Mace — Restaurant in New York

Ranked in the the top 50 bars 3 years in a row? I definitely had to check out what all the buzz was about.

The drinks had the most creative ingredients which might give you pause when you’re looking to try something, however when they all mix together, the end result is packed with flavor and extremely tasty. We were 4 of us and ended up trying 8 different drinks over the course of the night and I cannot say I didn’t like one particular drink.

What was also cool was that these drinks were spin-offs on classic drinks but are so far off on the taste profiles that you’d not recognize them.

I’m not going to try to describe the drinks as they were so complex, I wouldn’t know what I was tasting tbh. Pictures labeled below. Ratings here:

Mace - 10/10 nice tart and fruity flavors Sumac - 9/10 sweet and creamy. The smell can get a little getting used to Ginger - 10/10 Pandan - 10/10 definitely the most complex drink I’ve ever had. Thai Chilli - 8/10 I don’t like spicy drinks but loved this one Spruce - 9/10 tastes like a Really complex kombucha. Reminded me of a twist on French 75. Fennel Pollen - 7/10 nice twist on an aperol spritz. Lavender- 8/10 (not pictured) strongest drink on the menu. Felt like a strong old fashioned. Not for the faint of heart.

As others have noted, the drinks did not feel strong at all. However when I got home I was very “happy” and couldn’t stop laughing.

The food didn’t disappoint either. We tried a bunch of things but the potato salad is the biggest lie on a menu (it’s practically fries with parm and truffle) is the best item - we ordered 3. The stone fruit burratta is quite...

We came in on the recommendation from a bartender at our favorite spot. I love milk punch and was told Mace had an amazing one. Confirmed! The Pandan is an absolutely amazing, gorgeous, delicious cocktail. Also get the Moringa; unexpected flavors I’d never had in a cocktail before and I loved it. Mace really knows what they are doing with their cocktails!

Edit: revisited this spot looking forward to what we remembered it to be. It has fallen SO far down from where it used to be. The cocktails were all mediocre at best. This most recent Pandan cocktail was absolutely nothing special and tasted just like a plain old fashioned. The other drinks were weak, unbalanced, or seemed to not even be made with spirits. The service was also lacking. Having several people walk by our table when we were clearly done with our food was irritating. Our main server was absent for most of the evening and didn’t come by to check on us ever. We shared the meat and cheese board; the literal worst charcuterie I’ve ever had. It’s nothing but overwhelming spicy/vinegary accoutrements, and the three cheeses were all just semi-hard; no contrast or interesting flavors. So lazy. It was also extremely hot inside as it seemed their ac was broken; insane during a major heat wave. Seems to me like they are resting on their laurels, or something had changed with management for the worse. Extremely disappointing. When there are so many other amazing cocktail spots in the city to try, I won’t be...

Mace is a really unique cocktail experience - a must try for cocktail enthusiasts! Their whole premise is that they build cocktails around different herbs and spices, many of which you will not find featured at many other bars in the US. We spent a decent amount of time here, trying several different cocktails. Our favorites were the Chervil, Dill, and Ube cocktails. For each of these, the herbs were prominently featured and creatively balanced with other ingredients. The Mace cocktail was also quite good, but it may be a little too beet forward for some guests. The other two cocktails we tried were the Thyme and Pandan. The Thyme was a wild drink. The whiskey and cognac make this a slow sipper, and the goat cheese washing technique defines the sensory experience. If you do not like goat cheese, definitely look to another drink. If you do, however, this is a drink I'm glad I was able to try, but I probably won't order again. Lastly, the Pandan was the most underwhelming drink, which was disappointing since it is the priciest. The pandan flavor is quite muted, and we instead mostly get a strong smack of vodka with each sip. This might not be the best place to meet for a quick drink if you aren't cocktail adventurous. We did make reservations in advance and had no trouble getting quickly seated...