Jump to content
  • Welcome to the eG Forums, a service of the eGullet Society for Culinary Arts & Letters. The Society is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of the culinary arts. These advertising-free forums are provided free of charge through donations from Society members. Anyone may read the forums, but to post you must create a free account.

Sasha Petraske (1973-2015)


Rafa

Recommended Posts

Terrible news. Sasha Petraske, who founded Milk & Honey and helped usher in our current renaissance of fine drinking, has died

 

Anyone who enjoys a well-made drink in 2015 is indebted to Petraske. At Milk & Honey, and at all the bars started by him and his acolytes, he re-introduced imbibers to jiggered, deeply researched, craftily made classics, both old and new. Going to one of his bars was a special occasion: memorable, mysterious, unapologetically adult. His staffs were as professional as they were hospitable, as serious as they are fun. He elevated the craft. He raised the bar.

 

I never knew him, but as a cocktail bartender I owe him so much. He helped create the environment in this city, among bartenders and guests alike, that makes so much of what we do possible. Like many, I got my first education in classic drinks through Milk & Honey's official app, Bartender's Choice; I still use it as a reference to introduce people to the ratios and recipes of the classics. 

 

Rest in peace. 

  • Like 2

DrunkLab.tumblr.com

”In Demerara some of the rum producers have a unique custom of placing chunks of raw meat in the casks to assist in aging, to absorb certain impurities, and to add a certain distinctive character.” -Peter Valaer, "Foreign and Domestic Rum," 1937

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This loss can't be overstated.  I'm going to put down the lack of comment here to shock.

 

Although I never met Sasha Petraske, I drank happily at many of his bars.  And at many other bars that never would have existed without him.

 

The man described here

 

http://www.grubstreet.com/2015/08/sasha-petraske-obit.html?mid=twitter-share-grubstreet

 

is a very rare person of principle and vision.  And a dedicated craftsman.  That he achieved all that he did while largely eschewing a celebrity/social media identity is remarkable.  In this Trump and Kardashian driven world, he and what he created are unusually fine.

 

Heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.  

There will be a memorial daiquiri hour for him on August 31st:

 

http://www.ravenwood.org/sasha/

 

Lift a glass if you can.

 

-Mike 

 

 

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in Milk and Honey LDN the day before he passed.  That place is the reason I ever wanted to carry on in this job.

 

I don't really know what else to say.  It's odd feeling a connection to a man you didn't ever meet.

  • Like 3

The Dead Parrot; Built from the ground up by bartenders, for everyone:

Monkey Shoulder Ultimate Bartender Champions, 2015

Twitter

Instagram

Untappd

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I was in Milk and Honey LDN the day before he passed.  That place is the reason I ever wanted to carry on in this job.

 

I don't really know what else to say.  It's odd feeling a connection to a man you didn't ever meet.

 

Agreed. I never went to Milk and Honey, but I used to go to Little Branch every time I went to NY - it was probably the first serious cocktail bar that I went to and definitely the first I fell in love with, and a huge inspiration. Nothing complicated, just simple classic drinks executed PERFECTLY. I haven't been in about 2 years but I still place it in my top 3 list for any city I've been to (Death & Co, Little Branch, and the defunct but reopening Passenger in DC).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 4 months later...
×
×
  • Create New...