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Double Chicken Please

New York

In 2017, GN Chan and Faye Chen set out in a vintage yellow VW minibus to host a series of cocktail pop-ups. In the autumn of 2020, they parked the bus and moved into a permanent Lower East Side location. NYC drinks have never been the same and the bar has been on a meteoric ascent to the top of the world’s cocktail scene ever since, rising to the coveted No.1 spot in the 2023 edition of North America’s 50 Best Bars. The front room underwent a full renovation in late 2024 to reopen as ‘Free Range’: a move away from its former soda shop vibe. The revitalised bar area offers a more artsy, multi-sensory space and classic cocktails created with unexpected ingredients inspired by cartoons, such as the Pooh (gin, forest honey, birch pine needle, cereal and clarified milk).

In the backroom, aka The Coop, things get funky. Each libation is designed to represent a drinkable meal. Consider the beloved French Toast (vodka, roasted barley brioche, coconut, milk, maple syrup, egg) or Thai Curry (gin, mezcal, green curry, lime). Befitting drinks that require a little bit of thought, the mood is classy and laid back. Its menu of high-quality bar snacks also draws upon the founders’ theme of innovation. Fried chicken, perhaps unsurprisingly, takes the limelight across the menu, with its sandwich and popcorn variants being particular highlights. The non-poultry items, such as the Bolognese Grilled Cheese and Mochi Donut, are equally worthy of your time. Back here, the lighting is low, the seating is plush and guests tend to linger for a few drinks.

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