Pour one out for Pouring Ribbons

A closure from late march that we didn't get a chance to mention... Pouring Ribbons has closed for good — as of March 26 — at 225 Avenue B between 13th Street and 14th Street. 

This closure was first announced back in September as the second-floor cocktail lounge returned to in-person service for the first time in 18 months.

The bar from Alchemy Consulting opened here in September 2012. According to an Instagram post last fall from Joaquín Simó, partner and bartender, the lease for Pouring Ribbons expired in April 2022.

A bar-restaurant serving an omakase menu is in the works for the space.  

Opening tonight, Pouring Ribbons on Avenue B, featuring drink matrix

Back in November, we noted that an "artisanal cocktail bar" was in the works for 225 Avenue B, the upstairs space that most recently was home to White Noise and Uncle Ming's. Per Zagat, this new bar, called Pouring Ribbons, (soft) opens tonight.

The bar is by the people at Alchemy Consulting — described on its website as "a firm based on increasing the profitability of bars and restaurants around the country through innovative beverage design." New York clients include Bar Seven Five at the Andaz Wall Street

As Zagat notes about Pouring Ribbons:

Each beverage is plotted on two scales, one ranging from refreshing to spiritous, the other from comforting to adventurous. Booze hounds are sure to go for the Hagar and Helga, the most spirit forward and exciting of the bunch — it's a mix of Linine Aquavit, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, cumin syrup and cinnamon bitters.

You can find that drink menu here.

Meanwhile, how many artisanal cocktail bars can one neighborhood possibly support?

[Photo via Zagat]

'Artisinal cocktail bar' in the works for Avenue B

Most of the items on tonight's CB3/SLA docket are pretty straightforward ... exisiting places looking to upgrade or transfer a license... or a known entity, such as The Bean, applying for a liquor license...

One of the more curious items is:

• Pouring Ribbons (Lead to Gold Inc), 225 Ave B (op)

This is the upstairs space that has been home to White Noise and Uncle Ming's ...

According to documents (PDF) on file with CB3, the team behind Alchemy Consulting is taking over this space. If their names are on the application, then it's likely safe to assume that they are taking a more active role than just creating a drinks menu, like they have for, say, The Rusty Knot.

As you can see from the screengrabs below, the place is being described as an "artisanal cocktail bar" that will, aside from cocktails, serve "locally sourced sandwiches, crudite, hummus and desserts."

Alchemy Consulting is described its website as "a firm based on increasing the profitability of bars and restaurants around the country through innovative beverage design." New York clients include Bar Seven Five at the Andaz Wall Street and the bars at the Hotel Williamsburg.

Here's the description of Bar Seven Five:

Revolutionizing the traditional New York bar concept, Bar Seven Five combines modern accessibility and classic cocktails in the heart of Lower Manhattan. The central bar, fast becoming one of New York City’s most popular lounges, features neither front nor back, so patrons can enjoy complete ease of interaction with their designated bartender while watching their cocktails being prepared. Using artisanal ingredients, the staff at Bar Seven Five works to create classic cocktails with an emphasis on pre-prohibition design. Taking inspiration from the turn-of-the-century Pullman train car bars, each cocktail is individually prepared, served, and garnished directly in front of the guest in a miniature shaker.