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Drink Gin for Free at Victorian Pop-Up Speakeasy in Chelsea Market

By Danielle Tcholakian | October 2, 2014 1:15pm | Updated on October 2, 2014 3:42pm
 The Emporium of the Unusual is full of costumed characters handing out free gin cocktails.
Hendrick's Emporium of the Unusual
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CHELSEA — Free gin is flowing in Chelsea Market.

A pop-up "Emporium of the Unusual," created by gin purveyor Hendrick's, is inviting visitors to step into a faux speakeasy where people in Victorian costumes will serve free gin-and-tonics garnished with cucumber slices.

The emporium is open to the public from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Nighttime entry is also available for those who register online for free.

Guests arriving at the venue will see a cordoned-off room with a small boutique where nothing appears to actually be for sale. Costumed characters will urge visitors forward, toward a bookcase that slides open and reveals a small greenhouse that leads to a spacious room dotted with cocktail stations, where actors engage in whimsical tasks like writing limericks on a typewriter.

People can stay as long as they like. On arrival, each daytime guest is given mini gin-and-tonic in a little Hendrick's bottle, and one drink token for either a full-size Hendrick's & Tonic or a gin punch flavored with cinnamon spice chile tea. Nighttime guests get the same mini gin-and-tonic and two drink tokens, with three additional drink options: a cranberry-spiced Benevolent Bog, an Unusual Negroni flavored with Lillet Blanc and a Cucumber Sidecar. There are also free snacks, including mini lobster rolls.

Hendrick's "Emporium of the Unusual" at Chelsea Market, 75 Ninth Ave., is open to the public free of charge 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 2 to 4.

Correction: Based on inaccurate information provided by organizers, an earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that drinks were unlimited.