New York bar run by two Irish men named ‘world’s best’

A New York bar founded and run by Belfast natives Jack McGarry and Sean Muldoon has been named the world's best pub, winning a drinks industry competition.

The Dead Rabbit Grocery and Grog, in Downtown Manhattan, won the award from 2,000 entries in the annual Spirited Awards.

McGarry and Muldoon opened the tavern in February 2012 and described it as a unique take on the traditional Irish pub.

The pair, both originally from Belfast, previously worked together in Belfast’s Merchant Hotel cocktail bar.

It was there they met Conor Allen, an Irishman working in New York's financial sector, who offered to support the two in setting up their own bar.

The Dead Rabbit, which features an extensive selection of Irish whiskeys and cocktails, takes its name from an Irish-American street gang run by the boxer John Morrissey in the 1850s.

Located in a 19th century redbrick building, the bar seeks to commemorate the history of the area in its name, vintage decor, and recreations of historic cocktails.

As well as taking the main award, the Dead Rabbit also won the ‘World’s Best Cocktail Menu’ award.

The Spirited Awards are held each year in New Orleans as part of Tales of the Cocktail, an event for global producers of spirits.

A judging panel of 50 industry experts decided the winners.

Additional reporting by the New York Times