Alchemy Bottle Shop

Great selection, super helpful staff, and if you’re looking for a great gift idea, check out the whiskey club. I bought it for my husband and he loves the quarterly selections — really great whiskeys that are hand selected and hard to find. A super cool space too.

This place is so cool, meaning they have lots of artisanal spirits and liquors and the prices are reasonable. I must have gone to about 6 wine shops around Berkeley looking for an amaro as a gift. Some places had 1 or 2, others didn’t carry it at all. Lo and behold I called Alchemy, and they knew exactly what I was looking for. The selection was fantastic, I had a few questions beyond the written descriptions, the gentleman who helped me was very helpful. I’m not much of a drinker, but this is the place if you’re looking for a little extra something in a liquor.

While I can’t stand the phrase, Mixologist, I do love great booze and great bitters to go with. This shop was stocked full of a great selection of spirits and of course, bitters. I’m from Denver and a lot of brands were much MUCH better priced here then in Denver. I wish them much success and longevity. Hoping to stop by next time I’m in Oakland. And yeah, what a great neighborhood!

This is by far one of the trendiest and chicest stores I’ve been too. All white and gorgeous, I want to live here… Nice selection of booze. They have a little of everything.
The wine selection upstairs is decent too! They have Italian, Spanish, Californian wine and from other places too…
We got the chance to do a little cachaca tasting which was nice.

What an absolutely amazing retail experience. Highly curated inventory, stunning environment, and such friendly and informative folks who own and operate. Alchemy has completely refreshed/​reinvented the idea of buying spirits. Cask is also great, but Alchemy takes it completely to another level. Lucky to have this in my neighborhood.

I stopped by this past Sunday in the hopes of finding a special whiskey. I was the only one in the store so the clerk behind the counter was certainly not busy. However, again the clerk was not very engaging and just said he didn’t have what I was looking for. I have been in several times in the past and unfortunately always experience a less than welcoming attitude from anyone that works there. It was fine that they didn’t have what I wanted, but it is a shame that they can’t go out of their way to be friendly. I looked around a bit but the atmosphere was so cold that I just felt uncomfortable and left. I know other reviewers in the past have mentioned that the young ladies that are sometimes behind the counter never pay attention to you when you come in and only just chat between themselves. I have also experienced this.
It is so unfortunate that the owners of this establishment are not paying attention to who they hire and more importantly giving them guidance on customer service. This shop could be so much better and I thought it had great potental when it first opened.

I came in today to buy a bottle of bourbon as a gift for my son’s birthday. I was the only customer in the store. The guy behind the counter either knew nothing about his products or was too condescending to help me.
me: I want to get a bottle of bourbon for my son’s 30^th birthday.
him: what kind do you want?
me: I don’t know. That’s why I came here.
long pause
me: I want to spend about $ 50 – 60.
long pause
me: I want to get him something that he wouldn’t get for himself.
him: Points to a bottle of Four Roses.
me: I’d prefer something a bit more unusual. It’s a special birthday.
him: We don’t carry anything that you can’t get somewhere else.
me: thinking… way to sell your store, dude.
long pause
me: I want something smooth enough to sip but it wouldn’t be a sin to use in a mixed drink.
he points out a bottle for $ 45. Thinking that I could get that bottle and then some tonic or bitters or…
me: What would you suggest to mix this with?
him: Any drink recipe that calls for bourbon.
I have been in Alchemy before and always dealt with employees that were happy to share their knowledge and to point me in the right direction. This guy shouldn’t be working there.

