GENUINE Liquorette

This place is amazing. I met some friends on a Friday evening for food and drinks. It was not crowded at all around 6 p.m., so we were able to order some food upstairs. We had sweet potato and regular fries, as well as the shrimp tacos. Tacos were fantastic, so many flavors bursting in my mouth. We then headed to the downstairs bar, and the drinks are really where they shine. The bartenders punch a hole in the cans with customized machine/​press and then add a single-​serve bottle of liquor. Great presentation, super friendly staff that is focused on service, and wonderful food. Definitely check this gem out.

Absolutely deserves 5 star. Found this place while ago and never have a chance to go. A friend in town from Paris and we decided to have drink in here. We came on a Friday night, the first floor is a restaurant where you can grab a quick bite before you headed downstairs to get your drinks.
Just like the speak easy, the bar is hidden. The space is good enough to keep everyone feel cozy. So you can order the drinks from the bar and quickly sit down after. The drink was amazing, you won’t even notice or taste like an alcohol, because it sink all the way on the bottom. I felt a little dizzy afterwards. Although we were unable to have more drinks, hopefully will visit soon and try more drinks.

Very cool design and concept for a bar. I like that it is kinda hidden inside another restaurant. The look and vibes of the bar are very interesting. Lots of neon and glass. The problem is, the bar space itself is very small and the layout makes it very difficult to not bump into somebody every 3 mins. The signature drinks are cool and worth trying but overall they are just cheap mixed drinks you are paying double the price for. Also, the clientele felt a bit immature. I’d say it’s worth a try for the signature drinks if you are in the area but otherwise I wouldn’t go out of the way to visit.

Had an absolutely wonderful time here! When we showed up, they were closed for a private party. We were offered complimentary drinks while we waited to go in, which was a really nice touch. The manager Francine really went above and beyond. My friend and I were debating ordering a snack while we waited, and we went back and forth about it for a bit. Lo and behold, Francine swooped in like an angel with a fresh batch of fries. Really, the service here is great.
The place is really cool, the drink list is fun and original. Great crowd. I will definitely be back.

I was waiting for a seat in another restaurant for my birthday, so we decided to come in this place for a couple drinks. Very pleasant short stay, awesome food drinks and very friendly, they even gave me a huge ice cream for free! Thumbs up!

such a cute little bar hidden in Chinatown. we came on a Friday night and got lucky since we were able to snag two seats as soon as we got in. there’s a decent amount of seats and a lot of liquor for people to try. This place has a intimate feel where you can drink, chat and eat (burgers and fries!) with your friends or date! the food is from genuine superette (the shop is closed but the kitchen is still opened for the bar). the cocktails are a bit pricey but you’re paying for the concept (mini bottles of liquor)

I’m a huge hidden bar kinda girl and I already am obsessed with Genuine Superette… so when news came that Genuine Liquorette was opening just downstairs, I was beyond ecstatic! Just keep in mind that t’s not a huge space– surprise! It’s in a basement… not a huge deal though cuz although it’s very intimate, they use the space well and there are lots of hooks and seating areas to accommodate.
I love love love the ambiance. It’s very sexy and intimate. It’s a very laid back and chill, which is my favorite. The drinks are innovative and cute– you’ll also see the device that helps them cha-​chunk their way over to your table. You’ll notice the walls are filled with bottles and random price tags, because you can order by weight or off the cocktail menu. Very interesting concept and pretty unique to the area.
I recently took a bartending class with my biffles there and was blown away. It was interesting, engaging and very informative. I can’t wait until I come back. If you want to travel to yester-​years and take a trip back to the 80’s be sure to take a pit stop in the bathroom!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! Celebrated my birthday there on Wednesday night. My bday is 2 days before Christmas so it wasn’t crowded. However, the place was still very spirited (no pun intended.)
Obviously the whole hidden gem/​speakeasy design is fabulous. It’s a great place for groups. Intimate, cool, urban, chill, etc.
I love the interactive drink making. Literally pull your drink off of the shelf and tell your bartender your heart’s desire!
Located underneath Suprette, you can get some tasty grub from upstairs. (I recommend the chicken and the shrimp tacos!)
I got an AWESOME cocktail from the great master mixologist Eben Freeman! I was happy to meet him. He made me and my guests feel super special and he was incredibly friendly and welcoming.
The place closes at midnight on Tues & Weds, so it really helped us stay on track and get home early on a week night lol. Other days open until 2am.
Really loved this place. Will be back sooner than later!!!

