APO Bar + Lounge

When it was the Apothecary, it was amazing. The interesting, absinthe-​centric drink menu was quite unique for Philadelphia, and the vibe was unbeatble. Laid back atmosphere, laid back music, and laid back drinks that seemed like they were from a café frequented by late 19^th and early 20^th century Berlin and Paris avante garde. And then the state of Pennsylvania took issue with the name, forcing the change to APO. With this change in name came a change in attitude. Instead of a hip, laid back lounge to hit with your friends, it degraded to just another loud, overpriced bar trying too much to be like a club, albeit one that still served good, if overpriced, drinks. It just lost its mojo.
It was sad to see it fold, I had hoped that one day it would return to its former glory. Instead, it folded, and now people who want to get an absinthe drip have to go to Time: a dance club who’s bartenders can’t even set up a drip properly.
RIP Apothecary, unfortunately you got what was coming to you.

This is a post-​mortem update to APO: This place set the standard in the Center City East area on how to properly structure a happy hour (drinks, pretzels, service, etc) and have fun providing new and interesting drink options on a seasonal basis. They always made a mean cocktail and the bartenders were very friendly.
[Pours a $ 14 cocktail on the curb]

We were waiting the ridiculously long wait for dinner at El Vez (also a great location)… and in the meantime we decided to spend time at APO.
It was a beautiful night and the rooftop was a perfect wait to enjoy some drinks while we waited for our name to be called for dinner.
Three Stars for a rooftop bar location. The drinks were good although expensive, but not bad if you are only having 1 or 2. I don’t think I would have made this a place to party all night. I’m not made of money, but I can pretend every once in a while.

Seriously fantastic bar. A friend was in the city for her birthday dinner and we needed a place close to Raw for her to hobble to since she had recently broken her foot. I have been reading the reviews for awhile and decided it was the right time to see what all the hype was about at APO.
After getting gimpy up the stairs to the bar we were a little sad to see that the roof deck was full so we settled for an interior seat. Our waitress was super sweet and brought our group their signature plus signed pretzels… yum!
We were all excited to try the much hyped Booty Collins, however after reading through the extensive ingredient list of their other signature cocktails, no one actually ordered one. I settled on an Immunity Idol and «wow» is all I have to describe it, a sweet mix of wonderful fresh fruits, echinacea, gin, and some other stuff I had never heard of. I woke up in the morning with a cough so I’m not so sure the drink worked for me, but it was more than tasty and willl definitely visit again. It’s a little on the high end price-​wise, but then again I don’t know where in the city you will find a place quite as intriguing as this.

If I can trust the bartenders to make me an excellent drink without glancing at the menu, then I have found a high quality establishment.
Seriously, just tell them your general mood and what you’ve enjoyed in the past and these folk will whip up something tailored well to your choosing (I tried some sort of booze-​fortified green-​tea-​ish concoction last time that totally ruled and totally never would have come up with on my own).
The next time I go in, I’m going to get surreal. I’m going to ask them to make me a drink with gin and Kantian disillusionment. I think they will be able to pull it off.

Bartenders are awesome and super friendly +1
There’s a wall they let us draw on with sharpies +1
THE DRINKS. THE BOOTY COLLINS. +2
The brandied cherries! +1

Absinthe, did you say absinthe??! Yes, they serve it here. Last time I had absinthe was in Spain – burning a flame over the absinthe to get the sugar crystals to disintegrate. but Philly, you do carry this lovely potion!
Mmmm…tell the bartenders what you like, and they will special tailor it to your liking. I’m a big fan of the gimlet, and so I got a delicious concoction made with vodka, passionfruit, and jasmine tea – something that will soon be on their menu.
Also have snacks, pretzels and mustard :) Super friendly, knowledgeable bartenders, Trendy, but worth it.
And love the single stall Euro toilets! Btw, they’re open certain nights…

The drinks? Are delicious. The atmosphere? Is posh and fun. The seating? Is ridiculously uncomfortable. But all that styyyle needs to be paid for somewhere.
There’s outdoor seating that fills up quickly most of the time, and little seating otherwise. Still, everything I’ve ever had here, foods, beverages, etc., has been great. It’s just, unfortunately, not comfortable for sitting and hanging out for awhile.

