McInerney's Odeon Dinner Launches Wine Column

TL;DR

Jay McInerney launches his Air Mail column with a dinner at the Odeon celebrating his final Calloway novel.
Featured magnums of Meursault and six-liter Methuselahs of first-growth Bordeaux at the Tribeca brasserie.
Ties his 1980s New York haunts to the novel's opening chapter and his ongoing wine writing.

The story at a glance

Jay McInerney recounts a party at the Odeon, co-hosted by his wife and Air Mail, to mark publication of See You on the Other Side, the close of his Calloway tetralogy. The iconic Tribeca spot links his debut 1984 novel Bright Lights, Big City to this new work, whose first chapter unfolds there. It's reported now as the kickoff to his regular Air Mail column on drinking and partying.[[1]](https://airmail.news/issues/2026-4-18/bright-lights-big-vintage)

Key points

McInerney, a longtime Odeon regular since its 1980 opening as a hub for artists, models, and Saturday Night Live cast, brought his own wines including magnums of Meursault and aged six-liter Bordeaux bottles (Methuselahs).[[1]](https://airmail.news/issues/2026-4-18/bright-lights-big-vintage)
The restaurant features in his early 80s bar scenes, his breakthrough novel's cover and pages, and repeatedly in the Calloway books centered on Manhattan elite.
See You on the Other Side (published April 14, 2026) wraps the tetralogy—Brightness Falls (1992), The Good Life, Bright, Precious Days (2016), now this Covid-era finale—as Russell and Corrinne Calloway face late-life reckonings.[[2]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/books/review/see-you-on-the-other-side-jay-mcinerney.html)
Column titled "The Last Vice" will cover wine, spirits, and nightlife; this debut evokes McInerney's oenophile habits over simpler drinks like vodka.[[1]](https://airmail.news/issues/2026-4-18/bright-lights-big-vintage)

Details and context

The Odeon pioneered downtown Manhattan's 1980s scene, drawing gallery crowds to TriBeCa before clubs like the Mudd Club nearby. McInerney watched from its bar, much like his characters, blending personal history with literary lore.[[1]](https://airmail.news/issues/2026-4-18/bright-lights-big-vintage)

Guests at the recent dinner included Emily Ratajkowski, Eric Ripert, Cynthia Rowley, and publisher Morgan Entrekin; Air Mail editor Julia Vitale organized it alongside the column launch.[[3]](https://airmail.news/sh/x8hReZ)

The tetralogy spans decades of New York crises—from 1980s excess to 9/11, recession, and pandemic—through the Calloways' marriage.

Key quotes

“Friends of mine just go with vodka or tequila. But I’m an oenophile, and I often bring my own wine.” — Jay McInerney[[1]](https://airmail.news/issues/2026-4-18/bright-lights-big-vintage)

Why it matters

McInerney's work chronicles New York's evolving social fabric, from 80s hedonism to today's tempered indulgences, through enduring spots like the Odeon. Readers and wine lovers gain a new column blending memoir, criticism, and scene reports from a sharp observer. Watch for future "The Last Vice" installments on partying amid cultural shifts.