Specialization is hot in New York’s crowded bar scene. Want an Italian aperitivo? Or Japanese-style cocktails? You’ve got options in spades. Spirits themselves, too, prove rich enough to warrant entire bars dedicated to their varying expressions, especially whiskey and agave spirits like tequila and mezcal. There’s one spirit, however, that two bar industry veterans believe deserves another devoted destination, especially now: gin. 

Brian Grummert and Blake Walker have joined forces to open the gin-focused Chin Up Bar at 171 Chrystie Street in New York City’s Lower East Side. The partnership makes sense: Grummert owns Lower East Side cocktail bar Subject; Walker bartended there, as well as at Nitecap and Amor y Amargo, the latter of which is one of New York’s prized specialty spots concentrating on amaro. 

“Brian and I both love gin, and there’s been an explosion of exciting gins in the past 10 to 15 years,” Walker tells Observer. Classic London dry styles from well-established distilleries have long been popular in Europe and back bar staples in the United States. But more recently, American craft distilleries, like Tenmile Distillery in upstate New York, have been leaning more into the spirit. Gins are also popping up in regions not previously associated with the spirit, where endemic fruits and botanicals give it a fresh spin—South Africa’s Bayab Gin with local pineapple and palm sap, for example, or Vietnam’s Sông Cái Distillery with heirloom pomelo, jungle pepper, black cardamom and green turmeric.

The thrill of discovery fueled the proliferation of whiskey and agave bars over the last two decades, Walker adds. Craft whiskey options exploded in New York, followed by an increased availability of quality tequila and mezcal, and suddenly bar-goers had entire categories to explore at dedicated destinations. Now, he says, gin “is ripe for that.” 

Gin’s own craft boom has resulted in myriad different flavor profiles for such exploration. Walker and Grummert curated a back bar just shy of 100 gin bottles ahead of the December 2025 opening, which Walker says could likely double in the next few months and continue to grow from there. In addition to heavy hitters in the London dry vein, Chin Up Bar’s shelves represent the aforementioned options from upstate New York, Vietnam and South Africa, as well as those from Japan, India, Kenya, Mexico, Australia and more. 

Bolstered by this kind of selection, Chin Up Bar speaks to gin lovers above all else. But Walker and Grummert are willing to bet that even those who believe they don’t like gin just haven’t found the gin for them yet. 

“A lot of people avoid gin due to unfortunate experiences early in their drinking careers,” Walker says. “They had bad gin, or they still have the perception it’s old-fashioned or stodgy. I think that’s diminishing and a lot of those attitudes have really sloughed off, but there’s still a little bit of persistence there.” For Walker and Grummert, the perception that gin is all pine tree and booze burn may be what has prevented the spirit from having its own dedicated menus in the past.

To showcase gin’s versatility and vast breadth of regional expressions, Walker and Grummert have shaped a menu balancing classic gin cocktails with more novel creations.

The classics help demonstrate the impact different gins can have on familiar, popular flavor profiles—Martin Miller’s Westbourne Strength gin is perfect in a martini with a refined balance of juniper, citrus, spice and clean smoothness. Roku Japanese gin has peppery spice and herbaceous green tea notes that sing in a dirty martini, and Neversink New York gin possesses a hint of sweetness that brings out the same in the Gibson’s leek vermouth and sherry vinegar while tempering the drink’s acidity and brine. Then, there are the more adventurous Chin Up Bar originals.

Floral, citrusy and spicy, Dorothy Parker New York gin pulls together the Rendezvous in Chennai. With Madras curry, coconut, apricot, ginger and lime, the slightly creamy, velvety cocktail explodes with bright, tropical flavors before the savory curry, with its subtle heat, blossoms and lingers in the drink’s finish. Elsewhere on the menu, the Australian Four Pillars yuzu gin plays with guava and sunflower seed orgeat, while the Mexican Condesa prickly pear gin anchors thyme, kiwi, honey and sparkling wine.

Walker and Grummert aren’t afraid to venture beyond traditional gin cocktails and inventions crafted specifically around gin. Aquavit, essentially a Scandinavian gin riff featuring caraway instead of juniper, punches up the traditionally more rounded, sweeter old-fashioned with spice, while apple brandy, Granny Smith apples, wasabi and red shiso broaden its flavor horizons with a bright crispness, earthiness and heat. Gin even found its way into a coquito Walker was pouring before Christmas. The rich, coconutty Puerto Rican holiday punch is made with rum, but Walker splits its base with gin. The result is a more complex coquito with punchier spices and subtle botanicals keeping the drink safely distant from cloying territory. 

There’s plenty to learn about gin at Chin Up Bar, but it’s up to guests how much information they want served up with their drinks. Walker and Grummert prioritize staff education, so information on various gins comes across more naturally in dialogues with guests rather than requiring rehearsed spiels. They also plan to have classic gin botanicals on hand for people to smell on their own, and they allow guests to liberally sample with one-ounce pours of anything on the back bar.

“It’s important for us to leave the doors wide open to educational experiences and talk about things in a knowledgeable way without forcing it on anyone,” Walker explains. “They can just come in and have a delicious drink without that if they want.”

Chin Up Bar’s seafood-forward menu has been intentionally developed to pair well with gin. Even in the minuscule world of gin-focused bars, this level of detail is rare; gin isn’t framed in a pairing context the same way as wine, beer, or even whiskey. 

