speak low

What a morning ... I wake up to a call from my good friend announcing they're having a baby! And I'm just um, recovering from all those cocktails last night. It totally made me feel like I'm on a whole other track from the rest of my longtime girlfriends. Their calendars in Manila are crammed with weddings and baby showers. Me? Um, I popped my Dark & Stormy cherry last night! Yay.

But hey, my very first Dark & Stormy cocktail ever really was quite a moment. Last night, Zoe and I ventured to DUMBO to celebrate my new friend Amanda's birthday. It was my first time in DUMBO and I was so fascinated with the place. Quite hip, and the apartments are to die for. Made all the apartments I've seen in Manhattan during my hunt seem really ... lame.

But I digress. The party was at Speak Low, a cool lounge tucked under Rice. They make some very good cocktails. Historically conscious recipe-wise, and using good spirits and fresh locally grown ingredients. I started with a green tea gimlet which was absolutely refreshing. Next I had The Presidential, which was the drink of the night, involving two kinds of rum, orange bitters, and what other essentials a mixologist might put in there. Yumminess. But the revelation of the night for me was the Dark & Stormy. Why had I never had this drink before?? Rum, ginger beer, a little bit of candied ginger ... mmm mmm mmm. So good.

Speak Low has a nifty happy hour where you can get a couple of steamed buns and Tsing Tao for about $8 (I think? My memory's hazy) from 5-7PM. I had the pork belly steamed buns last night and while they don't quite hold a candle to the Momofuku version, they're still pretty darn good.

Where: 81 Washington St., below Rice restaurant, Brooklyn, NY 11201