Meet 53 A.D., a New Bar and Tasting Room Experience from Empirical Spirits

New York, Oct. 31, 2024 – On Nov. 7, Empirical Spirits, the iconoclast and uncategorizable spirits brand, opens the doors to their new headquarters and R&D lab in Bushwick, New York. Located at 605 Johnson Ave (with an entrance on Johnson Ave.), Empirical’s new space houses a state-of-the-art R&D distillery and a sumptuous tasting room/cocktail bar, 53 A.D.

Poised to be the world’s next great cocktail destination, 53 A.D. will be a tasting room by day, and Brooklyn’s premier cocktail space by night. A retail and R&D space will be on view and available to visitors. At night, 53 A.D. will showcase Empirical’s premium spirits portfolio in a darkly gorgeous, art-filled room.

53 A.D. will be the only place in the world to sample Empirical’s limited-run small-batch spirits, inspired by the team’s adventurous worldview and fearless culinary quests. (This is the same team behind last fall’s beyond-viral Doritos x Empirical collab sensation, after all.)

The bar’s cocktails position 53 A.D. at the vanguard of cocktail innovation, introducing a new era of inventive drinks. Head bartender Giancarlo Quiroz Jesus is a two-decade industry veteran who has worked at some of the world’s most acclaimed bars, including Overstory, The Dead Rabbit and London’s Happiness Forgets. Jesus designed the bar’s signature cocktails, which will surely turn heads with their unexpected yet delightful ingredient pairings. 

The “Always Daring,” for example, is an inspired riff that fuses the umami allure of a dirty Martini with a Margarita’s lip-smacking satisfaction. “Always Daring” combines Empirical’s newest expression, Cilantro, with olive brine, chocolate liqueur, Cynar, lemon juice and simple syrup. Briskly shaken, it is served over a block of ice, with one chocolate-dipped olive as a garnish. A refreshing, herbaceous sip, it is balanced with a touch of salinity from the brine and the tempered sweetness of chocolate. Think of it like a Margarita wearing a Martini’s dinner jacket. “There’s no agave base in the drink,” Jesus says. “But it gives you that feeling of a slightly savory Margarita.”

The eight signature drinks (six traditional, two non-alcoholic) nod to 53 A.D. with names that begin, and end, with “A” and “D.” For example, “Always Demure” is a carbonated Bellini-inspired swirl of peach iced tea, Empirical Symphony 6, bianco vermouth, Pineau des Charentes, and sherry tomato water. A non-alcoholic version, “Alternate District”, features the same composition, but with zero-proof ingredients. 

Featuring a drink for every palate, cocktails will evoke a journey. “Every drink starts off with a story,” Jesus explains. “As you keep going through it, whether it's the first sip, the middle sip or the last sip, it's designed to evolve in the glass. It’s the same with the art in the room.”

Empirical Spirits founder Lars Williams designed 53 A.D. as his vision of the Empirical aesthetic. The result: A dark, unabashedly sexy and sleekly minimalist room that puts Empirical’s uncategorizable spin on the craft cocktail bar. Brutalist exposed concrete and dark-stained Douglas fir details are offset by unexpected accents like black crystal and rose-blush feather chandeliers, sheer fabric window coverings, and multiple pieces of contemporary art that are rarely seen in cocktail bars.

53 A.D. debuts as a showcase for unapologetically bold work by several contemporary artists. Artists Kate Williams and Hannah Evans have several pieces on display, including a series of strikingly austere yet tensile sculptures that eerily resemble fossilized bones and sinews. A sleek nine-foot black sculpture, “The Throne,” sits on a raised dais in the corner of the bar. Williams and Evans describe their work as “delicate and feral.” Their sculptures are arresting at a distance, while revealing detail and complexity when examined more closely. 

Bringing in Evans’ background as a fashion designer for luxury cult brands such as Stefan Cooke, Williams and Evans designed fine sheer knit panels, evocative of women’s stockings, to cover the bar’s windows. Regularly navigating between disciplines, the artists make their own clothes for their performance work, which has also been featured as part of London Fashion Week. 

