Bill Murray Will Pour You a Drink This Weekend in Greenpoint
Comedy legend, movie star, and Mark Twain Award winner Bill Murray will belly up to the bar this weekend as a celebrity bartender at a new bar in Brooklyn. 21 Greenpoint is co-owned by Murray’s son, Homer Murray, and there are some very fancy cocktails on the menu at the new trendy joint, the kind normally made with precision by someone calling themselves a mixologist and wearing a lab coat while using pipettes and beakers.
We’ll all assume that Murray will be pouring shots of tequila or pricey beers, since he doesn’t have a degree in hipster bartending- upscale drinks these days are all about precision, and the bar menu comes from a former alum of the city’s finest- Le Bernardin. It won’t be Murray’s first time ‘tending’ bar, although it might be the first time Bill shilled drinks with advance notice rather than just showing up. In 2010, he poured out tequila shots at a bar in Austin during SXSW and there are plenty of other stories of Murray pop-ins. He’s much more famous for showing up on the other side of bars and surprising fans, singing karaoke, and hanging out, so this is a unique opportunity to see Bill in a different environment.
Syd Silver and Homer Murray owned the address’ previous occupant, a restaurant called River Styx. The new space is rumored to be more upscale. The younger Murray told Eater Magazine they renovated the bar, updated the kitchen and made it prettier. They took the nachos and burgers off the menu, and replaced them with more upscale items. They’re also taking local and seasonal one step further, with “seconds”. Homer explained, “we try to use seconds like tomatoes or carrots that farmers can’t sell because they don’t look as good but they still taste great and are high quality. Then we make them look pretty.”
Murray is frequently seen being supportive of his sons, you’ll often find him behind the bench at Xavier basketball games where his son Luke is the assistant coach, and in 2015, he skipped the Emmys to attend his son Luke’s wedding, missing out on the chance to accept his award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Movie for his role in the miniseries Olive Kitteridge. Both Luke and Homer are Murray’s children with his first wife, Margaret Kelly. He also has four younger sons with his second wife.
Bill Murray will be at 21 Greenpoint on September 16 and 17, and his shift starts at 7pm.
