How Apotheke Mixology Handled Back-to-Back Expansion—Successfully

Andrew Hood may be the CEO of Apotheke Mixology, but in his mind, he’s merely a torchbearer.
“[Apotheke] is its own thing, its own world and its own ecosystem,” he says of the famed bars that have garnered both industry awards and a passionate fan base for their unique approach to mixology and experience design. It’s proven so popular that in just 16 years, Apotheke grew from one location to three.

Even with its existing popularity, growth and expansion are carefully managed to ensure the continuity of the brand across locations. Originally launched in 2008 as a speakeasy in New York City’s Chinatown, the concept stood out immediately for its apothecary-style setting, where bartenders wear white lab coats and the menu categories may include “stimulants,” “aphrodisiacs,” and “health and beauty,” with the intention of telling the story of plants and their potential benefits.

“It all started by saying, ‘let’s be more thoughtful, more considerate about the ingredients that are going into our cocktails, and also educate people that plants are healing,’” Hood says. Apotheke launched during a financial crisis that led to a sharp decline in healthy eating habits, which was followed by a rise in the farm-to-table movement, extending from food to cocktails. The bar was among the first to incorporate ingredients like ginseng and mangosteen into its drinks—even before gluten-free and vegan-friendly options rose as consumers demanded transparency around what goes in what they eat and drink. “Those ingredients are used more commonly in mixology today, but 16 years ago that wasn’t the case,” Hood says.

Hood and his team have remained true to the brand’s approach to innovation during his time at Apotheke. Christopher Tierney, long-standing Apotheke Creative Director, recruited Hood to join in 2018, soon after the opening of Apotheke’s LA outpost. Their goals included growing the business beyond Los Angeles and New York City, as well as streamlining systems to support business growth.

“As we’ve expanded to LA and in NYC, having all our operational needs met by the fewest number of systems and platforms is my continued goal,” Hood says.

Soon after construction started at Apotheke NoMad, the brand’s third location and second outpost in New York City, Tierney suddenly passed away, which was devastating for the team. His death coincided with COVID and the long-term shutdown of America’s bars, further throwing the brand into uncertainty. “We promised each other that we’d fight for it and that once we got to the other side of the pandemic, we’d grow it again,” Hood says.

“Everyone rallied together, and we saw Chris’s designs at Apotheke NoMad all the way through to completion,” Hood says, noting those designs won the SBID’s 2024 International Design Award for “Best Club & Bar Design.”

Now with all locations thriving, Hood says maintaining consistency on the back end is imperative to operating in the black. “I would never even consider expanding if we couldn’t live with all our financial needs on one platform,” Hood says.

“There are so many networks that get adopted, like different reservation systems, and payment systems, and when it comes to running an organization it’s almost impossible to do it because there’s so many different languages and things,” he says, adding that consolidating systems has reamins a priority under his leadership.

The efficiencies Hood and his team have found have allowed them to focus on growing other areas of the business, expanding its services to include mixology classes, corporate events and weddings. Confident in the blend of their backend financial processes, Hood says the team can focus on leveraging their greatest asset—the strength of the brand—to perfect every detail of the guest experience.

“It’s exactly as Chris wanted it,” Hood says, “but I know he’d want us to keep growing, too.”