Empirical Spirits, the Copenhagen-born, Bushwick-based experimental distillery, opened its new headquarters and tasting room at 605 Johnson Avenue earlier this month. The new space, called 53 A.D., will serve as a tasting room by day and a cocktail bar by night, offering a unique opportunity to experience Empirical’s innovative spirits and cocktails.
Empirical Spirits is known for pushing the boundaries of flavor. Founded in 2017 by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen, the company has roots in Noma’s experimental food lab. When asked about the inspiration for opening 53 A.D. in Bushwick, Williams told Bushwick Daily, “I lived in Bushwick back in ’98, when it was beginning to be a mecca for creatives. So it was a natural place to look for a location for our distillery and tasting room. Bushwick is an area that has the ideal combination of industrial spaces and a vibrant, eclectic community.”
At 53 A.D., Giancarlo Quiroz Jesus, head bartender and a veteran of acclaimed bars, including Overstory, The Dead Rabbit, and Happiness Forgets, has carefully curated the cocktail menu. “The idea was to have drinks that will appeal to the general cocktail lovers’ styles, with approachable flavor combinations,” Jesus shared with Bushwick Daily. With a firm belief in the motto, “Victory Loves Preparation,” the cocktail creation process is detail-oriented, yet the cocktails remain approachable in a Scandinavian style. “On the menu, we have options for people who like highballs and force-carbonated cocktails, an herbaceous Margarita riff, a clean Martini variation, a “milk punch”-clarified cocktail, a Negroni and something for the Manhattan and Old-Fashioned drinkers.”
One standout cocktail is the “Always Daring,” a daring fusion of a dirty Martini and a Margarita. This inventive drink combines Empirical’s Cilantro expression with olive brine, chocolate liqueur, Cynar, lemon juice, and simple syrup. The result is a refreshing, herbaceous sip, balanced with a touch of salinity from the brine and the tempered sweetness of chocolate. “There’s no agave base in the drink,” Jesus says. “But it gives you that feeling of a slightly savory Margarita.”
Another noteworthy cocktail is the “Always Disco,” a clarified cocktail made with Empirical’s Soka, Neversink Gin, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, clementine, and oats. Jesus is utilizing a unique clarification method for this cocktail, one not commonly seen in New York City bars — tofu. “The amount of protein in one packet of silken tofu clarifies many liquids, even coffee,” explained Jesus to Bushwick Daily.
Beyond just a distillery and tasting room, 53 A.D. aims to become a fully functional bar with a neighborhood feel. “It’s a pleasure to meet guests from all over, who are making the pilgrimage to come and taste our spirits and beverages,” said Jesus. He added, “Getting people through the door is the first task. Being able to keep them around comes down to providing a welcoming experience in a busy area with other great venues.”
Williams emphasized that 53 A.D. embodies Empirical Spirits’ overall brand philosophy. “53 A.D. is our first real space where we can exercise our hospitality DNA; it’s a place to welcome guests into our world and ethos. Empirical is uncategorized in every sense – our spirits, our approach to innovation and flavor, our staff and our inspiration,” Williams told Bushwick Daily. The space features a minimalist aesthetic with exposed concrete and dark-stained Douglas fir details offset by black crystal and rose-blush feather chandeliers and sheer fabric window coverings.
Local artists play a key role in the unique atmosphere at 53 A.D.. Kelsey Niziolek, a Brooklyn-based illustrator whose work has graced publications like GQ and the New York Times, created original illustrations for 53 A.D.’s menus and merchandise. “For this project, I was really inspired by medieval imagery as well as old alchemy illustrations, which I found a lot of at the NYPL image library. Aside from that, Hieronymus Bosch’s art inspired many aspects of it as well,” Niziolek explained to Bushwick Daily. She further elaborated, “I love reinterpreting these things in my own way, and in my own style. This is a pretty accurate depiction of my own personal artwork. This project was really amazing to work on, because I felt like I didn’t have to stray from my own personal style.”
A hand-painted mural by Niziolek titled “Watcher’s Gateway” greets visitors at the entrance. Niziolek described her approach to Bushwick Daily, “I wanted this mural to match the feeling of the other illustrations that I created for 53 A.D., but wanted it to be its own piece at the same time. Some similar elements of the other artwork come through in the mural, such as the foreboding eyes, as well as dark religious undertones. In the mural, the church window is drawn from a photo I took in NYC. I love mixing realistic environments with surrealism. But overall, I wanted the mural to be very moody, and match the tone of 53 A.D.”
Niziolek aims to evoke thought and perhaps even a touch of confusion with her art. “I love having little details in my artwork that the viewer might not notice at first, and I enjoy making somewhat surreal imagery that can also be interpreted in many ways,” Niziolek said. “Overall, I love for the viewer to almost be confused at what they are looking at, at first. And then, they can decide for themselves what it means.”
Kate Williams and Hannah Evans also contributed to the bar’s distinctive atmosphere with sculptures reminiscent of fossilized bones and sinews. Their nine-foot black sculpture, “The Throne,” occupies a raised dais in the corner of the bar. When asked about how their artwork complemented 53 A.D., they told Bushwick Daily, “53 A.D. intends to be a space that grows with the community over time. By allowing other people to put their mark on the space, leave artifacts from events, and participate in the evolution of the space, the vision is to build up a rich place owned by the people who spend time there.” They hope that their contribution serves as an invitation for others to add their own creative touches to the space. “Our work is a first invitation for other people to say, “That place looks cool, maybe I could do something there too.” We want this to be a place where people talk to each other and exchange ideas, and perhaps our artworks can be one of the first prompts for that.”
Williams and Evans were drawn to Empirical Spirits’ meticulous research and development process, as well as their willingness to take risks. They told Bushwick Daily, “Empirical leans seriously into their R&D process. They think deeply, test extensively. But they are also irreverent, sexy, up to take risks. Their world of references and inspiration is wide and, often, peculiar. There is an aesthetic overlap with our work and Empirical’s, but it was the similarity in approach and attitude that was appealing to us.” The artists were given complete creative freedom in developing the pieces, allowing them to push their boundaries and create something beyond initial expectations. “We were given carte blanche in the commissioning of the pieces for the space. This allowed us to push our process and create something that was beyond what either we or Lars were able to envision at the beginning of the conversation. That’s what we are all excited by, pushing past the limit of what is currently imaginable.”
Williams hinted at exciting programming that will debut in the upcoming weeks, promising an eclectic mix of entertainment. “Expect everything from drag shows to punk bands to jazz quartets to art installations to workshops where experts will share their experience and wisdom. It will be inclusive of everything except boundaries.”
53 A.D., located at 605 Johnson Avenue, is open Wednesday through Sunday. The bar opens at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, 5 p.m. on Fridays, 2 p.m. on Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Be sure to check out Bushwick Daily’s Instagram for more photos of the space and its cocktails, and stop by on Thursdays to celebrate “Little Fridays,” where your first cocktail is complimentary between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. if you tell the host “It’s Little Friday.
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