[title]
As speakeasy-themed bars continue to roll out across town, one of the most authentic expressions of the form, and one of the oldest speakeasies in New York, Apotheke, opens its second location in the city since its original debuted in Chinatown's iconic alley on Doyers Street back in 2008.
This latest iteration of Apotheke, opening tomorrow at 9 West 26th Street by Broadway in NoMad, follows a second one that debuted in Downtown Los Angeles in 2018.
The venue will focus on the sort of botanical-forward cocktails that the original location is known for but, for the first time ever, visitors will also get to order food on-premise. Expect small plates and shareable dishes like caviar and dumplings to pepper the food menu.
Drink-wise, director of mixology and culinary arts Nicolas O'Connor has crafted a menu that will feature all-new formulas that he has defined as the next evolution of the company's garden-to-glass ethos. These include the Voyage in the Blue (blue spirulina-infused gin, blue borage flower and APO Illuminate bitters) and the Live and Learn (turmeric-infused cachaça, gooseberry, salty fingers and APO Cerebral bitters).
The space itself is actually split into two sections: a basement speakeasy that can sit up to 74 people and boasts an aurora rose marble bar and a staircase drenched in hundreds of dried herbs and wildflowers is officially opening tomorrow while the penthouse lounge—complete with floor-to-ceiling stained-glass windows overlooking Madison Square Park and the Empire State Building—will launch later this summer.
Lest you think Apotheke NoMad to be a more commercial, less speakeasy-devoted endeavor than its Chinatown counterpoint, think again: the project was designed by the late co-founder Christopher Tierney, who also designed both the original Apotheke and its award-winning California interpretation.