Seems like a hidden gem in NYC for a new/​cute style of drinking!
Getting There: Friends and I were confused because it looked closed from the outside but you have to go in through the side and go downstairs
Décor: Small area with bar and a couple of tables, but I felt as if it was the perfect size for a chill night. Your surrounded by bottles of alcohol each separated in sections (Vodka, Gin, Whiskey, etc). Go in the bathroom and check out the walls its interesting haha
Drinks: Each bottle has a price per gram on it, so you can mix and match any type of liquor you see there. Roughly around $ 11-​$ 15 for a drink. Or you can go to the bar and get the pre-​selected menu if you can’t decide. Best thing about this place is how the mixed drinks come (a tiny cute liquor bottle stuffed inside a can of soda) Instagram pic worthy for sure.
Staff: Bartender was extremely nice and professional. Even gave all the tables free fries at the end of the night!
Overall: Great place to check out if you want to try something new. I would say this is a great date spot as well as a good mini-​group pre/​post game spot to drink at!

Clever in theory with the speakeasy entrance, mini liquor bottle cocktails, and «rough justice» option, but I won’t be returning unless I’m taking out of towners around Little Italy…
Cocktails with mini liquor bottles and can mixers are adorable, that is, until you realize it’s difficult to mix and basically resembles an even more overpriced hotel minibar. Also, pro tip: be patient as you sip until there’s space for the liquor to fully trickle into the can otherwise it’ll spill … seems like common sense, I know, but I saw multiple customers throughout the night spilling all over the table (I may also be speaking from personal experience…)
Their «liquor of the month» was hpnotiq… ew, need I say more?
Oh, and «Rough Justice» is a fun concept where you can pick the liquor and weigh by gram but once you get past the novelty of their weighing system, the actual selection is just meh

There are aspects of this place that are compelling. But when you really pressure test it, GL becomes one of those places that you like to take your friends from out of town to, but don’t actually enjoy being at – like the Back Room in LES.
Call me old fashioned, but when I pay $ 11 for a mixed drink, I would at least like to suspend disbelief – for at least a moment– and pretend that I’ll get a decent pour. When the source of your drink’s liquor is restrained to the quantities of a nip, that thought process is downright naïve. And that’s when you realize you’ve just paid $ 11 for a Jameson with Seagrams. And that’s when you wonder whether you wouldn’t have been better suited buying the same drink for $ 8 on any major airline.
The shared bottle service system might be a better way to go about this place. But that requires that your whole group enjoys the same liquor, which is rarely the case.
The self serve beer includes $ 5 Tecate, which you can allegedly just grab yourself. But the placement of the fridge is behind the bar and the bouncer packs the place wall-​to-​wall. Too arduous a journey for my consumption patterns.
Overall, a bit gimmicky but also one of the few options in that part of town. So I guess it’s worth a stop in. Or you could always go across the street to the Mulberry Project and pay $ 90 for a pitcher of mixed drinks.

Small soda pops, with liquor bottles by the gram, small lounge vibe, fun enough to stay to AM.

I have seen several articles on this place and really wanted to check it out. I finally came to this place on Friday around 7pm to find this place packed. Though this place is tiny, it has two large long tables and many standing counters by the walls. They also have mini hooks beneath the tables to hang your belongings.
We ordered our drinks at the bar. I ordered the grapefruit soda with the Patron shot and the ginger beer and Jameson shot. Drinks were a standard $ 10. They had a machine to prop the opening of the soda cans in order for the mini bottles to rest securely on top. The drinks were delicious! You get a strong sweet taste of the soda in the beginning, and towards the end of the drink you get a heavy hit of alcohol at the end. You can also order food from the kitchen upstairs. If there is no seating, and you want a more quiet setting you can also order drinks upstairs.
Overall, it’s a solid place to grab drinks. The cocktails are unique with the mini liquor bottles propped onto. Also, you can make our own drink. You pick your type of liquor where they weigh it by the gram, and get free mixers. I will be back!

Best new bar! Their mini-​bottle cocktails are so cool and really tasty. The bartender is a legend, and William (the owner?) is cool as hell. What else do you need?

