Mace

Drinking in the East Village can be kind of intense. There are crowds, college kids, super famous places you can never get into, and a particularly special mix of garbage smells and rats. But Mace feels like it’s far away from all of that. Not just because it’s on Avenue C - but because it’s a beautifully-designed temple of cocktails that always feels strangely calm. At peak times, there are crowds, but civilized ones. You’re likely not getting alcohol spilled on you here, but if you did, you’d probably at least get an apology for it.