Back in 2000, Sasha Petraske opened up a very unusual bar. It was called Milk & Honey and in order to go there for drinks, you had to have a secret phone number, make a last minute reservation, then have the inside scoop to know exactly where the unmarked door is in the Lower East Side, and then wait to be buzzed in. Once inside, the bar felt very exclusive and focused on making drinks with the freshest ingredients. This was really the first of the neo-Speakeasy bars in New York.
Ten years later, there are more “secret” bars then you can count. And the secrets have been shared over and over so these places lose their exclusivity and glamour. There are a few of these bars on the list this year and I’ve been to many of them. More often than not, the reason to go there now is for the unique and fresh cocktails.
Little Branch is another of Petraske’s bars and it’s hidden in an unmarked spot on Seventh Avenue South. On most nights (including this very cold one), there is a line outside the door (the bar is rather small so they can only allow a certain capacity in at a time). If the listing in Time Out doesn’t give the secret away, then the long line certainly will.
We waited a bit in the freezing cold, but soon got ushered downstairs. There was another wait for a table so we decided to have our drinks at the bar. A nice jazz band played off to the side, further giving this place an old-world feel.
The Peach Brandy Julep was not listed on the menu, but the bartender told us he could make it. We also asked for his expertise to make us a special cocktail. This is one of their specialties – they’ll ask you what you like and come up with something just for you.
I must admit I liked the bartender’s special cocktail (a riff on an Old Fashioned) slightly better than the lauded Peach Brandy Julep. The shaved ice seemed to overpower the drink. I almost couldn’t find the liquor and when I did, I felt like it had all been consumed already or watered down. The mint was surprisingly a little off-tasting, but the cognac and peach liqueur added a stiff sweetness that I enjoyed. It was a mediocre drink and for $13 not as strong or interesting as I come to expect from these high class modern speakeasies. But, sh, don’t tell anybody!
Would Little Branch’s Peach Brandy Julep make my Top 100 of the year? A 6 out of 10indicates that the cocktail tasted good, but it was really nothing special and not worth the hefty price tag, but Little Branch is always a fun outing. Just ask the bartenders to make you something unique and special.
