The details:
35 W 8TH ST
NEW YORK NY 10011-9029
Existing Conditions – The Lowdown
If you’re the sort of science geek who’s ever mulled over the idea of centrifuged liquor, then you’re unlikely to be impressed by a St. Mark’s Place cocktail joint where the 22-year old bartender’s idea of “mixology” is switching up the Don Julio in your margarita for a generic mezcal.
Cue Existing Conditions on 8th Street in Greenwich Village – the recently-opened, love child of dream team, Dave Arnold, of the since-closed tech-inspired Booker & Dax, PDT’s Don Lee and Cocktail Kingdom’s Greg Boehm.
At Booker & Dax, Arnold championed an experimental, laboratory-style approach to devising a collection, using custom Searzali attachments on blowtorches, and Spinzall machines capable of subjecting liquids to thousands of times the force of gravity to manipulate particles in his creations. In Arnold’s mathematical world, the shape of an ice cube, the complex sugars and acids in an apple, and the bubbles in a carbonated pour of Prosecco, are each separate ingredients with variables begging to be tested and tweaked for the ultimate drinking experience, be it alcoholic or otherwise.
It’s the same approach taken at Existing Conditions, where all drinks are $15, including virgin options, such as the Doyenne, made from carbonated clarified Comice pear, and Mt. Olympus tea. A favorite among the boozy options on offer is the Waffle Turkey 101, described as “more breakfast than a bacon old-fashioned,” including a mix of waffle-infused bourbon and maple syrup. If the front space is too crowded, grab a token from the bartender and select one of the bottled cocktails from a vending machine in the back – classic Manhattans, Martinis, and butter and popcorn-infused rum and cokes are stored at a cool minus-four degrees. Celsius.
The vibe is the opposite of other flashy bells and whistles of other bespoke speakeasies in the area – the purpose being to nut out the process behind the scenes to allow you to enjoy the space for what it is – a laid-back den in which to relax and enjoy an expertly-crafted masterpiece, while being grateful you’re not killing time pacing around the block while on the waitlist for standing room at Employees Only.
