Having noticed that the other Apotheke locations take reservations, I had been emailing Emilio, General Manager, about a res when I mentioned I was coming in for a birthday drink with a friend. I asked whether they offered a sparkler in one of their unique cocktails, but he didn’t respond.

I wondered how he’d handle it, so I didn’t email again!

He didn’t, but Abby, our lovely waitress at — according to Architectural Digest—one of the “Best Speakeasies in the US,” did. Their 2020 book, “Apotheke: Modern Medicinal Cocktails” describes the establishment as “the original New York City cocktail apothecary that applies mixology to the world of plant science wellness.”

The music had already started when we arrived. We happily were seated upstairs, far away from it. Our lovely waitress helped us select our drinks from the unique menu. The bartenders, dressed in white lab coats like pharmacists, blend the housemade ingredients using organic produce, herbs and botanicals with liquor.

The birthday girl selected the blue velvet ($21) made with gin, Cremant de Bourgogne and fresh lavender. Curiously, we wondered why the drink was red.

My Waking Lilith ($25) was a tableside production. Our waitress, Abby, first lit cinnamon bark to create smoke, covered it with the glass, then added the  Rye, Cynar with Espresso and, a touch of maple syrup and some bitters. Delicious.

Abby—seeing the “Happy Birthday” sash on my friend—brought each of us a glass of absinthe as a treat to help celebrate her birthday.

 A fun speakeasy to start your evening with a drink — especially when on a Chinatown crawl on Doyer Street, part of Old Chinatown.

Apotheke Chinatown NYC
Chinatown
9 Doyers Street
New York, NY 10013
212-406-0400
apothekemixology.com