INTERVIEW: After a Brief Closure, the beloved Whiskey Pickle Sees New Life in Troy
All photos by Kiki Vassilakis from the venue’s 11/7 relaunch celebration
“It’s been called a dive bar, it’s been called an upscale bar… you can spend three dollars, you can spend 300 dollars. Nobody really knows what this place is – including ourselves.”
A closure announcement. A cryptic social media post. A relaunch party. It’s been a wild few weeks for Whiskey Pickle.
The Troy bar that quickly became a neighborhood staple surprised everyone, first, with an Instagram post that came from then-owners, James and Erin Kehoe, at the end of September stating they would be closing the establishment for good. Soon after, on Halloween, they hinted in another story and accompanying grid post that, “nothing stays dead forever…”
The relaunch party kicked off last Thursday, November 7 and everyone was shoulder-to-shoulder as if the announcement to close had never happened. In fact, standing there amongst friends, it felt more like something we might’ve all just dreamt up – like a dog you love pretending to play dead and popping right back up to lick your face.
It can be hard to pin down exactly what Whiskey Pickle is and has been to its patrons, but co-founder and now-former owner James sums it up well:
“It’s been called a dive bar, it’s been called an upscale bar… you can spend three dollars, you can spend 300 dollars. Nobody really knows what this place is – including ourselves; we didn’t know what it was gonna be. We just knew we wanted to open a bar because we like people, we like booze, and we like entertainment.”
Inspired by a gay karaoke bar they visited on a trip to Hawaii several years ago, the Kehoes originally thought they’d bring a little bit of that same fun back to upstate New York. After saving up for a few years and finding the building where Whiskey Pickle will continue to operate out of, they turned their attention towards specialty cocktails, wine, cheap beer, local art, parties, and music: it’s high-brow, it’s low-brow, it’s everything-in-between-brow.
If you love Whiskey Pickle for these reasons, then you’ll have nothing to fear and everything to look forward to in terms of its future. Operations have since turned over to the capable hands of Jamel Mosely and Alex Straus. Mosely’s experience in business includes his work as a founding Board Member of the Albany Barn as well as Upstate’s Cold Brew Company, and his work as co-owner of the creative consulting agency Collectiveffort. Straus brings his knowledge of bar management to the table as the owner of The Night Owl bar in Saratoga Springs and a long history of working in the hospitality industry. Prior to Whiskey Pickle’s closure, Mosely and Straus had briefly discussed working together if the right project were to come along. As luck would have it, Whiskey Pickle is now that project.
With regards to the brand and feel of Whiskey Pickle, Mosely assures, “We really want to keep the DNA of the Whiskey Pickle and then add some new energy to it. I’m really happy to have Alex here to help us with the operations.”
Straus adds, “When they made the announcement they were going to close, I reached out and I offered anything I could do to help to figure out the way forward… because I think there’s a way forward.”
This particular change in ownership feels like a positive example of how people in the area are willing to come together and collaborate to preserve certain meaningful spaces. The opportunity to build and expand on an existing place and transform it into something even better will ultimately benefit more than just a contingent of people looking to drink and party. Artists of all backgrounds showcase their work at “The Pickle” (as it’s often referred), host workshops, spin records, play live music, or simply visit as another spot to be creative without pretense.
“It makes the clientele really fun, too,” Erin says. “It’s funny to look down the bar and see so many different types of people sitting around the same place. That’s always been cool.”
James echoes that sentiment: “That’s what has essentially made the space. I mean, we provided the place and then the people took over… this place has just been people putting their mark on it.”
The official grand re-opening party for Whiskey Pickle takes place Saturday, November 16 with DJ Intell Hayesfield (aka Jamel Mosely) followed by Disco Sunday taking place Sunday, November 17 with DJ Trumastr. You can find all this and more at 409 Fulton St. in Troy, New York.
