Tucked into the elbow of Chinatown’s Doyers Street—a narrow, storied bend that feels like a set piece (and indeed has been)—Apotheke trades in equal parts cocktails and atmosphere.
The room itself is nearly cave-dark—romantic, yes, but dim enough that if you’ve dressed to impress, your date may have to take your word for it. That’s fine; at $20 a pop, this isn’t likely a linger-all-night lounge so much as a place for a round or two orbiting dinner plans. The space isn't big–just a handful of small tables and banquettes, so you’re likely to hear the conversation around you. But it doesn’t feel cramped or uncomfortable and the music stayed at a nice, balanced level.
Service here is excellent—precise and helpful without airs, with a server happy to guide your choices. Cocktails arrive with the kind of polish that suggests serious prep and skill behind the bar, and servers add theatrical flourishes—torching garnishes, igniting citrus oils—just enough to elicit an impressed utterance or whistle from across the table. It’s a quick but effective performance and it lands. Still, I’d be curious to see if the server was directed to put on a show even if they perceived the guests were locked way into conversation.
The drinks themselves are complex but not alienating; you can read the menu and have a fair sense of what you’re in for, which is a relief on one hand but also means that the menu isn’t quite as much of an adventure as some contemporaries. The menu is organized into cute categories like Health and Beauty, Aphrodisiacs, and Stress Relievers, but the designations appeared, at least to my eye, arbitrary. We ordered around and didn’t perceive delineating features. No matter. The Victoria Quay—vodka with pineapple, cardamom, lemon, green chartreuse, and cilantro—is sweet but not like candy, its herbaceous streak adding a surprising, playful lift and aroma. The Days Before Spring (pisco, cachaça, matcha, coconut, absinthe, bee pollen, blue viola flower) opens floral and intense, then settles quickly into a rounded, boozy sweetness that makes it easy to keep sipping. Both were layered, balanced, and worthy of taking a few moments to appreciate–as were all of the other cocktails sampled during our visit. None were challenging. Depending on your tastes, you might fairly read that as an invitation or a disclaimer.
Taken together—the tucked-away location, the sultry lighting, the deft service, and the cocktails that hit on multiple levels—Apotheke delivers on the promise of its location. It’s the sort of spot that will earn you NYC credibility with visiting friends or family, the kind of “how did you even find this?” place that feels hidden but isn’t, really.