Featured Cocktail: The Wonky Moskin
Arthur Bovino — September 02, 2010
The Wonky Moskin, a cocktail at Bar Pleiades.
Frank Bruni isn’t the only Times reporter with a cocktail named for him. His colleague at the Dining Section, Julia Moskin, was the inspiration for a drink at Bar Pleiades. And unlike the BruniBerry, The Wonky Moskin wasn’t a DIY affair, but one created by bartender, Cameron Bogue.
How To: Bar Pleiades’ Lemongrass Distillate
Arthur Bovino — September 02, 2010
The homemade distillation apparatus created by Bar Pleiades’ head bartender, Cameron Bogue.
A boiling flask filled with reddish bubbling liquid, a biomass flask filled with stalks and steam, a slow trickle of clear liquid, it may at first appear to be the work of a mad scientist. But Bar Pleiades’ head bartender, Cameron Bogue, explains that this homemade apparatus is really just a “simple steam distillation,” a setup he uses to create the various distillates that bring extra aroma to some cocktails at Daniel Boulud’s Bar Pleiades at The Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side.
Cameron perfected his process of creating various distillates during the course of several years. One of his references was Suzanne Catty’s Hydrosols: The Next Aromatherapy. “But it doesn’t tell you so much how to make it,” he explained, “It was a lot of trial and error. I made a lot of bad stuff. When I wanted to do something for the restaurant I had to be really careful.”
Kaffir Lime Leaf worked. So too, black teas. Marigold? Not so much. “Things that were a little bit harder worked better,” he explained. “Things that became soft, you tasted that mush.”
Featured Cocktail: The Highlands’ Blackberry Tartan
Maryse Chevrière — August 26, 2010
The Blackberry Tartan at The Highlands.
By now, scotch fiends have found a home in West Village gastropub, The Highlands. There’s a serious selection of malts and scotches for the straight up drinker, and a menu of carefully-crafted cocktails too. In the latter category is the Blackberry Tartan, an ideal summer-switch-to-fall concoction.
It’s late August now, September is creeping in, and you’re in a weird place— you want to hold on to the fruits of summer, but you are primed to dive in to the bounty of the new season. The Blackberry Tartan ($13) solves this dilemma, offering the tart berry in combination with maple syrup, Appleton Estate Rum Reserve, and anCnoc 12 year scotch.
The Tartan is frothy on the top and viscous throughout with real body from the fruit pulp. Maple syrup adds to the cocktail’s steady hint of sweetness—never overwhelming—well-matched against the scotch, which maintains its identity. You finish faster than you expect and think, “I want to try more of what this place has to offer.” Mission accomplished.
Featured Cocktail: Maialino
Maryse Chevrière — August 19, 2010
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From left, Pig and Pepe, and the Farewell to Arms.
Mention cocktails and Maialino in the same breath and chances are conversation is going to lead to the Pig and Pepe. It makes perfect sense— this is, after all, the cocktail made with tequila that has been washed with fat from the restaurant’s signature suckling pig.
Set your fears aside, the Pig and Pepe doesn’t taste like drinking pork. It’s light and tart, like a margarita— best with a bit of the smoky chili powder rim. But this is a bar you want to linger at (if you can angle a seat)— great for people-watching. Finish the Pig ($12) and explore other drinks.
Featured Cocktail: Drinks and Snacks at Nuela
Maryse Chevrière — August 12, 2010
From left: Summer Wind, Devil’s Sweat, and Abaci Batida cocktails at Nuela.
According to staff at the pan-Latin Flatiron newcomer, Nuela, the Summer Wind and Devil’s Sweat have come out of the gate as early customer favorites.
The Devil’s Sweat, made with chili-infused Pisco, Cio Ciaro, citrus, and beer, is sweeter than you might expect. But it still delivers on its promise of heat— even more so if you brave the thick slice of jalapeño garnish. Keep in mind that it sinks, so if you’re going to eat it, better fish it out at the beginning while there’s still some cocktail left. If the tingle from the spice lingers, as it surely will, the Summer Wind is a smart bet, a refreshing blend of Farmers gin, cilantro, and Verjus, with a heavy dose of ginger beer. Equally cool is the Abacai Batida, a mountain of crushed ice doused with Leblon Cachaça, and garnished with crushed pineapple— an adults-only slushie.
These are sneak-up-on-you-strong cocktails, the kind that make even cautious drinkers order more rounds than they should. A good reason to pair them with a few of the Nuela’s small plates.
Featured Cocktail: Marea’s Stormy Veloce
Maryse Chevrière — August 05, 2010
Marea’s Stormy Veloce.
In a way, it makes perfect sense that Marea, Michael White’s much-decorated temple of coastal Italian seafood, would serve one of the City’s best Dark ‘n’ Stormy’s. Where better to enjoy a cocktail that evokes images of the beach and sea, than here, over impeccable crudo and crostini with uni and lardo.
