From the team behind all-day Cafe Mado and Place des Fêtes (which is next door), Golden Ratio opened this fall with an exciting drink lineup. Unlike most NYC cocktail bars, which primarily offer twists on the classics or organize their menus by base spirit, this bar reminds me of West Coast spots like True Laurel, or high-concept programs in Europe, like Röda Huset: the stars are the seasonal ingredients.
On the menu, these ingredients, which range from “apple” to “Mexican mint marigold” to “toothache tree,” each have both a full-proof and a nonalcoholic drink dedicated to it. That’s 32 cocktails — a lot to parse through. If you’re not sure where to start, here are the standouts.
Because the menu focuses on each drink’s signature ingredient, you don’t get a ton of clues about how your cocktail will be presented. You wouldn’t know, for example, whether a certain drink would be served up, on the rocks, or long, and in some cases, you might not know what the base spirit is. Ask your server if that’s something you’re curious about.