After years of whispers and speculated movements within beverage circles, it's official: The Dead Rabbit, the famed cocktail bar with Irish flair hailing from New York City, is carving out a space in Boston's lively drink scene. Set to open its doors in 2025, the team behind the venture has signed a lease with more specifics promised to be revealed soon. This news comes hot on the heels of the Dead Rabbit's latest outposts in Austin, which opened this month, and a forthcoming spot in Washington, D.C., set for later this year.
The Dead Rabbit's expansion isn't exactly a surprise; Boston has been on the bar's radar for a quite some time, primarily due to its strong Irish roots. According to a statement obtained by Eater Boston, co-founder Jack McGarry remarked last year about the expansion, "spreading our love of the Irish pub" while also "challenging the misconceptions around Irish culture." The arrival of The Dead Rabbit to Beantown taps into both the city's historical connections to Ireland and its modern cocktail culture, creating the perfect storm for yet another successful iteration of the widely-acclaimed bar.
The path to expansion has not been without its hurdles. Originally slated for a spring 2023 opening, the Austin location only began serving patrons as of July 1st. Furthermore, plans for a New Orleans bar have been scrapped altogether. The expansion pace can be described as meticulous, with the Charleston, South Carolina, venture of co-founder Sean Muldoon and former beverage director Jillian Vose, Hazel and Apple, also delayed to late 2024 or early 2025 due to unforeseen obstacles.
Since its inception in the Financial District of New York City a decade ago, The Dead Rabbit has become a luminary on the global bar scene. In a nod to its success, it clinched the top spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list in 2016. Boasting a collection of Tales of the Cocktail Spirited awards, the establishment has evolved into more than an Irish pub; it's a bastion of contemporary drinking culture. Moreover, the brand already broadened its Manhattan footprint with The Irish Exit, perched in the luxe Moynihan Train Hall. "The Dead Rabbit is going to be opening somewhere in the city in 2025," Eater Boston reports, though a specific address has yet to be announced.
As Boston anticipates the arrival of The Dead Rabbit, and its patrons ready themselves for the mixology prowess that's become synonymous with the name, there's an air of excitement that yet another world-class bar is choosing to place its roots in the city. What remains to be seen is exactly where the Dead Rabbit will set up shop, and how Bostonians will embrace its take on the quintessential Irish pub.