The “Stormy Veloce” ($14), as it’s called, even fits in quite nicely with the space. The cocktail’s copper red, fade-to-yellow coloring is striking against that swirling, glowing great tide of a marble bar. But enough admiring—mix and sip.
It’s bold. A powerful one-two punch from the fresh ginger and heavy hand of Gosling’s Black Seal Rum. There’s no ginger beer, as per the original recipe. Instead the aromatic Italian liqueur, Veloce, and Chinotto, an Italian citrus/herbal soda, have been added, more in theme with the restaurant’s cuisine.
Featured Cocktail: Xiao Ye Cocktail Trio
Arthur Bovino — July 29, 2010
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Cocktails at Xiao Ye, from left: #1 Taiwan Favorite, Sky Walker, and KTV Delight.
“You have to try the Sky Walker,” said Eddie Huang about a bubble tea cocktail at Xiao Ye, his new Lower East Side restaurant. “It’s a sniper drink. There are going to be a lot of pregnant Asian chicks.”
Red Tea, fresh soy (“I have a friend who makes fresh soy for me every day”), simple syrup, Johnnie Walker and boba. You’re tasting it, the boba are shooting up the straw, you’re navigating the ice, thinking, “this is mild,” and suddenly it’s finished. You’re buzzing. Trying to get to the boba mixed in with the ice two-thirds of the way down the glass. A few of those, and well, better judgment might not be your guiding principle.
The Sky Walker is just one of the more than 15 funky cocktails on the offer at Xiao Ye, a range that includes frozen drinks with Hennessey, infused liquors splashed over Sno Cones, and ingredients like Apple Sidra, Calpico, and Hawaiian Punch. “The mixers are whatever drinks I liked as a kid,” Eddie explained. “When I was drunk as shit in Taiwan in the karaoke bars everything was cheap as shit, so I’d just mix everything together and see what I liked.”
Featured Cocktail: Anfora’s Cucato
Maryse Chevrière — July 15, 2010
The Cucato cocktail at Anfora.
“What do you think?” asked the bartender at Anfora about their Cucato cocktail.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” you’ll want to answer, “but it kind of tastes like salad.”
It’s true, and a very good salad at that. Made with organic tomato and cucumber vodkas, lemon, and finished with a salt and pepper rim, the drink ($12) belongs in the same league as ilili’s Not So Bloody Martini and Prune’s Ghost of Mary. It’s exactly the refreshing option a savory cocktail drinker looks for on a muggy summer evening. The key is the cracked pepper on the rim— not a move you see all that often, but it works, and you’ll seek them out as you rotate around the glass with each sip.
With it there are also several above-par bar snacks to be had, this is, after all, the sister establishment of nearby dell’anima. A large board of loosely-folded speck, a fantastic Lamb Ragu slider, and another large board featuring soft Robiola with its proper accompaniments. You could easily make an enjoyable meal out of it. If the restaurant is too crowded you should.
Featured Cocktail: Infusions at A Voce
Arthur Bovino — July 01, 2010
From left: Margarita in Fuoco, Platino, and Melone infusion cocktails at A Voce.
Vodka fruit infusions are nothing new, but when it comes to summer, they make for refreshing cocktails. They can be colorful with flavors as varied as your imagination is creative, they’re easy to make, and they give a sense of participation in the cocktail-making process.
A great spot to enjoy infusions is in the shade in a chair outside A Voce Madison, where they make three seasonal drinks designed by Olivier Flosse, their wine and beverage director: Melone, Margarita in Fuoco, and the Platino. Sharing Cassoncini con Prosciutto de Parma, sipping a cocktail, the dying light cast down 26th Street, you get that “it’s summer in New York” feeling.
The Margarita in Fuoco has bite, but not too much, a salted rim, and pepperoncini garnish to bring home the heat. The second, the Platino, may be the one that’s just right. It definitely hits the tiki trend— fruity, sweet, and punchy, with an impressive centimeter of foam that supposedly comes not from egg whites, but from the pulp of the fruit. The Melone is refreshing and not too sweet— a light-handed, melon-infused vodka drink that’s an obvious summer go-to.
As nice as it is to sit on the terrazza outside the restaurant enjoying these drinks, recreating them in your own special spot in the City may be even better so we’ve included the recipes below.
Featured Cocktail: Scotch Flight at Keens
GutterGourmet — June 24, 2010
The Dinner Flight of Scotch at Keens Steakhouse.
When my testosterone flows unchecked, it’s time for Scotch and beef. And a flight at Keens Steakhouse is the way to go.
Start with the Dinner Flight: Auchentoshan 12 year Lowland, Cragganmore 12 year Speyside, Bowmore “Legend” Islay, and Glen Ord 30 year Highland ($31.00) The complexity, smokiness, and peatiness get progressively intense, making a fine wine or cheese seem simple by comparison.