Ohhh yeah.
We came in a group of 5, at around 930pm on a Saturday night. I had been meaning to try this place after reading about it in the NY Times. My friends were quite confused when I brought them to the Genuine Superette, which is the semi-​fast food joint above Liquorette, but I promised I wouldn’t let them down and led them to the back. They were super skeptical, but once they saw the stairway, they began to trust me a little more. On the back part of the «diner,» there stood a doorman, in front of a large neon sign that said «Liquorette» with an arrow pointing down the stairs. We promptly showed our IDs and made our way down. The place was pretty packed when we got there, but just as we were entering, a group of our size was just leaving, so we snagged their table in the back.
The place is pretty dimly lit, with rows and rows of bottles lining the shelves on the walls. It has the feel of a convenience mart, but with a fully-​stocked bar, and refrigerators in the back, in a comfortably, slightly gimmicky vibe. Crowd was a pretty casual, slightly bro-​y crowd, which is pretty much my scene. The bartenders and recipes were pretty highly touted, with some of them hailing from bars like Saxon + Parole, Madam Geneva, or Public.
We went for broke and ordered pretty much everything on the menu. A waiter came around with an iPad and took our orders down. It took a while for him to come back, but given that it was busy, and we did have a pretty large drink order, it was fine. My favorites were the Paloma, the Apricot Sour, and the Walker Sling. The Paloma was simple enough, with San Pellegrino, Patrón, and grapefruit, but super refreshing, and came in a can, with an upside-​down mini Patrón bottle, as most of the drinks did. The Apricot Sour was more like a high-​end cocktail, with a good amount of frothed egg whites, and was not too sweet. The Walker Sling was likely the most complex flavor in my opinion, with sloe gin, lime, ginger, bitters and apricot brandy. Again, not too sweet, and something I could continuously drink throughout the night. Something interesting they had was called the Rough Justice, where you pick any liquor lining the walls, weigh the amounts by the gram, and the bartenders will mix it for you, using whatever mixer you like. Pretty aggressive. There were also a lot more random standard mixed drinks, like Jameson and Ginger, and while they were pretty cool with the cans and tiny airplane liquor bottles, it just seemed a bit simple for $ 10. Nonetheless, we all had a great time and loved the vibe.
Service, again, was a little on the slow side, but it was pretty busy, and it has only been a couple weeks, so perhaps they are just finding their footing. Note that there was a line already starting at around 1130pm, so get here early to beat the lines. Prices are actually on the more reasonable side, with each cocktail at about $ 11 plus tip. Obviously still pricey, but not within the realm of NYC. One thing to note is that you can take mixology classes here on certain days with Eben Freeman, one of the mixologists. They’re only $ 75, and if you complete the class, you get your picture on the wall, and are allowed to bartend for you and your friends when visiting Genuine Liquorette. Pretty darn cool.
I’ll definitely be back, mostly to confuse the hell out of my friends, haha. Oh, and I guess enjoy great cocktails too.

This place is really cool!
Its a pretty small bar that’s inside of Genuine Suprette– to the back down the stairs.
Their «Rough Justice» system is what really hooked me. The deal is that you get to pick any spirit of choice that are on the two walls to the left and right of the place. There are soooo many choices! Anyway the bartender will weigh the bottle of it isn’t already before you start drinking. Each certain bottle cost a certain amount per gram, typically 15¢/gram or you can buy the whole bottle if you’re really feeling it lol. At the end of your venture they weigh the bottle again and charge you the difference consumed. The mixer are free and unlimited so drink on!
The drinks with the little liquor bottles are cute. I had the patron with grapefruit which was amazing.
It’s pretty relaxing and fun to be able to make your own drinks!

Their ‘famous’ shooter drinks are good and unique and well-​priced for your typical NYC cocktail ($ 10). The self-​service grab a bottle and free chasers I think is over priced– didn’t mind paying for it once for the hype but wouldn’t do it again. The space is small. It’s fun for a first time, wouldn’t be back unless they perhaps switch up the menu.

My first 5 star review! THIS PLACE IS AWESOME. Right in the heart of little Italy. The upstairs has a very cool eclectic feel, with wooden benches and vinyls on the wall. The burgers are also very good and service is incredible. The people are so nice and attentive, even though you order at the counter shake shack style, the servers still Pop in on you to see if u need anything.
When we were done eating we headed downstairs to the cool AF bar area. The walls lined with Chinese newspapers and old soda bottles I don’t know how else to describe it but a retro speakeasy.
Their famous drinks are the soda cans with the baby shot bottles bulldog-​style. I highly recommend the pellegrino margarita and rum ginger beer drink. they were EXCELLENT.
Honestly places like these make you realize why NYC is so great– filled with character and hidden treasures. i highly recommended this place. And try to go before 9pm so you can grab a seat at the tables. It’s a very tiny place so I could only imagine how it’s like packed late at night.

This is such a cool spot! The downstairs is decorated like a vintage soda bar, very cute. The services they offer are what really make this place stand out. You can pick any bottle in the room, they’ll weigh it, you drink however much you want (they provide free mixers), they weigh it again, and however many grams you drank, you pay for. The gram pricing is below each bottle around the bar. You’ll have to see it to believe it! Not only that, but the little bulldog drinks are adorable and delicious. I’m going to bring all of my friends who visit NY here.

FTR!
Genuine Liquorette is fairly overwhelming, but not in a bad way. You have a few options for your drinking: (a) a mini-​bottle in a can from a menu of 4 – 5 selections, (b) wine or beer that is pour yourself (and reasonably priced esp. for the hood), © regular bartender ordering or (d) «Rough Justice» whereby you pick out a liquor and a mixer and pay by the gram.
We were intrigued by (d) but too unimaginative to come up with ways to, say, mix sparkly Hypnotiq into anything. So we went with (a) and (b). The Paloma was refreshing and boozy – Patron & grapefruit Pellegrino soda.
I would like to try (d) sometime. It would be helpful if the brains behind the operation put together a flipbook of inspiration. The choices are so numerous that indecisionitis sets in.
Also I would love to see cans of iced coffee & mini-​bottles of Frangelico.
It’s an adorable space, the waiters were friendly and quick, and the food looked good.
Also: free Cracklins’.