If you haven’t made it to KEES yet, you are officially running out of excuses.
The underground cocktail lounge is kicking off its very first summer season, and to welcome everyone back from the holiday weekend, they threw a massive happy hour to unofficially start the summer in NYC.
Tucked away beneath Mixteca on Cornelia Street, KEES is the latest venture from PDT veteran Jeff Bell. It is a refined, intimate take on the modern cocktail lounge, focusing heavily on polished hospitality and expertly executed classic cocktails. For this kickoff, the bar teamed up with Brown-Forman to showcase the exact kind of timeless, heavy-hitting drinks that anchor the KEES menu year-round.
The menu for the evening highlighted a stellar four-drink lineup that showed off the versatility of the bar. They turned out a flawless, ice-cold Martini using Fords Gin, alongside a crisp and incredibly refreshing Yuzu Tonic that is perfect for the warmer weather. On the whiskey side, the team leaned into bold, classic profiles, serving up a sharp, beautifully structured Rye cocktail built on Old Forester Rye, and a perfectly balanced John Collins using Old Forester Bourbon.
Photo courtesy of KEES
To make the night even better, the team paired the cocktail lineup with a mountain of classic snacks provided straight from Katz’s Deli. There was something incredibly satisfying about sipping a crystal-clear martini while reaching for a plate of pastrami bites.
If the energy and vibe at this kickoff event was any indication, this cocktail den is going to be one of our go-to places during the summer.
