Very cutty cocktails
When the Volstead Act or the 18th Amendment of 1919 prohibited the manufacture, consumption, sale, or transportation of alcohol in the United States, clandestine import or export routes such as that of Captain Bill McCoy , which introduced alcohol into the country, but only quality alcohol, good rums (Rum Row was the name of its route), Irish and Scottish whiskeys (such as Cutty Sark, which precisely began to be manufactured in Scotland in full Prohibition in 1923 ) . And, in addition, clandestine bars arose in the cities where all that alcohol was consumed and the craziest time of the 20th century was experienced. Few speakeasies or speakeasies remain from that time in New York.
But everyone on this list they keep their essence and try to stay hidden behind barber shops, coffee shops or hot dog shops …Although New York is probably the worst city to keep a secret. In fact, some of these speakeasies that are among the best cocktail bars in the city, already so little secret, that if you want a table, you'd better make a reservation, especially on weekends. But we assure you that what you will find behind the invisible door or the hidden stairs will be worth it.
Original (and secret) cocktails
** BATHTUB GIN **
_132 9th Avenue (Chelsea) _
The same thing has happened a thousand times in front of you and you have never realized it. The cover for this speakeasy is a super cute coffee shop in Chelsea, Stone Street Company, where you will surely see the waiter and two people standing, not drinking coffee, if you go in and ask them for the bar, they will open a door camouflaged in the wallpaper, invisible . Inside, you go back to the 1920s, when speakeasies mainly drank homemade gin, which is why this new speakeasy is specialized in gin cocktails , but also the drink you order from star mixologist John McCarthy and his bartenders. And in the middle of the bar, the bathtub of the name. A couple of days a week there is a burlesque show (yes, that's why the waitresses look like Dita Von Teese's best friends). In the service, with cologne, cream, they even dry your hands. Hidden luxury.
PLEASE DON'T TELL
_St. Mark's Place (East Village) _
A hidden classic already, because nobody has paid attention to its name. And neither do we. To find it, look for the giant sausage, the one that says “Eat me” (“Eat me”), you will enter Crif Dogs, a bar specialized in hot dogs. Try one and follow to the bottom. See the old phone? Pick up, dial one and wait for them to answer. Inside, an elegant bar with leather armchairs, exposed brick and stuffed animals who watch the clientele sipping on some of the tasty and original cocktails, such as the bacon-infused Old Fashioned, Momofuku's cereal milk drink, or, very Prohibition era, the Cutty Sark Prohibition, which celebrates the era of Dry Law, with pear…
** DEATH & CO ** _433 E 6th St (Lower East Side) _
During the harsh years of Prohibition, it was said that a life with alcohol was overshadowed by death. Hence the name of this_speakeasy_, Death & Co (Death and Cía) that has no cover, just a dark, nameless entrance where you will find the doorman. Ask him, if there is room, he will let you in; if there isn't, he will ask for your phone number and will call you when something is available. There are no reservations. Thus they maintain their secrecy and exclusivity. And it's worth it. Its cocktail menu created by Jillian Vose is probably one of the best in the city. Also try asking the waiters for suggestions. And, of course, try their popcorn or fries with blue cheese and chives. A perfect combination.
A dark and mysterious entrance
** APOTHÉKE ** 9 Doyers St, Chinatown
On the outside it is one more restaurant of the dozens that are all over Chinatown. seedy Gold Flower Restaurant is called. And only a small sign that says "Chemists" will confirm that you are in the right place. Well, that and on weekends especially the people around the entrance (like any of these bars, the time is on a weekday). Behind the cover, you walk into… a pharmacy. A pharmacy that is a bar. The waiters wear white coats and the menu is divided into types of 'medicines'. His thing is to go to Apothéke on Wednesdays when they do Prohibition Day with live jazz. To enter that day, you must write them an email and they will answer you with the password. If Apothéke is very crowded, right next door is La Pulqueria (11 Doyers St.) Going down some stairs you find one of the best mezcal and tequilerias in the city.
2ND FLOOR ON CLINTON
_67 Clinton Street (Lower East Side) _
A hidden bar in a bar. What a great idea! This _speakeasy_completely opposite the previous den, is entered through a secret door at the end of the Barramundi (in front of which, almost always, there is a doorman, pretending to be clueless). When you walk in, you'll feel like you're in a Downton Abbey hall . Cocktails at $14 to combine with their delicious chocolate truffles. If that's not elegance...
RAINES LAW ROOM
48 W 7th Avenue
Here, as in the best home gatherings, the party is in the kitchen. That's how it is, the bar area where you can wait to be seated is a kitchen, very victorian, but a kitchen . There is also a reception, a lounge and a garden along which people sit drinking one of the endless cocktails from the endless menu. The entrance also looks like that of a house, without a name, you will know what it is by the doorman who will either let you in directly (especially during the week and soon) or will ask for your phone number and tell you to stay away from the door, he will will call when a table is free. If they let you queue at the door, it wouldn't be so secret anymore.
haircuts and cocktails
** THE BLIND BARBER **
_339 E 10th St (Alphabet City) _
Like that barbershop where The Great Gatsby entered to end up in a club. Barbershops, like bars, were those neighborhood places where neighbors met and felt sheltered. This speakeasy (with another headquarters in Los Angeles) has united the two concepts. The entrance is the open and active barber shop, in the background, the door that takes you to the elegant bar with leather armchairs and a nice library . You can get a haircut and shave before or after trying their delicious cocktails.
THE BACK ROOM
_102 Norfolk Street (Lower East Side) _
If there isn't a gorilla-looking guy at the door, look in front of a gate for a sign that says "The Lower East Side Toy Company", open it, go down the stairs and through the dirty alley, up some stairs and push a black door. when you open them, you will enter another century: red velvet sofas, fireplace, wood and people (a lot at peak times) drinking cocktails out of mugs or with beer bottles stuffed in paper bags. As was done in the Dry Law. It's one of the two speakeasies that was open at the time for a reason. More affordable prices than other speakeasies (beer from $6). Notice the waiters leaving and entering through a library door.
GOTHAM CITY LOUNGE
_1293 Myrtle Avenue (Buswick) _
Secret, secret, it's not: the entrance (full of comic book heroes) you will see perfectly if you go under the subway lines, but you have to ring the bell to open and let you pass. Once inside, no nonsense, you are in the cheapest theme club in the area (beer and shot for $3), with billiards and a big screen where you might find its usual freaks getting addicted to some video game.
A long awaited call
ANGEL´S SHARE
_8 Stuyvesant Street (East Village) _
Look for the noisy Village Yokocho Japanese restaurant, go up to the second floor and on the left look for the wooden door. They're called secret bars for a reason. And this one is quiet, pleasant, romantic and beautifully decorated. They do not allow standing or going in groups of more than four people , so better if you go early and avoid weekends. You've probably never been to a Japanese speakeasy before, so for the full experience try the wasabi lychee cocktail.
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All articles by Irene Crespo