(Photo courtesy of Albert Trummer)
What can you expect from mixologist Albert Trummer’s new bar on Avenue C, slated to open this fall? According to the Austrian cocktail wizard, the bar’s mood board includes an intriguing mix of Damien Hirst and Sigmund Freud, with a touch of perfumery for good measure. And despite a recent petition by locals, he swears it will be accessible to local residents — and he won’t set any drinks, or his bar, on fire with again. At least, not without the proper permits.
Mixers & Elixirs will take over what was formerly the deli Adinah Farm at 14 Avenue C, on the corner of Second Street. Even though some community members criticized Trummer for, among other things, his plans to serve $1,600 bottles of champagne, Community Board 3’s SLA committee agreed to recommend him for a liquor license as long as he agrees to certain stipulations, including a security guard that will stand by at all times and a 2 a.m. closing time every day of the week.
(Photo courtesy of Albert Trummer)
Trummer, who was formerly the head mixologist at Apothéke in Chinatown, assured us his new place will be “reasonable and cool for the neighborhood.” Even if some of his drinks are more expensive because they include unique ingredients like blueberry, vanilla, elderberry, and other flavored extracts that he makes himself, there will also be wines for under $10 a glass and beers in the $6 to $8 range. Cocktails will average about $10 to $15, he said, with market price for special liquors ranging from $13 to $26 per drink. Below is a peek at his menu for his Miami bar The Drawing Room by Albert Trummer to get an idea of what Mixers & Elixirs will have to offer, though it looks like it’s more expensive than what Trummer has planned.
As for the decor, “it’s going to be very contemporary, very modern, but also very classic, like your own beautiful living room,” Trummer said.
Trummer, who mainly lives in Nolita, is somewhat notorious for his penchant for playing with fire; the Times reported on the messy dispute between Trummer and the co-owners of that led to his arrest in 2010 (he ultimately pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct and was handed down a sentence of $120 in fines and two days community service.)
“Sometimes I put flames on the bar, and it is dangerous if there are curtains nearby and we understand that,” he said. “I had a big marble counter, and people stepped away five, six feet. In that situation I would hurt myself most.” He said he didn’t have a permit to have an open flame, and though the experience was “a little frustrating for me,” he’s learned from the past and hopes his bar will fit into the ever changing tapestry of Alphabet City storefronts.
“Avenue C became almost a destination of cocktail bars,” he said, “I think Avenue C in the future will become home to a variety of bars that you don’t have in other parts of New York City, but you can still can go to the Irish pub and still go to classic cocktail bars and then you can go to the dive bar around the corner. So I think we’re going to cater a beautiful concept to the Lower East Side.”