Barback

Ten years after the opening of Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels in SoHo, Experimental Group is set to open its second Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels wine bar in New York: La Compagnie Wine Bar Flatiron (La Compagnie Flatiron). Following the wine bar, the group will also open Experimental Cocktail Club New York (ECC New York). Both bars will be located at 6 West 24th Street in New York’s Flatiron neighborhood, with ECC’s subterranean bar tucked underneath La Compagnie.

This marks a return to New York for Experimental Cocktail Club, which closed its original, lauded location back in 2016 after four years of serving as a Lower East Side destination and neighborhood gem. Large upholstered banquettes, colored glass sconces, and large mirrors will house a lacquered white piano that sits in the middle of the bar, welcoming pianists and DJs alike, in a nod to the Experimental Cocktail Club Paris. Intimate seating and standing room will both be on offer in the bustling subterranean space.

On the back bar, guests will discover the most extensive collection of rare, artisanal, and sometimes out-of-production regional French aperitifs and liqueurs. Carefully curated by Experimental Group partners Romée De Goriainoff, Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros, and Xavier Padovani, this selection of spirits comprises precious finds only otherwise available in small villages throughout France. Entering this new iteration of ECC will be akin to touring the country’s finest local distillers and producers.

ECC New York also marks a reunion with Nico de Soto, who started out with the group as head bartender at Experimental Cocktail Club Paris, then at ECC Chinatown in London and ECC Lower East Side in New York. Since then, he has opened Mace in NYC, Danico in Paris, and Wacky Wombat in London, traveling the world in an insatiable quest for new flavors and techniques. Nico will be designing Experimental Cocktail Club’s beverage menus, which will feature classics such as Old Cuban, St Germain des Près, and Kota Ternate, as well as surprising novelties using clarification, carbonation and lacto-fermentation.

About Experimental Group
Experimental Group was founded in 2007 by three childhood friends: Olivier Bon, Pierre-Charles Cros and Romée de Goriainoff. Xavier Padovani later joined the group and their shared vision: to offer the ultimate hospitality experience to discerning clientele. Renowned for bringing the cocktail bar culture to Paris, Experimental Group operates five Experimental Cocktail Club bars in Paris, London, Venice, the Cotswolds and Verbier. To the mix, the group has added STEREO, a late night restaurant and bar with live music; Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, a wine bar concept in Paris, London and New York City; and Ibiza’s iconic beach club, Experimental Beach. Today, the flagship of the group is its hotel collection with ten hotels across London, the Cotswolds, Biarritz, Paris, Ibiza, Menorca, Verbier and Venice, where each hotel offers something unique, be it a bar, restaurant or spa.

For more information on Experimental Group, please visit https://www.experimentalgroup.com/.