The next stop after our amazing dinner at Degustation was a secret bar! What’s a secret bar, you ask?  Apparently New York (and London, among other cities), have bars where you need to be a member or be friends with a member.  A few months ago, Jaclyn had visited one of these secret bars, Milk & Honey, with a friend who was a member.  She recently learned that they take reservations for non-members now so she booked one as soon as she knew we were coming to visit.

If I thought Degustation was nondescript, I was wrong! There is incredibly little markings to show you where the bar is without knowing the address (makes sense – if you knew when walking by that it’s Milk & Honey, it wouldn’t be a secret :-p)  There was a hidden doorbell and we rang it right about the time of our reservation.  The door opened and after confirming who we were, we made our way to our booth.

The bar was dark and cozy.  A small handful of booths and a small bar.  It’s a great bar for a small group and not for mingling.  In the bathroom, they have a list of “bar rules” – one of which is “gentlemen will not introduce themselves to ladies”

Milk & Honey does not have a set menu.  You tell the waitress what you’re in the mood for and the bartender makes you a drink based on the fresh ingredients they have in stock!

No flash in this bar! (from left to right) Jaclyn had a fizzy ginger gin drink… I had a fresh strawberry rum drink… and Colleen had a creamy amaretto drink.

Attempts at showing the drinks in the candlelight

Colleen’s first drink didn’t hit the spot, but the second one, which she and I split totally did! We ended up with a “Japanese cocktail.” It was cognac, sweet vermouth, bitters, and one or two other ingredients.  I am generally not a fan of cognac, but this was amazing.  It seems strong at first but was quite smooth and enjoyable.  The bartender did a great job on this drink!

Overall, we were impressed with our drinks but loved the experience even more! It was a great opportunity to enjoy drinks and good conversation (in a place we could actually hear each other!)  We’ll definitely be going back as well as hopefully checking out a “secret bar” that uses a British telephone booth as an entrance Can’t wait!

P.S. Happy birthday Jaclyn!