The Tippler

The Tippler is a difficult place to get a handle on. The cavernous neo-industrial space beneath gourmet destination - and former Nabisco biscuit factory - Chelsea Market has exposed brick, a long marble bar, and Oriental rugs, while the cocktail menu from "Tippling Bros." Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay is long, detailed, and full of very complicated drinks. The bar food is top-notch, but the place is absolutely overrun with the bridge-and-tunnel crowd on weekends, overflowing from Meatpacking District clubland. Weekdays are more sedate, and one recent Sunday night found the bar all but deserted.

After taking in the lengthy menu, I settled on a Pendennicillin, a melding of the Pendennis (a gin-and-apricot-brandy sour) and Sam Ross's Penicillin (Scotch, lemon, honey, ginger). This had Beefeater, Famous Grouse, Ardbeg, Bitter Truth apricot liqueur, honey, ginger, lemon, lime and smoked salt: possibly too many moving parts: all I tasted was acid and salt in overwhelming quantities.

Barkeep Aaron noticed that I was struggling and kindly replaced my drink with an Improved Wisecracker - Ron Zacapa 23, Meletti amaro, demerara, lemon, and harissa powder. This was very good and much more balanced. I also couldn't let the evening end without one of the bar's "Lushies" frozen cocktails. My "Spazerac" was a perfectly-frozen slushy Sazerac, and I'm looking forward to returning on some quieter summer evening.