METROPOLITAN OPERA COCKTAIL CHALLENGE

admin — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 21:20:20 +0000

On Wednesday myself and some local bartenders took part in a fun collaboration with NYC’s Metropolitan Opera to present cocktails to their Young Donors prior to the opening on the booze-fueled opera “Tales of Hoffman”. Bartenders from Ryehouse, Eleven Madison Park, Death & Co, Clover Club, Flatiron Lounge, and Porterhouse presented cocktails inspired by the opera. A team of four esteemed judges, Peter Gelb (Managing Director of The Metropolitan Opera)
Mariusz Kwiecien (starring in Carmen at the Met), Allen Katz (Southern Wine & Spirits and mastermind of the cocktail challenge) and Gary Regan (Ardent Spirits/ cocktail author). Lynnette Marrero, beverage consultant for Ryehouse took home the prize in this friendly challenge and will get to see much more opera in 2010 for her hard work. Here’s the recipes from the event. (Thanks to Selena from the Dizzy Fizz for snapping pics, you can read her roundup from the other side of the bar here)

KLEINZACH PUNCH (Ryehouse)
1 oz soda
4 sugarcubes
1/2 oz Carpano Antica
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz Cherry Heering
1/4 oz ginger syrup
1 oz Cognac
1 oz Bols Genever
1/2 tsp All-spice Dram
2 dash angostura bitters
champagne
Combine all ingredients over ice and top with champagne

FRANTZ’S MOMENT (Raines Law Room)
2 dash orange bitters
1/2 oz fresh lemon
1/2 oz Licor 43
3/4 oz Dolin dry vermouth
1 1/2 oz Plymouth gin
Combine all ingredients in a shakers, shake with ice, strain into rosewater rinsed chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon and orange zest.

WINTER WEDDING COCKTAILS

admin — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:18:37 +0000

Looking for a new twist on the classic champagne toast, New York magazine asked local bartenders to create cocktails for a winter wedding. The Taylor Precedent is Raines Law Room contribution, created by myself and co-worker Kyle!
The Taylor Precedent
1/2 oz. Punt e Mes vermouth
1/2 oz. Cinnamon syrup
1 oz. Lairds applejack
Green Chartreuse
Champagne
Brandied cherries

Rinse glass with green Chartreuse (use a mister for more than one glass). Mix first three ingredients in shaker, add ice, and shake vigorously. Strain into a stemmed glass and top off with Champagne. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

See the full story here

MIXING IT UP WITH BENEDICTINE

admin — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 22:49:56 +0000

Benedictine is gearing up for a big year in 2010, when it will celebrate its big 500th anniversary. The liqueur, created by a monk of the Benedictine order, is an ingredient in many classic cocktails. But being 500, Benedictine has decided it needs to be part of some modern classics and put out the word to bartenders to try some new recipes with it. Here are some of best:

Jackson Cannon - Eastern Standard (Boston)
Vincelli Fizz
1 Egg white
1.5 ounces Bénédictine
1.5 ounces house made rose vermouth
.5 ounces fresh squeezed lemon juice

Dry shake above ingredients to emulsify. Add ice and shake again until well chilled. Pour into a coupe glass. Top with 1 ounce Champagne. Garnish with Flamed Madjool Date essence. Proportions to be adjusted as needed for variations in vermouth and citrus.

Damon Dyer - Flatiron Lounge (New York City)
Monte Cassino

3/4 oz. Bénédictine
3/4 oz. yellow Chartreuse
3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
3/4 oz. Rittenhouse Rye

Shake, fine strain into a chilled coupe (or small cocktail glass). Lemon twist garnish.

San Francisco - Brandon Clements (Spruce)
Greyhound’s Tooth
3/4 oz Bénédictine
1 oz Vodka
1/3 oz Honey Water (Honey based simple syrup; 60% honey 40% water)
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Grapefruit Juice
2 Dashes Fee’s Grapefruit Bitters
Combine all in mixing glass. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into
chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with thick cut grapefruit twist.

