On a current Wednesday night time at Leyenda in Brooklyn, co-owner Ivy Combine acquired behind the bar for one final shift. Alongside Leyenda’s regulars, dozens of previous and current bartenders, barbacks, managers and different staffers piled into the raucous area, bouquets in hand. They have been all right here to toast the ultimate days of the legendary coctelería, which can shut its doorways on the finish of this month, only a few weeks shy of its tenth anniversary.
Like Clover Membership, its sibling bar down the road, Leyenda has loved uncommon longevity in a dramatically altering neighborhood whose foremost thoroughfare is characterised by a consistently revolving roster of short-lived companies. A big a part of the bar’s long-term success was its skill to cater to a various clientele: Critical lovers might go deep on lesser-known agave spirits resembling sotol and raicilla, whereas neighborhood locals had a go-to spot to impress a primary date or simply to seize a killer Margarita on draft. It was the sort of unassuming hang-out that might make you neglect it was additionally dwelling to a world-class bar program.
Whereas Combine is obscure about particular causes for the closing, citing each the altering neighborhood and points with the constructing, in addition to the overall hardships of the trade, it’s clear she hopes this isn’t the top for Leyenda.
As is all the time the case with the lack of a significant third place, she ponders what is going to turn out to be of the relationships she’s cast through the years that exist solely inside these partitions. “With quite a lot of my regulars, I don’t have relationships with them exterior of Leyenda,” says Combine. “Are these relationships going to finish now? I hope not.”
However for tonight, the tears have been extra candy than bitter, Sofi Tukker blasted on the audio system, and the workers shift drink was photographs of top-shelf Rey Campero Tepextate mezcal (“We’re closing, proper? Let’s drink the good things.”)
The Evening by the Numbers
Hottest drink:
Margarita
No. of bottles of tequila used:
24
No. of photographs ordered:
50
No. of former staffers who got here by means of:
20 to 30
No. of instances Combine cried:
“No less than 6”
Employees shift drink: “I believe we simply drank fairly a little bit of mezcal.” —Leyenda co-owner Ivy Combine
No. of Margaritas ordered: 42
What are you going to overlook most about Leyenda?
“Ivy all the time targeted on providing training, together with on topics like finance and the way to economize in an trade the place we spend cash as quick as we make it. Not each bar focuses on that. Working with that specific staff and never having quite a lot of turnover, we have been all capable of develop and study and share data collectively.”—Leanne Favre, former head bartender
“I’m going to overlook one of the best Margarita within the metropolis, and the cool factors I get recommending Leyenda to individuals who hadn’t heard of it earlier than. And the [dulce de leche–stuffed] churros.” —Pran Bandi, common since 2021
“The cocktails and sangritas I really feel most happy with have been created at Leyenda. We have been critical about making drinks that felt approachable and thrilling… I believe I’ll miss the workers essentially the most. There’s nothing like getting by means of a Saturday Cinco de Mayo shift with individuals you belief to have your again.” —Shannon Ponche, former head bartender
What was the spotlight of this night time of service?
“The truth that all the previous workers have been capable of publish up within the entrance window all night time was actually particular.” —Dylan Rhyder, basic supervisor
What was the lowlight of this night time of service?
“I want I had had a bit of extra time not behind the bar and [instead] having conversations with individuals, particularly with my regulars. If you’re that busy, it means you don’t get to speak with anybody since you’re within the weeds crushing drinks and I don’t get to hold.” —Combine
Favourite overheard line of the night time:
“I would like my fucking Tia Mia!” —A staffer who got here in on his night time off to have fun his birthday
Wildest/most unhinged name drink?
“Mauricio [Santana] from Clover Membership requested for 2 Ramos Gin Fizzes. Fortunately, he was joking.” —Combine
