The food and drinks at recently-opened Nolita tapas bar Plan B are creative, to say the least, and might even push your culinary boundaries further than you originally planned to go. If you’re finally ready to get around to sampling some python sausage or bull testicles (both of which have been on your must-try list for ages, we're sure) this Mulberry Street spot is ready to give you the chance. You want to seize this opportunity — trust us.

Influenced by Barcelona and the Basque region, two vibrant areas of northern Spain, Plan B's proprietors create food and beverage menus in tandem, providing signature dish and drink pairings that will make you wonder things like how you ever ate a plate of quail without an accompanying glass of gin.

Even more important than twisted tapas and creative cocktails, this tapas joint has soul. In ancient Spain, when an animal was butchered, the prized cuts went to the church, the senate and the wealthy (aka the 1%). What was left from the animal (inner organs, hooves, heads, tails, brains, etc.) was called the quinto quarto (“fifth quarter" or “people’s food"), and chefs here pride themselves on having perfected the cooking of these items, part of a mission to "feed the 99%."

Plus, the Spanish regions the restaurant is inspired by are known for their fight to preserve their unique languages and culture from Spanish homogeny. Plan B perpetuates this independent sentiment through the ballsy choices found throughout the menu, vibe and decor. Along with great cocktails, Plan B has a robust and carefully chosen selection of craft beers from Northern Spain, vermouths, sherrys and ports, as well as a full wine list of hard-to-find Spanish wines. A wide scotch selection features the elusive and rare Johnnie Walker King George V. 

Formulate your own alternate plan by glancing through the tapas-cocktail pairing list below, and then head to Lower Manhattan to execute Plan B.

Astuto Badido: cucumber, port, late harvest Txakolina, falernum, fernet, cynar, pistachio, lime
Pair with: Watermelon Salad

Ginebra e Meloi: Ford’s gin, Fitano Manzillilla sherry, cantaloupe, lemon
Pair with: Tuna Ceviche

Skutnx: muddled orange, bourbon, hibiscus, honey syrup, Basque cider
Pair with: Sea Scallops

Basque 75: Tanqueray Malacco, PX sherry, raisin syrup, cava, lemon
Pair with: Quail

Plaze Vieja: Old Overholt rye, Vermouth Negra, Cardinal Medoza, Benedictine, Creole and Angostura bitters
Pair with: Python Sausage

The Green Spaniard: Bols Genever, Gran Dugue Crema de Alba, pistachio syrup, Yellow Chartreuse
Pair with: Flan

Photos by Toni-Ann Gardiner