Sincerely, Ophelia is behind Chicken and The Egg, a fried chicken shack on 2nd Avenue in the East Village, and the cocktail program was designed by the former creative director of Broken Shaker while the kitchen was put together by the former chef of Quality Eats Nomad. The bar is graffiti-decorated, intentionally Gen-Z in its energy, and open Thursday through Saturday starting at seven.

It doesn't have the reverent hush that older speakeasy-format bars tend to impose on their guests, which is a deliberate choice. The vibe connects with a crowd that grew up with the concept of the hidden bar as a thing they already knew about, rather than something that needed to be discovered. The cocktail program reflects that sensibility in how it approaches both the drinks and the presentation, without leaning on nostalgia as a selling point.

Entry is through the fried chicken spot, which means you're either getting chicken first or walking past it with some restraint. The chicken is from a Michelin restaurant pedigree. Both options are defensible.