This Place Used to Be a Secret Bar for LIFE Staffers During Prohibition

A bar so secret, the team didn’t know it existed until they were renovating the hotel it’s tucked beneath…

A digestif list so comprehensive, you’ll be debating obscure vermouth or amaro for upwards of fifteen minutes (lol probably not though)…

A vinyl selection so inspiring, you can and just might have to request a favorite or two…

This dramatic introduction brought to you by Gibson & Luce, a subterranean speakeasy named after a couple of former LIFE magazine editors, now open under NoMad’s Life Hotel. 

It’s true: these guys literally didn’t know the bar existed until they were mid-construction on the building. You’ll have less trouble finding it, if you follow our lead. Just head into the hotel and/or handsome lobby restaurant (which you may very well recognize) and make for the unassuming staircase next to the elevator bank. Down into the intimate cocktail lounge you go: a space that’s all oak wood, vibrant blue banquettes and mirror-heavy nooks. Historic, yet modern. Cozy, yet sexy. We’re being informative, yet annoying. 

And so, on to the drinks: they’ve got an impressive digestif menu with more than 25 bottles of obscure vermouth, eau de vie and amaro on offer, so maybe try one of those—or they’re doing a bunch of classic cocktails like the 1984 (gin or vodka, vermouth, orange bitters) or the Leaving Gotham (Armagnac, Lillet Blanc, honey, lemon, champagne, dry chamomile). And if you find yourself here late-night, just know that the kitchen will still be open for all your foie gras slider and beet root-cured hamachi needs. 

Here’s the point where we leave you with a slideshow. Stay warm out there.