Apotheke is on Doyers Street in Chinatown, which is already one of the more atmospheric addresses in lower Manhattan. The street itself is a sharp curve that used to be called the Bloody Angle. The bar opened in 2008 and was built around the concept of a 19th-century European apothecary crossed with a Parisian absinthe den.

Bartenders wear white lab coats. The cocktail menu is organized by effect: Stress Relievers, Painkillers, Aphrodisiacs. The drinks are made with housemade ingredients, organic herbs, and botanicals, and they're genuinely inventive. The Aniki is one of the most cited drinks here, a green herbal cocktail that functions like something a pharmacist would hand you if pharmacists were allowed to be interesting.

Live music runs Sunday through Thursday, ranging from New Orleans brass to classic jazz to burlesque. First-come, first-served, no reservations. Architectural Digest included it on their list of best speakeasies in the country, which is accurate, though the building's address and the quality of the drinks do most of that work on their own.