A Peek Into Strange Bird
Drinking at the tiki-tinged Strange Bird, a new Irvington hangout. Tony Valainis
Brothers Neal and Paul Warner, both residents of Irvington, wanted a relaxed neighborhood bar where they could sit around drinking rum. So they opened one: Strange Bird (128 S. Audubon Rd.), a cozy shotgun-style watering hole walled in with bold tropical murals, woven banana bark mats, and retro-looking brass mirrors. The brothers (who also own Coat Check and Provider) describe it as not a tiki bar per se, but “a neighborhood rum bar that leans a bit tiki.” Cocktails that have been meticulously lifted from the tiki songbook get remastered with top-shelf potions like Neal’s favorite, Hamilton Saint Lucia Pot Still rum, made from Guyanese molasses and aged for 10 years. But Strange Bird’s essential ingredient might be its simplest—crystal-clear crushed ice produced by three machines stashed in the back room.
