Little Branch

Created by the late Sasha Petraske, the gentleman who brought New Yorkers Milk & Honey in January 2000, Little Branch shares many elements with Sasha's first (now closed) venture, most obviously its retro theme and fantastic, classically styled cocktails. Despite its name, however, it is twice the size of the original and, while fairly discreet, is open to all.

Sasha opened this place in Greenwich Village, close to where he grew up, in 2007. With its corrugated iron ceiling, pressed tin bar front and mustard coloured walls, it is far from plush, but wonderfully cool and quirky.

Bartenders wear braces, house rules apply, the drinks are old school and the mixology has almost academic rigour. The bar team squeeze their own juices by hand and store their garnishes in crushed ice, then studiously measure all cocktail ingredients and combine them with handcrafted ice. As you would expect, the results are consistently great.