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Joining him is Drawing Room alum Mea Leech, who oversees day-to-day operations as beverage director.

The Riff Raff Club has 360-degree views, including the Empire State Building and Times Square, and the centerpiece of the space, designed in partnership with Benjamin Kay of Adorn Designs (whose credits also include Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster Harlem and the now-closed Redbury hotel, formerly home to Danny Meyer’s Marta), is a free-standing island bar, accommodating thirsty guests on all sides. Custom wallpaper incorporates whimsical images modeled after staffers’ pets, including Joly’s cosseted pit bull Jackson. “They become part of the riff raff,” Joly says, “you’ll see them around the bar, smoking cigars and sipping cocktails.”

That don’t-take-it-so-seriously vibe extends to the drinks, many of which include smoke, pyrotechnics, intricately etched ice cubes, and “questionable garnishes” as Joly describes them. The latter adorns a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, a nod to Joly’s Midwestern roots.

The post Classic Cocktails With Many, Many Twists at the New Riff Raff Club appeared first on Resy | Right This Way.