A speakeasy, mixologist doctors, and farm-to-bar practice? Yup, you can find all of these things at Apotheke in Chinatown.
In the corner of a quiet street in Chinatown, you’ll see a red sign that reads “Gold Flower Restaurant”. Don’t worry, you’re in the right place. The door through this faux facade is where you’ll find Apotheke. Inside is a sleek mixology den, cozy, and lined with couches and chairs leading up to the bar. All cocktails here are made with local and organic produce from local greenmarkets or picked straight from their rooftop herb garden. Bet you didn’t expect that from a bar, huh?
All of the cocktails are broken down into categories paying homage to the apothecary theme, like “Healthy & Beauty”, “Stress Relievers” and “Pain Killers”. I went for Kale In Comparison (Aylesbury DuckVodka, Kale Juice, Pineapple, Ginger, Sea Bean, Lime, Digestive Tincture, Agave). I like to refer to this one as a garden party, you feel like you’re having a juice pressed cocktail. It has a salted rim, but the drink itself is slightly sweet with the freshness and flavor of greens and kale. I can safely say I haven’t had a drink quite like it before, and I loved it.
The Shorts:
Name: Apotheke
Location: 9 Doyers Street, NYC
The Long and Short: Would I go back? Well, I’ve been going since they opened a few years ago, so, yes, I’m going to continue my support.
Would I recommend it? For sure. The cocktails are on the pricy side, but, it’s well worth the experience. Insider tip: commonly mispronounced, it’s “Aah-Poe-Tek”.