10.20.2009

Apotheke: Legitimizing my "Health Drink"


Health Drink [helth dringk]   Noun.
   1. A drink that restores soundness of body or mind; freedom from disease or ailment: normally after a night of binge drinking.
   2. Any drink before noon.
   3. An alcoholic drink you pass off as part of your recommended five servings of vegetables and fruit, due to that delightful splash of cran. You know who you are.
Origin: Whoever invented the Bloody Mary. My hero.
Synonyms: the hair of the dog; pick-me-up; refresher; lifesaver.
Based on the Random HEAT Dictionary.

Drink to your health!! 
Just the excuse we all need. And it's the excuse for Apotheke, a speakeasy tucked away on the most random street in Chinatown. Looking like tourists, we were finally showed the front door, thanks to the help of a kind local, who knew where our destination had to be. Because we certainly weren't shopping for daikon at 11pm on a Saturday.
It wasn't easy to find, but opium dens don't exactly advertise, and Apotheke set up shop in an abandoned one on Doyers Street. This time around, 250 cocktails replace the hallucinogenic. Although absinthe cocktails can be found on the menu, under the heading Euphoric Enhancers. Other cocktail categories include Health and Beauty (cucumber, lychee, rose hips), Pain Killers (spicy, pepper laden), Stress Relief (chamomile, lavender infused), Aphrodisiacs (bubbly and cognac) Stimulants (espresso laden), and Pharmaceuticals (herbal remedies). I was particularly fond of the Lychee Three Ways, a health and beauty enhancer that made my skin glow!  ...I swear it wasn't sweat. 
Hidden and secret it is not - jam packed with a line of eager patrons outside, tolerating the rain. Alas, there ain't much else going on in Chinatown late on a Saturday night. Unless you like daikon.
Apotheke
9 Doyers Street
http://www.apothekebar.com/


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