Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Food & Drink

Threesome Tollbooth is a Secret New York City Bar that Only Fits 3 People

Mike Richard
By

threesome tollbooth
Image used with permission by copyright holder
The concept of a tollbooth-sized, three-person speakeasy hardly seems like a viable business plan. However, it’s clear the the folks behind Threesome Tollbooth are motivated by more than turning a profit. The idea is a novel (if hipster) blend of cocktail-fueled entertainment and performance art, and it couldn’t be more quintessentially Brooklyn.

Beyond the vague details on its official FAQ page, there’s little public information available about Threesome Tollbooth. At its core, it’s an enigmatic and exclusive popup speakeasy. “Enigmatic” because few patrons know exactly where it’s located, and “exclusive” because tickets are nigh impossible to get your hands on. It’s about as intimate a bar as you’re ever going to find. In fact, Tollbooth’s FAQ states very plainly there’s only room for “you and one person with whom you are very comfortable.” Make sure you can fit comfortably in an airplane seat, because space is tight. The third person? Your bartender.

Recommended Videos

The creative force behind Threesome Tollbooth is N.D. Austin. New York locals may recall Austin as the brains behind The Night Heron, a blatantly illegal jazz club that opened in 2013 in an abandoned Chelsea water tower. The artist’s resume, as it were, includes similar projects in Cairo and Iceland. Along with Ida C. Benedetto, Austin launched Sextantworks , a since-disbanded project through which the duo created “dozens of site-specific experiences inspired by generosity, location, intimacy, and transgression.” So, his creative influences are clear.

Ticketed guests are emailed the day of their reservation with instructions to meet Austin or his partner outside a heavily graffitied, but otherwise unassuming metal door in Bushwick. On the other side lies an alley, which leads to a literal broom closet inside a shuttered Italian restaurant. The closet has been repurposed with copious wood paneling and lined with proper mixology tools and mystery liquors (some homemade). For the better part of an hour, the two guests are treated to an exclusive tasting menu that changes from session to session. The exact pours are dictated by the whims of the bartender and the sense of adventure (or not) that the patrons bring to the evening.

Tickets are available now through Tock. Expect to wait at least a month to be seated. The pricing varies, but typical prime-time tickets run $120 per person, while early or late night seatings can be had for around $100. A pair of tickets includes one hour of private bartending service and a tasting menu with a handful of three-ounce “mini-cocktails.” The tip is included.

Editors' Recommendations

Mike Richard
Mike Richard
Contributor
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
The 10 best rosé wines that everyone should drink
It's time to finally try rosé
Rose wine glasses

Rosé rules -- no ifs, ands, or buts. You’ve most definitely seen dudes drinking rosé, with the pink wine sold in forties. Chances are, you’ve heard the term “brosé” at least once or twice in your life. Heck, people are cooking with rosé. Can you believe that? It's a sweet wine worth talking about.

All this talk about the drink prompted us to go on a quest to find the most exceptional ones this rosé season. With plenty of great options in the market, we chose to narrow down our list to these best rosé wines for your next hot date, guys' night, or solo Netflix binge. Still reluctant to try this magical wine? We listed seven reasons why you should start drinking rosé.
Best rosé wines

Read more
How to start your own home bar: the essential spirits
Home Bar

When you start getting into cocktails, drinking them is only half the fun -- making them is part of the appeal too. If you start making your own drinks at home, you'll soon find that you can often create better or more interesting drinks than what you're served in most bars. And even better, making drinks for other people is a great way to try out new combinations, learn about spirits, and make your friends and family happy too.

However, moving beyond the simple spirit plus mixer style of drinks which most people make at home and into the world of cocktails means that you'll need a wider array of spirits on hand than you might be used to. It can take some time and research to build up a well stocked bar, and choosing high quality spirits isn't a cheap endeavor. It's worth it, though, for the pleasure of being able to try out classic cocktail recipes and experiment with making up your own creations too.

Read more
You’re overlooking the most important ingredient in your cocktail
Steel Hibiscus cocktail.

When you list off the most important parts of making a good cocktail your mind likely goes immediately to good ingredients: quality spirits, freshly squeezed citrus juices, and well-matched mixers. You might also consider the importance of using the right tools, like getting a proper mixing glass so your stirred drinks can be properly incorporated, or a good strainer so that there aren't little shards of ice in your cocktails. And then there are the fun additions like elaborate garnishes, bitters, or home-made syrups which can add a personal touch to your drinks.
All of those things are important, absolutely. However I think there's one ingredient that can make or break a good cocktail, and it's something many drinkers don't ever stop to consider. It's the humble but vital ingredient of ice.

Why ice is so important
In mixed drinks like a gin and tonic or a screwdriver, ice is added to the drink primarily to chill it down to a pleasing temperature. That's a topic we'll come back to. But in cocktails which are shaken or stirred, ice is far more important than that. Cocktails are typically composed of between around 20 to 30 percent water, and this water comes from the ice used in the preparation process.
When you stir ingredients in a mixing glass or shake them in a shaker with ice, you are chipping away small pieces of the ice so that it dissolves and blends with your other ingredients. You might imagine that water doesn't make much of a difference to taste, being tasteless itself. But it's vital in opening up the flavors of other ingredients. That's why many whiskey drinkers like to add a dash of water to their whiskey when they drink it neat.
If you're ever in doubt of how important water is to cocktails, it's worth trying to make a drink with no ice. Even if you mix up the ideal ratios for a drink that you love and put it into the freezer so that it gets to the chilled temperature that you usually enjoy it at, if you sip it you'll find that your drink tastes harsh, unbalanced, and incomplete. Even for special room temperature cocktails like those designed to be drunk from a flask, you'll generally find water being added at a rate of around 30%.
When you make your cocktails you should be sure to stir for a long time – around 30 seconds is a good start – or to shake for a good while too – I typically do around 12 to 15 seconds – in order to melt enough ice to get plenty of water into your cocktail. Despite what you might imagine, this won't make the cocktail taste watery but will rather make the flavors stand out more as well as often improving the mouthfeel of the drink. A good rule of thumb is to mix or shake until the vessel is cold to the touch. That means your ingredients are sufficiently incorporated with the ice.

Read more