You’ve all heard about the “bright” new face on McKinney, Private|Social.  The food, good.  The service, fantastic.  The drinks, BLOW MY MIND AMAZING.  Rocco Milano (formerly of The Mansion) has, once again, showed up behind the bar and made a damn good cocktail.  When I learned of Rocco’s departure from the Mansion, I knew there was something good in store for Dallas’s bar scene.

I grabbed a small table on the porch on a crowded (inside) night and Eugene greeted me and made SURE I knew that happy hour was on but not for much longer – I love a water who looks after my (best?) interest.  When you get to Private|Social, find out where Eugene is serving and refuse to sit unless he’s your server.  Yes, he’s that good (he even offered to split the check without us having to say a word).

The scene is very Uptown and if you plan to go, plan ahead and give yourself plenty of time to get a table/spot at the bar and don’t rush the experience (mostly because you can’t).

The drinks at PS were incredibly strong and had a character all their own.  I started with a Moscow Mule (I usually try to start with an old standard to test the drink strength).  The mule definitely was a treat, but wasn’t as good as the Mule at Cedars Social – but it’d be hard to beat the CS Mule.

Skinny Bubbles – not worth it.  It was too sweet and I decided not to waste my calories on it (though I’m not a huge champagne fan to begin with).

Vesper – I. DIE.  The Vesper was delicious even though it wasn’t James Bond’s Vesper.  The Vesper had more than taste … it had a kick to it.  I felt like I had been kicked with a steel-toed boot by the time I got to the bottom of the glass.

Italian Old Fashion – the classic, with a twist — it was another of their drinks that one would have to drink SLOWWWWLY (because, well, it’s pretty damn strong, too).  Luckily, the brilliance that is Rocco is clever enough to use the correct ice for a scotch/whisk(e)y/bourbon-based drink, a giant ice ball which keeps the drink from getting watered down.

Things That Make You Go HUM – this was quite a treat.  It’s on the menu now, but when Rocco let us try it, it had only been thought up a mere 36 hours before.  A hint of licorice (absinthe), Hum Botanical, Strega, and bit of lemon, egg white, and syrup came together and have been added to my list of favorite drinks in Dallas currently.  This is a MUST TRY at Private|Social.

Somewhere in Between – Another new Rocco creation (now on the menu) that we got to preview and another winner.  Rum, lemon juice, and (Angostura) bitters make this drink that was passed around the table and became a quick favorite of all.  It’s another PS drink not to be missed.

Enjoy your time here (with the wonderful Eugene) – if you want to meet me, just offer to buy me a drink here and I’m all over it.  🙂

PRIVATE|SOCIAL
privatesocial.com | @privatesocial
3232 MCKINNEY AVE. | 214.754.4744