Experimental Cocktail Club

Very sad this is closed. My second favorite cocktail club (after Employees Only, of course).

3.5−4 stars. Sure this place didn’t have a sign and it was kind of awesome that the bouncer came out of this random door and asked if we were looking for ECC, but the giant crowd inside revealed that this place is far from secretive. Although the inside is actually very spacious for a speakeasy (there are two separate rooms each with a bar), it was JAM packed on a Saturday to the point where it was basically impossible to sit down anywhere without constantly being squeezed past or brushed up against. To me the beauty of a high quality speakeasy is that there is some sort of population control but ECC definitely didn’t seem to have any type of policy like this.
I tried the West Indie watermelon cocktail and the Chrystie #3, a baijiu based drink. The former was very refreshing and took you straight to the beach. It was fairly icy though and not very strong. The Chrystie #3 was super interesting: you could clearly taste the baijiu but it was smoothed over well by the other flavors.
Not sure I would come back on a weekend because it was just so hard to hold a conversation and chill with a drink, but I can definitely see the appeal! This place reminded me a lot of Employees Only in the West Village. It didn’t make my list of go-​to speakeasies but I’m glad I made it here!

After walking up and down a very dark Chrystie Street, I finally found the entrance to ECC. There was no sign, no number, no line, and of course, the bouncer was sneakily standing 100 feet away from the actual entrance. Good job ECC for being a true speakeasy!
The vibe is fantastic — romantic, dark and mysterious. The only lights illuminating the room are from candles (and from people who couldn’t bear but to turn on their cell phone flashlights). The vibe is a little too loud for a date but great for a group of friends!
I ordered the West Indies drink, and it was incredible. It tasted exactly like watermelon juice but with a slight kick of spice. Most drinks on the menu are average $ 14 – 16, so pretty much on par with other speakeasies in the city.
My only complaint is that the service is incredibly slow. I didn’t sit at the bar, so it took a ridiculously long time to grab a waiter’s attention.

Roxanne is the best — look out for her and she’ll make you the best cocktail you’ve ever had! You will never be disappointed by any concoction she dreams up for you. She’s the only woman among the cocktail makers, which is why I think she’s able to carry on a conversation with every patron AND make a high volume of cocktails (sorry, guys)! We asked her to make us off the menu drinks, and her drinks were on point!

Pretty great.
Came here on a Saturday late night for a nightcap, after a fairly solid night of drinking. ECC had been on my to-​do list for awhile, although this visit was actually completely unplanned. That being said, I was surprised at how many people were still around, despite it being 2am. The inside is pretty nice, and relatively large, especially in the realm of secretive cocktail bars. They do have a lot of different exotic ingredients, and while it is pretty fancily decorated in the place, the bartenders aren’t really pretentious or self-​important or anything; they just like making quality cocktails with outrageous or unusual flavors.
I started off by just ordering an old-​fashioned. I kinda just wanted to see how they would proportion the ingredients, before I trusted the bartender to make a bartender’s choice. They passed the test. The old-​fashioned was a little sweeter than I had liked, but they did load up on the whiskey, probably more than they should have. I ended up going with the bartender’s choice, using whiskey. What I got was quite good, sort of like a whiskey sour, but slightly richer and smokier. Regardless, still incredibly strong, and quite the way to end a great night. They also have a selection of punches, which I think you can only order in large quantities, so we decided to forgo that, although the ingredients sounded pretty great.
Service was fine, although it took unnaturally long for us to get our check, even though by the end of the night, it was fairly empty. Prices are expensive as usual for most cocktail bars, right at about $ 14 – 16 a cocktail, but the bartenders seem knowledgeable enough to make it all worth it. There are a lot of bars that tout fancy ingredients or «mixologists» but this is legit the real deal.
Glad to finally try this and add this to my repertoire of nice, intimate cocktail bars. They do take reservations so make sure to take advantage of that, unlike me. I’ll be back for another date night, or with a small group of my cocktail aficionado friends. Definitely a place you can impress someone with, heh.

Dark classy bar. The bar only has one small overflowing section till 11pm. At about 11, a curtain opens to reveal another section and before 10 minutes go by the bar gets crowded again (both sides).
This is the scene of the young and strong Manhattan women. The ratio of men to women defiantly puts the men at an advantage. Looking around, the room is full of well dresses elegant and vibrant bunch of women.
The drinks were great. I ordered an OutCider and really enjoyed it. The bartender did a great job. He got creative and made some great unique cocktails that the foodies in the group appreciated.
Now, to the reason I gave the bar a lower score… First, I have to say that I never understood the bar culture but with that said the place was crowded, dark and loud. I couldn’t hear the people I was with and felt like my head was pounding to the sound of music. The place is popular to a fault and space hunters were on the look out for anyone who got up even if for a second to see if they could snatch the seat. Also, why are bars so dark? Are you supposed to not be able to see the people in front of you? Is that a thing?

