Have you ever slurped a luxe amuse-bouche welcome shot that looked like an oyster? If not, welcome to Thyme Bar in NYC where each cocktail is more sensory immersive than the last! We had a fantastic night celebrating Christmas at Thyme where the featured tasting menu was reservation only, booked weeks in advance, and worth every penny.
Now I mention worth the price, because this experience was in fact rather expensive. But with individual cocktails on the menu listed for $27, the tasting menu was a great deal for $85 per person. The experience included the welcome Le Perle “oyster” shot (that is actually decadent blueberry and champagne), two cocktails (one from each drink menu), a dinner item, and dessert.
Thyme takes cocktails to a new level with their choice in unique ingredients and their spectacular over-the-top presentation. Drinking at Thyme is an exciting adventure where you never know if your libation will be floating, smoking, or look like something from Alice in Wonderland. We had the honor of trying the brand new 2022 menu: so though we didn’t get to take pictures of the gorgeous rose glass or the butterfly ice, we did get to try things we’d yet to see on their Instagram.
Off the Le Jardin menu we ordered the Christmas special edition cocktail, White Suede, that’s meant to taste like a Christmas tree; Queen of the Night, a sultry coffee libation; and as a bonus we tried Flower Bomb, which was an exciting spicy yet tart concoction. Moving to the Floriography menu, we sipped from a pipe with Dandelion, a floral Rye taste with a sweet surprise; and Coconino Rain, an herbal tea with caramel libation that literally hung from the ceiling. The presentation became more elaborate with each order.
There is so much on the menu! Each drink is immensely complex and you can see the bartenders take pride in their creations. Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you can’t decide, our waiter Cody was the perfect blend of friendly and frank helping us order drinks we would enjoy and remember!
The food was good; small portions but very rich. The dessert was excellent though! Most notably was the blood orange and earl grey chocolate mousse cake (we snagged the last one of the night!).
Thyme is one of NYC’s newest speakeasies, their soft opening was February 2020, just before the pandemic, and yet they seem to be thriving. Thyme has elevated the speakeasy experience and people have noticed! You do not want to miss the cocktail creations at this subterranean cellar. Go have a great time at Thyme, and see what crazy presentation your served.
Signed,
Your delightfully entertained PLIs
(Visited December 2021)