There's A Cocktail For Every Spice At New Alphabet City Bar Mace

"Did you get Maced?" might be a question heard more often around Alphabet City, where Mace, a new bar—named for the spice, not the pepper spray or the bludgeoning weapon—has opened up on 9th Street near Avenue C by owners Zach Sharaga and Nico de Soto. The jars of spices lining the walls—picked up by other co-owner Greg Boehm on his travels to India and beyond—should clue you in to what you're about to experience, namely a trip through the world of spices and their interplay with alcohol. Each drink on the list focuses on a specific spice as its source of inspiration, adding layers of booze, tinctures and juices along the way. Sounds gimmicky, but everyone's gotta have one.

Some of the base flavors are pretty intense, like licorice and thai chili, but the cocktails we tried at this week's press preview were well-balanced and didn't taste like you were huffing McCormick from the bottle. The gorgeous Thai Chili was light and frothy courtesy of egg whites and cucumber, with a bit of bite from the chili and the gin base. The eponymous cocktail employs its namesake spice as a haze applied via spray bottle after the Aperol, aquavit and beet juice drink has been shaken into the glass.

Ambrette (L); Thai Chili (R)

There's a small food menu meant for nibbles rather than a meal, like cumin and cayenne-scented mixed nuts and charcuterie and cheese boards. The most substantial food items are the flatbreads and toasts, including a Crab & Avocado Flatbread accented with lemon and basil and a more robust Bacon & Fig Jam with smokey bacon, melted Manchego, fig spread and a hefty pour of balsamic reduction.

The bar's a tight, railroad-style establishment that can get tricky to navigate once it gets full. The back boasts a few low tables with low, romantic lighting. Though it's a little cramped, try to snag a table up front by the window so you can watch the tiny, brindle French bulldog puppy greet customers of the neighboring wine store.

649 East 9th Street, 212-673-1190; website