Drinks and Giggles: Stand-Up Comic Jennifer Salzman Debuts New Slope Cocktail Bar And Performance Space
Jennifer Salzman has had many careers—rock star, recruiter, event producer, and stand-up comedian. She now adds another title to her diverse resume—bar owner.
On Wednesday, November 30, Salzman officially debuts Salzy, a new neighborhood cocktail bar and lounge located at 506 5th Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets) in the former Fifth Estate space. Salzy features a menu of craft cocktails and small plates and will host comedy and live music performances.
Originally from Rochester, New York, Salzman is a regular in the New York comedy scene. She founded Boss Bitch Productions which hosts monthly stand-up shows featuring female comics.
“Salzy is the perfect expression of my passions for hospitality and producing unique events that showcase talented performers,” Salzman wrote in a press release. “The cocktail bar at the front of the venue will be a fun and sophisticated gathering place to catch up over drinks and bites, and the performance space will become a hub for comics, DJs, bands and other creatives to convene and perform.”
The venue’s former layout was opened up and designed to “serve as a welcoming neighborhood haven,” she explained during a press preview for the new venue Tuesday evening. Salzman, who lives a few blocks away, said her goal was to create a space where she would want to hang out. “This is a reflection of me and my personality.”
Old school hip-hop, R&B, and soul play on heavy rotation in the elegant bar space, which is the perfect setting for a date or hanging out with a group of friends. Salzman collaborated with a neighbor who works as a sound engineer to ensure that the event space in the back offers top-notch acoustics for all types of performances. The performance area seats 75 guests and is fitted out in cool vintage furnishings found at a nearby shop.
Salzman enlisted good friend, Luke Forbes, to create the drinks menu which he divided into 2 categories: Classic Cocktails—his interpretations on classics like the Sazerac and Daiquiri; and Salzy Specials which include more experimental concoctions like the Mic Drop (Fernet, Campari, lime, ginger beer, orange peel) and Ballzy Salzy (which will change seasonally–the winter edition contains Old Forrester bourbon, Montenegro Amaro, Cherry Heering liqueur).
Born and raised in Prospect Heights, Forbes has worked as a barman for almost 10 years and helped launch The Garret in the West Village along with several other bars. Forbes describes the Salzy bar experience as “refined yet laid-back.”
A fan of bitters, amaros, digestifs, apéritifs, and tequila, he expertly mixes serious, well-balanced cocktails. He is also working closely with Matt Staube on perfecting Salzy’s small menu of “elevated bar food” made with locally sourced ingredients. Snacks include homemade chips, tater tots, and cheese plates, while small meal options get more adventurous with ostrich meatballs and bison sausage.
While Salzman joked that Salzy provides her with “unlimited stage time for the rest of [her] life,” she said she’d like the venue to serve as a “haven for artists,” offering them the chance to perform on a “professional level stage” and a high quality sound system.
She added there are lots of “awesome bars in the neighborhood…with their own personalities,” but she “can’t think of one place in the vicinity” that offers the type of performance space that Salzy does. With a roster of talent already lined up, she said there will always be something great happening there, and she hopes it will become a destination spot, not just for the neighborhood, but all of Brooklyn.
The Opening Rundown: Salzy Cocktails and Entertainment
Where: 506 5th Avenue (between 12th and 13th Streets)
Phone: 718-788-1635
Hours: Mondays-Fridays, 5pm-2am; Saturdays and Sundays, 12pm-2am