Apothecary Bar and Lounge

[Tim Dolan]

Apothecary opens tonight, and with it the trend of cocktail focused bars and lounges comes to our city. I'll leave the comparisons to other places to those who frequent NYC. I myself am very much a beer drinker, but I'm still fairly excited to check this place out. Katie I'm assuming this place has to be at the top of your list...

[KatieLoeb]

Tim, I'll be checking this out tonight provided I get out of my bar early enough. My initial sneak peek at the menu left me intrigued, albeit confused as to why the menu was so wordy. I really appreciate a minimalist approach to describing food and cocktails. Just tell me what's in it and I'm good. I have several friends on the staff at Apothecary as well as being acquainted with the consultant that set up the bar. They're all talented folks and I have no doubt the cocktails will be spectacular. I hear it's really gorgeous inside too. I'm looking forward to checking it out.

[wkl]

i'm psyched to check this out but,

katie put it much more tactfully than i will......that menu is silly.

can something containing rhum,cachaca,bitters.etc be antioxidating?

[Capaneus]

i'm psyched to check this out but,

katie put it much more tactfully than i will......that menu is silly.

can something containing rhum,cachaca,bitters.etc be antioxidating?

←

Sure. Almost everything contains something or other with antioxidant properties. In fact, alcohol could also be truthfully advertised as fat-free. All of which, of course, means very little. After all, cyanide is low-calorie and less filling .

[KatieLoeb]

Well, I tried to get in tonight at about 12:20AM but the door was locked. I could see there were several people inside as well as at least two barkeeps I recognized, but I have to assume they were all staff or something at that point. Tried to call the cell phone of one of my buddies but got voice mail, so we gave up and went around the corner to Time. I'll check back again in the near future. It being opening night and all and hearing that they were opening without all of the special orders in place, maybe they closed early because they got overwhelmed or ran out of stuff. Who knows? I was at work myself, so I don't know what happened earlier in the night when I was several blocks away at my bar.

[Vadouvan]

Went last night.

Drinks are quite good, very similar to Tailor, PDT , PEGU.

I wonder how quickly they can bang them out when they are busy but drinks are great.

The food menu is not very exciting but really the issue is the language, very confusing and I suspect that will be changed rather quickly.

The roof deck should be fun.

Def a place to check out.

[TVC]

I'm heading down to Philly this weekend and am looking forward to checking this place out. The cocktail program was done by Paul Tanguay and Tad Carducci, so the drinks are probably fantastic. Second floor, rooftop garden? How many seats are at this place? It's very challenging to maintain consistency and service at that kind of volume. I hope this convinces Southwark to get a Kold Draft machine, because I love sitting at the bar there and talking to those guys. I'd rather have a proper rye drink than echinacea in my cocktail anyday.

[philadining]

Yo V, what did you drink? And TVC, did you check it out? If so please let us know what you thought.

We stopped in on friday night and had a mixed experience. The place was pretty packed (ground floor only, the second floor and roof deck are not open yet) but we managed to grab a table in the front. The bar in the back was wall-to-wall people.

Non-drink things: the appearance of the place is pretty nice, it has a minimal, modern, slick thing going on. It's all hard, flat surfaces though, so as you might guess, it gets cacophonous when it's full of drinking people. Seating at the tables out front felt a little cramped, and the tables and chairs themselves felt more oriented toward eating food than lounging with a drink.

As mentioned above the menu prose is a bit over-the-top. (see it on the Food and Drinq blog) The choices are overwhelming, the descriptions, while often amusing, are not all that clear. As Vadouvan suggested, I hope they'll streamline the menus a little. Our server was very friendly and attentive.

Now, the drinks: On of our party availed himself of the good beer selection and was very happy with his Flying Dog Gonzo Porter, Old Speckled Hen Ale, and Carlsberg lager (all on draft) and with the fact that one has the opportunity to order a half-pint if desired.

I started with a Corpse Reviver #1 (AppleJack, Brandy, sweet vermouth) which I liked quite a lot. Fearless Drinking Partner went off-menu and asked for a Pegu Club Cocktail. Our server returned a short time later and apologized that the bar said they couldn't make it, because they didn't have any tea. That would have been fine if there were tea in a Pegu Club, but hey, it's a slightly obscure cocktail, we just figured this crew would know it. (It's Gin, Cointreau, Lime and bitters, by the way, all elements I'm confident they had on-hand.)

