO: What is the signature cocktail of the Bonnie? RC: I would consider the Bobby Richardson the signature drink of the Bonnie. MK: Probably the Imperial Dandy— It’s what everyone seems to order. It was named after Imperial Dandy marble. BORO: You mentioned a garden… MK: The garden is 1,000 square feet. We could fit about 75 people there. We wanted to do something to bring the inside to the outside and make it an extension of the bar itself. There is going to be a side that’s communal, and another side with nooks and crannies and smaller tables. RC: The garden will open in the spring. A lot of the aesthetic here at The Bonnie is driven by the outdoor space of the garden. We want that to be what we do. We want to bring the elements of botanical bartending into what we do. BORO: What are some differences between 30th Ave and 23rd Ave? RC: It feels very old school on 23rd Ave. It’s a little more family, a little more community around here. As there is everywhere in Astoria. I just love the community that Astoria is. BORO: What makes the Bonnie different from other bars? MK: We put everything we had into it. I think that comes across. You have to put a personality to a bar; it’s a living thing. I think that makes a difference. I think when you put everything you have into it, people appreciate it. Fried Oyster Sliders with caesar aioli, Brooklyn pickles, and bacon The Bonnie is located at 29-12 23rd Ave, Astoria NY 11105 www.thebonnie.com Seafood Pie with salmon, oysters, prawns, bacon, corn, & potato crust


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