I’ve been on an alcohol free diet for a few weeks now but I had to make an exception for this place. The drinks here are absolutely phenomenal. The music is great and their door man is awesome. Our bartender was superb and we wished we were able to spend more time here (but we had dinner reservations else where).
I left my credit card on the counter by accident but luckily, I was able to show up 4 hours later and the bartender had it tucked away for me.

Came here on a whim around 9.30pm on a Wednesday night. It was just two of us and we managed to get a big sofa. The atmosphere was lovely and cosy and fun, perfect for catching up with a friend or a date. Lively enough to not be boring, quiet enough to hold a conversation.
My cocktail was really tasty. My friend went on a recommendation from the bartender and neither of us really rated hers — they overdid the egg white which made it taste chalky.
Overall though I would go back, especially as they can accommodate group reservations so would be great for a group of friends after dinner.

Note to self: Never go to an expense Manhattan cocktail bar when broke.
This place was had a cool ambience — dark, comfy couches, and cool bartenders or shall I say mixologists…
My drink wasn’t that great for the price — so I won’t be running back here. but if you are loaded and wanna be sexual, this is the place to be.

I give this place 4 stars for when it’s quiet and 2 stars for when it’s loud. Overall a three seems fair.
I was here last night for a friend’s birthday. We had a reservation, so we got a table, a couch, and some soft, comfy chairs in the back. Our waitress started out being friendly and attentive. I thought the drinks took a bit longer to make than seemed necessary, but we were having a good time, so it didn’t bother us too much. The music was a lot of good hip hop played at a tasteful level. It was almost too dark, and we had to read the menus by candle light, but I guess that contributed to the cool ambiance.
The drinks were tasty. I had La Medicine and Pistache Club. The former is a tequila drink with some good spices in it, and candied ginger on a stick as a garnish (which I ate; it was delicious). It was exactly the kind of thing I wanted. The latter drink was a gin drink with pistachio syrup and egg whites. It ended up tasting not much like gin or pistachio but like green sherbet. Which was fun. I liked that it was foamy, but I only ordered it once whereas I ordered La Medicine twice because the Pistache drink was tasty but admittedly a little bland and one-​note for $ 14 a drink. My friends seemed to enjoy the punch bowl they shared, although I was just as happy not to spend buckoo bucks for punch.
A lot changed after about 11 o’clock. A DJ came in and started playing music extremely loud. It was good music, but still much too loud, and it seemed counter the spirit of this classy, subtle establishment to have a DJ testing the limits of our eardrums. The place became packed with douchey trust fund hipsters. There was a least one leather mini-​skirt, for example. The service suffered by that point. I think they needed to add at least one more waitress, because it started taking forever for us to be served again, and it took much too long to get the check, to where we resented being obligated to tip 20% per the rules applying to parties of 6+.
Rest assured we didn’t go over the bare minimum amount we were supposed to pay, and would have resented it much less if the obligatory tip were not 20%. Overall it was a cool experience, and I would consider going again in the early part of the night, but it sucked that the place changed so much as time went on, and if you’re paying a premium price for drinks and a reservation, you better damn well receive prompt service.

Beautiful, hip yet cozy speakeasy bar. The place is very inviting with its dim, candle lit interior and cushy chairs.
We came fairly early in the evening, like 8ish, and the place was all but empty. Which was actually rather enjoyable, since we could sit wherever we wanted and the service was super fast. This place is known to get loud and packed later in the evening, but for us, we were able to just chill and enjoy our drinks.
Pretty much everything on the cocktail menu sounds amazing and the ones I had definitely did not disappoint. I had the Brazilian Milk Punch, which was nicely presented in its own mini bottle and poured tableside into a glass. It was very sweet, milky, and almost dessert-​like, but not overpowering. A good choice for anyone with a sweet tooth! My second cocktail was the Amarus Lavendem which was also very good, although not extremely memorable. The lavender bitters gave it a very floral kick (in a good way).
All in all, great place to check out. If you’re into cocktails and/​or mixology bars, definitely don’t miss this one.

This is a pretty type of speakeasy spot with two rooms-​so it’s spacious yet also quite intimate. It was packed in one room (the other was to open later, though we did peek in for a bit, haha) on a Friday night, of course!
I like how they have such fruity type mixed drinks-​yumm punch, rum, etcc!

Experimental Cocktail Club has been on my to-​do list for about a year, but I never found myself in the area (and in need of a cocktail) until a few days ago.
Right off the bat, the place has a wonderful ambiance. It’s dark, candle lit, and there’s low music in the background. Well, that was at around 8pm anyway. I actually dropped my credit card and came back around 10, and it was considerably more lively and full.
I think I enjoyed my experience more anyway. We were able to get seats and have a conversation without screaming, and table service was quick. So my advice — if you’re there for cocktails and not for large groups, come early.
Anyway, the two drinks I had were:
–Pistache Club: an egg white fizzy drink with gin and pistachio syrup. The pistachio was subtle, and everything mixed together very well into a frothy top.
–Black Tot: this one was basically all alcohol. Jamaican rum, sherry and two types of liqueur. It tasted as strong as it sounds on paper. Probably wouldn’t order that one again.
All in all, a pretty classy joint (with super cool bathroom wallpaper). Would definitely recommend if you’re into cocktails and are willing to spend a bit on a few.

