A Muddled Thought

You’ve gotten to almost every “amazing” cocktail den in New York City in the past year and a half, but alas one has continued to escape your grasp…until now. For years I heard rumors about this place existing, similar to how explorers would hear rumors of Shangri-La or El Dorado. Like them, I’ve tried searching for this place to no avail. I’ve tried several times to ask around for an invite, or any information beyond the snippets I was able to find online.
Yes kids, I’m talking about the original NYC cocktail lounge: the up-until-recently impossible-to-get-into Milk & Honey. This hidden sanctuary for all cocktail nerds, geeks and followers alike, had been harder to get into than heaven itself, which is what it is in a cocktail lover’s eyes. Sasha Petraske had devised Milk & Honey back in January 2000 as a literal speakeasy in the heart of Manhattan’s lower east side. Instead of a password, Petraske used a slightly more modern interpretation: a constantly-changing phone number. Only those who knew the phone number, or knew someone who knew someone who knew the phone number, could get reservations for the intimate space. Due to M & H’s overwhelming popularity, Petraske converted the spot to a “private club” with membership fees ($500 per year or $2500 per five years) last October. The fee included access to both the original New York location and the more recent London Milk & Honey as well several other properties owned by the company behind the venues. Benefits included easy access to Milk & Honey, and priority reservations any day of the week.
But miracles do happen, and Petraske released the “secret” Milk & Honey number to the public about a month ago, i.e. it was no longer secret. I was able to get a reservation for April 26th. After confirming my 8:00 pm reservation via email the day before (a prerequisite), I arrived with a friend, several minutes early and was asked to wait outside. Upon entering, along with a group of three that also had a reservation, we were seated in a booth near the bar.

This bill scribbled on a business card somehow suits the atmosphere that is Milk & Honey, a dark brooding place that conjures up visions of gangsters in hiding while plotting their next heist, circa the 30s.

The place is a lot to take in and at the same time not much at all. It’s simple in its execution, yet perfect. Walking in you begin to understand why the reservation system is the way it is. With room to seat only about 30 people, scattered among about six or seven booths and a few bar stools, it all makes sense in what Sasha was and is trying to accomplish. It makes you appreciate the entire experience from lucking out with a reservation to sipping that perfect custom cocktail.

That brings me to the experience of ordering a cocktail at Milk & Honey (an experience unique unto itself):

When the waitress came by for cocktail inquiries, she began discussing drink options and thoughts with us rather than bring us any form of menu (there are none). The friend I was with wanted something gin-based and sweet with fresh fruit. The waitress suggested a raspberry lime rickey, a fairly classic cocktail that was presented to us in a highball glass with a metal straw and a hand-cut ice cube engulfing the glass. My first drink choice was a Right Hand, which is based around Bittermens Xocolatl Bitters, rum, Campari and Carpano Antica
A few minutes after our drinks arrived, another couple came in. However they weren’t buzzed in like we were, rather they had been granted a key to this Mecca of cocktail dens. After entering the key used was passed back to the hostess, who promptly seated the couple. I’m assuming the key will be filtered back out to another member, which is all I can guess that this person was.
After noticing our drinks waning, the waitress returned and again started discussing options with us. My friend decided to order another fruit-based cocktail, and went with a blueberry fizz featuring fresh muddled blueberries, limejuice, sugar, and champagne. I discussed what they could do based around bitters (I’m a bitter fan), and the waitress referred me to Jerry, the man behind the bar for the night. He mentioned that they had a small amount of Jerry Thomas Bitters, a rare find in the US, which due to the inclusion of snakeroot is banned by the FDA (something about a minor carcinogen known to cause kidney damage).
Jerry fashioned a take on a South Side using Bols Genever, Jerry Thomas Bitters, mint and some limejuice served in highball glass, again with that signature metal straw. By utilizing Bols Genever, a malt wine-based grain spirit and those Jerry Thomas Bitters, the drink had a mild clove flavor with citrus undertones.

Milk & Honey is a place of rare ingredients, one-of-a-kind drinks, and unparalleled creative talent behind the bar, whether it be Petraske or one of his esteemed colleagues. It truly lives up to its oft-heard legends and lore…and more significantly, my own expectations.
Note- As Milk & Honey strictly prohibits internal photography, I’ll leave you with a picture of the outside door.