APO was on our way back to the car and seemed like an interesting place to finish the night. I should mention that in general I am not a huge fan of lounges and with exception of a good whiskey sour, I rarely get a mixed drink…
Well… I was in for a pleasant surprise…
We sat downstairs in the corner and the vibe was nice and relaxing. The music was very eclectic as far as the selections and it was not loud… it was a bit empty for 10:30pm Saturday, but as we sat there people kept coming in…
The service was very good, friendly and knowledgeable, suggesting drinks that we’d like — and with the creative drinks APO offers you certainly need a suggestion…
Immunity Idol was good, though had a bit too much gin for my taste… Booty Collins on the other hand was just want I needed and it was outstanding… two full glasses later I knew that they menu meant by saying to be careful (though personally I really did not mind).
Definitely a cool, nice place…

I was to meet friends here a couple days ago, and as I walked up to the intersection of 13^th & Sansom I stared blankly all around me. ‘Where the hell IS it??’ I thought. Turns out, it’s marked only by a small discreet green-​and-​white sign, right on the corner of an alleyway… Drury Lane? Am I right? I seem to remember it being Drury-​something. No wonder, when finally inside this place seemed something out of a modern-​day faerie tale.
This bar is smooove. Classy, swank, with an aura of mystery and a very impressive & innovative collection of alcoholic elixirs boasting a ton of ingredients, as well as a hefty price tag. The daily special was only 6 bucks, so I started with that. Intoxicatingly tasty, it tasted of ginger and sorcery. However, if you are willing to fork over 11+ bucks per drink, the specialty cocktails are powerful & powerfully delicious and worth a try.
If you’re hankering for a bite to eat (I didn’t try their food, can’t comment) the great Indian-​inspired Bindi is right across the street.

enh, it was ok. I’d read about the speakeasy resurgence and was excited to try this entry into the competition. I wanted a place that wasn’t tooo heavy on the theme, without the silly passwords and drama. But in retrospect, there wasn’t *enough* going on in term of the theme here.
It was definitely a Very Slick Bar. But I wanted more than that. Besides the retro cocktails (we didn’t get the one with valerian – um, why would you want to fall asleep. I mean, I guess it’s sort of a psychotropic, but not my thang…), it wasn’t very Prohibition at all. Granted, it was a travel article that billed them as such, so maybe it’s the writer of that article I should be disappointed with.
Drinks were good but pricey. The ginger beer in the French Buck was not even kidding (spicy!!), and I don’t think I’d personally want more than one of them in a sitting – or perhaps a lifetime. Best to know your retro drinks and order what you like rather than use the (limited) cocktail menu. Online they feature recession specials, but there is no menu for that readily available; so study it online before you go. The Husband got a sidecar; he is VERY particular about his sidecars (his Platonian sidecar is from the Starlight Lounge at the Sir Francis Drake in San Francisco), and he loved it.
Anyway, maybe on another night or something, but this place was not what I wanted last night. As a side note, a group of trying too hard 20-​something women came in at the end, wearing almost identical bubble-​hem strapless mini-​dresses and pumps (bachelorette party? probly not; just seems to be the sorority girl type that hangs around here), before we headed to dinner around 9. YAWN.
I say again: enh.
Conclusion: Just not my scene.

My friend had suggested we go to this bar for a few cocktails on a Tuesday. After checking out the menu and the website, I was so excited to give it a try. Too bad they are closed on Tuesday. So Wednesday night, I just had to drop in for an after dinner drink.
I was a bit disappointed. The photos that I had seen made this place look warm, inviting and trendy. In reality, I kinda felt like I was in a hospital. The jars of ingredients on the bar are really cute, and definitely add to the theme, but the nausea green walls behind the bar take the idea from cute to «Frankenstein’s lab». Add that to the fact that it wasn’t all that clean and I was not a fan.
But, I had yet to try the cocktails. I took a few minutes to peruse the menu and saw several that looked intriguing. I could have used some advice from the bartender, but she was too busy screwing around with her drunk, off-​duty coworkers to answer questions. I went with the French Buck. I imagined it would have a spicy anise flavor from the absinthe and the ginger beer, but it was VERY heavy on the lemon. So much so that it turned out to be a very bitter drink. I’m not sure if that was supposed to be the right mix or if the bartender was a little off, but not good.
When I went to leave, I took a walk upstairs to check out the patio. Turns out that I should have gone up there in the first place. It looks a little less hospital-​y upstairs and the patio looks quite nice. Probably should have followed the two guys who came to the bar downstairs, got sick of waiting for the bartender to stop socializing and went upstairs.
I’m hoping I just had some bad luck, there need to be more great cocktail places out there. But for $ 14 a drink, I don’t think I’ll take the risk.

