2nd Floor on Clinton Lounge / Speakeasy

Lower East Side, New York –

Harkening back to the classier side of Prohibition, the 2nd Floor on Clinton is a cozy piece of boozer nostalgia worlds apart from the Barramundi bar beneath it.

Relaxed upper-crust groups and in-the-know students looking to splurge make their way through Barramundi, ring a buzzer next to a door marked PRIVATE, and are soon ushered up a narrow staircase and into a single-room speakeasy where deco lamps throw a golden hue across antique furnishings and white brick walls.

It’s quiet inside, full of good-natured cocktailers and romantic couples perched on plush couches and armchairs as tie-clad waiters fill them in on the night’s specials. Classics are well covered from Manhattans to Negronis, as are rarer finds like the Glass Slipper (gin and orange blossom water) and the Corlaer’s Hook (brandy and pomegranate).

Patrons can order cocktail-inspired truffles to accompany their drinks – including flavors like absinthe and portly fig – though visitors would be wise to eat beforehand as these delectable chocolates are the only thing on the food menu.

Even at its wildest, the venue keeps the noise down to a calm chatter, and since standing room is not allowed, it doesn’t take much for the space to be at capacity.

Luckily, patrons can make a special VIP reservation online (call the venue for instructions) or leave their cell number with the host upon arrival, and perhaps chill in the casual dive on the ground level before being whisked to the 2nd Floor on Clinton to party like it’s 1925.