Recipe: Mexi-Gin
Brooklyn Bartender Phil Ward Finally Gets His Martini Bar.
Back on February 26, 2020, I wrote an article for The New York Times about Altar, a new bar in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It was to be run by veteran cocktail bartender Phil Ward (Flatiron Lounge, Pegu Club, Death & Co., and Mayahuel, which he co-owned). Ward was known for his innovative work with Tequila and Mezcal cocktails; he invented the Oaxaca Old-Fashioned and Division Bell, among many other drinks. But the new bar would focus on Martinis.
Altar was scheduled to debut exactly four years ago, in March 2020. Well, we all know what happened then. The bar never opened its doors. As the pandemic dragged on, Ward went back to bartending at Chavela’s and Long Island Bar. Eventually, he stepped back from the idea of owning another bar.
When Altar finally opened for business, it did so without him.