The water cafe purifies tap water that may contain harmful chemicals. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

by Adel Manoukian

Molecule, located in the East Village between First Avenue and Avenue A is a café like no other. Instead of offering your usual coffee, this café only serves filtered NYC tap water.

Molecule Water Café uses a $25, 000 machine to filter water to its purest form. For those looking for a little extra something in their drink, the café can add certain vitamins, minerals, and plant-based supplements for that extra boost.

Their mission is simple: providing people with chemical-free water that you can’t have drinking from a plastic bottle. Bottled water can contain the harmful chemical BPA that causes infertility and brain tumors, according to the cafe.  City water also contains chlorine, fluoride, and compound metal–this store gets rid of that.

The water costs $2 per serving, $2.50 for a 16-ounce to-go glass and $3 for a gallon. The store also can deliver three or five gallons of pure water to residents of the East Village.

Some residents are weary about the high prices but co-owner Adam Ruhf says it’s worth it, citing the healing properties of filtered water.

If this doesn’t encourage people to drink more water in the summer heat, who knows what will.

Photo Courtesy of Wiki Commons

It’s an absolute dream-come-true for gin & tonic lovers: the niche-y Gin Palace, which just opened on Avenue A, is serving gin & tonics on tap. 

The menu is reasonably affordable—the $7 on tap option lists gin, Bittermen’s Commonwealth and grapefruit bitters as its ingredients.

Gin Palace’s menu also boasts a variety of fancier gin-inclusive drinks—the Shangri-La Swizzle mixes Old Tom Gin, raspberry, Ciociaro, pineapple juice, lemon and Damson Averall for $10 a pop—as well as beer, wine and some traditional British culinary fare.

If you thought this offer couldn’t get any more enticing, the decor includes a floor-to-ceiling cage for, you know, when you need to cut yourself off.

—Alissa Fleck

Last month we blogged about the possible closing of Heathers, saying that “based on the atmosphere at the Community Board hearing, Heathers [was] on its way out.”  It seems that we may have spoken too soon.  Despite CB3′s attempts to stop the bar’s license renewal, the State Liquor Authority (SLA) approved Heathers’ license renewal.

Amid protests of public urination and pot smoking it seemed sure that CB3 would force the doors shut at Heathers.  However, neighbors are in an uproar after the CB3 decision was overturned by the SLA.  The owner of Heathers, Heather Millstone, was also baffled by the decision, “Frankly I have no clue what happens at the SLA!” she said, “I’m just happy the Heathers will keep its doors open for the diverse group of people who really put it out there that it should stick around.”

Millstone did not sit idly by as her bar faced expulsion from the neighborhood.  She sent out a press release, pleading her case.  In the release Millstone blamed the NYC smoking ban inside her bar for the noisy streets.  According to Millstone, if the patrons cannot smoke inside, then they have to take their butt breaks outside, and that occasionally gets loud.  She also stated that she had made several alterations to the bar in order to keep it quiet.

In nothing short of a PR miracle, Millstone has managed to save her bar and receive a renewed liquor license.  It looks like the residents of the 13th St. block on Avenue A will just have to invest in a good set of ear plugs.

By McCamey Lynn