Alchemy Aqua Vitae — Restaurant in Lincoln

One of the best, if not THE best, cocktail bars in the Haymarket area. The atmosphere is amazing and has a unique balance of dark and light. It's upscale but not extravagant, Gothic-esque yet very warm, open and inviting at the same time. There are no TV's, and the inclusion of one would only dilute the overall experience. What is not diluted are the cocktails, which are phenomenal. In particular, I'm quite fond of whats in the 'old fashioned' section on their list, as well as whatever comes served in the apothecary ice cream dish glasses. They have laundry list of bourbons (50+), a healthy selection of scotches, and a great selection of other fine spirits as well. Expect to pay $8 to $15 dollars for their creations, but what you get in return is worth every penny. Not that I encourage you to stray off the list, but I was told (but did not verify) they also carry beer and the like if that's your fancy. Finally, the owners/managers/staff are as amazing as their atmosphere and drinks. This is a 'must stop' place if you are in the Lincoln...

We had our company holiday party here, and it was a fantastic experience. I worked with Evan and his team to plan the event, and as the coordinator of the event, I can say they were wonderful to work with. They allow you to rent the entire space, which we did, for the entire night, on a Friday.

Evan is a seasoned owner, and I felt completely comfortable and trusted his judgement. It did not disappoint.

The food was excellent. The meat for the taco bar was exceptional. The bacon-wrapped dates were little pieces of heaven. We had so many compliments throughout the night, and the following days.

I also have to compliment them on the way they handled everything during the event. Catered to everyone's needs, kept the food hot and fresh, and the drinks were obviously wonderful. (Ask him about the Smoked Peach.)

We will be having our party there next year, and I highly recommend working with Evan and Alchemy for...

So usually I love this bar!! Big fan of the butter beer. Me and my friends came in tonight and the waitresses who was serving us let two groups ahead of us be seated who had arrived later than us. She had just forgotten about us apparently. Which is no problem, things happen. We all have two butter beers and we close out for the night. We are all charged 21 dollars. We find out the next morning that we all have charges for 26 dollars. The waitress had tipped herself. Now its 5 dollars, not that big of a deal. But you cannot have your staff doing that. That is very underhanded. I will be contacting the owner about this.

Edit or reply to owner: Our group was only 3 people. And the waitress seated a group of 4 before us when we had arrived earlier. Which is why no one tipped. Also good to know about the new system. My charge still hasn't been "corrected" but I'm sure it...