I’ve had this lounge bookmarked for a while and was looking forward to stopping by.
First I will start by saying that it’s really not that hard to find. The storefront isn’t marked, but that’s really as complicated as it gets. I read previous reviews warning about how tough it is to actually locate the space, so I google image searched and saw what the storefront looks like. Problem solved, was able to find it with no problem. Also, we went after a local show on a Saturday night. I made reservations so we would have a space to sit. We were given a nice cozy table for two in an intimate dark corner. I liked being out of the way, but the hostess checked back in with us to make sure we were happy with where we were seated, which was very thoughtful of her and good customer service.
Our waitress was friendly and knowledgable. She was able to answer questions about the menu and made great recommendations. I had the Pistache Club. It was delicious and definitely the most unique cocktail I’ve ever had. My husband had the molinberry (I think) mule, which was also delicious. We saw the bartenders making the flaming punch, which was served on fire– very cool. I would like to come back and give that a try. Speaking of coming back, I think I would try coming back earlier in the evening when it’s a bit quieter. We were very lucky to be seated away from the crowds but the music was loud. Not just typical bar level loud, but definitely headache level loud and it made it tough to carry on a conversation. Over than that, we had an excellent time here!

Surprisingly no line when I came to meet up with friends late Friday night. For a speakeasy the setup inside accommodates large-​ish groups pretty well, and it didn’t feel overly like a date spot as a lot of other speakeasies do.
As other have mentioned, yummy drinks (that are deceptively strong!) and the bartenders can customize something based on your tastes.

I’m surprised this place hasn’t turned into one of those «2 hour wait» speakeasy places. I’d put this in the hidden gem category.
Came here on Friday for a friend’s leaving drinks. She managed to get an entire section of the venue for us (there were 10 – 15 of us at any one time). The place is unmarked and I actually ended up walking past it when someone asked me what I was looking for, and he pointed right behind me.
I heard great things about the pistachio drink but ended up opting for something with egg and berries (experimental, right?). Place is very dimly lit… I guess they were going for the romantic feel but I could barely see my check and only noticed the day after that gratuity was already included. Not sure if it was because we had a large party or if that’s standard. I tipped on top of that. It’s the holidays, right?
Will definitely want to come back here again.

First off, it’s a speakeasy. so don’t come in here excited expecting that you will have some snack to go with your drink. Don’t get me wrong, they do have snack menu but it’s extremely limited. so make sure to eat something before you go.
Ambience is so intimate and perfect for someone who wants to start a great night or end a long night!
Really good drinks… every drink is carefully crafted to perfection! The most important thing they’re not stingy with the booze…
Awesome place to go with a group or with your date. I went here with my wife and we both had a blast.
If you’re someone who doesn’t really like to overly crowded place-​my recommendation is to go on weekdays between 7pm-​9pm…

The place is not the easiest to find, but not in a fun way, like some other speakeasy’s in the city, where the bars masquerade as something else They simply didn’t put a sign on the bar so it’s more inconvenient than it is «fun» to search for. It’s cozy inside and not nearly as packed (though this was a Wednesday night) as I assumed.
I got scoffed at by the barkeep for ordering a gin and tonic because I hate vermouth and whiskey (which so many drinks were composed of). Sorry I’m a hot girl and not a 60 year old man who just got laid off from work.
Anyway, he made me a new and improved gin and tonic with some fancy shmancy somethings I can’t remember because we were already tipsy from another place, and it was quite good. Presentation wasn’t anything super duper, but it was refreshing none the less and I’d come back I suppose.

Amarus Lavendem. Brilliant. That is all.
It’s gorgeously delicious, stunningly beautiful, and could of course also be dangerous.

Went on a Wednesday night. I’ll start out by saying this place is pretty difficult to find. No signage anywhere and it is pretty nondescript in front. However, if you finally find you way in, then I think you will be pleased with what you find. Very stylish and inviting interior. Also has a bunch of plush seating. Once you sit down you’ll have a hard time wanting to leave.
The staff is really friendly and accommodating.
Only reason I’m give three stars is because of the drinks. Let me start off by saying that I’ll admit the cocktails sound pretty freakin amazing when you read through the menu. What comes out doesn’t exactly match the anticipation you’ll inevitably have. I had two different cocktails: «Take is going back to Japan» and «Jean Claude Pandang». Good but not great. My bank account is $ 28 plus tip lighter and I didn’t really feel like it was worth it.
I’d go back and give this place another chance if only because I really like the atmosphere and the drinks sound interesting enough to where I’d be willing to try another.