25
JULY 2015
PERSPECTIVE
JournalistandNYaficionadoBooPatersonhaswrittenane-book,
TheGreatestSpeakeasies inNYC
, giving travellers the inside track
on themostatomosphericdrinkingdens in theBigApple. Someare
original relics from the JazzAgenow restored to their former glory,
whileothershavemeticulously recreated theProhibitionerawith
antique fittingsanda
BoardwalkEmpire
aesthetic. Crucially, there
arealsospecific instructionsonhow to find them.
booyorkcity.com
1
Apotheke
9DoyersStreet, betweenMott
Street/theBowery
A solid 30ft
whitemarble bar dominates a
roompopulatedwith exquisite
furnishings, reminiscent of a
19th-century Parisian absinthe
den. Vintage apothecary bottles
line theVictorian gantry, where
expert bartenders grindherbs
andmuddle fruitswith abandon.
2
Nitecap
120RivingtonStreet, atEssex
Street
This relatively newbeauty
is hiddendownstairs next to
Schapiro’s diner behind a black
curtain. Sink intoplum-coloured
booths lit by flickering candles,
and enjoy a killer cocktail.
3
TheBackRoom
102NorfolkStreet, atDelancey
Street
Behinddisused toy shop
The Lower East Side Toy
Company is a high-ceilinged
roomwith antique red-velvet
chaise longues, a roaring fire, and
booze served in tea cups from a
long bar. Anoriginal speakeasy
from the 1920s, there is rollicking
hot jazzmostMonday nights.
4
Death&Co.
433East6thStreet, between 1st
AvenueandAvenueA
Despite
the name (which refers to a
Prohibition-era artmovement)
this is a really fun joint in the
ultra-hipEast Village, where the
good-time atmosphere created
by the attentive, smiling staff is
anything but sombre. Heavenly
cocktails too, naturally.
5
RedRoom
85East4thStreet, between
2ndAvenue/theBowery
This
was gangster Lucky Luciano’s
PalmCasino in the days of
Prohibition. It’s a small, nicely
renovatedplacewith tufted
leather banquettes and a small
stage at one end, where you can
see burlesque on Fridays and
jazz bands on Saturdays.
DRINK
{NewYork }
FiveNYspeakeasies
Downdarkalleys, hiddenbehindboarded-up shopsand
anonymousdoors, lurkNewYork’sbest-keptdrinking
secrets: the raucous, cocktail-swigging speakeasies that
are still inoperation80yearsafter theendofProhibition.
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