New Tiki bar called Painkiller to open in Manhattan in March!

Aloha everyone,

My name is Giuseppe Gonzalez. I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to you, as I am one of the tiki bar in the making called Painkiller. Myself and my partner Richard Boccato have been reading and appreciating this forum for quite a while and we would now like to officially share with you our vision for the unique brand of tiki that we are about to establish in New York City. We understand that tiki culture is something that the majority of you care for quite sincerely and we would like you to know that we are only here to join in your appreciation.

We have been extremely fortunate to have served alongside some of the best bartenders in some of the best bars in the world. We have both researched and honed our craft with meticulous dedication day in and day out. We have both decided that we want to open a bar that is radically different from anything that we have ever been a part of before. Our strengths until this point in our careers had always been in cocktail history, preparation, and technique. We have always been careful to think critically about how every element in a cocktail contributes to that cocktail as a whole and how every cocktail that is served over our bar(s) should be measured for its ability to provide our guests with a balanced and consistently executed drink.

We are avid students of cocktail history. We believe that sometimes the “cocktail” itself is not as important as the bartender who creates it. We believe that great bartenders are not all necessarily great because of their ability to make and create cocktails; that they become great because they lived great lives and they have since been venerated, not only for their accomplishments behind the bar. We believe that greatness can be achieved by proxy. For years we have read about legends like Constantino Ribalaigua from La Floridita, Harry Craddock from The Savoy, and Don Beachcomber, we can’t help but imagine what it would be like to experience a Daiquiri #1, a Corpse Reviver #2, or a Jet Pilot had it been crafted from their hands. My personal inspiration has always come from a man whose story has stuck in my mind for many years.

I am a Type 1 diabetic. This has been a constant struggle for me to contend with ever since I was a small child. Regardless, I can remember going to a cocktail bar as a young bartender in Boston and ordering a Mai-Tai. I had never had one before because I was well aware that they were too sweet for me to stomach. However, I knew that this bar was the only one that cared enough to stock orange curacao and orgeat. I made sure that I had enough insulin in tow to weather a night of imbibing. I don’t remember if I liked the drink or not, but I do remember the events that transpired shortly thereafter.

As I prepared to excuse myself to measure my glucose levels, the bartender asked me a question that I have since been asked at least once everyday: “How do you manage to tend bar and deal with your diabetes at the same time?”. I must have shrugged it off as I usually do, yet he then said something that I will never forget: “Well, if it makes you feel better, the guy who invented that drink was sick throughout his entire childhood and by the time he was your age he only had one leg.” It actually did make me feel better. The next day I took it upon myself to learn about this one-legged man who invented the Mai Tai. This was a man with limitations, both physical and financial, who would come to open bars that would set the standards that I still follow. This was a man who invented drinks that I still serve and that we all still enjoy to this day. This was a man called Victor Bergeron, aka “Trader Vic.”.

Mr. Bergeron took something that he recognized as inspirational from another man that I also took upon myself to learn about. This one was called Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, aka "Donn Beach", nee "Donn Beachcomber." I immediately understood that Mr. Bergeron had applied his vision to Mr. Gantt's concept knowing that he could do something different and unique with it; what he created was indeed something beautiful, different, and inimitable.

Forgive my choice of words but I can find no other way to express it-- both Trader Vic and Donn Beach had balls. And in the New York City that Richard and myself were raised in, one must have a strong pair of said balls in order to survive, let alone to open a bar with a similar sense of vision to Trader Vic's and Donn Beach's for a unique, different, and beautiful place for all to enjoy (and hopefully to cull inspiration from).

I learned about Trader Vic's story at a time in my life where I was still on the fence about whether or not I wanted to be a bartender. I had two kids to support and I was attempting to do so on the merits of an Ivy League diploma that was not earned via my efforts behind the bar. In essence, I was earning about 400 United States Dollars a week, whilst trying to raise a family. I soon realized something that we all must learn at some point in our lives: if you create something worth recognizing, people will certainly recognize it whether they like it or not. I have since come to understand that one's determination to create a legacy of quality behind the bar is never a fool's errand. So when someone asks me, “What does tiki mean to you?”, my response is quite simple: "My understanding of tiki is that in order to do it right, one must have balls."

It is quite common to hear devout tikiphiles declare their fondness for the culture as a whole as it provides them with an “escape” from the doldrums of everyday life. It is with this same sense of “escapism” in mind that we have conceptualized both our cocktail menu and our bar. We recollect with genuine fondness the bygone era, not four decades past, when people were able to run free and wild in the streets of our fair city. They created their own unique and remarkable subculture within a larger pre-existing entity. These weren’t always necessarily "good" people insofar as the general consensus but they were always good to us. New York City was scary back then. But it was also exciting; it had the reputation of being the place to be.

