The relationship between death and vice is longstanding and intimate. Hence there seems a natural inevitability to Death & Co, a recently opened East Village bar with a décor which can only be described as mausoleum chic. The name, emblazoned in tombstone granite at the doorstep, refers to a literal depiction of this relationship, a series of prohibition era posters depicting a path to hell paved with bottles of spirits. Far from being temperance propaganda these were in reality carefully crafted to hide maps to the locations of nearby speakeasies.
The windowless entrance to Death & Co might be described as hidden if it’s possible to say that any doors emblazoned with two and a half foot wrought iron angel of death handles are in fact hidden. Entering through these doors and passing through velvet curtains reveals a scene juxtaposing life and death in the manner of an Irish wake. A young and animated crowd contrasts nicely with the somber environs accented with crystal chandeliers, white marble, gas lamps, and gold flecked walls.
In the East Village a bar serving $12 cocktails and $9-$16 morsels (a modest appetite will demand three) lives and dies by the details. In this respect Death & Co demonstrates an assiduous attention. The cocktail list features liquors such as El Tesoro tequila, Barbancourt rum, and Baker’s bourbon, names with reputations secured by tradition and quality rather than million dollar marketing budgets. Bartenders poached from the likes of Pegu Club and Milk & Honey work with the exacting efficiency of research chemists. For a bar only just cutting its chops Death & Co already has the makings of a seasoned professional.