Tayēr + Elementary: Monica Berg’s Innovative Bar and What to Order

When Monica Berg opened Tayēr + Elementary in New York’s Lower East Side in 2021, she didn’t just open another bar. She built a living experiment in how drinks should feel, not just taste. No neon signs. No pretentious glassware. No cocktail lists longer than your phone contact list. Just two rooms, one focused on technique, the other on soul - and a woman at the helm rewriting what a bar can be.

Two Bars in One

Tayēr + Elementary isn’t one space - it’s two. Step through the unmarked door and you’re in Elementary: low lights, wooden booths, a quiet hum of conversation. This is the bar you come to after work, when you want a drink that feels like a hug. No menu. Just a bartender asking, "What’s your mood?" Then they hand you something that tastes like a memory you didn’t know you had.

Walk through the archway behind the bar, and you’re in Tayēr. Brighter. Sharper. Almost scientific. This is where cocktails are built like equations - each ingredient weighed, each technique documented. You’ll see bartenders using rotary evaporators, vacuum infusions, and house-made tinctures. It’s not theater. It’s precision. And it’s all led by Monica Berg, a former head bartender at the iconic Bar Americain and one of the few women to ever win the World Class Bartender of the Year title.

What to Order: The Must-Try Drinks

At Elementary, the magic is in simplicity. The "Pineapple Old Fashioned" isn’t just a twist on the classic - it’s a revelation. Berg takes bourbon, adds a house-fermented pineapple syrup with a hint of black pepper, and stirs it with a single large ice cube. The result? Sweet, smoky, and surprisingly spicy, with a finish that lingers like a late-night conversation.

Don’t skip the "Gin & Tonic with Sea Salt and Lemon Verbena". It’s served in a chilled glass, with a float of hand-harvested Icelandic sea salt and a sprig of verbena you’re meant to crush between your fingers. The scent hits first - herbal, bright, almost oceanic - before the gin and tonic do. It’s not a drink. It’s an experience.

At Tayēr, the "Dill & Smoke" is the standout. A base of aquavit, infused with smoked dill and clarified with egg white, then topped with a drop of applewood smoke. It’s served in a small coupe, with a single dried dill frond resting on top. You sip it slowly. The smoke rolls over your tongue like fog over a lake. It’s the kind of drink that makes you pause. And then order another.

Also worth trying: the "Shiso & Yuzu Sour" - a tart, green, herbaceous cocktail that tastes like spring in a glass. It’s made with yuzu juice pressed daily, shiso leaf syrup, and a touch of honey from a single hive in upstate New York. No one else in the city makes this. No one else could.

Why It Works

Monica Berg didn’t just create drinks. She created a philosophy. In a world where bars chase trends - matcha lattes, bittersweet chocolate martinis, edible glitter - Tayēr + Elementary leans into something quieter: honesty.

Every ingredient has a story. The honey? Sourced from a beekeeper who refuses to move his hives. The sea salt? Hand-collected from a remote Icelandic coast. The pineapple? Fermented in-house for 18 days, not just juiced. This isn’t marketing. It’s respect.

And the bar doesn’t pretend to be fancy. No velvet ropes. No dress codes. No $28 cocktails that come with a 10-minute explanation. You sit down. You talk. You drink. And you leave feeling like you just had a conversation with someone who really, truly listened.

What Sets It Apart

Most bars in New York are designed for Instagram. Tayēr + Elementary is designed for humans. The lighting is low enough to hide your tired eyes but bright enough to see the person across from you. The music? Jazz from the ‘50s, played at a volume that lets you hear your own thoughts. The ice? Hand-cut. The garnishes? Fresh. The glassware? Chosen for function, not flash.

And yes - it’s rare to see a woman leading a bar this influential. But Berg doesn’t talk about being a woman in a male-dominated industry. She talks about ingredients. Techniques. Temperature. Time. That’s the point. Her leadership isn’t a headline - it’s the quiet foundation of everything here.

How to Visit

Reservations open two weeks in advance on Resy. Elementary is walk-in only. Tayēr requires a reservation - and you’ll want one. Arrive early if you’re going to Tayēr. The bartenders start prepping at 3 p.m., and the best seats are near the counter, where you can watch them work.

Don’t ask for a menu. Ask for guidance. Say you’re feeling "light" or "bold" or "weird." They’ll know what you mean.

What to Expect

Expect to spend $14-$18 per drink. Cash only at Elementary. Card accepted at Tayēr. No food menu - but they’ll sometimes slip you a small plate of house-made crackers with smoked almond butter if you’ve been there long enough.

Expect to leave with a new favorite cocktail. And maybe, just maybe, a new way of thinking about what a drink can be.