Some time ago I was hired to write a review about Death & Co. This version of my review was never published so....
Death
& Co.
433 East 6th Street New York, NY 10009 (212) 388-0882
(East Village)
When you are standing at the
threshold of Death & Co. you will
notice something that most cocktail bars don’t have, a gatekeeper. This man’s
job is not to demolish people. He is NOT a Ray Lewis clone dressed in black and
carrying a chip on his shoulder. This man’s job is to make sure you enjoy your
evening in a stress-free environment. Once he lets in you’ll realize that the
gatekeeper’s clipboard was set to ‘comfortable and cozy’ not ‘crowded and
noisy’. And if that means taking your cell phone number and calling you once space
is available - than that is what happens. This isn’t Fort Knox or Studio
54…they know that. This is Death & Co. and they want you to have a great
time in an intimate setting.
Brian Miller is one of the
principles behind Death & Co. He’s an imposing six foot tall gentleman
bartender. Brain possesses a rare quality for someone in the spirits industry.
He has no ego; he’s not in it for the money, glory or the fame. He is in it to
make quality drinks for everyone in a setting that would make Etta James feel
at home.
One of the curious dissimilarities
you’ll discover at Death & Co. is their cocktail menu. It’s broken down by
the major spirits (Gin, Rum, Tequila and Whiskey) but from there it is divided
by shaken versus stirred drinks. The difference being, cocktails with juices
(liqueurs, dairy or simple syrup) are shaken to open up the flavor profiles of
the heavier ingredients with the help of straining and effervescence. Stirred
cocktails are about the mild mix of items to reduce dilution while maintaining
each items essence. Of course I have a favorite from each category.
Slap n’ Pickle ($13)
Shaken-
Not Stirred
Krogstad Aquavit
Muddled Cucumber
Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice
House made Grenadine
Cucumber Wedge
Cure For Pain
($13)
Stirred- Not
shaken
Rittenhouse
Bonded Rye Whiskey
Carpano Antica
Vermouth
George T.
Stagg Bourbon,
Otima10yr
Tawny Port
White Crème De
Cacao,
Campari
Orange Twist
If you consider Death & Co.
is a speakeasy, think again. If it were the name would not be printed on the sidewalk.
Its location would be a whisper, lost in rumor and better hidden than the
island on LOST. At its heart Death & Co. is a romantic two fold tribute to
a time when hard working Americans were NOT allowed to exercise their God given
right to have a good drink. Co-owner, Dave Kaplan, got the name from a short
story written by Dashiell Hammett. Hammett also wrote a little thing called
‘The Maltese Falcon’. The other part of
the tribute comes from a group of Prohibition era artists called Death &
Company. They painted signs in support of Prohibition but if you read the signs
correctly there was a hidden map within the picture that would show you how to
get to a speakeasy and have a drink. Basically, it was a quick response (or QR)
code for drinkers.
Beyond the literary and
historic tributes, Death & Co. is about perfectly constructed cocktails for
you and your date in a setting that looks back to the days when a man stood up
when a lady entered a room. Death & Co. is NOT about ‘getting your drink on’ or how many shots you can do. It is a
cocktail bar where the classics are shown respect and rudeness the door.
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