There’s the option to simply feast on shrimp cocktail with your martini, but you can also order dishes recommended based on your specific drink. For example, Walker suggested smoked mussels escabeche and a tuna dish with red shiso leaf and dehydrated beets to pair with the Rendezvous in Chennai and aquavit old-fashioned. The red shiso leaf in both the tuna and the old-fashioned matched well, and the mussels’ smoky character highlighted the Rendezvous’s savory curry note. (It’s worth mentioning that the satisfyingly toothsome, densely flavor-packed beets on that tuna dish deserve their own award.) A selection of oysters may not be as carefully curated to cocktails’ flavors, but similarly to the shrimp cocktail, they feel like a low-stakes, classic nosh for a cocktail bar.

All of this gin celebration takes place in a refreshingly singular space. You won’t find Art Deco “bathtub gin” nods here, nor the de rigueur martini bar plush red banquettes. The space itself feels sculptural, with cave-like white stucco walls inspired by the Gilder Center at the American Museum of Natural History. High vaulted ceilings with sky murals by Ori Carino wink at the ceilings of Grand Central Station, while touches of greenery pay homage to Sara D. Roosevelt Park near the bar. All together, the interior looks other-worldly—it’s giving a chicer, more restrained Mos Eisley Cantina—but every element weaves in some New York reference.

Envisioning Chin Up Bar’s space, Grummert recalls serving drinks elsewhere during the pandemic and thinking how excited people would be to be in a new space. 

“People were stuck in nostalgia for a while, but now seem to be wanting something fresh,” he says. The bar is in a new building, so he and Walker got to design the layout from scratch. “Patterns emerged little by little, inspired by New York public spaces, cathedrals, subway stations…it was time to see something new and interesting in New York.”

Walker and Grummert would love Chin Up to become a destination cocktail bar, but Walker notes that “it’s locals, it’s regulars that keep you open and sustained for a long time. Our focus has been creating an experience to make people want to come back over and over.” Gin enthusiasts will already be locked in to a concept like this, but between the reliably well-made classics, interesting originals, and strong food menu, there’s more than enough for every other kind of imbiber to appreciate.

Is the imbiber in your life a scotch connoisseur? A bourbon lover? A rye enthusiast? A liquid thrill-seeker? There’s something for everyone, with prices ranging from a steal for how finely crafted the spirit is to true splurges. Whether they prefer to drink it neat in a Glencairn glass or are partial to a good old-fashioned, these are the best whiskey gift ideas for the holidays.

Check out all of Observer’s curated luxury gift guides for the best holiday present ideas for every person out there. 

Minden Mill American Single Malt Whiskey

While some whiskey lovers only have eyes for long-aged peated scotches, other enthusiasts’ curiosity is best piqued by modern updates and terroir-driven explorations of regions less known for their whiskies. Minden Mill offers a satisfying taste of Nevada with its single estate single malt. Every step of the whiskey-making process takes place on the distillery’s 1,200-acre estate, including growing the grain. This single malt indeed possesses a unique profile, weaving in notes of florals, cherry, honey, apple, vanilla, cinnamon and dried apricot. It tastes far more extravagant than its price would suggest.

$60, buy now

WhistlePig Proof & Provisions Supper Club Cocktail Kit

If you’d like to gift your whiskey-loving friend or family member something a bit more interactive, WhistlePig has unveiled a kit perfect for those who love to mix up a cocktail at their home bar and/or host dinner parties. The “Supper Club” gift set comes with a 375-milliliter bottle of the well-regarded Small Batch Rye aged 10 years along with a bottle of the distillery’s barrel-aged maple syrup, a nip of coffee liqueur, cans of cold brew and cranberry juice, honey syrup, elevated garnishes like gold-dusted dried cranberries and recipe cards for cocktails (a maple espresso martini and a holiday cranberry rye punch) as well as meal pairings.

$95, buy now

Stranahan’s American Single Malt Whiskey: Mountain Angel 10-Year-Old

While it has existed unofficially for years, American single malt whiskey has been especially buzzworthy since it became a legally defined category by the TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) at the beginning of 2025. Stranahan’s Mountain Angel is one of the older American single malts to be found, having been aged for a decade. In that time, this American whiskey picked up notes of caramel, apricot, pear, molasses, chocolate, butterscotch and baking spices—complex but restrained, with a warming sensation of freshly baked pie. 

$119, buy now

Cathead Distillery’s Old Soul Bourbon Tintype Series #2

Cathead’s Old Soul Bourbon Tintype Series enjoys plenty of hype among bourbon fans, thanks to a classic combination of exceptional flavor and limited quantities. The Series #2, aged for nine years, pays homage to legendary soul musician Herman Hitson. Only 20 barrels of the spirit were released, unfiltered and uncut at cask strength—113.7 proof. With a high percentage of rye alongside its majority corn bill, this Old Soul blends the sweetness of cornbread with the spice of rye bread, a profile fleshed out with dark cherry, caramel and spices like cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper.

$130, buy now

Compass Box Brûlée Royale Blended Malt Scotch Whisky

If the whisky lover in your life also has a bit of a sweet tooth, this Compass Box spirit takes a sophisticated approach to channeling dessert inspiration. It is a blend of malt whisky from some of Scotland’s most renowned distilleries, primarily Clynelish and Benrinnes—the whisky from the latter is 18 years old. Compass finished and blended their creation to highlight notes of crème brûlée, including caramelized sugar, vanilla, clotted cream, honey and nutmeg, with a touch of grilled peach and banana, for a profile that is nothing short of decadent.

