THE PLACE: One of the newer speakeasies in the city, Paradise Lost is a super fun new tiki bar that has become a little secret among local bartenders. A (mostly) unmarked door that requires a hostess to buzz you in, reveals a kitschy transportive hallway leading to a “tropical hellscape” that is as fun and committed to their theme as you can have at a cocktail bar in NYC.
THE MENU: A massive list of inventive (New Acolytes) and classic (The Ancients) cocktails, it’s a bit overwhelming. Each cocktail has a story attached and the menu is colorful reading material if you’re drinking solo. Like most tiki bars, expect plenty of rum, fruit, spice, and garnishes, although the menu does not limit itself to those flavors. If I hadn’t already eaten, I might have been tempted by some of their Polynesian-leaning bites.
THE DISH: I didn’t ring in the New Year with The Void’s Call Cooler, but sort of wish I did. This was one of the recommended cocktails when I told the waitress I like trying things a bit more unusual. I was hesitant when it read like a dark and stormy (since that is so typical), but the homemade champagne soda and the nutty sherries totally made this something interesting. With an expected base of rum (both Jamaican and Puerto Rican varieties), the sweetness was tamed with some bitter amaro and herbal galangal. It was a sweet, nutty, tart sipper that was cooling and packed a very mild punch. Price: $20
| PARADISE LOST |
| 100 Second Avenue (between East 5th and East 6th Street), East Village |
| paradiselost.nyc |