As a replacement, she ordered an Aviation (Gin, Maraschino, Crème de Violette and lemon juice). Unfortunately, this had an odd, medicinal aftertaste, reminiscent of having taken a handful of vitamins. I know the place is called Apothecary, but still... All four of us made a weird face after tasting it, and at least two of us have had this drink before, and had enjoyed it.

And so, we embarked on an experiment. Of course we could have complained about it, but we always feel strange about simply saying we don't like something. If we get the wrong thing, or if it's clearly done badly, we'll mention it, but if it's correct but just not to our liking, we figure that's really our fault. And this was in a gray area, was it badly mixed, or do we just not like this correctly-made drink? Anyway, FDP immediately ordered another drink, and left the Aviation sitting, barely touched, maybe 6 small sips out of it, in plain view. We didn't bring it up, but passive-agressively hoped that our server would notice that we didn't like it. Didn't happen. Later, a different server came by and offered to clear some glasses, and when we asker her to take that one, she did ask if we hadn't enjoyed it. FDP said that she'd had the drink before, but this one had an unpleasant aftertaste. This server (or perhaps a manager?) seemed very well-informed, and explained that it could be the Creme de Violet, which was an original ingredient in the drink, but had been left out of many modern recipes. She admitted that it took her a little while to get used to that flavor too. So, apparently it's the traditional recipe, and it's not interesting to them that we found it unpleasant! (Yes the drink was on our bill.)

FDP's back-up drink was a Sage Wisdom (Clèment Premier Canne White Rhum Agricole, Clèment Créole Shrubb, fresh white grapefruit, fresh sage leaves, gingko, pineapple-sage foam.) This was fairly tasty, the herbs giving a mysterious twist, the foam adding a nice creamy mouthfeel.

For a second drink I ordered the Tippling Bros. Magical Pain Extractor (Amaro, Q Tonic, fresh mint and rosemary, cayenne extract, bitter apple foam). This was interesting, complex, and may indeed have extracted some pain.

We also sampled an Immunity Idol (Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur, fresh pineapple and orange, champagne, orange bitters, echinacea, hawthorn root and elderberry liniment, with inebriated berries) which was nice enough, and an El Floridita Daiquiri

(Rhum, Luxardo Maraschino, fresh lime) which was also fairly pleasant.

But, the sad fact is that although the Aviation was the only drink we actively disliked, the Corpse Reviver was the only one we truly enjoyed. The others were interesting, unusual, novel, but didn't bring a whole lot of joy, didn't inspire us to want to get another one. And at $11-12 each, I'd hope to at least enjoy them.

I am not a bartender, but here's my amateur theory: I think most of these drinks have too much going on. There are too many tinctures and herbs and spices and other flavorings deployed all at once, and those, regardless of their numbers, those accents are added heavy-handedly. I enjoy bitter flavors, I drink bitter ales, I order cocktails with bitters in them, but many of these drinks we sampled struck me as unpleasantly bitter, with a vaguely medicinal flavor.

That said, it's the first few days they're open, they were very busy, and our reactions could come down to personal taste. But I've been pleased with unusual cocktails at Pegu Club, PDT, Tailor and Employees Only in NY. Back here in Philly, I've had many inventive concoctions from Katie Loeb at Chicks, and classic cocktails at Southwark, and have always enjoyed them, rather than staring quizzically at my glass wondering "what IS that flavor?"

I'm most certainly going to head back and check them out again once they've gotten settled, but after one visit, they have not replaced Chick's and Southwark as my preferred cocktail destinations in town, and have not quelled my desire to head to NY for cutting-edge drinks.

Edited May 11, 2008 by philadining (log)

[TVC]

My experience was very mixed as well. There were five of us on a Saturday night. The bar area was filled but we immediately found a table near the front. We each got something different from the menu. I agree, there seems to be a lot going on. I had the Meditation on 13th St. (Makers, walnut liqueur, allspice liqueur, three kinds of bitters, cava cava, rosemary, egg white), which was interesting to read about but real confusing on the palate. My wife had the Clever Club which was extremely tart. Others had the Corpse Reviver and the Tippling Bros. Magical Pain Elixir and they enjoyed them. Service was attentive and for how busy it was, very prompt.

For my second round, I ordered a Sazerac which was not only spot on but brought to me by the bartender himself. He said he wanted to come over to our table as we were ordering interesting off menu cocktails (Pink Lady, Last Word). It's always good to geek out with fellow cocktail aficionados and this made me feel there may be some labor of love behind the place after all.

