At the Brandy Library, in Tribeca, a stylish crowd stays up late

studying their Cognacs, Armagnacs, Calvados, and each other.

(As featured in the "New Yorker Magazine" January 10th 2005)

Brandy Library

More often than not, bottles of liquor are kept behind the bar and at a distance from patrons.  Not so at this newly opened outpost of after-dinner culture, where softly lit single-malt Scotches, amber Cognacs and Armagnacs, and glistening Calvados are lined up on shelves along each wall, just begging to be touched.  And, like books in the library, hundreds of bottles are there to be sampled and perused at will.  The intimate room has elegant round wood tables and soft leather chairs, the music is strictly 20th century Jazz (the Pianist Joel Forrester is at the upright on Monday nights), and there are high-end bar snacks available.  It's a space designed for lingering; the owner, Flavien Desoblin, a native Burgundian , says he'll often sniff a glass of Armagnac 20 times before taking the first sip.