Brooklyn artist Kelsey Niziolek hand-drew 53 A.D.’s original (and instantly iconic) illustrations that adorn menus and merchandise. Niziolek is a prolific illustrator who has created bespoke textile prints for Nicole Miller as well as compelling imagery for publications like GQ and the New York Times, among many others. 

Using a fine line Micron pen, Niziolek drew graphics, such as molten candles, nefariously grinning suns, and hands holding water, that merge references from medieval art, esoterica, manga, the occult and religious iconography. “One thing that really helped inspire these images are old alchemy illustrations,” Niziolek says, noting that she researched original medieval drawings at the New York Public Library before starting this project. Given 53 A.D. 's edgy ethos, the artist includes images of Hieronymus Bosch-inspired wide-mouthed devils and twisting sinners. Small details, such as water running backwards, might not be noticeable at first glance, but contribute to an unsettling feeling in viewers.

Niziolek also designed the mural, “Watcher’s Gateway”, that welcomes every visitor into the bar. Meticulously hand-painted on unprimed concrete cinder block, the mural leaves no room for error. Dancing figures, a mysterious staircase, a pool of water moving in reverse, and a pair of eyes stare down everyone who dares to walk through the door.  

53 A.D. is located at 605 Johnson Ave. It opens to the public on Nov. 7. Opening days are Wednesday. through Sunday.

Opening hours: 

Weds. &  Thurs: 5 p.m. - 12 a.m.

Fri.: 5 p.m. - 2 a.m. 

Sat: 2 p.m. - 2 a.m.

Sun: 2 p.m. - 8 p.m.

About Empirical: Empirical was established in 2017 by Lars Williams and Mark Emil Hermansen, who worked together at Noma’s research and development lab. Noma, Copenhagen’s world-famous Michelin-starred restaurant, set culinary standards for its innovative approach to seasonality, flavor profiles, presentations and inventive techniques. After years of experimentation with fermentation and unexpected ingredients, Williams and Hermansen created Empirical in Copenhagen as a flavor-forward spirits company. In 2023, Empirical moved to Brooklyn, New York and is now led by founder Lars Williams.

About Kate Williams and Hannah Evans: Over their nine-year partnership, Royal College of Art graduates Kate Williams (US) and Hannah Evans (UK) deploy a cross-disciplinary practice that layers labor-intensive methods with critical moments of immediacy. Their approach is process-driven, using durational live performance and mixed-media sculpture as conceptual prompts and finite moments of realization. Mobilizing tension and risk, they fix gestures as lasting images. They have exhibited in shows curated by Whitechapel Gallery, Hayward Gallery, Victoria & Albert Museum and Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Follow Kate and Hannah on Instagram at @kate.williams_hannah.evans.

About Kelsey Niziolek: Kelsey Niziolek is an illustrator and designer living in Brooklyn, NY who cites surrealism, medieval art, Japanese manga, and 90s-era rave and punk flyers as frequent sources of inspiration. Currently a designer at GQ, her past clients include Adidas, Atlantic Records, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Converse, and VICE, among many others. Follow Kelsey on Instagram at @kelseyniziolek. 

Signature Cocktails

Always Demure

Empirical Symphony 6, peach tea, tomato water

Always Daring

Empirical Cilantro, olive brine, chocolate liqueur, chocolate-covered olive garnish

Always Domini

Empirical Soka, Empirical Ayuuk, pisco, vermouth

Always Disco

Coffee, milk punch, Mr. Black coffee liqueur, clementino, Yakju 

Always Deceptive

Empirical Plum, Empirical Soka, apricot, amaro, umeshu makgeolli

Aging Desire

Empirical “Leather”, Starward Two Fold double grain whisky, absinthe, honey water, winter gin, chicha morada

Hero Serves

Empirical Ayuuk and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer

Empirical Plum, I Guess Espresso Martini

Ata' Old Fashioned

Spirit-Free

Alternate District

Peach tea and tomato, Muri non-alcoholic sparkling white wine

Alternate Departure

Non-alcoholic milk punch, coffee, Roots Divino non-alcoholic rosso aperitif, agave, Muri non-alcoholic red wine