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Mr. Cannon Is a Trip Down Memory Lane

The bustling Seaport area plays a key role in New York City history; the establishment of the trading post with the Dutch West India Company made the area into a thriving commercial district. The current revitalization of the area led by the Howard Hughes Corporation will bring forth even more hustle and bustle, with the newly-rebranded Seaport District NYC launching next summer. The highly-anticipated project will be home to vast retail space, open areas for Brooklyn Bridge gazing, bars, restaurants and a 40,000-square-foot seafood market executed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. 

All this excitement has led to the openings of new bars and restaurants, like Mr. Cannon, a speakeasy located in the Cannon’s Walk alleyway off Front Street. The Mr. Cannon in question is John Cannon, a Staten Island native who built the local wharf in 1721. Marked by a single photo of a dapper rat dressed in a suit, the windowless bar run by owner Chris Kearns looks and feels like the den of a historic New Amsterdam-era home.

The 19th century-inspired cocktails are what you come here for—the 1817 Martini, a shaken mix of grapefruit-infused Bombay gin, Dolin dry Vermouth and Luxardo Maraschino liqueur, evokes spirits of the original produced in the mid-1800s, before the introduction of olives and olive juice. Other drinks include the Redolence with Basil Haden Bourbon, Hornitos Reposado Tequila, cardamom bitters, cane syrup and lemon zest, and the Longshoreman, featuring rose and chaga-infused Belvedere vodka, St. George green chile vodka, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, lime and honey. A selection of beers and two wines are offered by the glass. 

We don’t have a long time to wait for the opening of Seaport District NYC. In the meantime, let us enjoy a sliver of history at Mr. Cannon. 

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