Richard and I recognize that there is a parallel between island cultures, both Polynesian and Old Manhattan. That having been said, Painkiller is an effort by two bartenders and their partners to establish a unique style of tiki. We hope that we will be welcomed into the fold as an island outpost amongst the many within the pantheon that we all look towards for an "escape." Rest assured that we are going to be doing some cool and innovative stuff at our bar.

We are not going to be following any guidelines other than the ones that we set for ourselves. People who know us know that we aren’t afraid to take a labor intensive approach if the result means that we will be able to serve them the best possible cocktail. Our goal (one of many) is to have a cocktail program that brings the most serious approach to a genre that quite honestly bartenders around the world have been afraid to take on and commit themselves to.

Most importantly, I want to underline the manifest purpose of this letter; I wrote this to you knowing full well that in my opinion the tiki bar should be a place where one can always see a sea of smiles. The bartenders are glad to be there. The guests are happy. The cocktails, the island dress and the music aren't necessarily the only elements that make a tiki bar a place where we all want to go for an "escape." The PEOPLE make it great. YOU make it great. Everyone on this forum appears to be concerned about whether or not we intend to keep pure something that is considered by all of us to be beautiful. We aren't building a bastard tiki bar. We are carrying on a tradition. We are doing just as Mr. Bergeron did before us. We are making our own Mai-Tai. We are doing things differently but by no means not showing respect and reverence for those bartenders that came before us. After announcing our plans to open our doors this Spring, many others in our vicinity have followed suit. The sharks do indeed appear to have jumped. Me and Richard are always disheartened when we see a place with so many talented people and they are all basically too afraid to present something new. Everyone is trying to mimic something else. Homogeny can be as bad as it is good.

I am the son of a bartender and no matter where I preside, all I want to do is make quality drinks. At Painkiller, Richard and myself want to make drinks for people that care enough to spend their money at our bar and allow us the honor of being their hosts. We want the people around us to respect the craft we represent, the bar that we built, and most importantly the atmosphere that we will all collectively create. We invite you to please bring to us your smiles, your positive energy, your knowledge of the culture, and also your criticism of our efforts when you feel that it will help us to make the adjustments that will elevate our bar to become recognized as a part of the canon. We promise to always make sure that everything that we prepare for you is made with respect and care. Our vision is practically the same as any of the great tiki bars: we hope that people will leave our bar with a smile and a sense of happiness. We want people to remember that the island of Manhattan, to us, is the greatest island on Earth. When you are at Painkiller, we do not want to provide you with an escape from where you are; we want to remind you that you are where you want to be.

We look forward to seeing you all at there and we trust that this will be a journey that none of us will soon forget.

Mahalo,

Giuseppe and Richard

PS Hot Dogs and Mai Tais are pretty awesome. Seriously awesome.

Wow. Impressive, heartfelt writing. I hope you print that letter in some form in the opening page of your menu. Another good old tradition.

Aloha and welcome Giuseppe Gonzalez!
This is very exciting news indeed! I wish you and your partners all the best
in your new endeavor. Look forward to frequenting painkiller on our business
trips east!

Velvets by J. Sallin

[ Edited by: Iokona Ki'i 2010-04-05 00:35 ]

i am looking forward to the opening!

MIxologo - all the best for Painkiller bar.

I'm hoping to visit the New York City area next summer (primarily to support the current Coney Island renovation project(s))and will make a visit to Painkiller a "must-do".

Thanks too for your intense write-up above. Wow. Keep us posted on everything.

Cheers!

looking forward to it! - the place the opening and the drinks!

Good Luck with your Bar,
it sounds like it is a true Labor of Love for you.

Jeff(btd)

Painkiller opens Thursday this week.

For reals.

Slideshow Preview

No white ceilings and presumably will be darker than these photos...

A couple of sneak preview photos from the soft opening last night....

finishing up the front door area...

Some interior tiki graffiti - a bit odd, but it kind of works when you see the entire place. It's not a big place, but there are plenty of glass floats, bamboo on the walls & ceilings, some polynesian artwork and lots of darkness.

They were bringin' it bigtime last night - '34 Zombies, Mai Tais and Painkillers (of course). All done really well with mugs all around.

I think this place is gonna be OK.

wait - last night it opens on Friday? - hmmm????

http://gothamist.com/2010/05/06/painkiller.php?gallery0Pic=9#gallery

http://ny.eater.com/tags/painkiller

Sounds decent - looks small...

I can't wait to check this place out~!

Welcome Giuseppe Gonzalez!

It looks like think it opens tomorrow night?

