Bar Contra

Bar Contra is the cocktail-driven evolution of Contra, the acclaimed Michelin-starred tasting-menu restaurant that chefs Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske-Valtierra ran at 138 Orchard Street for nearly a decade. For the bar, Stone and von Hauske teamed with mixologist Dave Arnold (of the bygone Booker & Dax and Existing Conditions), bringing high-precision technique to a more relaxed snacks-and-drinks format where bartenders chill glasses with liquid nitrogen and clarify drinks via centrifuge. The list is organized into shaken, stirred, carbonated and on-the-rocks cocktails, most priced at $21, and notably includes a few low-ABV and no-ABV (non-alcoholic) options built with the same from-scratch care. In January 2026, Bar Contra was named a winner of the inaugural NYC's Best Bars for NA Awards 2025 (presented by Bright Nights Social and Boisson), with Time Out reporting it "surprised judges with a deeply experimental NA menu built around seasonal produce, house ferments, clarified juices, toasted spices and the occasional curveball ingredient." Spirited signatures include the tequila-based Saltair (served with a Modelito sidecar), plus the Passion Fruit Lowball, Piscola, Firefly Mule and Candarin Orange. The food menu pairs high-end small plates with the drinks in a stylish, minimalist room.