$160, buy now

House of Tamworth Set: Deer Slayer, Eau de Musc, Crab Trapper

Whiskey is a category valued for its tradition. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing out there for the more adventurous imbiber in your life. At Tamworth Distilling in New Hampshire, veteran distiller Steven Grasse isn’t afraid to experiment and unveils his most successful envelope-pushers to a curious public. For the holidays, three of his most attention-grabbing flavored whiskeys have been grouped into a gift-worthy set. First, Deer Slayer, with venison, cranberries, porcini mushrooms, juniper berries and green peppercorns—a holiday feast-like flavor profile that’s savory, umami and spiced. There’s Eau de Musc, made with castoreum, birc1h oil, raspberry and Canadian snakeroot for a vanilla-forward profile balanced by sweet-tart fruit and spices. And finally, Crab Trapper, made with a stock of the invasive green crab alongside paprika, bay leaf, mustard seed, coriander seed, dill seed, cinnamon, cloves and allspice for a briny-sweet and spiced character.

$175, buy now

Garavogue 20-Year-Old Single Malt Irish Whiskey

The Garavogue 20-year-old is the first (and limited-release) Irish whiskey from Hawk’s Rock Distillery in County Sligo. Helen Mulholland, the first woman master blender in the history of Irish whiskey, assembled a distinctive variety of finishing casks to create Garavogue’s unique flavor profile. After its initial aging for 14 years in American oak, the whiskey spent time in Pedro Ximénez sherry casks, Barbadian rum casks, French Sauternes casks and French Muscat casks. At 94 proof, it expresses notes of peaches and cream, apples, citrus, dark dried fruits, florals, coffee, walnuts and black pepper.

$199, buy now

Loch Lomond 22-Year-Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky

With only 3,500 bottles available in the entire world, Loch Lomond’s 22-year-old single malt strikes an appealing balance: It’s rare and special, yet on the more accessible end of the spectrum for such limited-edition whisky. Loch Lomond whiskies are crafted to express a signature flavor profile of orchard fruit, honey and a touch of smoke. Aged in American oak for over 21 years and finished for six months in Spanish oak, it opens up with ginger, toasted oak, cinnamon, vanilla and caramelized pineapple.

$300, buy now

Lock Stock & Barrel 21-Year-Old Straight Rye Whiskey

The late Robert J. Cooper, co-founder of Cooper Spirits Company, established the Lock Stock & Barrel portfolio in 2013 to zero in on especially expressive, long-aged rye. LS&B ryes are made with 100 percent koji-fermented rye grain and cold-matured in American oak barrels that Cooper meticulously selected from Alberta Distillers. The 21-year-old Straight Rye Whiskey is one of the oldest—and therefore most intensely flavorful and complex—ryes available. At 111 proof, the finely aged rye boasts notes of spiced date cake, treacle toffee, cocoa, cinnamon, anise, orange peel, leather and a hint of smoke.

$499, buy now

Praedictum 15-Year-Old Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey

From Foley Family Wines & Spirits, Praedictum is a rare, limited treasure. Beautifully boxed with its story inside, it’s especially gift-worthy—but of course, the real draw is the liquid itself. The whiskey is aged for an impressive 15 years, which amplifies its rich barrel flavors and also contributes to that limited quantity, considering how big a share the angels got on this one. The brand’s master distiller, Joseph O’Sullivan, hand-selected and blended each whiskey barrel, the contents of which were bottled at barrel strength (112 proof). Flavor notes include leather, nutmeg, caramel apple, hazelnut, apricot, orange peel, dark chocolate-covered cherries and sandalwood.

$520, buy now

Colonel E.H. Taylor Barrel Proof Bourbon 129-Proof 2014 Batch 3

Treat the traditionalist to one of the bourbon category’s finest and most prized offerings. Colonel E.H. Taylor is a name that promises to stir excitement in any bourbon lover’s heart, and this limited batch from 2014 is an especially rare find—and a great gift. The allocated Barrel Proof bourbon drops its anticipated latest releases each year, and they’re known for their uncut character. Think intense notes of tobacco, toasted oak, vanilla, caramel, leather, cinnamon, molasses and dried cherry—bourbon at its most quintessential. As an added giftable touch, Whiskey Caviar offers engraving for bottles.

$1,500, buy now

Dewar’s Double Double 38-Year-Old Blended Scotch Whisky

From Dewar’s malt master Stephanie Macleod, this 38-year-old blend is the second release in the brand’s Collector Series, and it’s indeed a prize for the serious collector. The highly limited whisky began with Dewar’s holding back an allotment of their 37-year-old, a process they’ll continue to repeat each year. The liquid itself is a blend of rare malts, and undergoes four stages. First, it’s aged in casks, then it’s blended, then it’s put back to age again, and then it’s finished in different casks. The 37-year-old was finished in Oloroso sherry casks; that reserved allotment was then aged another year and finished in Pedro Ximenez sherry casks that had held Royal Brackla Single Malt Whisky. The double sherry cask finish adds real decadence, resulting in notes of dark, dried fruits, baking spices, honey, caramel, nuttiness, and dark chocolate.

$1,918, buy now

The Glen Grant 30-Year-Old Speyside Single Malt Scotch Whisky

The oldest offering in the core portfolio of this 185-year-old Scottish distillery, this Glen Grant is a holy-grail addition to any scotch connoisseur’s treasure trove. It’s part of The Glen Grant’s Glasshouse Collection, named for the glasshouse built by James Grant—nephew of co-founder John Grant and his predecessor for the distillery—to house botanicals he collected and drew inspiration from for Glen Grant’s whisky. This scotch matured in American oak bourbon barrels and finished in Oloroso sherry casks. There’s a supremely soft, smooth, almost creamy finish to its profile of honey, caramelized brown sugar, dried fruit and nectarine.

$3,000, Contact privateclient@campari.com to purchase

New York’s cocktail crowd got intriguing news in September when the account @SeedLibraryNYC appeared on Instagram with an announcement: The city was finally getting its very own bar from Ryan Chetiyawardana, also known as Mr. Lyan. Chetiyawardana’s bars in London, Amsterdam and Washington D.C. are renowned for madcap mixology, so, unsurprisingly, the news was met with breathless media coverage speculating on what New York’s Seed Library would be like. Now, the doors are open and the drinks are pouring. Is it everything Mr. Lyan enthusiasts hoped for?

