Have I just gotten old or was Thyme Bar just weird?
Opened in 2020, this is one of the newer speakeasies (opened shortly before COVID) that became very popular in the city since the pandemic. It sits below a pastry shop on 23rd Street in an historic cellar.
Thyme Bar is a little less hidden than expected. We, along with another couple, walked into a unmarked hallway with an attendant that sent us next door to the dim but wide open hostess stand. What was that other place??
The hostess took us down a stairwell and we found ourselves in the moody bar. The ambiance was nice, but the service was a bit strange. The server was overly enthusiastic to the point of being a bit off-putting and the bartender was incredibly stand-offish and seemed strangely bothered by our questions.
My wife got called out for using the word “mocktail,” which is evidently no longer politically correct. Have I been out of the bar scene that long?
Despite the strange interactions, the waiter did suggest a really great drink for me that checked my list of what I like in a drink: surprising, strange, and low on the acidity.
Cloud 9 must be called that for the cotton candy cloud hovering above the drink itself. The server told me this was champagne cotton candy, which was super exciting. Although it didn’t quite give me those bubbly wine flavors, the sweetness went nicely with the tangy cocktail.
What really sold me on this drink was the addition of “dijon mustard.” Never had that in a drink before and the server assured me it was awesome.
It was. The tangy creamy subtly spiced dijon mustard was pronounced but not overly so. It worked very well with the tropical passionfruit juice, aromatic French Vanilla, and vodka. I generally do not order vodka drinks, but the other ingredients sold me and after tasting it, I was still sold.
The drink was great and as weird as I was expecting, but the rest of the experience – including the hidden in plain sight aspect – was also weird and confused me. If I wasn’t here for the drink itself, I might have to think twice about visiting Thyme Bar again. Price: $24
| THYME BAR |
| 20 West 23rd Street (between Fifth and Sixth Avenue), Flatiron District (646) 600-9257 |
| thymebarnyc.com |
