Photo courtesy of Claudio’s
Claudio’s is moving on to cocktails, and it’s about time. ‘Up Stirrs at Claudio’s’ is a renovated bar and lounge located—appropriately—on the second floor of the iconic Claudio’s Restaurant. The space boasts a wine cellar, private dining area, lunch and dinner seating, and space that can accommodate private events. From the lounge, cocktailers can see the entire property and have views of the Greenport waterfront.
Up Stirrs is dedicated to craft cocktails and late-night fun. The bar, which includes the focal point of a hand-carved ship, is surrounded by Prohibition-era photography from the Claudio’s portfolio. The cocktail menu includes nearly 30 innovative cocktail selections, all of which use local and artisanal products, and all of which have been developed by Brian Sassen, Claudio’s Beverage Director. The Hotel Nacional, for instance, is a Cuban classic named for the famous 1930s Havana hotel, and evokes the kind of historic reference and classic dedication that Up Stirrs seeks to inspire. The Atlantis, on the other hand, which typically uses rum and apricot, uses, instead, genever and mastiha, for a much more sophisticated take. Ingredients and juices are created fresh, in-house, or made from scratch.
To step into Up Stirrs is to step back in time, when the bar and lounge was more than just a place to grab a quick drink. This is an antidote to the dive bar, a place to spend real, qualitative time. (Side note: Nothing wrong with the dive bar, but no one needs a dive bar seven nights a week, either.) What’s more, the bar and lounge will be open year-round, serving the Greenport community and will also be up late. On Wednesday and Friday nights, they will have live music (or, sometimes, a DJ), and will serve drinks until 2 in the morning. And who says eastern Long Island doesn’t know how to party?
Read more: Three Fourteen, an Epic New Cocktail Bar, Opens in Greenport
