We spoke to the proprietor Lee Ringelheim about what it takes to be in the whisky industry successfully for such a long period of time.
Lee, tell us a bit about yourself. What were you involved in before you opened the Soho Cigar Bar?
LR: I was working for a restaurant equipment company in New York. I would design the layout, spec out the equipment, and sell all the equipment and supplies.
What was your vision for the venue. Why did you choose Manhattan for this project? Is there something that drew you to that particular location?
LR: My vision for the bar was quite different in the beginning. When I was designing restaurants and selling all the equipment I would work from 5am til 7pm every day. Most of the jobs were during construction which started at 6am and the bidding and design took place after. I was 26 years old and had no life. Back then smoking was legal in all bars but it was the start of people casting out smokers. Cigar bars were excepted but cigarettes weren’t. So I opened the world’s first cigarette lounge. It was named Circa Tabac. In the same vein as a cigar bar I wanted to sell cigarettes from all over the world with cocktails and food. I thought I would get enough product placement money from the tobacco industry that I wouldn’t’ need to sell a drink. I chose the Soho area of the city because it was very European (big smokers) and young and artistic. The month I started construction the seven CEO’s of the big cigarette companies stood in front of congress and said they didn’t’ believe nicotine was addictive.
As a result they were banned from advertising and from doing any product placement. Too make a long story short (shorter) it failed miserably. You could smoke legally in any bar, and with no support from tobacco companies, I barely broke even. I wasn’t going to let it fail as it was my one shot. If I closed I would had to work for someone else the rest of my life. The next three years I would work everyday as a bartender, cook, busser and only took the bare minimum to pay my rent. Scary days. Then out of the blue Mayor Bloomberg proposed the ban on smoking indoors. There was no exemption in the first draft, but I’m pretty sure Ex Mayor Guiliani, an avid cigar smoker, help to get a cigar bar exemption and I happen to qualify. The day the law went into effect we didn’t have an empty seat during any minute that we were open. I got to hire staff and go on vacation. I was called an idiot by some newspapers when I first opened and now I was being described as a genius.
This lasted for many years and I had fun. Then in about 2012 I decided to grow up. .Cigarette smokers were were declining and my cigar sales were going up. I immersed myself intothe cigar world. I launched my own cigar line. I started to expand my whisky menu. This progressed and I knew it was time to rebrand and go all in. I signed a new lease, change the name of my bar, expanded my line of cigars call Soho Cigars. Completely remodeled the place and added in the best ventilation system I could. Its taken a few years to rebrand the new name. By focusing on the guiding principal to make whisky and cigars approachable I think we a have achieved it.
Do you consider your place more of a Cigar Bar with a great Whisky Collection, or a Whisky Bar with a great Cigar Collection?
LR: Honestly I wouldn’t want to box myself in as one or the other. Everyone would have predetermined thoughts associated with each. I’m a 1920’s art deco bar that specializes In whisky. Cigars, classic cocktails, and an eclectic array of international appetizers.
Tell us about your current role and day activities?
LR: These days I like to stay behind the scenes. More of the general manager/owner responsibilities.
How do you stay current with all the latest craft whiskies and independent bottlers?
LR: It is the hardest trend to keep up with. There are so many new small batch distilleries opening up. A lot is hard to sample and is not readily available so I rely on a few publications and word of mouth to bring in as many and do tasting.
How many different types of whisky do you have available at your venue?
LR: There’s approximately 100 on the menu with another 10-20 that go into rotation every month,
Is the Soho Cigar Bar known for anything else besides great Whiskey selection?
LR: Our most popular things are our extensive flight menu and pairing menu. And for bachelor parties. We do so many each week and always give away and surprise the bachelor with things. It’s a great place to have the non vegas kind, but still fun.
What is it about whisky and cigars, that make them go so well together?
LR: They complement each other in a way that allows for infinite unique experiences. They each have such complex and different characteristics in their flavor profiles that you have endless ways to pair them. And everyone has their own preference and NOBODY is wrong.
What are you most excited about in the whisky scene?
LR: Being a part of it.
What kind of whisky crowd does the Soho Cigar Bar attract? The connoisseur, the whisky noob, maybe the whisky appreciator?
LR: We run the gambit. Every socio economic, culturally diverse, and from international to local regulars.
I’ve seen some really distinct whiskies at your venue, but the one that really stood out was the Ladyburn 41. I bet there’s an interesting story behind it. Can you tell us briefly about it?
LR: It is one of the rarest whiskys available in NYC. Its from the Girvan distillery which was only open from 1966-1971. It’s a 41 year old lowland sing malt aged in first fill bourbon barrels. It is owned by the makers of Balvenie and Glenfiddich who bought the scotch because they knew what a treasure it is
For someone who has never had a cigar with a great dram, what would you say is the key to making a good pairing?
LR: Take a look at the pairing menu on my website sohocigarbar.com. They are all so unique and different there isn’t one answer.
What has been your proudest moment so far, owning the Soho Cigar Bar?
LR: That I am still here 18 years from the beginning.
Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
LR: I hope if you visit that we provide you with a great experience and that you have a really good time.
