Experimental Greenwich Village Cocktail Spot Existing Conditions Is Permanently Closing

Acclaimed Greenwich Village experimental cocktail bar Existing Conditions is permanently shutting down, the bar’s ownership has announced. The spot — known for its menu of involved, technical drinks served in a relaxed atmosphere — was unable to keep operating due to financial strain amid the ongoing coronavirus crisis.

Existing Conditions has been offering takeout cocktails and outdoor dining throughout the pandemic, but the restricted operations were not bringing in enough sales to to keep the bar afloat, according to co-owner Greg Boehm.

“Running a bar in New York City is incredibly challenging, even during the best of times,” Boehm said in a statement posted on Instagram. “Given the current pandemic situation, this has been exacerbated in ways that none of us could have anticipated.”

Eater has reached out for more information on the closure.

The bar attracted a lot of attention over its two-year lifespan due to its inventive cocktail program spearheaded by other co-owners Dave Arnold and Don Lee, who previously spent time at highly-regarded spots including Booker and Dax and PDT.

At Existing Conditions, Arnold and Lee built a menu that showed off the pair’s experimental nature, focusing on highly-technical production methods that yielded drinks playing with pressure-cooked and clarified ingredients. The bar boasted a fancy custom carbonation system as well. Last year, trade publication Drinks International named Arnold one of the industry’s most influential figures due in part to his work at Existing Conditions.

Like Existing Conditions, many of NYC’s restaurants and bars are struggling to survive amid the pandemic while operations have been reduced to takeout, delivery, and outdoor dining due to the public health crisis. Droves of establishments have been forced to call it quits as rent negotiations fall through and costs to stay open become increasingly untenable.