Review: Speakeasy at the Museum of the City of New York

July 23, 2009 at 12:33 am (bars, cheap, drinks, museum of the week)

Last week, the Real Estate-trix and I went to the Speakeasy at the Museum of the City of New York.  Initially, I was going to make this another two-fer entry with a review of the exhibits at the Museum, and a review of the bar and drink set-up, but it made more sense to do it separately.  I do love a two-fer, but I love being coherent more.

 

The Speakeasy is in a word, cute.  I expected more of an enclosed space, but the Speakeasy is pleasantly situated on the Museum’s open air patio.  There is a CD playing 20s style Harlem jazz and big band music.  The place lacks a decidedly “speakeasyish” feel, however, as it is in a hardly secretive location directly on Fifth Avenue.  Its not even set back a little bit from the road.  

Included in the $12 admission was a free signature drink, which included any of the their signature cocktails which the Museum touts as “inspired by the era”.  I had a Cosmopolitan, which I am pretty confident was invented sometime in the recent past, and popularized by the television series Sex in the City (or at least this is the case according to Wikipedia, where I go for all of my authoritative information).  The Real Estate-trix had a Planter’s Punch, which was a sort of fruity rum punch.  It reminded me more of Ocho Rios circa 1995 than the 1920s.  Both were very strong.  Be forewarned.

I perhaps the Speakeasy is more of a secret than the location would suggest, because there was a sparse crowd.  I suspect as the summer plods along the Speakeasy will get more and more crowded as reviews are published and the word gets around.

The truth is, there are a ton of patio/rooftop bars in Manhattan, and I can (but  rarely do) get a Cosmo anywhere.  The best part of the Speakeasy for me was the free admission to the Museum of the City of New York.  I had been wanting to see the Mannahatta/Manhattan Natural History Exhibit all summer, and I finally had an opportunity.  The museum also has an exhibit on contemporary Dutch artists, and on Henry Hudson’s historic exploration of the New York area.

I would definitely go once this summer to the Speakeasy, but once is really all you need.

The Speakeasy at the Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Avenue, Wednesdays July 15th-August 26, 6:00-9:00PM.  Admission, $10 for members, $12 for non-members, includes one drink and admission to the first floor galleries of the museum.