Two Nights Only! Famed New York Bar Pops-Up Downtown, with Proceeds Benefiting Kids with Cancer
EMPLOYEES ONLY — OFTEN referred to simply as EO by regulars — opened in Manhattan’s West Village in late 2004 and remains one of the Big Apple’s most popular bars. Come March 26-27, the Four Seasons Hotel Houston’s intimate speakeasy-style bar Bandista will host the award-winning Employees Only team for a takeover.
"We are excited to welcome our friends from Employees Only to H-Town,” said Tom Segesta, the hotel’s general manager, in a press release. “Their talented team will bring our guests a taste of the Empire State’s finest cocktails.” The Employees Only team slated to come to Houston includes bartender Dimitrios Vasilakis, bar manager Frank Maldonado and general manager Jonathan Yutzy.
At $25-$35 bucks, drinks shaken, stirred and served by bartenders of Employees Only, a perennial favorite on the elite World’s 50 Best Bars rankings, are for the true cocktail connoisseur. The reservations only pop-up at softly-lit hideaway Bandista will offer 90-minute seatings available between 5PM-midnight.
Anticipate five inventive cocktails on the menu, including the spicy-sweet Besos Calientes (El Tesoro Blanco tequila shaken with house-made grapefruit cordial, fresh lime juice and dashes of habanero bitters) and creamy Last Leaf (Patrón Anejo tequila with clarified coconut milk, pumpkin, caramel and spiced pear).
Part of the proceeds will be donated to Camp H-Town, a sleep-away camp hosted by the Four Seasons Hotel Houston in partnership with the University of Texas MD Anderson Children’s Cancer Hospital for children diagnosed with cancer.
If you haven’t had the chance to visit Employees Only in New York, here’s a little background. The bar is discreetly located in a picturesque neighborhood with tree-lined cobblestone streets, and inside, a psychic is often found greeting (and offering readings) to customers. The bar was part of a small group of establishments in New York that helped revive speakeasy-style bars serving craft cocktails. EO also has bars in Los Angeles and Singapore.
The Bandista team plans to hold its own pop-up at Manhattan’s Employees Only in early 2025, according to a spokesperson.
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