Pair your flight with The King’s Cut Prime Rib and you complete the illusion that you have become the King of Scots, particularly when accompanied by a chaser of Murphy’s Stout (okay, that’s Irish, but after a flight or two, exceptions must be made). The haunch of beef done to an exact rare to medium rare with a side of horseradish au jus. As you stagger out of the pub room onto the street, you’ll deem yourself the master of all you survey. Just try not to fall into a bog on the walk home.
Featured Cocktail: Pulino’s Limoncello Sparkler
Maryse Chevrière — June 17, 2010
The Limoncello Sparkler at Pulino’s Bar & Grill.
Maybe you thought Limoncello wasn’t for you. Some find it too sweet and cloying; others, too strong. Or, perhaps you’re just not particularly fond of digestivos. If so, allow the Limoncello Sparkler ($12) at Pulino’s Bar & Pizzeria to plead its case. It is, after all, a start-the-meal-off-right, early evening summer cocktail deserving of your consideration.
For those who find the liquor too strong, there’s the distracting effervescence of prosecco, which also mellows the sweetness. With the mix of muddled tangerine, lemon, and lime it’s more refreshing and brightly tart. This is the Orangina of your childhood, all grown up with a twist, and with a lot more punch than expected of the standard sparkling wine cocktail.
If you can, enjoy one at a table on the sidewalk, the median between the buzzing inside and the hum of the Bowery— it’s almost relaxing. Of course, if you’re already a fan of limoncello (maybe you’ve even tried to make it yourself at home), the case makes itself— you’re probably on your second round.
Featured Cocktail: Leche de Tigre at Bar Paya
Arthur Bovino — June 03, 2010
Bottom: Bar Paya’s Tuna Ceviche. Top from left: a shot of Pisco, and a do-it-yourself Leche de Tigre.
The opening of Bar Paya, the East Village’s new modern Peruvian spot, is occasion to celebrate a cocktail that while not unheard of, is a little do-it-yourself: Leche de Tigre. For the uninitiated, that translates as Tiger’s Milk and (not that you need the help) it’s supposed to help with virility.
The drink is made with Pisco or vodka, and the leftover juices at the bottom of the bowl of ceviche. One of its most recent appearances was the off-the-menu rendition Time Out featured at Yerba Buena. As Eat This New York noted Yerba Buena’s was shaken with Pisco, and “had a creamy grayish tint.” But you can easily stir one up while sitting at one of Bar Paya’s outdoor tables on 2nd Avenue.
Featured Cocktails: Midtown Punches
Arthur Bovino — May 20, 2010
Left to right: The Campbell Apartment’s Terrace Punch, and The Empire Room’s Prohibition Punch.
Thanks to Hospitality Holdings, signature cocktail drinkers in Midtown no longer have to stay in the cozy confines of The Campbell Apartment for a high-profile punch at a bar with that ‘cocktails from a different era’ vibe. The bar’s Prohibition Punch has made the move to The Empire Room.
Featured Cocktail: 8st Kitchen’s Korean Bomber
Maryse Chevrière — May 13, 2010
Dropping a shot of soju into OB Lager, the Korean Bomber at 8st Kitchen.
Irish Car Bombs, Jägerbombs, sake bombs— Korean bombs!
If you’ve never had a soju bomb, you can find one at 8st Kitchen, the Greenwich Village go-to for legit Korean food outside of K-Town. The Korean Bomber is simple: a shot of soju or whiskey dropped in 3oz of Korean OB Lager ($10.00). Flavor-wise it’s on par with a sake bomb— smoother, and easier to drink than an Irish Car Bomb or Jägerbomb.
As far as drinks that you have to pound go, this one will probably make you feel the least like a coed. Still, it’s a great primer for a night of imbibing among friends— especially since 8st Kitchen offers one of the better happy hour deals around: half-price soju and vodka cocktails (the Watermelon and Lychee Martinis are particularly good) from 5pm to 8pm, daily. For those who don’t get out of work until 7pm, a happy hour that ends that late is a real gift.
Always Hungry: Q&A with Daniel Okrent
Arthur Bovino — May 11, 2010
Daniel Okrent lifts a martini at The Campbell Apartment during an interview about his book, ‘Last Call.’
Author Daniel Okrent’s new book ‘Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,’ reaches shelves today. He will be at the Barnes and Noble on Broadway and West 82nd Street tonight at 7:00pm doing a reading, Q&A, and book signing. If you didn’t catch Always Hungry’s Featured Cocktail interview with Dan at The Campbell Apartment the first go-round, click the link below to see what you missed.
Some highlights include:
-The Raines Law Sandwich.
-The free lunch.
-Dan’s favorite places to get a drink.
-What he thinks about the speakeasy trend.
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