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The last sip of a margarita usually signals one of two things: another round or the check. What's better than another cocktail? The Saltair, and it’s found at Bar Contra.
If the name sounds familiar, it should—Bar Contra is an evolution of Contra, the once-accessible, no-frills tasting restaurant from chefs Fabián von Hauske-Valtierra and Jeremiah Stone. While it consistently wowed the Lower East Side for nearly a decade, the duo closed shop in October 2023. Thankfully, they kept the keys and promised to adapt the space into something entirely new. That "something new" became Bar Contra, a casual but experimental cocktail bar paired with the high-end snacks Hauske-Valtierra and Stone are known for. To execute the drinks, the twosome became a threesome with the addition of Dave Arnold, a multi-hyphenate talent whose résumé includes founding the Museum of Food and Drink and owning some of New York’s favorite bygone bars, including Booker & Dax and Existing Conditions.
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Arnold’s influence is quite clear: Bar Contra leans into gastronomy as bartenders chill glasses with a swirl of liquid nitrogen and clarify drinks via centrifuge. It’s this creative approach to cocktails and an eccentric assortment of small plates that earned the bar a spot on this year’s Best Bars in North America. The Saltair, billed as a refreshing albeit “supremely salty” tipple, also generated its share of buzz.
But for those in the know, the Saltair is just as much of a reinvention as the bar itself. The drink is a riff on a favorite from Arnold’s repertoire, the Corsair. Also landing on the saltier side of the spectrum, the original—previously served at Booker & Dax—used the juice of Moroccan lemons preserved in salt, shaken with a bit of lime juice, simple syrup, tequila and a few drops of Hellfire bitters. It paired perfectly with the Champagne of beers: a Miller High Life. When talks for Bar Contra began, it was Stone who suggested reviving a version of the drink.
"We really wanted to pay tribute to some of Dave’s old drinks," said Hauske-Valtierra. But to give it a hint of newness, the team swapped preserved lemons for preserved umeboshi, or plums. "We blend umeboshi with tequila, let it sit for a bit and then clarify it," says Hauske-Valteirra, breaking down the building blocks of the drink. "We take the pits and make another tequila infusion, clarify that, and mix them together. That gets shaken with sugar syrup and lime juice and shaken," said Hauske-Valtierra. The resulting iteration drinks like “a salty margarita with plum and floral notes.” And while Hauske-Valteirra hasn't exactly heard of the attachment "saltiest cocktail in the city," the mini Modelito chaser, according to him, brings a bit of balance for those who need it. Always in search of a good drink, I headed to the Lower East Side in search of the savory sip.
Even on weekdays, Bar Contra is a bit of a moody scene, with its relatively minimal space featuring a long stretch of bar under dimmed bulbs, while the back is carved out into low black booths. I quickly eyed the carbonated and stirred cocktail creations before settling on the Saltair. A few shakes from the bartender and a swish of liquid nitrogen later, the pinkish cocktail came sliding across the bar—arriving with a freshly cracked Modelito.
By the first sip, I instantly realized why this drink has become a house favorite. Yes, you get salt up front, but it's quickly followed by an umami-like depth and sweetness thanks to the plum infusion. The tinge of tart lime brings everything into simple harmony, letting the drink oscillate easily between salty, sweet and even a little floral. And while it didn't tip too far into savory territory for me, the swigs of Modelito in between offered a welcome palate reset, letting me dive back into the cocktail almost as if it were the very first sip.
So is it the saltiest drink in the city? It certainly is one of the saltier cocktails I’ve had as of late, outsalting José Andrés' “Salt Air” foam margarita at Oyamel (perhaps the rise of a trend?). But it hits all the right salinity notes, as a properly salted dish does. It certainly does its job mimicking the tail end of a margarita, and much like the end of any margarita, I, too, didn’t want it to end.