Pebble Bar inside 30 Rockefeller Plaza just might be New York City’s biggest secret hidden in plain sight. Frequented by the city’s most famous faces (yet passed by daily by thousands of tourists), the three-story cocktail bar serves up countless cocktails nightly by a trio of bartenders, led by partner and beverage director Tim Sweeney and head bartender Dante Colicchio.

Their approach to cocktails is much like Rockefeller Center itself—one part classic, another part constantly reinventing itself, thanks to their simple philosophy of not just mixing drinks, but truly building them.

“All of our cocktails are designed so each one feels distinct,” Sweeney tells The Center Magazine. “But really, what Dante and I love is combining spirits. Those combinations become their own ingredient—a new flavor profile every time. We love infusions, clarifications, and building layers that feel unique to Pebble.”

Their approach has sparked the intrigue of some of the most influential New Yorkers since Pebble Bar opened in 2022. The Saturday Night Live cast and crew duck in so much that it’s been nicknamed Studio 1H, an ode to their actual stage of the last five decades, Studio 8H.

Despite only being three years old, the bar follows in the star-studded footsteps of its past, having operated as Hurley’s for more than a century from 1892 to 2000. Tucked inside a 1830s townhouse that pre-dates Rockefeller Center itself, the local watering hole was the go-to spot for notable names across every industry, from Howard Hughes and Henry Kissinger to Jack Paar and David Letterman. Johnny Carson even had his own back entrance into the building through the bar, and Jack Kerouac wrote about it in a posthumously published novel Visions of Cody, in which he said the bar “forms the pebble at the hem of the shoe” of what was then the RCA Building. It’s his writing that inspired the bar’s name.

Sweeney and Colicchio now have plenty of stories of their own, as they serve cocktails for the likes of Conan O’Brien and Lorne Michaels, providing them reprieve from the fast-paced world of late-night comedy.

While the summer months brought more visibility to the bar with the outdoor pop-up Pebble Bar at The Rink, they’re refocusing on the operations inside their OG townhouse tucked on 49th Street, just off of Sixth Avenue.

We chatted with the bartending duo about their most inventive drinks, surreal moments behind the bar, and what they love most about being in the heart of the city at Rockefeller Center.

Q: What drink do you consider Pebble Bar’s staple?

Colicchio: The Green River, which is made of gin and Chareau aloe liqueur—a cooling liqueur with aloe and melon and other cucumbery notes to it—plus cucumber and lime juice, demerara syrup, and mint. It’s very fresh and bright. There’s also Carlitos Way, a clarified milk punch with tequila, banana, guava, and a floral tea blend with hibiscus, cardamom, and rose. It’s labor-intensive, but a nice tropical sipper that surprises guests with its depth. Those two will stick around.

Sweeney: Classics like the Old Fashioned and Negroni will always stay, but those two originals have become Pebble signatures.

Q: What has been the most unexpected hit cocktail?

Q: You’ve also come up with some fun drinks themed around Rockefeller Center—what’s the story behind some of those?

Sweeney: For the SNL 50th, we created a Chris Farley cocktail, Van Down by the River—a Wisconsin Old Fashioned, named after his famous character. As a Wisconsinite, I went to the same high school as Chris Farley and have met his brothers, so it meant a lot. I heard Lorne Michaels even gave it the thumbs up, so that was cool for me.

Colicchio: One of mine is the Jake and Elwood, a Blues Brothers nod that we had on the menu at Pebble Bar at The Rink. It tastes like an orange creamsicle. It’s inspired by John Candy’s “Orange whip, orange whip, orange whip” line. Another was the Rockettes Red Claire—that came about by accident after I made a syrup with Angostura bitters. It turned into a winter daiquiri. Sometimes inspiration comes from late-night tinkering.

Q: You have quite a “spice rack” behind the bar—what bitters or flavoring could you not live without?

Sweeney: I think anybody's getting way too creative if they don't say Angostura. It's the most plain Jane answer, but they're 201 years old and in more cocktails than any other. You can’t beat it.

Colicchio: Salt. It functions like salt in cookies, it rounds everything out. A touch of salinity can make flavors pop the same way bitters do.

Q: What’s your favorite drink after a big win?

Sweeney: Win or lose, it’s the same: the Husker Dü. It’s a cocktail we’ve been making for almost a decade—Tullamore D.E.W., cold brew, Licor 43, and demerara. It’s where Irish coffee meets espresso martini, and makes a great shot. But if we’re out somewhere that doesn’t have access to these things, it’s usually Guinness and a shot of Irish whiskey.

Colicchio: Or just Jameson. You can count on it being behind any bar in the world.

The Pebble Bar is located at 67 West 49th Street, with a subtle entrance between Magnolia Bakery and Studio Optix on 49th Street, just east of Sixth Avenue, and opens Mondays through Saturdays from 4 p.m. to midnight. (Closed Sundays.)