New York Restaurateur Debuts Upscale Beverage Retail Shop

Pure Liquid Wine & Spirits evokes a wine cellar with modern design elements.

Pure Liquid Wine & Spirits is located in in Manhattan's Oculus transportation hub.
Pure Liquid Wine & Spirits is located in in Manhattan's Oculus transportation hub. (Photo by Kris Tamburello)

Longtime New York City chef and restaurant owner Henry Meer of City Hall fame unveiled his wine-inspired retail store Pure Liquid Wine & Spirits on November 17th in the new Westfield Center in Downtown Manhattan’s World Trade Center development. Designed by CCS Architecture and located in the Oculus transportation hub, the 1,200-square-foot store offers a modern spin on the traditional warmth of a wine and spirits shop, combining wooden barrel elements with industrial metal accents. Pure Liquid is accessed through a long white marble corridor and its entrance evokes a wooden wine barrel balanced on a blackened steel base. The venue’s ceiling is made from white oak staves held together by black steel bands, and its interior features custom floor-to-ceiling oak cabinets stocked with wines from around the world. At the back of the main room, the shop features a refrigerated wine wall that houses prestige labels, and beyond that is a boutique spirits section that boasts illuminated shelving. Lighting throughout Pure Liquid is kept low to evoke a wine cellar.

Richard Hanano, the store’s director of operations, notes that Pure Liquid’s wine selection is balanced between international and domestic labels. Wines in the store range from $10.99 to $2,199 a 750-ml. bottle, with most falling in the $25-to-$30 range. For spirits, Hanano says the store stocks a varied roster of Bourbon, rye and Japanese whiskies, and that for other spirits it focuses on local and regional brands. Spirits at Pure Liquid range from $19.99 to $4,000 a 750-ml. bottle.