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Hello Hello Bar, the all-day café, cocktail bar and distillery in Chelsea, is going all in when it comes to coffee. After launching 11th Hour, a new coffee liqueur distilled in house, the team led by Luis Hernandez, Brendan Bartley and Robert Nieves drops a new cocktail menu built almost entirely around coffee, taking the daytime pick-me-up well into the night.
The coffee liqueur features prominently in the new menu, from a minimalist skinny espresso martini—11th Hour and espresso—to more complex offerings. The espresso martini latte is a reinterpreted café favorite, served warm with latte foam, cocoa and nutmeg. The Last Half Pint, a rich mix of brown butter-washed Irish whiskey, PX sherry, Guinness and 11th Hour is decadent without being overwhelmingly sweet. The Good Bunny is a Puerto Rican cross between a Banana Daiquiri and an Espresso Martini, with rum, 11th Hour, espresso, roasted banana coquito and spices. The Moshi Moshi is a silky stirred espresso martini with Toki Black, Umeshu, 11th Hour and black sesame, finished with a soy sauce malted milk foam.
“Coffee isn’t just a flavor for us,” says Hernandez, Director of Food & Beverage. “It brings structure, bitterness, acidity, and texture, which is what made it compelling enough to build an entire cocktail program around.”
Tea expands on the caffeinated cocktail riff too. There's the bright Granny Garibaldi with Earl Grey and green apple, or the more savory, martini-style Leaf-Tini built on Japanese green tea and olive notes.
As Hello Hello is an all-day café, the “All Day” section of the menu is just as thoughtfully curated. Each drink is designed first as a zero-proof cocktail, created with the same balance, structure and technique as any spirited option. Each drink can be accentuated with suggested spirits. Like the Mawa, a layered mix of tomato, watermelon and hibiscus, works just as well either way. The "All Night" menu shifts towards the spirit-forward.
The new menu is creative and forward-thinking, but regular patrons can still enjoy the cult favorites— like Red Bull Vodka and Porn Star Daiquiri—that appeared on Hello Hello's inaugural menu, now featured in the "Legacy Cocktails" section.
Hello Hello is located at 151 W 26th Street. The bar is open Monday through Wednesday, 5pm to 1am, and Thursday through Saturday, 5pm to 2am. The café is open Monday through Saturday, 11am to 5pm.