Alchemy has a great selection of high-​quality, harder-​to-​find spirits, liqueurs, and bitters in a really light, beautiful shop. Looking over their shelves, you’ll pause to think how many enticing bottles you can justify buying at once.
The staff, including the owners Tova and Peter, are really friendly, helpful, and incredibly knowledgeable.
Their bitters tasting section is really awesome because it lets you find the right one before buying. Otherwise, buying bitters blindly, it’s a pretty expensive gamble.
They also have classes and I attended the one on aperitifs and digestifs. It was a lot of fun and gave me a look into some really interesting flavors I hadn’t experienced before. I can’t wait to explore those a little more.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet! Sorry for the tardiness, Alchemy, and thank you for your beautiful store!
This place is every mixology-dabbler’s (and I’m sure professional mixologists’) dream come true. It has the best selection of hard-​to-​find spirits in town. Between here and Piedmont Groceries (also another beautiful liquor selection but different), I don’t go anywhere else for alcohol shopping. Plus, the price is often the lowest that I’ve found for most of the spirits there. I don’t know why anyone go to BevMo when you can just come here and get better quality and prices.
This place is very hip and classy. It feels like a store in Brooklyn (but without any annoying hipster attitude! I swear!) The only negative thing about this place is that it happens to be 1) on my way back from work 2) on the way to my yoga class. Basically, I end up spending whatever cash I got that day at this place, and I’m normally in my yoga clothes while doing so. What, yoginis drink too!

Best bottle shop around. I generally go for the whisk (e)y selection, but have also purchased presents for friends here ranging from mezcal to gin. The owners and staff are very knowledgeable whenever I have questions.
You WILL find some rare/​hard-​to-​find bottles here, which is awesome. Stuff I thought I’d have to end up ordering online, but instead I can walk right down the street!
Also, they frequently have FREE tastings on Saturdays… you can’t beat it. This place is part of my usual Saturday routine now when heading home from the farmer’s market.

Selection, service, location, and even tastings. All are top notch.
Alchemy is an amazing spot for the spirits & wine enthusiast. They have an incredible selection of spirits and even a well-​curated wine & beer selection upstairs in a beautiful, open, well-​lit room. Even the music they’re always playing is awesome!
What’s more, the folks who run this place are super nice, very knowledgeable, and they have a great array of books to help you make top shelf cocktails from the bottles on the shelf. You can also taste a mind-​boggling array of craft bitters.
This is an amazing spot and a great addition to the neighborhood. Highly recommended.

Alchemy Bottle Shop is a lovely spot with a great selection of unique spirits at reasonable prices. There are also free tastings every Saturday afternoon in the back of the store. This Saturday, we were lucky enough to catch Chris from Art in the Age to try his unique spirits that only contain 12 ingredients and are quite flavorful and strong. We ended up purchasing a bottle of Root and Snap. The Root will likely be consumed on the rocks and the Snap will be an easy way to make a delicious Dark and Stormy.
Plus, just like Safeway (though with a MUCH better selection), if you buy 6 bottles of liquor you get a 10% discount. What a deal!
My only suggestion is that it would be great if the candle or potpourri smell in the store wasn’t so strong. It’s a little bit much for me personally.

This spot is located on Grand Avenue a block away from the Grand Lake Theater.
They have a pretty diverse selection of wine, beer and spirits compared to your average Safeway and dare I say even Bevmo.
I’m a Whiskey/​Bourbon/​Scotch person and I’ve browsed a bunch of bottles that I’d like to try. Yes they have the $ 100+ bottles but they also have a bunch of $ 30 to $ 40 bottles as well. On their second level they have selections of beer and wine.
If you join their email list they’ll keep you updated about tasting events. The tasting events are free. I went once when a distillery was representing some of their products, explaining how it’s made, and giving folks samples. This shop seems to care about promoting some of the smaller or emerging distilleries instead of the same brands you always see at a bar.
I think I’ll definitely give them a try when maybe getting bottles as gifts, just to mix it up from Jameson, Bulleit or Johnny Walker

Very very cool place! I’ve never seen a spirits shop like this at all. They had a wide variety of gins, tequila, vodka, rum, whiskey, etc from all over the world. Each one had a little card explaining the taste of each spirit, and where in the world it came from, plus any additional background info they had. Definitely a place to check out if you like to enjoy the different tastes of your liquor! The staff working the place was very nice too, and they had a good selection of bitters. Everything was also presented very nicely.
My only complaint (or rather, my bf’s only complaint) was that their selection of beers were very limited.

