Steph C.
Yelp
Earlier this month, I spent the weekend with girlfriends at The Ace Hotel. We economized by doing a lot of our drinking in the room, but we stopped by the bar on our way out our second night. We had one round of cocktails and one round of tequila shots before we got our cab.
I liked the bar's dark, intimate atmosphere, its cozy lighting and comfortable booths. It was small and easy to access, right by the lobby, and I can imagine stopping by for a drink any time of day. It wasn't too busy on a Saturday night, and the bartender was nice.
I wasn't quite sold, though, on any of the drinks. I went straight for the Figa, a cocktail of fig-infused vodka with Earl Grey tea, orange juice, and muddled orange and fig. It was okay, but not as good as it sounded. The drink was very sweet, like liquid Fig Newton, without much balance. It was also garnished with a couple dried figs, which was a good idea until the figs got hard and bitter and inedible. The Blood Orange Caipirinha was on the other side of the spectrum. It was pretty decent, cachaca mixed with blood orange and lime, but it was very strong. Don't get it if you don't like the taste of cachaca. The best of our drinks was the Cool Hand Luke. This had gin and St. Germaine elderflower liqueur with muddled mint and cucumber and a splash of soda. It was cool indeed, smooth and refreshing, made like the $10 cocktail it was.
On the whole the drinks were unimpressive, and to underline this, our round of shots came out very lukewarm. They were big shots, which was nice, but drinking room temperature tequila is a little like shaving with a rusty dull blade. Just, why?
Anyway, it was still a fun place with pleasant atmosphere, and it was a worthwhile stepping stone between dinner and Zelda's. If you're staying at The Ace, you might as well check it out.