The buzz: From the owner of Tastings Wine Bar and the whiskey-themed Angel’s Share comes a brand-new bar with a focus on cocktails. With renowned local mixologist Antonio Lai at the helm, Quinary—conveniently located in the SoHo area—aims to make molecular cocktails that, as the bar’s name suggests, engage all five senses.

The décor: The venue is slender, featuring a long bar with a chemistry lab-looking area clustered with high-tech machines. The rotary evaporator, used to redistill the bar’s special wasabi vodka for their signature Bloody Mary, and the centrifuge, which creates cleaner, crisper grapefruit juice for their Crystal 24 cocktail, are more than just gimmicky displays—they’re crucial to Lai’s creations. The big, comfy couches by the front door cater to relatively large groups of guests, while the olive-colored banquettes further in are more suitable for intimate gatherings.

The drinks: The drink menu contains 10 innovative cocktails, including a monthly special (for May, it’s lemongrass beefeater gin with homemade tonic). Each possesses a unique smell, taste and texture. The must-try is Lai’s signature Earl Grey Caviar Martini ($120, pictured), a vodka-based drink blended with elderflower syrup and apple juice, completed with little spheres of earl grey “caviar” floating inside and beautiful foam atop the mixture. Another highlight is the Oolong Tea Collins ($90), which mixes vodka and homemade oolong tea with cordial and soda. The delicate balance of all the ingredients gives this cocktail a deceivingly non-alcoholic taste, making it go down easy; be careful to not drink too fast. Of course, regular mixed drinks, wine and beer are available, too—but why would you order them when there’re new concoctions to try?

The food: The kitchen, cooking up light bites, is open till midnight. And while traditional snacks such as fish & chips and truffle fries can be ordered, make sure to try the Smoked Tony Jar ($98), a delicious combination of rosemary smoke, cubed pork belly and apple puree—all in a jar!

Why you'll be back: To chill out with friends or co-workers in a nice environment, all while being adventurous with your drink selection. A rum and coke is fine, but let’s face it—it gets boring.

By Penny Zhou