I never thought I’d be singing a bar’s praises because of the ease with which one can bring an infant, but that is exactly what I’m doing. This weekend found J and I in the City of Brotherly Love, visiting friends and their newborn twins. During a stroll down Walnut Street, conversation turned to one of our favorite topics – cocktails – and our friend mentioned a nearby bar that served creative high-​end drinks. «I think they call their bartenders mixologists or something?» he said, and J and I shared a knowing glance.
When I suggested that we go I didn’t mean we go RIGHT THEN (who brings a baby to a bar?) but my friends seemed totally happy with the idea. So, the babes all asnooze in their bjorns, we climbed the stairs to Apothecary’s 2^nd level, where we found a lovely patio and super friendly staff who didn’t bat an eye at their WAY underage patrons.
Apothecary takes its medicinal theme seriously, with ingredients like valerian root, echinacea, and gingko throughout the cocktail menu. Though the signature drinks struck me as a little too fruit-​heavy for my usual taste, it was early in the evening, and I let the when-​in-​Rome in me take over. Plus, how could I not order something cautioning «not for the faint of heart or hypertensive»? The Booty Collins was tall and cool and fruity without being cloying. The Bronx cocktail was light and refreshing, and they did a great job with J’s classic Bijou as well.
What’s nice about Apothecary is that they do well what so many fail at – having a gimmick without coming off as too gimmicky or trying too hard. Unlike their conceptual twin in NYC, Apotheke, it’s not over-​the-​top, showy or snooty, and it’s laid back enough in the early evening that you can bring a baby or two. That would NEVER happen in New York.

So, I stopped by tonight with some friends and we were cut off from the downstairs bar by a forced invitation to the upstairs lounge. Normally not an issue, but one of our company had muscular dystrophy and stairs were a challenge. We assisted our friend up in expectation of the fantastic beverages that were to come. Tonight especially, a taste of ‘Root’; the new locally brewed spirit.
We sat at the very small upstairs bar and were given samples of root. It was very nice, a bit sweet for me, and discussed the possibility of mixing it with a prosecca to enhance the base flavors and tone down the sweet.
Unfortunately for us, Nick and Christian were no where to be found, so our discussions were for naught. The waitress who assisted us had no mixology skill, and Sam, the official barkeep, said not ONE WORD to us the hour we were there, nor did he bother to make a drink for us or inquire if we wanted one.
The waitress ended up making our drinks, which we agreed were lame and tame compared to the vivid flavors we are used to from this place. We considered a second round, but after waiting for fifteen minutes with dry glassware I finally gave in and tendered my credit card, paying forty five (yes $ 45) dollars for the three drinks we had.
When we first starting coming here, drinks were great, service was brilliant, and we were excited to be part of the Apothecary scene. It sadly seems that as the name has shrunk, so have all other aspects of this bar/​lounge, except the price. (The hours have even been cut to wed-​sun!)
Sorry Tony, just as we had to walk away from RAW when you cut back the quality, we now have to walk away from here.
So no longer can I recommend the Apothecary, as now its simply APO, and although there’s lots of lipstick on this pig, it’s not the Marilyn we once loved.

Popped in at Apothecary last night after hitting my stomach’s limits at Bindi. Just when I decided adding anything else to my already bulging Bindi belly was a bad idea, the swift bartender slid a Clever Club in my direction. His craftsmanship alone was enough to keep me put. I sat mesmerized as he sent orange essence sparks into a lucky patron’s elixir.
When I simply couldn’t drink anymore, I spotted the bartender (dare I say his name is Nick) applying a fragrant foam to my neighbor’s cocktail. Inquiring wasn’t in my best interest. Or maybe it was? Minutes later, I was met with some Sage Wisdom: rhum, white grapefruit, sage leaves, gingko, pineapple-​sage foam. One of the best things I’ve ever put in my mouth.
Aside from the drinks, my friend’s favorite APO experience was the sage-​slapping practice. Just ask or observe next time you’re in.

