Anonymity is a difficult commodity to come by in Manhattan, and even scrupulously hidden speakeasies quickly find themselves on the radar of the madding crowd.
The allure of The Transcript Speakeasy is that it’s located within 63 Wall Street – the former 1920s HQ of private bank Brown Brothers Harriman turned private residential tower in the city’s Financial District – with access limited to three guests of a resident.
Having just refurbished the building’s main public spaces, Brooklyn-based studio The Design High pulled off a tricky restoration of the bijou nook just off the all-white grand lobby by blending contemporary touches such as velvet banquette seats and a customised brass mesh and marble bar, with the original green marble fireplace, wood panelled walls, herringbone floors and chandeliers.
Views of the passing foot traffic outside on Beaver and Hanover Streets are perfectly paired with Juve y Camps cava and a small cocktails list headlined by a Moscow Mule, and a Negroni spiked with mezscal.