This martini movement we're in the midst of is just divine. Some of martini masterminds out there have even created a vodka-based one or two that I actually very much like. But my heart is always and forever with gin. Yes, even for a dirty martini. So when I read about the opening of Chin Up Bar, a gin-centric cocktail spot on the Lower East Side, it shot up to the top of my list bars to visit. Though more of a 4.5 for me based on drinks alone, I am rounding up to 5 because all supporting elements of the experience (menu design, service, etc) were notably excellent.
We came here around 10:30/11 on a Saturday night after dinner. Given how many raves this place is getting, I was surprised to walk in and see the bar in front relative empty. I realized that I had only imagined the interior in my mind without any idea of the layout of the space, so my surprise was not due to expectations that were based on actual data but rather something my brain had conjured up. Perhaps it's something about the name, which my brain associated with the gym which was then associated with gym bros which gave way to an expectation of a loud/packed space. Chin Up Bar is lively but sleek and sophisticated (not at all a reflection of my anticipatory associative process), and the space extends back a fair amount, and it is there that you will find the rest of the seating.
A menu feature that I absolutely love -- particularly because I tend to prefer spirit-forward drinks but do not like getting very drunk -- is the key that indicates relative strength (ABV-wise) of each drink. I love cocktails so very much but this means that when I want to try many different drinks on a single menu, I need to be strategic about what I order. Now, on this particular night I was able to manage two stronger drinks because I didn't have much at dinner beforehand, but I had an approximate idea of what I was getting into which was very helpful for planning purposes (in other words, more than two drinks would have sent me over the edge so I stopped at two). To start, I got the Dirty Martini (Roku Japanese gin, Pickle Guys brine) which includes the note, "You tell us how dirty, ok?". I told our server I would like it as filthy as it comes and they gave me just that. Just divine. I then got the Vesper (Temile Listening Rock New York Gin, Vodka, kina) which was easily one of the best Vespers I've had. Kina is a bit more complex/bitter than the usual Lillet or Cocchi Americano used in a Vesper and I absolutely loved it. read more