Death & Co

East Village

New York City

Bars

Serious Cocktails with a Dark & Comfy Vibe

Cuisine:

American| Cocktail Bar

Price:

$$$

Features:

Clandestine Great Cocktails Impressing Visitors Light Bites Tops in Neighborhood

About Death & Co

& why it made the Carpe City list

One of the best cocktail bars in the city. Top notch drinks and staff.
Open since 2007, Death & Co has been influential in the revival of the modern cocktail scene both in New York worldwide.
They’re consistently on lists of top bars, bar menus, bartenders, etc.
The cocktail menu is awesome but can also be intimidating. Fortunately, the staff is supremely talented and always guides us to something we would have never thought of and, inevitably, end up loving.
It is dark, seriously dark. Think gothic and sophisticated but comfortable, not stuffy.
They have small bites.
Death & Co is a “no-standing” bar where you can enjoy your drink and conversation without others shouting over you to order.
Reservations are not accepted but they will take your number and contact you when seats are available. They do not seat groups larger than 8 people.

Carpe City Trivia

Where did the name "Death & Co" come from?

Owner David Kaplan was inspired by a Prohibition-era quote from a mysterious group called “Death and Company.” The quote is: Those who drink keep company with death, or live a life shadowed by death, therefore we are Death & Company.

What is this spirit on the menu called sugar cane?

In a word, it’s rum. Rum is made either from fresh-pressed sugar cane or molasses. Molasses is the dark brown syrupy material obtained from the sugar refining process. Around 97% of rums are made with molasses and only 3% are made with sugar cane juice. Sugar cane rums are also known as rhum agricole. Molasses rum can have a variety of flavors but tends to have some caramel and vanilla notes, sometimes even floral and usually with a bit of sweetness. In general, rhum agricole has a more grassy, earthy flavor, is a lot more pungent and is sometimes likened to the flavor of tequila.

What is eau de vie?

Eau de vie is French for “water of life.” It’s a clear brandy made out of fruit other than grapes. Death & Co has a carrot version on the menu so it looks like root vegetables are also getting into the mix. The fruit (or veggie!) is pressed and the juice is fermented and distilled. Some of the softer fruits skip the fermentation and instead macerate in neutral alcohol. Most are not aged so as to preserve the aroma and flavor. Not only a French creation, you can also get Eau De Vie from Germany and Austria (schnapps), Romania (țuică), Sri Lanka (Arrack), and Eastern Europe (Pálenka or pálinka). Traditionally, it is served neat as an after-dinner digestif however now you will see it in a variety of drinks and sometimes as a substitute for flavored vodka. And the last but not least of our random factoids, none other than our founding father George Washington created peach (no – not apple) eau de vie at his Mount Vernon pad.