I say that because the lay out, protocol and decor of the place seem to in no way be suited to a cocktail bar. The music was loud and very inappropriate I thought. The place seems vast, cold, industrial, too modern. The focal point is not the bar.The tabletops and seating reminded me of the food court at the Cherry Hill mall. Nothing about the narrative says "relax, this will be a place where you can be a grown up and enjoy a drink". They pack people in, standing room. The place was overall just hectic. Our party couldn't really talk to one another because of the volume and acoustics of the place and people bumping into us. I think I'd rather go to McGlinchey's at that point because if it's every man for himself at the bar and there are rowdy college kids to contend with - I think a cheap Yuengling would be more suitable.

Sure it was a Saturday but elaborate, crafted cocktails just don't work for me in that environment. I think it will turn people off of cocktails. Our bill was $112. We were there for about 90 minutes. We didn't try the food, just drinks. I think for now on, when we're in Philly and want cocktails, we'll just get a table at Southwark and then swing by and see Katie.

[Vadouvan]

In all fairness, they are not at full capacity yet so things may even out.

It will be interesting to see the publics view of the prices, though expensive, defintely not overpriced for the quality of ingredients.

Philadining...I actually forgot the name but I had the drink with Rosemary, a bit too bitter on the aftertaste for me, wears out the palate

[KatieLoeb]

I did finally make it over to Apothecary on Thurday last and had three quite enjoyable cocktails. First up was the Two Sheiks "Al Ikseer" with Milagro Reposado Tequila, green Chartreuse, blackberries, beetroot syrup, citrus, tincture of feverfew and Fee’s Old Fashioned Bitters. This was really interesting and earthy with the beetroot syrup providing a bright fuschia color to the drink. Next was the Sage Wisdom; Clèment Premier Canne White Rhum Agricole, Clèment Créole Shrubb, fresh white grapefruit, fresh sage leaves, gingko, pineapple-sage foam. The pineapple sage foam really made this drink. I think this was my favorite. Lastly, the Rustoleo with Brazilian Cachaca, Flor de Caña Nicaraguan Rum, honey liqueur, açaí, fresh blueberries, lemon, with chocolate molé bitters and European bilberry extract. This was tasty as well, but a bit of sensory overload for me. A bit like that scene in Amadeus where the Emperor tells Mozart his composition has "too many notes".

The bar has been set up with a enviable selection of bitters and garnishes. I'd love to have half the stuff they have on their bar.

I'm personally over the moon that someone (other than SRO, most importantly) has bothered to open a "proper" cocktail bar in Philly. It raises the bar (so to speak) for all of us that take it seriously. There've already been discussions with the Apothecary bar management and the gentlemen of Southwark on how to band together and make the purveyors of some of the harder to find/obscure cocktail ingredients more inclined to help all of us acquire those liqueurs and spirits we'd like at our bars. This is a very good thing for everyone.

I thank all of you for the love. I'm personally acquainted with both the consultant that set up the beverage program at Apothecary and the bar staff. These folks are all hard working, creative, dedicated and passionate professionals. They all out-geek me by a wide margin, and I have a lot of respect for that. Like anywhere else that's new, I'd give them some time to get set up as they wish to be, and get the kinks shaken out. If one finds that Apothecary isn't to their liking at that point, then there are alternatives. I'm not afraid I'll see any of you less because there's somewhere else to go. Heck, I'd even be happy to be on the other side of the bar with you on one of my nights off! It's my sincere hope all of you can be as happy as I am that there's someone focusing a bright light on the cocktail culture in this town that has been dissed and dismissed for far too long.

Edited May 12, 2008 by KatieLoeb (log)

[TVC]

I'm sure Apothecary will help advance Philly's cocktail scene. A "rising tide lifts all boats" philosophy, has been key in elevating the NYC cocktail culture. The Tippling Bros. have provided an impressive menu - egg whites, hard to find liqueurs and bitters, Kold Draft, etc. The staff at Apothecary seem very committed and passionate about their craft. The service was not only excellent but enthusiastic. I can't wait to go back once the rooftop and second floor are open. Perhaps I can make it at off peak hours, so I can sit at the bar.

