When West Village speakeasy Employees opened just two decades ago on Hudson Street, a flood of stars poured in, demanding VIP treatment.
But this is not the drug’s MO
Months after the watering hole opened, Madonna’s caretakers tried to clear the site so the singer and her crew could drink in private.
“We were happy to welcome them, but they didn’t like the layout of our dining room because it was too open. There were no separate cabins. Her team was worried that she would be disturbed,” co-founder Dushan Zaric told The Post.
“She left because she wanted the whole dining room to herself and we couldn’t accommodate her. Of course we felt terrible,” he said.
It was nothing against Madonna. Zaris also recalled that the team had turned down the Olsen twins’ party of 12 because they didn’t have a backup. (Prince William and Kate Middleton, on the other hand, dined in the back garden after booking, while Elon Musk stayed until last call at 4am)
This week, Employees Only – which has been named one of the best cocktail bars in the world by the Spirited Awards – is celebrating its 20th anniversary by welcoming guest bartenders from around the world.
And usually tight-lipped employees told The Post about treating celebrity guests like Bill Murray, Leonardo DiCaprio and Mark Cuban like any other New Yorker who managed to get in the door.
“We’ve never wanted to make a big deal about a celebrity coming. It’s just not our style,” Zaric told The Post. “A lot of these people are used to being in places where everybody kisses their ass.”
Murray originally showed up because he wanted to have his palm read by the restaurant’s resident psychic.
“He came in to have his palm read by our psychic up front. He peered through the curtain and saw that there was indeed a bar inside, [then] asked, ‘Can you make me a dirty martini?'” Zaric recalled of the “Lost In Translation” star.
“I was speechless. I’ve never been star struck, but he’s my favorite actor. I said “Sir, I’m going to make you the best dirty martini you’ve ever had.” And personally, I hate dirty martinis,” said Zaric. “So I made him an extra dirty martini and he tried it and said, ‘You’re not lying, I’ll be back next week for another one.’ He took his drink and continued his session with the psychologist.”
Other A-listers preferred to slip under the radar. When a manager approached Leonardo DiCaprio – who arrived late on a Sunday, with a “much younger model”, to see a burlesque show – he said: “No photos, please”.
But the woman said, “No, I need you to move for the performance.”
Before marrying “Saturday Night Live” star Colin Jost in 2020, Scarlet Johansson blended into the “Employees Only” crowd.
“We put her on a corner table – no one bothered her for more than a year. She didn’t come all dressed up. She was really down to earth,” recalls Zaric.
But, he added, they saw less of him after a fan recognized the “Avengers” star and asked for a photo.
One person who didn’t mind posing for fans is Shark Tank star Mark Cuban, who also left a $1,000 tip — and tried his hand at bartending.
“He went back there, put his jacket on and played a little bit,” Zaric said. “I got a kick out of it.”
But the best things happened before everyone started posting pictures on social media.
“People would get up and dance in the bar. We didn’t have an iPhone. We didn’t have social media. You can really go under the radar,” Zaric recalls.
Patrons regularly got so loose — and lively — that Employees Only called a cozy nook between the bar and the front window “the bad corner.” And the lost-and-found bar is full of souvenirs from patrons’ wild nights: designer shoes, jewelry, even an unearthed diamond engagement ring nestled in one of the booths.
When Employees Only opened in December 2004, five mixologists — Zaric, Henry Lafargue, Igor Hadzismajlovic, Jason Kosmas and Bill Gilroy — saw the potential for a craft cocktail bar that focused on fresh ingredients but didn’t take itself too seriously. His Manhattan take, with a stronger rye, contrasting proportions of vermouth and a touch of Grand Marnier, sparked imitators as well as outposts in Singapore, Sydney and Los Angeles.
And two decades later, everything old is new again, Zaric said.
In 2004, the espresso martini was a staple. “I poured rivers of those things. Then he died,” Zaric said, calling him “dead and buried.”
Now, the drink isn’t on the menu yet — but it’s EO’s most-ordered cocktail, generating a million dollars in annual revenue, an employee told The Post.
Zariq said: “He has come out of the grave.”
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