One of my very close to heart speakeasies in SoHo, Jacques 1534 is fashioned after a French colonial bar and well tucked in but not hidden. This is where Napoleon would have hung out (if he took over the world and lived two hundred years).
Well! In my experience, the crowd is mostly his contemporaries (hipsters, thin Scandinavian ladies, masons and craftsmen in search of sophistication among other things). Governed by calm and a sense of rightness. I stumble down this den where whiskey makes the ladies more tender and the gentlemen more lovable. From whiskey to chartreuse; plus a break from walking the line. You will find it here.
The classics, Harvey Wallbanger, Space Odysa, Pulp Fiction to mention a few menu dwellers are on hand to welcome you. So stop hammering the anvil of life for a jiffy and install an exhaust mechanism to quickly unstiffen your soul.
I come both for the people and to tune my finer feelings with a cutting edge cocktail.
Frivolity is allowed! ‘Make my drink exotic, send syrup down my throat…’
Sing along, I know you will! Here everyday is my prom and I choose to escape the loud honking horned street, dubbed life.
And remember. That! Everything makes sense as long as you are at least as crazy as the person saying it. Savvy!
The un-savvy and certainly crazy routine is what I seek refuge from. I cross the bridge to the world of chats about locations of scotch distilleries, the best brand of absinthe, the capital of Holland and diving expeditions in Thailand. All lubricated by thoughtful cocktails with giant ice cubes.
For I had seen my fill of debauchery, but need constant reminders of it. I get my right dosage here. Where the caretakers don’t smile but mix and mix, Napoleon like.
Producing smiles on a industrial scale. For what matters here are the people. The ones that mix and the ones taste, alike.
Cheers! Stay groovy.
Jacques 1534 is located at 20 Prince Street between Mott and Elizabeth.
— Milen Vasilev
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