Fans expecting a wild ride of ingredients filtered through familiar cocktail styles will not be disappointed. I was one of the first to experience New York’s Seed Library; I attended a preview party the day before it opened to the public on November 5. The bar itself is a subterranean space in the Hotel Park Ave (formerly the Mondrian), its entrance at 51 East 30th Street marked by an orange door. Its basement location helps cement the feeling you’ve stolen away into a glowy, buzzy party where you might bump into Bianca Jagger or Paloma Picasso—at this present-day preview, the VIPs filling the room instead were some of New York’s elite bartenders, alongside the city’s well-heeled cocktail connoisseurs. 

Designed by Jacu Strauss, creative director of Hotel Park Ave’s owner, Lore Group, the space leans into a sleek, 1970s glamour that pops against its industrial bones. A warm palette of reds, oranges and browns is accentuated with touches of wood, velvet and metallic elements. 

The menu toes a fastidious line between approachability and adventure, to which Chetiyawardana has applied his signature stamp: classic cocktails remixed with ingredients that challenge preconceived notions of flavor. For example, “Ribs” mixes Glenfiddich 15 with chipotle, mint tea and rosewood. Is it sweet like a spiced caramel? Savory like smoky meat? The answer is both—like a chipotle barbecue sauce, bolstered by woody notes, then lightened and opened up by herbaceous mint.

Then there’s the BC3 Negroni with Fords Gin, Ceylon arrack, pollen-infused vermouth, propolis (a resinous substance made by honeybees) and aged honey. The beverage demonstrates the storytelling Chetiyawardana is known for; the Negroni is an obvious homage to bees, and less overtly, to New York state agriculture, as the honey used here—as well as the beeswax used elsewhere in the Beeswax Old Fashioned—is sourced locally. It’s also a bright riff on one of the most popular cocktails, balancing sweetness with acidity and dancing with grassy, floral notes. 

Spritzy refreshers go down easy, but their ingredients demand a second look, like the Mexicano, crafted with Derrumbes mezcal, Campari, vermouth, hay and cherry soda. Traces of smoky, farmy funk mingle with botanicals and a rounded cherry sweetness, while bubbles lift the entire profile and end it on a dry note. Local New York state purple carrots appear in the Blue Hill 75, a twist on the French 75 with Hendrick’s gin, champagne, and the carrots fermented into a mead of sorts, per Chetiyawardana. He adds that “Blue Hill” refers not to the carrots’ specific provenance, but to Blue Hill Farm and its co-owner Dan Barber’s way of rethinking what seemingly simple vegetables can be. 

Whether your go-to beverage is a martini, margarita, Negroni, old-fashioned or spritz, there’s a version of it on the Seed Library menu that feels like it’s been reimagined through the looking glass, pulling in culinary and local agricultural influences and pushing the envelope on what ingredients can produce which flavors. 

Martini connoisseurs should try the silky and decadent Coriander Seed Gimlet, which is ever so slightly sweet and spiced. The Unfiltered Martini, on the other hand, is a rare weak spot on the menu. Billed as “Haku vodka, really great potato,” it was cloudy and sweet—where one might associate “potato” and “martini” with a bracing potato-based vodka, this martini tasted more like biting into an actual raw potato. Makgeolli fans may recognize and even appreciate the funky profile, but it won’t scratch the itch for a martini purist.

Chetiyawardana takes a refreshing approach to non-alcoholic cocktails, as well. Instead of creating a separate menu of afterthought mocktails and sugary juice concoctions, he offers several of the standard Seed Library options boozeless. The aforementioned gimlet is available with Everleaf Mountain alcohol-free aperitif and coriander seed cordial, while a Pear + Apple + Tonic that utilizes Christian Drouin white calvados, pear brandy and tonic water, is also presented with Almave non-alcoholic agave spirit, pear and apple cordial, shiso and tonic water. 

For his entrée into New York City’s cocktail bar scene, Chetiyawardana could have chosen to import any of his existing concepts—London’s Lyaness, Amsterdam’s Super Lyan, or D.C.’s Silver Lyan—or create something entirely new. Chetiyawardana decided that a second location of Seed Library, which opened in London’s Shoreditch neighborhood in 2022, made the most sense for New York. But he explains to Observer that he doesn’t see this new location as an exact replica of London’s Seed Library; rather, it’s a template he’ll use to build on with local references like those agricultural ingredients.

“Our venues are all focused on a concept born of their place,” Chetiyawardana says. “With Seed Library, we’re responding to where the world is; it’s felt like things are getting too plasticized and there’s a movement away from nature and being with people.” When Seed Library opened in London, its concept revolved around encouraging people to gather, especially post-pandemic. The ideas of a warm space and cocktails incorporating local produce, time-consuming prep methods and storytelling all drove toward that mission—a “seed library” as an organization that cultivates and then shares seeds for the community, which one could argue plays out at Chetiyawardana’s bars in the form of fostering ideas or sharing actual agricultural products as cocktails. He felt this concept would resonate in New York, too. But, barring a few Mr. Lyan classics, the drink menu had to be built from the ground up to cater to New York tastes and incorporate New York ingredients.

To bring the concept to life, Chetiyawardana worked with Hotel Park Ave owner Lore Group and Renwick Hospitality Group, which was recruited to outfit the hotel’s three food-and-beverage spaces.