A few weeks ago, it really clicked why Oakland is getting so much press about being a great destination from local blogs to the New York Times. There is a there here. Grand Ave from Telegraph Ave to Mandana plus the slight detour onto Upper Lakeshore is one of the best places to stroll, eat, pamper, learn and shop. It started out as just brunch with friends but essentially took an unexpected vacation day worthy of travel on a plane ride.
I had my epiphany at stop #8, Alchemy Bottle Shop. This delightful shop sells high end local and small boutique spirits. I love the bottle of Square One Cucumber Vodka I discovered here. Of course you can get things cheaper at chain stores but the personal touch, staff suggestions and enchanting environment take me to a happy place.
The little touches make this place extra special. The best is the bitters tasting station. You can try samples of the vast selection of bitters. I bought the Firewater one from Scrappy’s — its delicious. They also sell a homemade tonic water spice packet from the Oakland Spice Shop. Make it yourself or give a great hostess gift to a Vodka or Gin lover.
Alchemy is a clean, well lighted place to buy boutique spirits, bitters and other mixers. Highly recommend.

This place is ridiculous! And I mean that in a good way. Its such a cute shop and well maintained. You’ll find local brands as well as stuff thats harder to find elsewhere. Pricing seems reasonable.
I’m looking forward to attending some workshops. They have a little blurb about each of the bottles they sell that makes it unique.
The employees/​owners were very helpful and knowledgeable.

Booze novices welcome!
Don’t let the sleek interior intimidate you, I got the impression on our very first stop-​in that Alchemy Bottle Shop would love to become a new regular stop for locals, not just for booze know-​it-​alls. And I don’t mind admitting that it’s definitely become a monthly destination for our household. :)
From personal experience, they have the best priced fancy booze in town. I’ve done my research and whether it’s Campari or WhistlePig, I challenge you to find a better deal on your favorite spirit — that goes for BevMo too. Before Alchemy opened it’s doors we were purchasing bottles of the locally distilled St. George gin at Broadway Liquors for a minimum of $ 5 more a bottle. And depending on how often you’re mixing fancy drinks at home, $ 5 here and there can add up fast.
Other nice things about this new bottle shop:
+ fabulous selection of local gins, bourbons, bitters, etc.
+ knowledgable staff
+ browser friendly
+ options for any price point
A welcome addition to the Grand Ave./Lakeshore shops, please stop by and help see to it that they stick around for a bit!

Owners Tovah & Peter have created a delightful and welcoming place to purchase, browse and learn about liquor, spirits and wine. They carry locally made products from St. George Spirits, Dry Creek Valley, Dashe Cellars, and many others. There is a feeling of lightness and space. No pressure to purchase. Prices are clearly displayed on paper tags. Everything is organized. There is NO dust. Their bathroom is probably the cleanest on Grand & Lakeshore combined.
J and I attended one of their Saturday workshops — the topic was bitters. J was able to taste 6 different varieties.
Tovah & Peter are very selective and knowledgeable about their suppliers. We make it a point to stop here at least twice a month or more during our Saturday post Farmer’s Market stroll. Note: Even if you are a stalwart wine drinker, there will be something to stir your inner mixologist.

A clean, well-​lighted place to learn about and buy fine, quality booze.
There is no shortage of places to buy alcohol in this area, it’s no surprise the City of O was a little hesitant to grant another liquor license on this street, but thankfully they did. Every time I walk into Alchemy it’s an education — either through chatting or dropping in on a tasting. I’ve learned all about bitters (wonderful in tea) and that I actually like brandy (when it’s mixed with coffee, ala Firelit). Most recently, I learned how much a pleasure it is to drink alone at home!
Alchemy Bottle Shop is run by 2 very well-​informed people that seem to always be talking or cleaning. This is equivalent of what Good Vibrations did for le sex shoppe, its displays reflect the effort the distilleries put into crafting their fine concoctions.
Upstairs is an art gallery/​tasting room in the works. It can also be rented out for private events with liquor purchased through a caterer (gotta follow the liquor laws).

A selection of high end liquor elegantly displayed. The prices seem in line with what you might reasonably expect from a high end store and there are some intriguing bottles that stand out from the selections available. There is also a gallery space that they will be opening soon.