Employees Only Serves Up The Good Stuff
Our final stop on our West Village cocktail crawl was Employees Only (http://www.employeesonlynyc.com/). This lounge has been on my list for a long time. Unlike the other places that we went into, Employees Only is primarily a drink spot. Wallflower and Whitehall are focused much more on food. Given its focus, smaller size and exclusivity, there were doormen outside. When we managed to get to the address, we saw that there were several other people waiting outside. The inside is small, so I understand they cannot let everyone in. My frozen face was hoping some people would be leaving and, luckily, we did not have to wait much longer than a minute or two.
When we got inside, the beauty of the bar struck me.
Swank City
We weren't able to snag any seats at the bar, so we had to awkwardly stand. I say awkwardly because the inside is small - this feeling is amplified by how many people were inside. There is a fire place, which adds certain character to the venue, but if you're too close, you feel like you may melt. For cocktails that are $15-$16, I very much prefer to be able to sit down. The last thing I want is for some girl taking a #selfie to knock into me and spill my drink.
I settled on ordering the Blondina, made with Wild Turkey Bourbon, Apple Liqueur, puréed Pears and Fresh Lemon Juice.
Blondina
I did enjoy this cocktail. The glassware made it a bit tricky to handle since we were standing. The thin stem was not very reassuring! The cocktail glasses are personalized for the bar. Night touch.
Aish ordered the Provencal, made with Lavender-infused Plymouth Gin stirred with Herbs de Provence-infused French Vermouth and Cointreau. She took a sip and commented: "I'm drunk." The drink was STRONG as all the ingredients were alcohol-based.
Provencal
While I did enjoy this spot, I would have much preferred to have someone to sit and place my drink down. Instead of returning here, I'd much rather check out The Experimental Cocktail Club again!
Cheers,
Liz