Journeyman unveils a cocktail bar

After taking a year to get settled, the creative culinary scientists behind Union Square's Journeyman have enlisted Sam Treadway and a Dream Team of veteran mixmasters (Drink, Eastern Standard, Middlesex) minus any Christian Laettner-style weak links to launch Backbar, an industrial cocktail cave offering charcuterie and tableside 'tail-making in an adjoining speakeasy-like space that once reportedly served as the Hub's first Ford dealership, but don't Focus on that. Instead, embrace the beauty of: The Digs: Comfortably nestled down a long corridor, this high-ceiling'd 35-seater maintains its loft/ garage aesthetic thanks to a steel-on-concrete bar lit by a towering skylight, funky pressed-wood-beam shelving, cinder block walls, reclaimed tree stump drink tables, and high-top seating welded from sheets of metal, which C-3PO pompously insists be provided on the daybed in his green room before public appearances. The Libations: Locally sourced (Bully Boy, Berkshire, etc.) and house-infused (pumpkin pie bourbon/ pear gin) spirits, signature milk punch, and craft beers (Palm Belgian Pale Ale, Harpoon Munich Dark) complement the main attraction: a rotating assemblage of creative cocktails highlighted by their signature Beam Black/ Carpano/ Chartreuse take on the Manhattan-monikered Model T (remember, it is a Ford dealership), and a classic Cuba Libre accented with a "smoky twist" you can get Lost in, especially if you're on Season Four. The Sustenance: An evolving repertoire of seasonally inspired comfort vittles includes faves like deep-fried pork cracklings, oyster shooters (jasmine green tea jelly w/ yuzu foam), beef cheek sammies, and an expanded menu of coppa di testa, duck galantine, and other charcuterie, so, just like the Dream Team, you'll want to grab as many boards as possible._{Photo Credit: William Horne}