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Heaven’s sake Classic Japanese cocktail spot opens outpost in Industry City
Shaking things up: Oldies in Industry City focuses on Japanese cocktails made with fresh fruit. Photo by Natalie Sarpi
Old-fashioned: New bar Oldies will serve Japanese whiskey highballs and classic cocktails.
Photo by Natalie Sarpi
COURIER LIFE, JANUARY 3-9, 2020 31
By Bill Roundy It’s an Oldie but a goodie!
A new Japanese cocktail bar from
the operators of famous Manhattan
speakeasy Angel’s Share opened in
Industry City last week. Oldies, a 12-seat
bar just off the complex’s Japan Village
food hall, is trying to conjure classic liquor
spots of Japan’s past, said its owner.
“Many of the great cocktail bars in
Japan have an old-school vibe, so we
wanted to do that here, albeit with updated
interiors,” said Erina Yoshida. “We hope
people can reminisce on something
nostalgic of the past when they come into
our bar.”
The bar is less formal than its
Manhattan predecessor, which forbids
standing, loud talking, or groups larger
than four. In contrast, the light and airy
Oldies interior has a dedicated standing
area, and it plays pop hits from the
1970s.
Before the cocktail renaissance of the
early 2000s, Angel’s Share was one of the
few spots in New York to get a properly
made Manhattan, and Oldies retains a bit
of that flavor, with a short list of classic
cocktails, including the Martini, Negroni,
and Sidecar. But its focus is on simple fruit
cocktails — made with seasonal fruits,
honey, and whiskey, and highballs made
with Japanese whiskey. These seemingly
simple concoctions are difficult to pull off
well, said Yoshida.
“What we are doing is unique — our
cocktails are very simple with many
only having a few ingredients while
highlighting the produce itself,” she said.
“When a cocktail is that simple, it adds
more pressure to make sure each cocktail
is well-balanced.”
The bar also serves sake, beer, and a
selection of Japanese bar snacks. Most of
the options are Japanese, but a few beer
options come from Kings County, she
noted.
“We decided to not carry exclusively
carry Japanese ingredients to honor our
Brooklyn location,” said Yoshida. “The
options that are not sourced from Japan
are more often than not produced here
in Brooklyn, including King’s County
Distillery, Threes Brewery, and even
Brooklyn Kura Sake, which is made right
on the Industry City campus.”
Oldies 269 36th St. between Second
and Third avenues in Sunset Park,www.
instagram.com/oldiesny) . Open Wed–Fri at
5 pm; Sat–Sun at 2 pm; closed Mon–Tue.
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