Drinks »Bemelmans

bemelmansThe two great things about having guests in New York is that they make you try new places you've never gotten around to and those places become part of golden memories. I met mom and dad after a rollercoaster day of a work day at Bemelmans, my sister's favorite place in the city for a cocktail. It's always great to have the family together and there's added dazzle when we've all had a few. I love you guys!

This dim spot, hidden inside The Carlyle is named after Ludwig Bemelmans, the man who wrote and illustrated the famous Madeline books and whose charming art adorns the walls. The drinks are made with impressive expertise: my Old Fashioned was superb, but next time there's no way I won't go straight for the Gin-gin Mule, it's phenomenal.

The setting is as contradictory as its clientele. The obvious and oblivious riche sit next to the wide-eyed and fanny-packed first time visitors to New York; the waiters are respectable in crisp whites and black ties, while my sister once saw Britney Spears trade clothes with a drunk friend in the bath room; the lighting is very dark, very secretive and romantic, but the rabbits in suits that sit above your head are as light and cheery as nearly any bar mural I can think of; and while it serves some of the best premium priced cocktails around, the mixologist just created a tacky Sex and the City tie-in martini.

But it all works out in the end to be the perfect spot to welcome your parents into the city. Wow them with a Gin-gin Mule (and great bar snacks) then cross your fingers and hope that some wacky celebrity waltzes in.


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Posted on June 16, 2008

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