Front Door

Picking a first date place is always hard.  Especially in a city with thousands upon thousands of choices.  It was a Thursday night in the middle of February and I had to do just that—decide my first date avenue of choice.  Luckily, a friend (and by friend, I mean, person who was drinking at my apartment with my roommates) told me of this “really great speakeasy” in the West Village, which “was always good on a Thursday”.  Many times when I trust a random stranger with my after hours plans; I end up bumping booties with overly tan men in the Meatpacking District.  So, I was pleasantly surprised when I met my date on the corner of 7^th avenue and Leroy Street, in front of a non-descript brown door with a small gold placard that read “Little Branch”.

Fortunately for myself and the man of the hour, it was a balmy-ish February night, for Little Branch was exactly one would expect a speakeasy to be like—in the middle of nowhere.  Many would pass Little Branch up as being nothing of importance, but the small queue at the door almost gave it away.  However, unlike many of the establishments frequented by the Manhattan glitterati, this line was not because the bouncer was a big burly hard-ass with an affinity for douchebags carrying black cards and the plastic breasted women that love them, but because the establishment itself was so tiny, it was literally a fire hazard to have over 35 patrons.

Waiting in line among the dirty snow beds with wind whipping through my freshly blown out tresses proved to strangely be perfect first date material.  We bonded over the crisp winter air and conversation was never at a loss—perhaps because if we stopped speaking we would realize that we were standing outside in 30-degree weather.  Once inside, the thirty-minute wait was out of mind as we descended the stairs into a warmly lit basement space.  A live band was playing jazz in a nook to the side of the room.  There were couples sipping cocktails at tables in the back behind a friendly hostess and others were crowded around mahogany stools scattered in front of the small bar.   We put our names down for a table, but unfortunately, never made it that far.  I’m not a lightweight, but after two of Little Branch’s expertly made cocktails, I was pretty much done for the night.

The Drinks!  Delicious would be an understatement.  Upon entering the bar, I sneakily Foursquared my location, inviting a pop-up urging me to try the mojito; but after meticulously googling before hand, I was more inclined to follow the Yelp crowd and go for the “Bartender’s Choice”.  Whilst situated in front of the dapper bartender, I informed him that I was in the mood for something vodka based, that was fruity and sweet, but not too sweet.  Five minutes later, I was presented with a vanilla gimlet.  The perfect combination of sweet and sour: the vanilla notes flirting successfully with the lime undertones.

At first, I was unimpressed with the size of the glass after forking over $12 (or my dates’ $12), but after one sip, I realized that it was quality, not quantity, that counted at Little Branch.  While the vodka was not strong taste wise, my lightheadedness afterwards indicated that it was in full effect. Yet, my Foursquare friends generally never steer me wrong, so I decided that drink number two should be sampled before I called it a night and I ordered a mojito.

I have never really been a mojito fan, but Little Branch has converted me.  I usually hate mixing liquors (if I start on vodka, it is vodka all night long…also many a teenage night gulping down as much coconut rum as I could has almost turned me off rum all together), but the mojito ended my night on a significant high note.  The rum was tasteless, the mint was refreshing and the drink as a whole was sweet, but not too sugary like many mojitos end up being.

Overall, while Little Branch provided the ambiance for the perfect first date, it is also a great place for a person (or group of friends) who like to experiment with new concoctions.  No overgrown frat boys here; these are not drinks to chug.  They are for savoring and enjoying the art of expert mixology.

If you like Milk & Honey (founded by the same guy), you will love Little Branch.  While I have not been to Milk & Honey (that shall appear in another post), Little Branch is well known amongst the cocktail elitists as being the laid back younger brother of Milk & Honey’s infamy.  And, as we all know, many times the laid back younger brother is the hotter, cooler sibling who is frequently overlooked.