The one with Death & Co.

Tonight, I was taken to a bar with one of the most consistently authentic & intensive atmospheres which I've ever seen. Death & Co. in the East Village is a destination to be experienced!

Death & Co. does not take reservations. When they open at 6pm, a sharply dressed doorman will walk out & take parties on a 1st come 1st served basis. If they do not have accommodation for you, he will take your name & mobile number, & call you once a table is open. Once you enter the assuming & dark door you're transported into another era. This is an atmosphere which is controlled & intense. There are no windows within, deep mahogany ceilings reflect from the mirrors behind the bar. The entire place is steeped in shadows as lighting is low with only one small oil candle on each table & 3 small chandeliers over secluded table spaces. The seating is likewise low & all gives to an air of seclusion & mystery. The Bartenders wear 3 piece suits or suspenders over a sharp button-down & tie while the waitresses all wear black dresses, black stockings, their hair pulled back with daring red lipstick donned.    

Jazz & folk music play with the sounds of Ratata & Goyte softly lingering in the air to the same decibel of the shakers which the Bartenders wield. Looking around I found myself forgetting exactly when or where I was, I contemplated several times whether I had been transported to a 1920's speakeasy rather than a NYC bar.

We had several drinks, but one was by far my favorite: The Joker's Wild. It was like no drink I had ever had! It's pictured above & is a combination of a dry anise-flavored liqueur (Pacharan) as well as vanilla syrup, lemon juice, & absinthe, topped with an egg-white & seltzer froth. I was skeptical, but it is addictive-ly good -- as is how simply being in Death & Co.! 

I was likewise amused by the quotes used within their menu, such as my favorite below. If there's one thing which Death & Co. is good at doing besides their drinks, it's providing a flawless experience. I can't wait to go back! 

The one with Adult Fun

There's a special type of joy which comes with re-vamping childhood fun to meet Adult-fun guidelines. I was out with some co-workers last night & had the opportunity to play bar-tender for a bit. I would have suspected that my over-ambitious mind would have created some terribly complex & equally unsatisfying concoction; however, that was not in the cards yesterday. Instead, I created my new go-to-FAVORITE drink!

I'm calling it a lemon-lime squeeze, & it's so simple & delicious. The moment I tasted it, it brought me back to middle school when we would get out of sports & walk down to the corner store to grab a Slush Puppie. You remember them, they came in the machine where you pumped whatever flavor you wanted into a cup before puling a lever which dispensed white sweet-frozen-liquid which turned whatever color the flavor you chose was. The machine looked a little like this -- circa 1999:

This drink tasted EXACTLY like the Lemon-Lime slush puppy. Dangerously easy to drink, & sincerely delicious! I took 2 lemon wedges & two lime wedges, squeezed them into a pint glass with ice, filled it 1/3 way with vodka (I have a heavy hand...) & topped it with tonic. By the end of the night I had several other people hooked, I highly recommend you try! & If you happen to remember Slush Puppies, even more fun!! :) Cheers!