Thought I'd share an article since I haven't seen it posted yet:
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/06/zombies-descend-for-drinks-on-the-lower-east-side/

(theres a PDF of the place mat!)

Can't wait to hear about this place from others. I think it'll be a long while till i'll be able to make it out to Manhattan again.

A few more photos here:
http://www.dailycandy.com/new-york/gallery/83160/This-Is-Painkillers-Version-of-Island-Culture

Far Out!!!

ok, I'm extremely disappointed. I've been looking forward to this place opening for months now, and I couldn't wait to try the drinks. Boyfriend and I went around 9, bar was a little crowded so we grabbed a table. Ordered a single painkiller to start with. 20 mins later, each table to our right was served 3 times but our painkiller had yet to arrive. cute decor, bathrooms have nice tiki erotica on the walls, music is low enough that you can have a conversation, but seriously? what the hell. we left once we saw a table that was seated after us get volcano bowls served to them. i'll give the place another shot, but i'm thinking otto's has not yet met its match.

On 2010-05-07 20:57, Kita St Cyr wrote:
ok, I'm extremely disappointed. I've been looking forward to this place opening for months now, and I couldn't wait to try the drinks. Boyfriend and I went around 9, bar was a little crowded so we grabbed a table. Ordered a single painkiller to start with. 20 mins later, each table to our right was served 3 times but our painkiller had yet to arrive. cute decor, bathrooms have nice tiki erotica on the walls, music is low enough that you can have a conversation, but seriously? what the hell. we left once we saw a table that was seated after us get volcano bowls served to them. i'll give the place another shot, but i'm thinking otto's has not yet met its match.

OUCH! Hopefully, you will get a personal invite from the owner to enjoy a couple of free painkillers after that post, Kita. I hope the tiki gods are smiling down upon you the second time around!

On 2010-05-07 20:57, Kita St Cyr wrote:
ok, I'm extremely disappointed. I've been looking forward to this place opening for months now, and I couldn't wait to try the drinks. Boyfriend and I went around 9, bar was a little crowded so we grabbed a table. Ordered a single painkiller to start with. 20 mins later, each table to our right was served 3 times but our painkiller had yet to arrive. cute decor, bathrooms have nice tiki erotica on the walls, music is low enough that you can have a conversation, but seriously? what the hell. we left once we saw a table that was seated after us get volcano bowls served to them. i'll give the place another shot, but i'm thinking otto's has not yet met its match.

Obviously a mistake was made. You might have been missed, but hey, you did observe others getting good service! Almost all new restaurants/bars go through these problems the first days they open. It's a new space, it has been started from nothing.

On 2010-05-08 03:03, Bongo Bungalow wrote:

On 2010-05-07 20:57, Kita St Cyr wrote:
ok, I'm extremely disappointed. I've been looking forward to this place opening for months now, and I couldn't wait to try the drinks. Boyfriend and I went around 9, bar was a little crowded so we grabbed a table. Ordered a single painkiller to start with. 20 mins later, each table to our right was served 3 times but our painkiller had yet to arrive. cute decor, bathrooms have nice tiki erotica on the walls, music is low enough that you can have a conversation, but seriously? what the hell. we left once we saw a table that was seated after us get volcano bowls served to them. i'll give the place another shot, but i'm thinking otto's has not yet met its match.

Obviously a mistake was made. You might have been missed, but hey, you did observe others getting good service! Almost all new restaurants/bars go through these problems the first days they open. It's a new space, it has been started from nothing.

It's not starting from nothing, these guys have another NY bar, but I get your point and I agree. Shit happens. Not that I think one drink should take over 20 mins, with the waitress passing by repeatedly and telling me it was on it's way, but ok. I'm going to give it another shot. I really REALLY want to like this place.

I went early tonight before it got crowded and met Guiseppe and really enjoyed some great drinks and witnessed many enthusiastic patrons at the bar. I am very excited about this place and look forward to trying many of the libations. We had great swizzles, mai tai's and daiquiri's.. Lots of care on the drinks, good vibes. Like any cool and popular bar in NYC, I just avoid on the weekends when all the yahoo's are out.... Aloha, Kikiu

I love this place - 4 visits and nothing but smiles. I've posted a bunch of photos in the Forum under the "Locating Tiki" topic- take a look because a picture is worth a thousand words....

i went tuesday night.
i love the look of the bar. the drinks however at $16 a piece were not that impressive.

the cradle of life was too sweet without any kick.
the zombie was too strong and bitter.
i did enjoy one of their custom suffering bastards.
the service was also not particularly outstanding.
i'll probably come back if i am in the neighborhood; but otto's beats them hands down.