Pegu Club

Continuing on, the journey continued to Pegu Club, a Indochine-inspired speakeasy I have heard about and had been strangely captivated by ever since I interviewed mixologist extraordinaire-owner Audrey Saunders. The place is the epitome of hidden, tucked away on Houston street, it’s dark, narrow and full of surprises, the first being how totally amazing the smoked trout deviled eggs were..

Deviled eggs. I mean, really, can they be passed up? But wait, we are sitting at a dark temple of mixology where bitters and tinctures linger behind the bar, Kold-Draft ice cubes clink in glasses, and rye, gin and whiskey meld with fresh fruit juices, fruit liqueurs and more in elegant glasses!! The drinks are fantastic, but the smoked trout deviled eggs snack more than deserve a shout-out. Hickory-smoked rainbow trout is whipped into the yolk along with curry mayonnaise, and thin crunchy slices of almond and tiny chopped chives are sprinkled on top. I could’ve eaten an entire tray for dinner, but we had drinks to try …
I ordered the Plum Lady; gin, plum wine, lemon juice, Peychaud’s bitters, plum brandy and cherry liqueur with a skewered dried plum as a garnish. It was a stronger than I thought it would be, but not too sweet or overly fruity, and perfectly balanced so that one spirit didn’t dominate, rather they comingled perfectly in the glass, with the help of a bit of sugar and touch of lemon juice. My companion went for the Scofflaw; rye, vermouth, Grenadine and lemon juice garnished with an edible flower. A mix of tart and sweet, it was similar to a Sidecar, but softer, and in his words, “like whiskey in slippers.” It, too, went devilishly well with the eggs. Pegu Club, 77 W. Houston, NYC