Chinatown’s Newest Bar Goes Hard on Superfood Cocktails

Hip bi-level Chinatown restaurant Chinese Tuxedo just added another aspect to its Doyers Street space — a downstairs cocktail bar called Peachy’s that is going hard on drinks laced with superfoods.

The bar, open now at 5 Doyers St. between Bowery and Pell Street, comes from Chinese Tuxedo co-owners Jeff Lam and Eddy Buckingham, who opened their sprawling Asian-ish restaurant in 2016 and have since received two star reviews from both Eater critic Ryan Sutton and Times critic Pete Wells.

It’s got 50 seats and room for about 80 people, and cocktails are split between signature options for $15 and elixir cocktails for $18, the latter of which come with ingredients from California-based superfood and holistic health company SunPotion. One called The Great Protector has cacao nib-infused mezcal, cashew orgeat, Thai bird chili bitters, and astragalus, a root used in traditional Chinese medicine that reportedly helps boost the immune system.

The second page of the menu doubles down on this with a glossary explaining the purported benefits of each superfood, including pine pollen, chlorella, and moringa leaves; one is used in each of the six elixir cocktails. It’s sort of in the same genre as super trendy, very popular cocktail bar on the same street Apotheke, which has a pharmacy and chemistry theme and divides its cocktails by its holistic benefits.

Fusion-y pan-Asian snacks here come from Chinese Tuxedo chef Paul Donnelly, ranging from kimchi to dumplings with sun-dried tomato, pork, and buffalo mozzarella. See the full menu below.

Buckingham says that he was already familiar with SunPotion and uses some of its products at home. Beyond that, the Chinese Tuxedo clientele already seems to be health-conscious, he says, saying there’s a demand for things like vegan and gluten-free options.

Of course, alcohol is inherently unhealthy, which Buckingham acknowledges, but he says the cocktails are more about balance. Peachy’s target customer theoretically isn’t binge drinking, he says. “It’s a grown up place,” Buckingham says. “It’s not about smashing tequila shots and things like that.”

Like with the upstairs part of the restaurant, Peachy’s leans into design. Expect a space flush with pink neon signs, peach blossoms, lanterns, Gucci wallpaper, and deep red banquettes. A neon sign also greets customers, saying “no photos, no fighting.” But with such a built-for-Instagram look, the request for no photos is “tongue-in-cheek,” a bid to “live in and enjoy the moment,” according to a spokeswoman.

Along with this opening, Australian vegan cafe The Good Sort has closed. The similarly holistic health-leaning spot adjacent to Chinese Tuxedo was doing well but not “killing it,” and economically, it ultimately made more sense to turn it into a private dining space for Chinese Tuxedo, Buckingham says.

The Instagram-famous rainbow latte, though, will live on in a cocktail form at Peachy’s — adding pineapple rum to the superfood-packed, colorful beverage with beetroot, turmeric, blue algae, almond milk, and agave. “We’re not trying to be too hippy-dippy California about it,” Buckingham says. “We just want to give people the option.”

Peachy’s is now open downstairs at 5 Doyers St. from Wednesday to Saturday, 6 p.m. to 1 a.m.