With that said, it's essential that the staff have a chance to share that enthusiasm with their patrons. Crowd control and even music are important for that or people are essentially going to have the same experience as any other lounge or busy bar. The interaction with the bartender, seeing first hand the skill and technique required to build a great drink, hearing the piston like shake with heavy ice in a tin on tin mixer, will make a convert of even the most skeptical of beer drinkers. Not everyone can sit at the bar but somehow that narrative, those focal points need to be better communicated.

[philadining]

Yeah, I'm confident that sitting at the bar is a much better experience, it usually is anywhere. I'm absolutely willing to give them another try - I sincerely hope there will be more creative cocktail destinations in town, so I'd like to like them!

As I mentioned, the Corpse Reviver #1 was spot-on, and the Sage Wisdom was pretty tasty, and interesting, if not a new favorite. But too high of a percentage of the drinks we got on friday night inspired furrowed brows rather than contented smiles. I'm thrilled to find original cocktails that don't involve Tang, Gummi Bears and Jagermeister, but I'd like them to be delicious, not just challenging. I'm willing to entertain the idea that what we got was a fluke.

As for the crowd-control issue that TVC mentioned, as much as I hate having to wait outside a bar, I'd have to agree that they could have benefitted from limiting the numbers a bit. They did have a young woman at the front on friday who seemed to be theoretically serving that function, but sadly, I think they need a cliché big scary dude to do that, we saw more than a few people just walk right past her into the already jammed bar area.

We got a little annoyed up at Pegu Club one night when the doorman wouldn't let us in, even though friends were holding seats for us upstairs. We tried every possible argument, but the guy wasn't interested. While it seemed a little ridiculous at the time (I'm OK with waiting for drinks, but can I do it with my friends upstairs?) I have to respect the greater concept that the management did not want the bar to be overwhelmed.

So, again, it's early, the whole space isn't even open yet, and the bartenders might not have been completely in a groove. I recommend that more folks go and check it out, and let us know what they find!

[mattohara]

Closed on Mondays! !@#$

[KatieLoeb]

I know that many of you were aware of the Hendrick's Medicine Show that took place at Apothecary Bar on Tuesday September 30, 2008. Drew Lazor of City Paper was one of the three judges for the event and has posted his take on the event as well as some great photos in the Clog this week.

My drink was the tall fizzy Filomena's Panacea, a Hendricks, lime cordial, St. Germain and cucumber-cilantro Collins. That's me in the bright pink saloon girl dress pouring a couple before the judges. The YouTube video of Christian's limerick recital is fantastic as well. Looking forward to having Christian represent Philly at the finals in L.A. Fun seeing what other bartenders are doing with the Hendrick's.

[mod*betty]

I have read the initial flurry of posts from when Apothecary opened in May and was wondering if anyone has been there recently and could give an update if there have been any major changes- I am planning on heading there on Saturday night for a Rhum Clement "tiki" event and wanted to get the latest word on the place so I know what to expect. (I have a soft spot for Tiki/Polynesian stuff since I come from the land of Kowloon in Saugus, and there doesn't seem to be any of that type of thing in the PA area.)

Not sure if anyone here is interested in Tiki drinks but I am sure they are going to be much better than your run of the mill Mai Tai!

[philadining]

I have been back a few times since my last post, and have had much better experiences there. I found that I liked the cocktails much better when going off-menu, ordering either a classic cocktail, or just letting the bartenders run wild, making whatever they wanted to. I've been very happy with those results, and so it may be that I just didn't personally care for the recipes of many of the cocktails on their menu.

They definitely have knowledgeable and talented bartenders there, and are working with good ingredients, so one can get excellent cocktails there. To raise those odds, I'd say sit at the bar and have a conversation with the bartender about your preferences. I now that's not always possible, but it's the key to having an excellent experience.

It sounds like Mod*Betty will have specific drinks to work from at that special event, so there might not be much customization to be done, but at other times, sit at the bar and tell your bartender what you like.

Have I mentioned that you should sit at the bar?

It's not that the servers are bad, we've actually had a couple that were very knowledgeable about the drinks, but you're just another step removed from the actual construction of the cocktail. If you're ordering off the menu, or getting classic cocktails with no tweaky variations, you'll probably be fine anywhere. But for the full-on experience. sit at the bar.

I posted some other details a while back on my blog.

Hey Mod*Betty, tell us how it was! And no, I don't think there's anything quite like Kowloon around here... And wow, that place is more Trader Vic's than Trader Vic's!