9 photos
Above the black awning that hangs over the sidewalk in front of The Garret East, at Avenue A and 13th St, is the rorschach inkblot version of a raccoon. Inside, the bar’s interior is designed like someone’s home. That brings up the question of whose home. “It’s Rocko Racoon’s,” says Grant Wheeler, the beverage director of The Garret East and its twin The Garret West, as he points over his shoulder at a taxidermied version of the logo, a stuffed raccoon overtop the bar. “He’s an avid Gear Patrol reader slash jetsetter. An inspiration for Monocle. If Richard Branson and Gene Simmons had a baby.” He’s speaking with the lazy sarcasm of someone killing time, before the sage, one of the two main garnishes of the Sunrise Special he’s showing us how to make, arrives. In a shareable copper bowl with six long straws, the drink is a perfect group drink for the Super Bowl (“it is a super bowl,” he says).
Wheeler added the Sunrise Special — named for its two Asian-inspired ingredients, Two James Johnny Smoking Gun umami whiskey and Korea’s Hite Beer, (“the sun rises in the east”) — to the menu about eight weeks ago. By all accounts it’s becoming a mainstay. Its other “large-format” competition, the Apples & Oranges punch bowl, is seasonal.
Grant Wheeler, the Drink Maker
Background?
Bartender turned beverage director. Wanted both a job and time to explore the city, hard to come by during the 2008 financial crisis. He’s a fast study, but not technically rigorous. Drinks made with feel, not a ruler.
Favorite Drink?
“Really expensive mineral water. The most baller guy at the club is walking around with a $15 bottle of water.”