Bar CC wants to get the party started — and keep it going.

The new cocktail lounge, located in West Chelsea, is an extension of restaurant and membership-based Crane Club. For Bar CC, co-owners Jeff Katz and chef Melissa Rodriguez, who teamed up with Tao Group Hospitality to open Crane Club in 2024, brought Harrison Ginsberg onboard as a partner to oversee the beverage program. Ginsberg previously worked at downtown restaurants Crown Shy, Saga and Overstory, all cofounded by Katz at 70 Pine Street.

“ We originally were going to do a much more cut-and-dry extension of the Crane restaurant spaces,” says Katz of their approach to Bar CC, which takes over the space previously occupied by the team’s pizzeria Mel’s, which closed in early 2025. “What we’ve decided makes much more sense and is something that can support the Crane Club experience in a different way,” he adds. “ Crane was: we’re gonna crush this amazing food, service, quality, and we’re going to do it in a high-energy space alongside the Tao team. Can we apply the same logic to the cocktail space?”

After serving as the founding beverage director at Overstory, which ranks on “The World’s 50 Best Bars” list, Ginsberg has come onboard to lead the bar menu at Bar CC. His approach to cocktails veers “lighter and brighter,” with a focus on unique flavors and ingredients presented in familiar, approachable formats.

“The cocktail landscape has gotten savory and very experimental, and while I use all those things, I also love strawberries, and I also love simple flavors,” he says. “ So for me it’s all about the balance of anchoring these unique things with something that’s recognizable — and everything just needs to be super delicious.”

Cocktail options include Fruit or Vegetable?, a Paloma-style drink with tequila, mezcal and raicilla, garnished with a cherry tomato that’s been infused with a passionfruit cordial. Another signature drink is the CC Martini, vodka-based with black peppercorn and olive brine, and primed to pair well with the chips-and-caviar snack from Rodriguez’s menu.

“ There’s a throughline between the way Harrison makes drinks and the way Mel makes food. They both — first and foremost — focus on it being delicious,” says Katz. “If it can be pretty also, that’s nice. But let’s make sure it’s delicious before we worry about everything else.”

Rodriguez’s menu for Bar CC is composed of six snacks, an intentional choice to keep the focus firmly on the cocktails and wine list. Other food options include a mini hamburger, watermelon bite, and wood-roasted trumpet mushroom.

“ We’re a bar first,” says Katz of their succinct approach to the food menu. “We didn’t want to displace the restaurant — it’s right next door,” he adds, nodding to Crane Club’s proximity. “If you need a steak and a fork and a knife, we’ve got you. Otherwise, we’re here for drinks and for cocktails.”

The interiors at Bar CC, like at Crane Club, were designed by Laseu Studio in partnership with Tao Group Hospitality. “The room looks and feels as if the restaurant and the members club had a baby, but it was really little,” says Katz. “It’s an intimate spot.”

Bar CC is comprised of three rooms — a 25-seat bar in the front, and two private event spaces — grounded in an Art Deco and midcentury design aesthetic. Vibrant woodwork, brass detailing and textured velvet upholstery are illuminated by warm and festive lighting, with hand-blown Venetian sconces and a cluster of chandeliers adorned with mini disco ball tiling.    “The space is built as a beautiful little cocktail bar space in the front, and a crazy-awesome party room in the back,” says Katz. For guests who find themselves heading to the back room for a private event — like Crane Club, Bar CC is sure to become a popular party spot — an even larger disco ball awaits.

And, of course, cocktails.