Place your order and the magic begins. Behind the bar is a flurry: arms driving like pistons, with motion as swift and precise as a symphony conductor’s. “You’ve got to shake it to wake it up,” said Maloney, as the spirits slosh. Perfect cubes of ice jangle against the metal. Some tenders are two-fisting those shakers. Some wear pinstriped aprons tied at the waist; all have notable hair. Vis dashes between behind-the-scenes and bar, hair updone with a scarf à la Lucille Ball. It is hard to resist calling this a spirited scene.
On a busy night, four to five mix and serve drinks to those clustered at the bar and clumped in banquettes beside the heavy, hinged leaded-glass windows up front. A generous gangway to the side of the bar allows for fluid movement to the back, where there are tables. Everything is generously spaced; the room feels cozy but not crowded. Light fixtures from the Governor Clinton Hotel hang beneath the painted tin ceiling, gently illuminating the scene.
And the drinks themselves? Nonpareil. As of mid-May there’s a new menu, and my favorite is the Ramos Gin Fizz, with Hayman’s Old Tom Gin, fresh lemon and lime, cream, orange flower water and soda for $10. The motion for the potion is especially important for drinks containing cream, which was actually whipped by the time the drink was set in front of me. Same goes for egg whites, as in the Whiskey Sour, made with Old Overholt Rye, fresh lemon, simple syrup and egg white for $8: an excellent, airy choice for a hot summer day.
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