Tigre, a “new downtown Manhattan cocktail lounge” from Premiere Enterprises, is debuting at 105 Rivington Street in the Lower East Side.
This is the latest project from the team behind the award-winning oyster and cocktail bar Maison Premiere in Williamsburg, as well as Sauvage in Greenpoint, The Golden Hour in Chelsea, and a handful of concepts in London.
Tucked behind an original graffiti-worn door, Tigre aims “to transports guests to the luxe residences and lounges of the past with a menu of sophisticated cocktails that channel a well-traveled palate and an exploration of obscure but enlightening spirits that are not commonplace in the American lexicon.” Tigre is slated to be open from 6 p.m. until 1 a.m. from Sunday through Wednesday and 6 p.m. until 2 a.m. from Thursday through Saturday.
Starting from humble beginnings, the team has since become major players in the craft cocktail revival and restaurant bar renaissance scenes. Co-founders Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka have received numerous accolades over the years for Maison Premiere, including Esquire’s Best Bar in America, a James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program, and ranking year after year in the prestigious World’s 50 Best Bars list.
The food menu for Tigre has not been released to the public at press time, however, the team has dished out the details for their robust six-section cocktail menu.
The duo tapped longtime bar director of Maison Premiere, William Elliot, to lead the beverage program at Tigre.
The cocktail menu will reflect a worldly and luxurious selection of spirits, highlighting the best distillers and producers from around the globe. The team is focused on showcasing regional spirits that have been gently prepared, which will be combined with fresh fruits that hail from the region.
The six-sections will include “Then” cocktails including their “Carol Channing” with Framboise, lime, and champagne, “Now” cocktails including their “Cherchez La Femme” with chartreuse, coffee, and cacao, and “Coolers” including their “Agave with Raicilla” sourced from Durango, Mexico, with pasilla chile. It will also offer “Mists” that use unique and unusual spirits with minimal ingredients that will be served with crushed ice, paired with tropical fruit, and lengthened with club soda, and “Martinis by Ratio” cocktails that allow guests to tailor their martini preferences with precision, with options ranging from 4:1 to 16:1.
The liquor menu will also include wine and beer curated by Zizka, as well as mocktails such as their “One” with salted raspberry and chamomile and “Seven” with stewed cherry and coffee.
The team also tapped the architect and design firm, Studio Tre, co-founded by Roman and Williams alum Whitley Esteban and Ernesto Gloria, to create the “refined meeting the raw” design concept they envisioned for the space. The restaurant will also boast original artwork from the renowned French photographer and artist, Jean-Paul Goude.
