Folk say empty vessels make the most noise.
It’s been said; absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Solomon advised; a stable without oxen stays clean.
These phrases came to me late on a Saturday night because I’ve just read a review of an elusive Nightward watering hole. What’s concerning is that the author of the article—my friend, colleague, and low-key hero—just posted the review but hasn’t replied to any of my personal messages in a month.
I try to tell myself that he’s just busy, but there’s something off about this article, something needling the back of my brain. Maybe you Snackers can figure it out?
Here’s a link:
Glass<Full
By The Sanguine Spoon
Have you ever drunk Bailey’s from a shoe? No, I suppose not. No one has. But a smoked Old Fashioned out of an Edison bulb? A gimlet out of a geode? How about a margarita out of a crow’s skull?
“Glass < Full is one of those rare Nightward spots that have a permanent address. While maintaining its distance, the curious Nightward bar blends in nicely with the posh Stanton Place condos.
“This place provides more than top-tier cocktails. It provides a story,” explains beverage director Dennis Tanenbaum. “The fact that none of our glassware matches is very deliberate.”
It takes effort not to see this as a shameless gimmick, something akin to drinking Long Islands out of fish bowls. But when you consider the culture of the bar’s owners and patrons, the choice to serve every cocktail in a different vessel takes on a more eclectic, even eldritch, tone.
“When we first opened, we couldn’t buy glassware from the normal vendors in the city. We couldn’t work with daytime contractors or the liquor board. No one would come to this Part of town.”
More than a great bartender, Dennis is a hobby historian. He goes on to explain:
“Syracuse bureaucrats couldn’t believe that an upscale bar would operate legitimately in the Ward, so they simply ignored us.”
Tanenbaum deftly conjured me a drink, mixing together a frothy pink cocktail fortified with aquafaba and cherry brandy, all this without breaking eye contact with me.
“We had to go to thrift stores and Antique shops all over the city to get glassware. Once all the disparate containers were lined up on the bar, we stood back and really liked what we saw. They say; necessity is the mother of invention, so we decided to lean into the hodgepodge aesthetic. It became less about overcoming aN issue and more about defining who we really are as a minority.”
This really struck me.
It made me think about the cabinets of my aunties and Neighbors growing up in the Bronx. We didn’t have crystal wine glasses or matching Fiesta ware. We had commemorative cups featuring whatever crappy Disney movie was being flogged by McDonald’s at the time. We collected forgotten water bottles on the basketball court. We drank out of caramel-colored tumblers inherited from long-dead grandparents. Not one piece matched.
Yeah, you can tell a lot about A person by what’s in their cabinets.
Dennis was right. It’s not just a drink. It’s a story.
Here’s my rating: 4/5. Not a gimmick. Anyone who says otherwise should do less drinking and more thinking.
Yours,
The Sanguine Spoon
Snackers, do you see what I see?