“When it came to the downstairs space, we knew we needed something unique and special,” Renwick co-owner Gary Wallach tells Observer. “[Lore] had a relationship with Ryan and introduced us. We got to know each other, and decided this was the perfect space to bring something iconic, with this level of detail, to New York.”

For Chetiyawardana, finding the right partners was key to finally opening in New York.

“New York has always been in the cards. When I was living in Edinburgh and my sister was living in New York, we were planning to open our first venue in New York. But we both moved to London and ended up opening there. D.C. came almost accidentally, from making natural connections in the city…and now we have the local partners we needed to make something happen in New York.”

While cocktails take center stage, Seed Library does offer a beer and wine list, which Chetiyawardana says will evolve as the bar settles into its New York digs and learns what locals like. The food menu includes items such as whipped feta with salsa verde and crispy naan, seasonal crudités, oysters and chocolate chip cookies. A burger with aged English cheddar, gherkin and bacon on a potato roll and tater tots loaded with pancetta, pecorino and spicy herb aioli capture Seed Library’s high-low feel—comfortable, but just a little fancy.

That very contrast encapsulates Chetiyawardana’s goal with New York’s Seed Library: To exist in the overlap of the city’s cocktail bar Venn diagram, both glitzy and laid-back. It’s an especially important balance to nail in a hotel—how do you appeal to jetsetters breezing through town and looking to be wowed by a cocktail, but also build a loyal crowd of locals?

“We’re going to piggyback on the hospitality a hotel provides,” Chetiyawardana says. For him, the beauty of a hotel bar is the international crowd you’ll mingle with, but the world’s best hotel bars remember their communities, as well. By simultaneously embracing a touch of shock and awe while maintaining quality and comfort, a hotel bar becomes its own destination. “We try to welcome everybody,” he says, “whether you’re into the weird and wonderful stuff we do from a technical perspective, or you just want a gin and tonic, which we still put so much into making.”

New York City already boasts a packed roster of bars serving up cocktails directly incorporating Japanese flavors, or at least reflecting Japan’s meticulous, creative cocktail culture: Katana Kitten, Sip & Guzzle, Shinji’s, Bar Goto, Bar Moga and Martiny’s, to name just a few. You can find innovative interpretations of Korean cocktails at Orion Bar, Oiji Mi and Atomix. Chinese cocktails, however, have proven harder to find, barring spots like Brooklyn’s Cantonese hotspot Bonnie’s. New York has over 2,200 Chinese restaurants, so where are the drinks specifically highlighting those flavors and pairing with those dishes?

As of this April, they’re at Async, a new cocktail bar tucked in the back of YongChuan, a Chinese restaurant on the Lower East Side. Droveen Zhang, currently the head bartender at the award-winning Epic Bar in Shanghai, created the drinks menu at Async, translating varying regional flavor profiles into drinks. The goal is to shine a brighter spotlight on China’s cocktail culture for an American audience by giving bar guests a tour of China, which begins from the moment they enter the space. Patrons receive a rolled suede scroll upon arrival; unfurled, the menu doubles as a map of China, featuring nine cocktails—each inspired by and linked to a different region’s flavors.

Zhang jumped at the opportunity to come on as a consultant and create a cocktail menu for a New York bar, seeing it as a chance to expose more Americans to his country’s drink culture, relatively unknown here. After visiting the United States to compete in cocktail competitions over the years, Zhang found himself intrigued by New York cocktail culture, in particular, and wanted to showcase China’s own flavors and techniques in the city.

Each Async cocktail forms some connection to its region’s crops, cuisine or culinary traditions. For example, the Silk Road Negroni represents the Xinjiang region. Composed of red date cognac, dried grape, fig leaf vermouth, Fernet-Branca and walnut bitters, the flavor profile conveys the rich sweetness of Xinjiang’s fruits.

“Xinjiang is located in the northwest of China,” Zhang says. “Its abundant sunshine allows all fruits to have a higher sugar content. Grapes and red dates are among the most famous local specialties.” My initial impression of the Negroni on the nose and then palate is full, sweet and spicy, like raisins and date cake. Within seconds, this transforms into a drier bitterness, cutting the sweetness at the exact right moment.

This is a common theme among Async’s cocktails: A flavor and sensation journey within each drink that represents the bigger journey around China. The Spicy Madame features cherry tomato, chili, sour soup, tequila, lemon juice, simple syrup, Tabasco sauce and bitters, crowned with a shiso leaf. The sweetness of tomato makes itself known first; it’s quickly tempered by a balance of acid and umami before the heat kicks in and makes you want another sip. The recipe nods to the Hunan region and its iconic dish, chopped chili fish head, as well as the distinctive local shiso leaf.

Inspired by the Fujian region along China’s southern coast, the Jasmine Breeze embodies the area’s tea culture. The Fujian city of Fuzhou claims the jasmine blossom as its flower, and locals are fond of winter melon tea. Accordingly, the cocktail calls on jasmine tea, black tea and winter melon syrup alongside gin, lemon juice and sparkling water. It’s bittersweet, light and thirst-quenching, yet intensely floral.

With banana, pandan syrup and mezcal, the Mystic Rainforest taps into the Yunnan region’s inclusion of tropical fruits in savory dishes. The Hainan region’s yellow lantern chili pepper stars in the Flaming Tropic, providing spice that’s countered by lush mango puree, green kumquat and calamansi juice with rum. Tsingtao beer hails from the Shandong region, which is emphasized with the Tsingtao Orchard cocktail, which incorporates the lager. The Imperial Smoke speaks to Beijing’s famed Beijing Roast Duck with duck fat-washed bourbon, and the Frozen Forest Martini utilizes Asian pear, pine nut, ginseng, and cedarwood with gin, vermouth and root bitters to taste like a sip of the snow-covered forests in Dongbei’s Greater Khingan Range and Changbai mountains.

