Bar of the Year announced in Dublin

A Dublin bar that was founded to celebrate Irish poitín has been named the Bar of the Year in a ceremony held in the Clayton Hotel on Burlington Road earlier this week.

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The Bar of the Year Award 2022 has gone to Bar 1661, a cosy bar tucked away off Dublin 7’s Capel Street that has become renowned for its boundary pushing cocktails since it opened in April 2019.

Set up by Dave Mulligan to give a home to Ireland’s national spirit, poitín, the bar was named for the year the spirit was banned in Ireland. Independently owned – not common for bars in Ireland – Bar 1661 is also responsible for the Craft Cocktail pre-made cocktail range that shoppers can find in many off-licenses and shops.

The bar also nabbed the gold Innovative Bar of the Year award as well as the bronze Cocktail Bar of the Year award!

Now in its 17th year, the Bar of the Year Awards highlight exceptional bars, staff, innovation in the trade and high quality service. It aims to raise the profile of the licensed trade and point customers to lesser known spots.

After two years on hold due to Covid, the awards are back with a bang!

Speaking about the win, Mulligan said: “This is a huge reward for our team, who have worked tirelessly for over two years to bring Bar 1661 to unrivalled standards. A shared love of cocktail bars and Irish spirits drives us to be the best we can be and shining a spotlight on poitín makes it all worthwhile. Winning Bar of the Year is an amazing result for independent cocktail culture.”

The team is now gearing up for a new and innovative menu, launching the 32-strong menu at the end of September with a range of cocktails that honour important dates in Irish drink history. These include the Gibney, which honours 1785, the year the tax on malted barley was introduced, which led to the single-malt style of liquor being invented.

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