An alumnus of big-name New York City bars like Pegu Club, Dutch Kills and Flatiron Lounge, Giuseppe González has branched out on his own with the debut of Suffolk Arms, a pub-inspired drinks den in Manhattan’s Lower East Side. Suffolk Arms opened recently with a hospitality-focused approach to mixology and an all-star roster of bartenders. The bar offers creative cocktails in a variety of categories, from inventive signatures to “Something Like Classics,” as well as a selection of vodka-based drinks and omakase-inspired offerings that allow guests to craft their own cocktail by picking their spirits and flavor preferences.
In all, the venue’s menu lists more than 30 mixed drinks ($13 to $14), with information on who created each cocktail. House signatures include The Twin Lion, made with Hochstadter’s rye, the 2013 Maal Biutiful Malbec, lemon, sugar and egg white, and the Duke of Suffolk, a blend of Hendrick’s gin, Earl Grey and English breakfast teas, cream, and sugar.
Suffolk Arms also offers a varied food menu, highlighting classic American fare with ethnic cuisine that’s popular in its Lower East Side neighborhood, such as matzo ball soup and a Chino Latino platter that includes several different kinds of Chinatown-style dumplings (food is $7 to $25). The tavern features wood-paneled walls and floors and a mahogany bar, as well as banquettes and table seating. González operates the venue with his longtime friend Ruben Rodriguez, who also runs the Cuban restaurant Havana Café in the Bronx.