YongChuan, which debuted in September 2024 at 90 Clinton Street, focuses on the Ningbo cuisine of the Zhejiang province, which is often overlooked outside of China in favor of Cantonese, Sichuan and Hunan fare. Ningbo cooking reflects Zhejiang’s location on China’s eastern coast; it is delicate and seafood-driven, with dishes like braised eel, yellow croaker and dumplings made of glutinous rice. So naturally, YongChuan’s focus on Ningbo is interpreted into a cocktail, too: The Old Ningbo plays on a particular Zhejiang tradition.

“During the cold winter months, people like to stay home, have a smoke, and warm up a pot of huangjiu—Chinese yellow wine—often with a preserved plum dropped in,” Zhang tells Observer. He turns that ritual into a cocktail with huangjiu and plum.

Alongside interpretations of classic cocktails like the sazerac, aviation and margarita, the nine regional cocktails (all between $19 and $22, and all listed on the menu alongside the individual ABV) offer a unique way to experience Chinese flavors, both new and familiar.

The food menu expands on the theme of regional exploration, with a Ningbo-focused edge that aligns with YongChuan’s original concept. There’s a Ningbo seafood white wine pasta, yellow fish croaker rolls and steamed rice cakes drizzled in osmanthus syrup that creates a sweet, floral shell to crack into. Rounding out the selection with more regional cuisines are a Sichuan mapo pasta, peking duck tacos and dishes like salted egg yolk calamari and seaweed popcorn chicken.

The sleek, moody design of the lounge-like bar, concocted by Tom Xia of T-X-L, balances out potentially kitschy elements like the suede map menus. The interior is minimalist but comfortable, with leather banquettes underneath a ceiling covered in LED panels designed to mimic the look of the Northern Lights, shifting colors and patterns in response to movement. The focus is on the food, drinks and the ensuing flavor journey.

Zhang’s ability to translate China’s regional flavors and cultures into intriguing yet accessible, easy-drinking cocktails make for a notable entry point for Chinese cocktail culture in New York. Async’s menu will satisfy sweet, savory or spicy cocktail enthusiasts, and at the same time, provides a refreshing way of interacting with diverse Chinese cuisines.

Podcasts are the perfect medium for foodie freaks to transmit their love for the stuff of life. Only when a real enthusiast is raving about kale, complete with close-ups and recipes, can you truly grasp what the gourmets are going on about. Avocado toast started its trendy life via internet foodies and there is no doubt that those in the know can bring us the most delicious info first. Expertise is key of course and the following selection of podcasters have all earned their cherries elsewhere, mainly as chefs and first-hand tasters of all that is good, better and best.

Radio Cherry Bombe

Magazine Cherry Bombe comes to life every week on its podcast, Radio Cherry Bombe. Editorial Director Kerry Diamond sits down with women of the food world (Preeti Mistry, Martha Stewart, Molly Yeh, Padma Lakshmi, April Bloomfield, Ruth Reichl, and many more) and deep conversations ensue, charged with the magazine’s feminist perspective on not just food and food trends, but what food means to us, why we eat and cook what we do, our own connections with different foods, and more.

“I strive to get those nuggets out of the guest that stay with you—that piece of wisdom, the poignant story, the cautionary tale, [and] whatnot,” Diamond says. “Personally, it’s special to me because I love radio and have ever since I got bit by the college radio bug years ago. Plus, I get to hang out with all of these amazing women.”

Food is the New Rock

A unique intersection of food and music, listening to Food is the New Rock is like being invited to hang out with your friends, if your friends were either accomplished musicians, experienced food fans, or both. Zach Brooks (of Midtown Lunch) and Chuck P spend each episode with names from all over music, and the vibe is fun and casual but always leads somewhere intriguing and informational, whether it’s the world’s water situation with Henry Rollins, pretzels with Kelis, or vegan fare with Atlas Genius.

“I think chefs and musicians get asked the same kind of questions in interview after interview, so it’s fun to talk to them about something they’re passionate about, but don’t usually get asked about,” says Brooks. “I also love  how talking about music and food can unlock a person’s personality and life story.”

The Sporkful

Dan Pashman’s The Sporkful is addictive in its refreshing range of topics that prove just how huge the world of food is, and how many ways food affects us. Through conversations with personalities from every walk of life, Pashman tackles the funny (why Andy Richter bought a “mid-life refrigerator”), the relatable (one woman’s quest to get better coffee in her office), the industry-interested (why Danny Meyer went tip-free), the helpful (when is it okay to send food back?), and the impactful (a woman on the verge of an eating disorder).

“At The Sporkful we think there’s so much to talk about beyond chefs and restaurants,” Pashman says. “So, we obsess about food to learn more about people. As we say, ‘The Sporkful isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters.’”

The Eater Upsell

The Eater Upsell focuses on the people behind the food, from chefs to cookbook authors to food photographers, but this isn’t your typical interview show. Hosts Helen Rosner and Greg Morabito get the kinds of conversations out of people like Anthony Bourdain and Carla Hall that you just don’t hear other places: it’s got the candidness of a chat between friends while feeling inclusive to the listener, and it’s smart while remaining fun.

“…Our conversations always go way beyond just talking about food,” say Morabito and Rosner. “Everyone’s path is different and weird: We want to understand how our guests developed their obsessions, how they balance creativity with happiness with professional success, and who they really are behind their public face (which is why we love our format — in an hour-long conversation, even the most media-savvy TV star gets really real).

