Medicinal cocktails in New York

Apr 17 - A New York bar hopes to cure what ails you with cocktails made with medicinal remedies.

Labcoat-wearing bartenders at Apotheke, in New York's Chinatown, use tasty ingredients which they say good for the body.

Albert Trummer, who grew up in Vienna, says the concept of both cocktails and his bar comes from old apothecaries he visited as a child. He says every drink has one healthy ingredient to counteract the depressive impact of alcohol.

The bar has several stations manned by different mixologists, who specialize in herbs and alcohol different regions. A mixologist from South America works with rums and cachaça, an Asian bartender infuses his liquors with ginger and ginseng and another works more with bourbons and scotches. A bartender will ask questions to determine what is ailing the drinker before tailoring an elixir.

A cocktail menu with different drinks, including mixes for health, beauty, depression and aphrodisiacs is also available.

The owner makes no promises of helping cure serious ailments but insists the cocktails can help with minor upsets.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) ALBERT TRUMMER, APOTHEKE OWNER: