In Gowanus, A New Place to Sip Whiskey

As bar shelves go, Halyards’ are sparse.

Beneath a big, beat-up mirror in the newly renovated bar on Sixth Street and Third Avenue sits a dozen or so alcohols, most of them niche whiskeys. Indeed, your average bar-goer might consider the collection meager. Halyards owner Edward Colley, 37, however, calls it “carefully selected.”

“I’ve never fancied myself coming to a place where everything’s just overly scripted, overdone,” Colley said from behind a sleek wooden bar top. “All the margaritas, appletinis and cosmopolitans—can’t it just be good solid beer and good solid whiskeys?”

A cream, brick building on an industrial corner, Halyards has marked its territory as a haven for Gowanus’ growing artsy contingent. It serves whiskeys like Highland Park and Ardbeg, beers like Sixpoint and Ommegang and wines from South Africa. In due time, the bar will also be stocked with porchetta and vegetarian sandwiches, pickles, nuts, cheese, stews and cured meats from local suppliers. Last Friday, Colley hosted 200 people at Halyards’ grand opening and will be serving coffee all week to introduce the bar to the neighborhood.

Good rapport with locals is important to Colley, a London-born carpenter who owns studios on Ninth Street and Second Avenue. Many of Colley’s musician and artist acquaintances live and work in the neighborhood and his idea to open a bar came from his desire for a neighborhood hangout. Colley wanted a place where he could unwind after a long day of woodwork before heading home to his wife and three children in Carroll Gardens.

“Its not like Wall Street where everybody finishes work at the same time, closing bells at four, and everybody goes for a pint and then goes home,” Colley said. “In the creative industry the hours are random. Outside of art school, it’s difficult for people to actually find a common ground and connect.”

When it comes to selection for Colley, the fewer the better. At Halyards, he hopes to simplify the act of ordering a drink, much like in saloons in the Wild West.

“You know those Westerns where a guy walks into the bar and all he orders is a whiskey?” Colley said. “He doesn’t really care what it is as long as it’s brown. And he drinks it and he gets on with whatever he’s doing.”

Despite Colley’s love of Clint Eastwood, Halyards’ decor carries a sophisticated, British sensibility. Colley signed the lease to the building—formerly Jake’s Deli—on Oct. 1. Within the span of three months he gutted and rebuilt the place, covering its walls with tweedish brown paper, navy blue molding and artwork from South Africa (where most of Colley’s relatives live). A typewriter sits on a long table near the window for passersby to leave their friends notes.

A lover of storytelling and the arts, Colley plans to bring local musicians to Halyards as often as possible and will also host a literary reading every Tuesday.

Oh, and in case you were wondering, the bar’s namesake was hatched from an entirely separate love of Colley’s.

“I am big into sailboats,” Colley said.