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Milk & Honey, Cocktail Mecca, Goes from Secret to Private
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2008
Modified Oct 17, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 17, 2008
Modified Oct 17, 2008
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Milk and Honey, the dimly lit railroad bar on Eldridge Street with the fastidiously-prepared cocktails, "reservation only" policy, and unlisted number, blazed the trail for the city's current wildfire cocktail craze and speakeasy-style bars. In recent years, as owner Sasha Petraske has expanded his footprint with Little Branch, The East Side Company, new absinthe-centric White Star and that Community Board pariah Mercury Dime, Milk and Honey has also only gotten more popular, with the secret phone number posted on message boards and blogs as fast as Petraske can change it.
The secrecy, it should be noted, wasn't so much born of snobbish exclusivity but because Petraske's landlord/friend lives upstairs and only agreed to lease the space to Milk and Honey if Petraske would promise to maintain pin drop silence. Now, in an email, Petraske say's he's gotten his first noise complaints from the landlord in almost nine years of business, and though he changed the reservations policy again just a few weeks ago, "with the advent of blogging, there is no chance for that to work. Since the number change...my staff actually report an increase in first time customers, who have evidently never heard that it was a quiet bar, merely that it was a trendy one."
So now, as previously predicted, he's turning the place into a private club to weed out some of the obnoxious tools and bring back the clientele who know "how to drink and remain polite, to each other and the residents of Eldridge Street." (And follow the rules, pictured here.) He's even going so far as to get a Social Club Charter by New York State. So how much is membership in a club where the drinks are already $15 going to cost? Click through for Petraske's email (which included the addresses of all recipients, oops!) and the details.
Hello again. Sorry to email again so soon, but it seems the new phone number has already made it's way onto the internet.
When I opened Milk and Honey in January of 2000 it was not reservation only, and had no lock on the door. It was open to anyone who knew the address, and attracted a community of people with one thing in common: knowing how to drink and remain polite, to each other and the residents of Eldridge Street.
The barrage of constant write ups forced us to start running reservations, in order to prevent crowds outside from bothering our landlord (who lives directly upstairs.) Changing the number each time it was published worked for several years to keep the chain of word of mouth relatively strong.
Now, however, with the advent of blogging, there is no chance for that to work. Since the number change of a few weeks ago, my staff actually report an increase in first time customers, who have evidently never heard that it was a quiet bar, merely that it was a trendy one. The landlord has given us his first noise complaints in almost 9 years of business, all regarding the conversation of smokers outside or people exiting loudly.
Over the years our "first call, first serve" policy, while being fair on the face of it, I now realize was quite unfair to our regulars. The people were awake at 9 AM to send in the earliest text message and people who quietly exit the bar at 2 AM seem seldom to be the same people. In an effort to get back the small, like-minded community that we had in the beginning (and regain the quiet that we need to get our year-by-year lease renewed,) I am taking steps to convert Milk and Honey into a private social club.
This process will take over a year, involving the granting of a Social Club Charter by New York State.
In the meantime, we will adopt a half measure that allows us to remain within the law. If membership in such a program interests you, read on. If not, for the next year or so, reservations will still be available on [REDACTED].
M&H Regular Program
Four of our six tables will be allocated to our regulars, who may make an advance reservation, call twenty minutes prior, or just stop by without calling. Regulars will be given a key to the front door. If there are no seats available, you may lock up the next table, and go to White Star or another nearby bar and we will call you when the table is ready. There will be no standing room, and no more advance wait list.
Cocktails will be priced for regulars and their guests at $9, Regulars may bring up to 3 guests., and the key is non transferrable. There are three types of key available. A Standard one, which is $300 a year plus tax. ($325) To renew the membership at the same rate, the regular must have attended at least 10 weekdays the previous year, defined as Sunday through Wednesday. Everyone wants to come during prime time, but without consistent weekday business we will fail.
An Unrestricted key can be used as seldom as you like, and is 3000 a year, with tax $3250. If you have more money than time, this is for you. The Unrestricted key in no way has any advantage in service over a Regular Key. Tables are allocated first come or call, first serve. It is merely that we need each of the 250 keyholders to contribute their share into the business, one way or the other.
Lastly, an Industry key is available for people in the restaurant business. This key has no minimum visits, costs the same as a Standard key and is only valid after 1 AM. If an Industry key holder wishes to come before 1 AM on they must make a reservation, through the normal channel, for one of the other two tables, and will receive no preference in the reservation book.
The program will go into effect the first of November. Payment is by check to "M&H Concierge Services, inc". I will be at White Star, 21 Essex Street between Hester and Canal from 7-9pm starting Thursday, signing people up until we have reached 250 Standard key holders. I would like to meet each key holder face to face., and look forward to reconnecting with some old friends.
Sasha Petraske
14 October 2008
Tagged
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Lower East Side
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milk & honey
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John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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