Oh. My. GAWD. Let me tell you about the most unexpected turn my Tuesday took. I was supposed to go to Brooklyn for a casual oat milk flat white and a little vintage window shopping, but New York did that thing it does—you know, the spontaneous-Gatsby-glamour kind of magic.
Because somehow, I ended up sipping a lavender gin fizz in a velvet booth behind a barbershop. Yes. A barbershop.
It All Started With a Bob Cut (Not Mine)
So I'd tagged along with my friend Jess to this super hipster barbershop in Williamsburg—think exposed brick, very ironic mustaches, and the faint smell of artisanal beard oil lingering in the air. She was getting a “French boy crop,” which apparently takes forty-five minutes and several affirmations.
While I waited (and flipped through a Sinatra-era Esquire), the guy at the counter leaned in and said, sort of conspiratorially:
"You know… there's something fun behind that red curtain."
Okay, pause. You don’t just say that to someone like me and not expect me to walk through it. I’m a girl who once bravely faced a marathon of sales racks at Barneys during Fashion Week without snacks or bathroom breaks. I live for the drama.
Behind the Velvet
I push aside this thick, red velvet curtain—very "theater where Phoebe might perform her interpretive song about cats" energy—and suddenly…
Boom.
1920s jazz music. Dim lighting. Bartenders in suspenders. A guy playing a saxophone in the corner. People whisper-laughing into coupe glasses. There was gold wallpaper and cut crystal glassware and I instantly felt underdressed and overdressed all at once. I swear I stepped into the Chicago musical, minus the murder. I almost expected someone named Dean to offer me a cigarette holder.
Honestly? It was fabulous.
What I Ordered (And What You Should Too)
Looking at the menu nearly gave me performance anxiety—like, do I pretend I know what a “smoked sage reduction” is? But the bartender (whose name was Max and had cheekbones like a Calvin Klein campaign) helped me pick:
- 🥂 Lavender Gin Fizz – It was basically a spa day in a glass. Fizzy, floral, and totally photogenic. I may have taken eight Boomerangs of it.
- 🍊 Campari Basil Spritz – Like if Italy and summer had a love child.
- 🫒 Side of Marcona almonds – Because I’m classy like that and needed something to nibble while eavesdropping on a date happening two stools down (they met at a pottery class! I mean… could you write a better first act?).
The Crowd Was…Very Brooklyn in the Best Way
Imagine if the cast of an Ernest Hemingway novel all got Instagram accounts and moved to Bushwick. Everyone in there looked like they definitely could give you a dissertation on natural wines. There was one girl in a sheer lime green blouse and it worked. My theory is: lighting is everything. And possibly pheromones.
I saw a couple in matching berets. Like, intentionally. It made me feel like I might be ready for a coordinated outfit moment. Maybe Ross and I could have done that if we hadn’t… well, you know.**
Why I Loved It (Besides the Cocktails)
- No signage. It felt secret—which is basically a Paris Birkin for millennials.
- The bartenders actually smiled (shocking!).
- The playlist went from Billie Holiday to CHVRCHES and somehow made sense.
- The entire place smelled like orange blossom and plot twists.
There’s something about slipping into a place you weren’t expecting… it’s like finding a Chanel boot at a thrift store in your size. New York is full of those moments, and I keep falling in love with it over and over—even when someone shoulder checks me on the subway or I step into a mysterious puddle that is definitely not rain.
Final Thoughts From Behind the Curtain
If you’re in the city, go where the velvet leads you. Say yes to the weirder option. Follow the jazz. Let a Tuesday surprise you. And if you find yourself sipping something fabulous in a secret room that smells like old books and dreams, think of me.
And order the gin fizz.
Xoxo,
Rachel
P.S. If anyone knows where I can get a vintage silk scarf like the one that bartender Max was wearing—DM me immediately. 🖤
