"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

Thai Chili

Gin, Cucumber Juice, Thai Bird Eye Chili Tincture, Lime Juice, Elderflower Liqueur, Egg White



Cocoa Bean

Banana-Roasted & Cocoa Nibs-Infused Prata Cachaça, Pecan Orgeat, Olive Oil, Salt, Egg



Chamomile

Brown Butter & Hay Fat-Washed Cognac, Chamomile Syrup, Lemon Juice, Champagne



Cumin

Calvados, Oloroso Sherry, Cumin Syrup, Lemon Juice, Pale Ale



Mace

Aperol, Aquavit, Beet Juice, Orange Acid, Young Thai Coconut Cordial, Mace Atomizer



Pandan

Dark Trinidad Overproof Rum, Jamaican Rum, Batavia Arrack infused with Pandan Leaves, Clarified Milk, Clarified Pineapple Juice, Clarified Lime Juice, Aman Black Tea, Coconut Water, Ginger Juice, 8 Spices



Paprika

Blanco Tequila, Smoked Paprika & Pea Shrub, Balsamic Vinegar, Verjus, Champagne



Licorice

Seaweed-Infused Scotch Whisky, Licorice Syrup, Fig Bitters



Cinnamon

Cinnamon-Infused Pisco, Merlet Creme de Peche, Oat Gomme, Lemon Juice, Egg White



Ambrette

Rye Whiskey, Ambrette Bitters, Soy Sauce, Pedro Ximenez Sherry, Tobacco Essence



Cardamon

Vodka Fat Washed with Pistachio Oil, Coffee, Cardamom Syrup



Grass

White Tea-Infused Mizu Shochu, Grass Cordial