Thursday, July 10, 2025
After nearly four decades behind the bar, Ernie Liebow, a well-known bartender and beverage director at George Martin The Original, has announced his retirement.
Liebow, who helped open the iconic Rockville Centre restaurant in September 1989 with owner George Korten, has been a fixture behind the bar ever since. Known for his old-school charm, sharp wit and ability to connect with customers, Liebow’s presence defined the George Martin experience for generations of customers.
“I knew George previously, and when he began construction, he asked me if I wanted to come down and run the bar and help him build the restaurant,” Liebow said. “I had some friends in Rockville Centre, and it was a pretty good village, and it turned out to be a great move.”
Though Liebow is not originally from Rockville Centre — he grew up in North Merrick and currently lives in Massapequa — he stayed at the restaurant since its opening.
“It was pretty rewarding, he said. “To be able to stay in one restaurant that long, or one restaurant even to stay over that long, is amazing.”
Liebow’s reputation extended beyond the bar. In 2024, he was a finalist in Greater Long Island’s Bartender Battle, earning 76 percent of the Nassau bracket vote. Later that year, he was named Nassau’s Best Bartender.
To mark his retirement, the George Martin Group hosted a celebration in Liebow’s honor on June 8, which brought a large crowd of supporters and friends he’s made at the bar during his career.
Over the years, his customers became something more to him.
“I met my wife [Julie] through a friend that I met at George Martin,” he said. “If I had a regular job, I don’t know if that would have happened. How often can your future wife come to visit you at work?”
He also spoke fondly of “great friends” he’s made and plans to keep in touch with, saying, “To this day, I think I’ve gone to probably 30 weddings of customers’ children.”
Now, he’s ready to enjoy life on the other side of the bar at George Martin.
“I never like to go to a place where I was working, because I considered work, work,” he said. “Now I can go to George Martin because I always loved the place.”
In his retirement, Liebow plans to do some traveling, but he’ll keep going back to George Martin to enjoy the atmosphere and the people he’s met.
“Part of my soul is still in that place,” he said.
