NYC: Apotheke the "Cocktail Apothecary"

I am a strong believer in fresh juice cocktails, thus when I heard about Apotheke a few months back I was excited to check it out. Following in Sasha's Petroske footsteps, Apotheke (located in a former opium den in Chinatown), features cocktail elixir- this cocktail+vitamins= cocktail cure.


Seriously, based on how you are feeling, the bartender creates an alcoholic elixir packed with vitamins and herbs to, let's say, ward off a pending cold. Apotheke is located on Doyer St. and hidden behind an unassuming banner for a generic Chinese restaurant. When I finally made it over a few weeks ago (I attempted to go in December but it was closed), I had high hopes. My high hopes and excitement was met with police and a large group of people waiting outside the unassuming exterior- so much for a "hidden" bar. The cops were talking to some guy who I assumed must be the owner, so I decided to chat him up- we all know I don't believe in waiting in line. I asked him if he was the owner and he replied in a thick Austrian accent that he was, and I told him I was a food writer and was excited to check out his bar. We were let right in. My friend joked, "I am going to start going around saying I am a food writer."


We got inside and it was grossly packed. Barely room at the bar, Sasha would never allow this debacle. We wrestled to the front of the bar and I took a look at the line bar menu. Once I settled upon a Jasmine Sour, I took in my surroundings. The bar was like a chemist lab and the bartenders wore long white lab coats. The bar surface was cluttered with various vials filled with brown and green colored liquid with herbs and other unidentifiable objects. Conceptually, I liked Apotheke, but when my drink came, I was very disappointed.


My Jasmine Sour was so thick with egg white I left like I was consuming one of those shakes in the movies where you see the guy dropping raw eggs into a health drink, then downing it all (eliciting a gross "eww" from whoever is watching). Aside from the consistency, my drink tasted devoid of jasmine, it was just like, thick, sweet, and slightly alcoholic tasting, ew gross. And speaking about Jasmine cocktails, I had a rad one at Pure Food + Wine, that raw food resto on Irving Place.


All in all, Apotheke was kinda a bust. I guess I would go back, maybe give it another shot on a non-crowded night, but there are so many other awesome cocktail spots I just don't know. For someone not as crazy as me about food and drink, Apotheke can be enjoyed.

Apotheke
9 Doyers Street
212-406-0400