Inspired by Justin Timberlake, tourists are flocking to Sag Harbor for “Justinis” and partying with cop who arrested JT
They’re looking for a sip of infamy.
In the wake of Justin Timberlake being arrested for a DWI after supposedly have just “one martini” at the American Hotel last month, tourists and party people are flocking to the Sag Harbor establishment to sip the same cocktail that the disgraced “Sexy Back” singer enjoyed.
“We absolutely went to the American Hotel on purpose,” said Daniel Evans, a 45-year-old who works in real estate and visited the Hamptons from North Carolina at the end of June.
“The bartender knew right away that we wanted a martini,” added his wife, Jessica Evans, a 38-year-old who also works in real estate. She ordered a “JT Special.” Other imbibers they encountered, she said, called it simply “The Justin.” All were very amused.
“We were laughing a lot,” said Jessica, who grew up on the North Fork.
The stop at the American Hotel was just one of a few “Timberlake Tourism” moments the couple had on their recent trip.
The night before at Claudio’s in Greenport, the pair found themselves dancing and drinking alongside Michael Arkinson, the cop who made the DUI arrest.
“He was there partying,” said Jessica. “It was awesome. I guess we only hang out where famous people drink.”
The American Hotel did not respond to a request for comment for this story, and its bartenders are mum when asked explicitly about the Timberlake martini trend.
A 30-something New Yorker who works in tech and asked to remain anonymous said she was met with stone-faced compliance when she looked a bartender squarely in the eye and declared “I want to bring sexy back.”
But the masses haven’t been deterred by a lack of humor behind the bar.
Bob D’andria, 62, a longtime local who goes to the restaurant every Wednesday for unlimited lobster night, said he keeps seeing people coming in for martinis and taking pictures in front of the hotel’s famous brick exterior. He and his wife have dubbed them “Justinis.”
“There is just a lot of hype around Sag Harbor and the incident,” he said. “I think it’s really good for the town — as long as we can still get our table here.”
It helps that the martini was already having a moment. Its icy booziness was key in helping New Yorkers get back to going out post pandemic, the cocktail’s relatively high alcohol content ideal for lubricating potentially awkward social moments after months of isolation. The espresso martini has given many Gothamites a welcome jolt, and more recently, creative, sometimes strange riffs — martinis tasting of caprese salad or garlic bread ��� have been surprisingly popular.
Meanwhile, the American Hotel, which dates back to 1846, has seen it all over the years.
While Jessica Evans had never visited before, despite growing up nearby, she said her dad recently revealed a wild night he’d once experienced there.
“He went to the American Hotel 30 years ago and got really drunk and had his keys taken away and fell asleep,” she said. “When he woke up, he was at Jimmy Buffett’s house. When I heard that story, I was like, ‘We have to go check out this place.”
After getting a drink at the hotel, some Timberlake fans are stopping next door at the Romany Kramoris Gallery. There, as first reported by Page Six, they’re selling a $520 Warhol-esque print called “Tuesday Night Out” that’s heavily inspired by the singer’s mugshot.
“We’re taking orders at the moment,” said a gallery worker, noting they’ve so far sold about a dozen of the pieces, by artist duo Godfrey & Lohman. “We’re having trouble keeping up.”
The Southhampton store Aloof Icon is also hawking the mugshot art, and a spokesperson said they are fielding questions “all day” about it.
“People are definitely stopping and inquiring about and taking photos with it,” the spokesperson said.
But, as with many Hamptons pursuits, dressing the part for Timberlake Tourism is key.
Justin Cernitz, 43, a lawyer with a house in Southampton, stopped into the American Hotel this week to check out “the scene of the crime,” as he and his friend are calling it.
But, he hit a roadblock. “I came in without a collared shirt, and they wouldn’t let me in,” he recalled. “I said, ‘Mr. Timberlake came without a collared shirt,’ and they said, ‘Well we are trying to enforce the rules now.’”
