12 Postcards
Tucked away in Chinatown, Apotheke serves up creative medicinal cocktails in a stylish setting that blends 19th-century apothecary vibes with a vibrant outdoor patio.
"Located on the outskirts of Chinatown, this is the LA location of a fancy NYC cocktail bar where bartenders wear vintage white pharmaceutical coats. Are the costumes necessary? Probably not, but the medicinal-themed cocktails made from a bunch of tinctures are fantastic, like the "Bounceback" with Earl Grey-infused gin and red bell pepper. And don’t let the theme fool you, Apotheke isn't a speakeasy at all. There's a massive back patio where you can people-watch and listen to the DJ playing disco tracks." - brant cox, sylvio martins
"Apotheke is an extremely fancy cocktail lounge in Chinatown, with expensive and complicated drinks. That goes for the non-alcoholic ones, too. They make their N/A cocktails with Kin Euphorics, which, despite a name that sounds like a multi-level marketing company your retired uncle will tell you is definitely not a pyramid scheme, are actually good, weird “adaptogenic” beverages that give you something resembling an alcohol-free buzz. And even if it’s just psychosomatic, that doesn’t mean you won’t still feel good sitting on the back patio drinking them." - brett keating
"Located on the outskirts of Chinatown, this is the LA location of a fancy NYC cocktail bar where bartenders wear vintage white pharmaceutical coats. Are the costumes necessary? Probably not, but the medicinal-themed cocktails made from a bunch of tinctures are fantastic, like the “Bounceback” with Earl Grey-infused gin and red bell pepper for extra bite. Unlike its predecessor, this Apotheke isn’t a speakeasy at all. There's a massive back patio where you can people-watch and listen to the DJ playing disco tracks." - Kat Hong, Nikko Duren, Sylvio Martins, Brant Cox
"Playing things casual is great, but sometimes you want to make everyone dress up to celebrate your birth. Apotheke is a speakeasy/jazz bar with a fun crowd of people wearing nice outfits, and fits right in the sweet spot of loud but not obnoxious. Take over a corner on the big back patio and let your friends buy you a bunch of fantastic $16 cocktails as your birthday present." - brant cox, brett keating
"What It Is: A new cocktail bar in Chinatown Perfect For: Impressing Out-Of-Towners, See And Be Seen If the name Apotheke sounds familiar, you might know it as the speakeasy/jazz bar your friends took you to in NYC. Update: There’s one in LA now. Much like the NYC original, all the cocktails at this Chinatown bar are apothecary/medicinal-themed, and fantastic enough to soften the blow of the $16 price point. The interior is fairly small, but there’s a big patio in the back with its own bar that we predict everyone will be drinking at by summer. Or next weekend. Go now before the line’s down the block. Verdict: One of the coolest cocktail bars to open in LA in a while. It’s going on the Bar Hit List." - jess basser sanders, brant cox, brett keating
