Address: 114 Franklin Street, New York, 10013, United States
Tel: +1 212-334-3733
Style: Cocktail bar
Albert Trummer, late of Apotheke, has moved on to this lush TriBeCa nightspot that promises to bring theatrical flair back to imbibing. The long, dark room lined with tables culminates in a stage-like marble bar, situated under a proscenium arch and lit to catch the eye. Circus performers and illusionists will be performing, but the menu was stripped down when we visited as the bar was debuting its new pop-up restaurant.
The approachable, friendly bartenders served up some drinks that looked fairly standard on the page but were very well made: my Passion de Lima, with passion fruit juice, pisco, lime, and homemade cherry bitters, was gorgeously balanced and not the sweet icky mess I'd feared. The Cachaca-samba showcased its namesake spirit with freshly muddled grapes and herbal notes. A brief negotiation with a bartender to swap a smoky mezcal for the originally-specified vodka in the Pink Panther cocktail with muddled strawberries and fennel elixir produced a superb drink. And the crowd was nicely laid back for such a chic spot, with good-humoured staff setting the tone.