The Tasting Room

In its 11th year and striking that perfect balance between feeling classic and refreshingly under-the-radar, The Tasting Room covers everything that might go with your perfect meal: wine, beer, spirits, cigars, and more. Known radio personality (and now a vintner, himself) Tom Leykis indulges a love of the finer things here through interviews and tastings, actually guiding the listener through the experience of trying wines and beyond.

“[The Tasting Room] was created to let the makers of fine wine, craft beer, and spirits tell their stories,” Leykis says. “It’s also a place where we don’t just talk about the products, but we actually taste them as we talk about them (many podcasts and radio shows don’t). In addition to doing interviews in our studio in Burbank, many times every year, we travel to wine, beer and spirits events around the country and do interviews as well.”

When the Carroll Gardens “contemporary American cuisine” hot-spot Take Root went on hiatus last year fans feared it wouldn’t return. But owners Elise Kornack and Anna Hieronimus reopened the doors to their new and improved restaurant, and are now explaining the break.

To dig deeper into foodie world, there are two types of people in New York right now: those who have eaten at Take Root, and those who are trying to eat there. A reservation is one of the hardest to get in town, which might have something to do with the fact that there are just three seatings a week, once a night on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. There are only 12 seats. There are only two employees.

Those two employees are the owners. Ms. Kornack is the chef and her wife, Ms. Hieronimus, is front of house, as well as in charge of wine. They didn’t set out to become the latest craze. They just wanted to make good food for people on their own terms, and the cult following came on its own, along with glowing reviews in The New York Times, a Michelin star and magazine covers.

‘We consciously chose to wait for the right time to do this—we felt we had a loyal following and they would support Take Root through its evolution.’

Seasoned critics and casual foodies alike rush to feast on all 12 courses of Ms. Kornack and Ms. Hieronimus’ version of “contemporary American cuisine” as they describe it. Ms. Hieronimus pointed out that their menu has been called “vegetable-forward” before, when in reality over half the dishes contain meat.

“We’ve been sourcing our meat from Fleischer’s in Brooklyn for the past three years and it’s become a very important relationship,” Ms. Kornack told the Observer. “The quality of the product is so high. Recently, we’ve been getting whole ducks, and it’s something we’re excited about.”

Ms. Hieronimus highlighted a kohlrabi salad as something she’s especially enthusiastic about at the moment.

“It’s served with a raw peanut sauce, which is rich and creamy, and super umami and Sicilian olives, which add just the right amount of brininess.”

The pair’s inventiveness with seasonal, locally sourced ingredients is what put them so prominently on the map. How, then, could it be possible that Take Root almost closed? When Ms. Kornack and Ms. Hieronimus shut their doors in August 2015, they were clear that the hiatus was to make renovations to the space. But rumors circulated that the restaurant might not return, and the pair admitted in an interview with New York magazine’s Grub Street that they did think about permanently closing. We’re in a time when consistently filled seats and happy critics don’t always translate to a long run—just look at Los Angeles hotspot Alma, buried under the debt of a lawsuit. For Ms. Kornack and Ms. Hieronimus, the decision was whether to close in order to leave New York all together.

Thankfully, Take Root is back and, arguably, better than ever. Ms. Hieronimus and Ms. Kornack are excited about the interior updates they’ve made to improve the atmosphere and make service easier.

“Comfort is key to us. It’s an essential part of any dining experience,” Ms. Hieronimus said. “The renovations elevated the comfort level of the restaurant for our guests. And since the space is more functional for us…it’s made our work environment more efficient and enjoyable.”

Increased comfort and efficiency are great, but one wonders if Ms. Hieronimus and Ms. Kornack were concerned about shutting their operation down in the middle of such a frenzy of praise. New York diners are fickle. They’re certainly never lacking in options.

“We weren’t worried [closing and reopening] would be like starting from square one, because we didn’t feel like we were,” explained Ms. Hieronimus. “We consciously chose to wait for the right time to do this—we felt we had a loyal following and they would support Take Root through its evolution.”

Take Root’s journey has never been overly calculated. It’s fresh food made with love that even the most discerning diners have tracked down, loved and raved about.

“When we moved to Brooklyn, we knew we wanted to go into a joint venture; we just weren’t sure how it would manifest,” Ms. Hieronimus said. “We had a big backyard and spent much of our time gardening. It became apparent that we wanted to find a way to feature what we were growing so we began having friends over for dinner.”

Ms. Hieronimus and Ms. Kornack’s dinner parties grew into a supper club, and then the pair decided they needed to secure a space to host seatings legally. They wanted to maintain the homey vibe of their backyard, and so it was Take Root’s off-the-beaten-path location on a residential block that appealed to them.

The couple designed the space, the menu, the schedule and the staff (or the decision to not hire any) to fit their wishes for the restaurant and their own lifestyle needs. Ms. Kornack is a veteran of the restaurant industry, having cooked at The Spotted Pig and Aquavit. She sought a different experience with Take Root, one that’s given her more room for creativity and control.

Of the crowds now coming in, Ms. Hieronimus said she and Ms. Kornack have noticed diners falling into one of three categories: the enthusiasts, the observers and the self-proclaimed critics.

“The enthusiasts are excited to be having this different kind of dining experience, they are fully engaged and want to ask questions about ingredients, sourcing and why we do what we do, and that’s exhilarating for us. Observers tend to take it all in, quietly enjoying themselves with their dining companion and picking up on all of the intricacies around them. The self-proclaimed critics are there mostly to critique the meal and to make sure we deserve the accolades we’ve received.”

Whichever category you may find yourself falling under, the seasonal menu at Take Root is one that begs either simple enjoyment, curious discussion, or both. Since the restaurant’s opening, writers have waxed poetic about dishes like butternut squash with beef sweetbread and lobster, and sunchokes with chestnut purée and shaved truffles. Every detail of sourcing and planning is carefully and lovingly conceived by Ms. Kornack.

