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A Cocktail Bar That Honors Women

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - To commemorate Women's History Month, CBS2's Elle McLogan paid a visit to Bar Moga, a Greenwich Village cocktail bar that celebrates women.

"'Moga' means 'modern girl' in Japanese," explained beverage director Karen Lin.

"It was a term that was coined for women during the 1920s post-war era. A lot of people were open to the idea of female empowerment, introducing women into the workforce, in a very male-dominated Japan at the time," she said.

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Bar Moga aims to capture the spirit of post-war Japan in both its décor and menu.

"We decided to take a cuisine called Yoshoku, which is a Japanese westernized cuisine. Nowadays, it's a comfort food in Japan," Lin said.

Bar Moga embraces Japanese culture while celebrating women. Its menu highlights female winemakers and includes cocktails named for strong female characters. Proceeds for the Moga — a signature cocktail that combines Japanese whisky, rhum, aged plum liqueur, and bitters — are donated to the ACLU and breast cancer research.

"Women are definitely in honor here," said bar manager Willy Tabsoba. "Women, and also, men. We do get a lot of men here because wherever we have women, men will follow."

"We feel that female empowerment, gender equality, that's something that's still relevant today," Lin said. "Although this was something that took place in the 1920s, that vibe, that philosophy, that mindset is still important today."

What's something few people know about but everybody should? Whatever it is, Elle McLogan is tracking it down on The Dig. Join her hunt for treasures hidden across our area. Follow Elle on Twitter and Instagram.

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