Suffolk Arms, Giuseppe González's long-awaited LES bar, opens Thursday

Prolific barman Giuseppe González—whose resume is littered with stints at PKNY, Clover Club, Dutch Kills and Golden Cadillac—adds another high-profile notch on that CV: his much-anticipated Suffolk Arms on the Lower East Side, opening this Thursday. Taking over the former Local 269 space at 269 E Houston St, the highly personal bar will serve as a playground for González's envelope-pushing cocktails, as well as a booze-soaked shrine to the luminaries who've influenced him throughout his pedigreed career.

An annotated menu touts 11 original cocktails ($14) like the Tough Room, which fuses a Guinness with a whiskey sour stout, as well as a selection of 13 "Something Like Classics" quaffs ($13), which play on time-honored libations from the likes of PDT's Jeff Bell and Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Pepe Le Moko in Portland, Oregon. A third section of the menu gives spirited proof to vodka's bonafides with drinks crafted by New York bar pioneers, like a Flatiron Martini from Julie Reiner and a Grapefruit Cooler from Audrey Saunders.

Bargoers can post up to the white-tiled mahogany bar for drinks or dishes like a Streit's matzo-ball soup and Thai chili wings from Calle Ocho chef Alex Garcia. The 63-seat space also features walls decked out with framed portraits of notable New Yorkers (Ed Koch, Jam Master Jay) drawn by Seattle-based artist Mandilla Blouin. 

Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March

Porn-Star at Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March

Jungle Bird at Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March

Wings at Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March

Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March

Suffolk ArmsPhotograph: Oleg March