Dive Bar Jukebox with Natasha David
"She's got herself a universe."
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Welcome back to Dive Bar Jukebox, where every Friday bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a host of dynamic people answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? Their answers reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a hand-picked, annotated 10-song playlist for your weekend listening pleasure. And stick around after the last song for a recipe for an aromatic seasonal cocktail, with notes of cinnamon and raisin, that will warm up any brisk autumn evening.
Today’s special guest is…
Natasha David
Natasha David is an award-winning bartender who has worked at some of New York City’s most beloved bars, including Maison Premiere, Donna, Mayahuel, and Prime Meats. In 2014 she and David Kaplan and Alex Day, the founders of Death & Co., opened Nitecap, a basement-level bar on the Lower East Side that was a popular hangout for the late-night industry crowd until it closed in fall 2020, one of so many special bars permanently lost due to COVID-related shutdowns.
Nitecap was an inclusive and joyful space with great music, a disco ball, and custom menus complete with crosswords and puzzles. On that menu you’d find the phrase, “Because let’s face it, bubbles make everything feel better,” and that was a philosophy for David, who never met a spritz she didn’t like (since they opened there were over 60 unique spritzes served at Nitecap).