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Sasha Petraske, the cocktail-world titan behind such esteemed New York bars as Little Branch, Middle Branch, Dutch Kills and, most notably, the game-changing Milk and Honey, passed away today in Hudson, NY. He was 42. Though cause of death is still unknown, it is reported that Petraske was temporarily living in Hudson as part of a consulting job.
Petraske's Milk and Honey, which would go on to launch a sibling outpost in London, is widely credited as pioneering the modern speakeasy movement and served as training ground for some of the city's most accomplished barkeeps, including Pouring Ribbon's Toby Malone. We mourned the loss of the original Milk and Honey when it shuttered on New Year's Eve 2012, and now we join a city of cocktail lovers in mourning the man at its heart. Here's to you.
If not for Sasha Petraske, we'd all be shaking Manhattans. Except many of us wouldn't be bartenders, and most of our bars wouldn't exist.
— Matt Piacentini (@matt_piacentini) August 21, 2015
Raise your glasses to the passing of a legend. Sasha Petraske helped to change the way the world drinks. https://t.co/VY1B6I9Ga3
— Russell Davis (@Russell_Davis) August 21, 2015
In shock. Sasha helped invent modern cocktail culture, when it was still a counter-culture. https://t.co/WkeLrcOkqe
— Pete Wells (@pete_wells) August 21, 2015
Sasha Petraske - Without this man, we'd all still be drinking Cosmopolitans. Thank you Sasha, and Goodnight? pic.twitter.com/znXUgeGbkZ
— C Sager-Wilde (@c_sagerwilde) August 21, 2015
What a damn shame. He was a legend and, for many of us, a hero. My heart goes out to his family, friends and staff. http://t.co/K2RwTHGR5R
— Derek Brown (@betterdrinking) August 21, 2015
Ah man....so young. RIP Sasha Petraske. Many a great memory at his great Nyc bars. Raise a glass.
— josh groban (@joshgroban) August 21, 2015
At Von. At Milk and Honey. At Little Branch. In the minds & mannerisms of so many bartenders. Sasha Petraske hung the moon. RIP old friend.
— Jordana Rothman (@jordanarothman) August 21, 2015