Had drinks here after Morimoto’s and we chilled at the ground floor bar. We hoped the upstairs patio was open but it wasn’t.
The place reminded me of a bar in New York and the music was eclectic. I settled for a glass of prosecco while my cousin had a tequila cocktail which tasted just like a margarita on the rocks. In any event, I’d come back here again and perhaps try their Absinthe cocktail, which is the real thing, baby.

This lounge was just one stop on my whirlwind tour of Philly but it was by far my favorite. It is tucked away on this cute street and in the dark of night, it could totally be in any hot city in the world. The sign really lends it that universal feel too. The bouncer was super friendly our friend who was leading us there which was a little strange because our guide later told us he didn’t know the guy.
I only got a peak at the ground floor but it had wonderfully tall ceilings for a very narrow space: intimate. We were headed for the patio. It was just warm enough to sit outside near midnight with a light breeze: just beautiful. A heat lamp stood in the middle of the deck just in case.
Upon the advice of our friend we ordered a bottle of Immunity Idol [gin, elderflower liqueur champagne, orange bitters, pineapple juice, and a bunch of little things ]and another of Booty Collins [gin, passion fruit, agave nectar, cayenne, brandied berries]. I loved the tag lines just as much as the ridiculous ingredients list.
Immunity Idol — An analeptic of high style for all systems in need.
It took them a while to accumulate enough glasses so that we could taste them both uncontaminated. Worth the wait.
I totally loved the Booty Collins and could have has a whole bottle by myself. The cayenne pepper gave a wonderful heat to the entire drink and actually brought back the voice of on of my fellow loungers. The valerian root might have had something to do with that too. I even ate the oranges out of the drink and they were amazing: alcohol soaked? or just plain good?
The Immunity Idol was also good but much less sweet.
Once we had glasses in our hands I began to notice the actual space. The bar on the second floor was green lit and beautiful and the bathrooms were really great and unisex meaning that i came out to find a line of men waiting. Awesome.
Have to go back to try their other cocktails.

Oh, the production necessary to make a fancy cocktail. Sure, this may turn the casual drinker off, but I kinda dug to 20 minute long explanation necessary to make my two sheikhs «al ikseer» cocktail. (Yeah, I know the name because I stole a menu, shhhh don’t tell.)
Fancy tequila, green chartreuse, salted beet juice (?!), a scoop of raspberry preserves, and lord know what else created a sweet and salty cocktail unlike anything that I had experienced before. It was kinda like drinking a margarita and a cosmopolitan without the salt on the rim of the glass. I dug it.
HUGE fan of the color green and therefore felt like a kid in a candy store in this swanky place. They also have a pretty fancy and CLEAN bathroom, which I am always a fan of. I’ll go back but only for A drink. This is not the place to get your serious drink on, but definitely an interesting conversation piece.

I walked in here, alone, on a Friday night. I was one of 10 people inside. I was handed a menu, by Nick the «cocktail» designer.
After grazing over the many choices, I went with the La Paloma. $ 11/​drink. It was damn tasty. It went down smooth.
By the time I finished the first one, and was ready to place the order for the second, the place was packed.
I got my American Bird sandwich, which was wonderful.
The drinks, totally worth the price. The service amazing. The conversations/​skills the bartenders can provide you with make the whole experience even better.

Three years ago, I was out on the town with a friend from New York. Though we were enjoying our night, he remarked that one thing Philly didn’t have was a really cool lounge bar.
Three years later, he’s opened one.
Apothecary Bar + Lounge is bringing the ubiquitous cocktail bar culture of NYC to Philly. Check out Little Branch and Milk & Honey in Manhattan for examples.
A savory small plate menu «anchors» your main course– a precisely «dosed» cocktail or herbal elixir. A variety of non-​alcoholic mocktails are featured, as well– perfect for the stylish mom-​to-​be, or the blessed designated driver!
Classic, lost cocktails like the Aviation (a blend of Plymouth Dry Gin, crème de Violette, and maraschino liqueur) or a nouveau antioxidant RustOleo sipper (bilberry, acai, Brazilian cachaca, honey liqueur and cocoa bitters) should be enjoyed sitting down, chillin on a faux-​pony banquette or outside on the roof deck.
Check out the «etiquette» page in the menu of this decadently civilized bar; no hats, son.
Yeah I’m biased, I know the owners, but I’m solidly predicting this will be the top-​shelf, Bergdorf blonde, Amex-​Black lounge Philly just never had.
See you there.