“It’s all about riding that line between comfort and intrigue,” the chef said. “When I conceptualize a menu, that’s always on my mind.”

When asked about the future, the couple is laid-back.

“In the past, when it comes to our business, we have allowed things to happen organically, so there’s some hope that whatever is next will somehow find us,” added Ms. Kornack. “Whatever happens, we hope people remember we did something different by starting Take Root. And it worked. We hope it serves as a reminder to people that it is possible.” 

After decades of humming along in a standard state of salon appointments, the beauty service industry has reached a do-or-die turning point: get more convenient, more all-inclusive, more on-demand, or go the way of the perm.

Researching salons and stylists, booking appointments weeks in advance and blocking off hours of the day is not the fast and easy way of life that today’s app-driven generation will tolerate. Beauty services have to be available instantaneously from one click on a phone. And, those services have to be good, trustworthy, and preferably a smart deal.

“In New York, everyone leads a pretty busy life and time is valuable,” Anna Koffler of Primp In Home says, pointing out that the desire to see a stylist right away on your schedule isn’t what’s new.

She says the change is that now, companies are figuring out how to meet these needs in the ways clients want, like through apps and texting. Along with services like Vensette, GlamSquad and Priv, Primp is one of the trailblazers of a new breed of beauty company that sends stylists to clients’ homes.

The shift started back in 2010, during what now seems like the overnight boom of blowout-only “bars.” Places like Drybar, Blow NYC and Dreamdry made it easy to pop in on your time and get a simple blowout resulting in picture-perfect locks for days. Five years later, the spark of blowout bars has ignited into a rising demand for beauty services that are easier and more flexible than the traditional salon.

The salon industry has felt the effects of change, a notable example occurring in May of 2015. W Magazine reported on the closure of two iconic New York institutions, Kenneth and Garren, both due to financial troubles. In the article, Joel Ludlow, a stylist for the Waldorf Astoria’s Kenneth, remarked that “It’s like the old French restaurants: A lot of people just don’t go to the fancy salons anymore.”

“The salon experience has definitely changed within the last five years alone, with convenience trumping exclusivity,” says Megan McIntyre, Beauty Director at Refinery29. “It’s no longer about getting an appointment with THE hairstylist at that It Salon, but rather about finding a stylist or colorist that knows your hair and your aesthetic […].”

House-call stylists are the new great equalizer. “Having luxury services available to you is no longer just for the rich and famous,” says Priv CEO Joey Terzi. “Now for an affordable price, and at the click of a button, the average person can have a luxury service brought to their doorstep within the hour.”

Dawn Davis, Beauty Director at TotalBeauty.com, points out that thanks to their convenience, beauty service apps are expanding client bases past former salon-goers.

“[These apps have] made beauty services accessible to women who might not have previously bothered to get a blowout or have their makeup done before an event. Because someone can come to your home, it’s a serious time-saver.”

When Koffler set out to build Primp, she knew she had to remove any shred of stress or scheduling guesswork from the equation. Her company offers high-end salon options that can happen within a few hours’ notice, and the booking system is designed to be fast and easy. She also put an emphasis on quality stylists. Koffler spent extra time getting to know candidates because she wanted extremely talented service providers that were also kind and responsible.

“[They] have to be very respectful of someone else’s space…when they leave, the only thing the client should notice is the beautiful service they did,” Koffler says.

The idea of a stylist entering your personal space is one that might still be too new to feel completely natural yet. Meg Nicol, a copywriter in Manhattan, admitted there were a few hiccups that came along with using in-home service GlamSquad.

“My stylist wasn’t overly friendly at first, but once we got everything set up and she started working on my hair, we started chatting–in fact, we were talking so much that I think it took her longer than usual to style my hair.” Nicol joked that they spoke for so long, she was almost late to dinner.

There’s also the subscription method – instead of coming to you, it’s beauty services wherever you are. Companies like Vive and BeautyPass allow customers to choose their level of subscription based on how many blowouts they want per month, then pay a flat fee and be able to get blowouts wherever, whenever.

“Clients tell us that they like the subscription because they ‘don’t have to think’,” Alanna Gregory, founder and CEO of Vive says. “It’s a monthly payment that they can check off their to-do list, and then just enjoy.”

BeautyPass user Casey Trudeau, a fashion editor from Brooklyn, vouches for the ease of getting an appointment. “You can go anywhere in the city at any time and all you need to do is text BeautyPass and they do the rest.”

And, the more services clients sign up for per month, the more they save, which is another shift that makes traditional salons less appealing. When deal websites like Groupon and LifeBooker started offering salon services at slashed prices, it suddenly seemed unnecessary to ever pay full price. Companies like Vive and BeautyPass go even further and eliminate the need to comb deal sites to save money.  

Initially, Gregory says the salons she was approaching were hesitant to get involved in this kind of business model. “They assumed Vive wouldn’t work, but were naturally surprised and pleased when it did.”

BeautyPass co-founder Hillary Hutcheson says that the company’s part in bringing clients through the door is one of the reasons that salons are excited to work with BeautyPass. “Not only are we filling open slots in their appointment books, but we are also introducing them to new clients every single day.”

Ultimately, it might be apps like BeautyPass that help keep salons open, while apps like Vive present competition. Companies in both veins have plans to expand their menus of options in 2016. Customers’ needs for beauty on demand aren’t exclusive to blowouts, after all. The process around salon and spa appointments is becoming outdated across the board–if you can get someone to wash-and-dry your hair in a snap, then why not a facial, too? These new companies have plenty of ways to expand, and the demand to motivate them to do so. Traditional salons would be smart to rethink how they offer their services if they want to compete.