Fifty years ago, the Holiday opened at 8 A.M., a former bartender recently told a proprietor, so that high-rise window washers could come in “to get a little courage.” In later years, it was a beloved dive—sticky, grimy, lit by Christmas lights, and known for its cheap booze (bartender’s choice) served in tiny cups. It closed in 2012. This March, it reopened after a three-year restoration by the building’s new owner, Robert Ehrlich, the creator of Pirate’s Booty; the neighborhood hero-mensch Barbara Sibley, owner of La Palapa, next door, who recently hosted a benefit to support victims of the Second Avenue explosion; and Michael and Danny Neff, the craft-cocktail innovators who revived the Rum House. The renovation unearthed both damage and treasures—there were “a million magical saving moments” in the decrepit space, Sibley said—including a harem-girl painting from Holiday’s years as the burlesque house Ali Baba. Last Tuesday, a local sat beneath a re-creation of that painting, drinking a peppercorn-infused mezcal drink called I Know You Are and bopping her head to Elvis Costello. Patrons drank house specialties garnished with orange peels, monkeys, and mermaids; old friends exchanged surprised hugs. Danny Neff said that former regulars are recognizable immediately: they look confused but happy. “The first thing we say is ‘Welcome back,’ ” he said. ♦