New Orleans - Daniel Victory (Ritz Carlton)
Benedictine’s Harvest Sensation
1 1/2 oz. Bénédictine
1 oz. sweet potato au jus
splash of heavy cream

In a mixing glass stir above ingredients with ice. Next pour into a pony glass with a “Rim of Magie”*. Finally garnish with a sweet potato chip.

*Rim of Magie
Sweet potato hay
Sea salt
Unflavored pop rocks

27TH HEAVEN COCKTAILS

admin — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:34:09 +0000

In honor of the Yanks winning their 27th World Series, pinstripe-worthy cocktails are popping up in time to celebrate. Check these out.

Matsui’s Revenge
1 oz. Bombay Sapphire
.25 oz. Rhubarb Sake
1 oz. Fresh Melon Juice
Slither of muddled chili

Glass wear: Martini
Method: Shake and strain and muddle chili

Commissioner’s Trophy
Created by Phil Ward, Mayahuel

2 oz. Flor de Caña 4-year old
1oz. Flor de Caña 18-year old
0.75 oz. rich demerara simple syrup
1 oz. lime juice
6 oz. HOT STRONG Green Tea
1 mint sprig
Method:
All of the ingredients should be combined and left in a container over night
Strain the next day
Refrigerate and drink at leisure

Pour the punch into a glass and garnish with a lime wheel and mint sprig
*Demerara syrup can be made in a pot over low heat on stove top. 2 parts demerara sugar to 1 part water. Heat and stir until dissolved

Bronx Bomber

1oz blueberry vodka
1/4oz Lucid Absinthe
1/4oz Simple Syrup
Splash of Lemon Juice
Drizzle of Massenez Framboise
Gingerbeer
Fresh Blueberries

Muddle fresh blueberries and add syrup, juice and vodka. Add ice and shake and pour into highball glass. Drizzle Framboise and top with Ginger Beer. Garnish with one sugar cube.

WELCOME BACK SPICE TREE AND ORANGERIE

admin — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:02:44 +0000

Once upon a time, a Scotch lover named John Glaser worked for a company you may have heard of, Johnnie Walker. After years at the house that Walker built, Glaser decided to marry his love and knowledge of Scotch with his college dream of being a wine maker. So came experiments in blending and aging, and many respected whiskys under the Compass Box name.
Glaser and the Compass Box crew were on hand on Monday evening at Beekman Bar and Books for the reintroduction of two special products, Compass Box Spice Tree and Orangerie.
While Glaser got in trouble a couple of years back for the way he made the barrels on Spice Tree, he found a new way to incorporate French Oak into the barrels (in the heads). Spice Tree lives up to its name with a nose of nutmeg and clove. The spice continues on the palate, which is deep and full of dark fruit notes. Orangerie is a different beast, so different that John said he is toying with the idea of taking Compass Box off the label and letting its just be “Orangerie”. The whisky infusion comes from a small run he used to make as Christmas gifts. Now that they’ve figured it out for a large scale, Orangerie is coming back to the shelves. Smooth and sweet, Orangerie is Scotch infused with hand-zested orange peel, Sri Lankan cloves and Indonesian cassia bark. Orangerie struck me a very versatile, as it was lovely neat, in a classic Sour but also would be great to cook with.
We were also treated to an opening cocktail by fellow cocktail blogger Hal Wolin
The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Oak Tree
2 oz Compass Box Oak Cross
1/2 oz Calvados
1/2 ox Yellow Chartreuse
2 dash Peychaud bitters
1 oz Apple Cinnamon Syrup
Shake and serve up

HERRADURA INTRODUCES ANTIGUO TEQUILA

admin — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 02:43:09 +0000

Casa Herradura, all ready known in the States for tequila, will bring the Antiguo label across the border. It will be an addition to the Brown-Forman portfolio, here is the details from their press release:

Antiguo Tequila continues to build on its storied history from Mexico. Originally developed in 1924 and served exclusively to family and friends of the manor at Hacienda del Refugio, we are thrilled to bring this super-premium tequila to the U.S.” said Mark Bacon, U.S. brand director for Casa Herradura Tequilas. “Antiguo was launched in Mexico in 1995 to commemorate Casa Herradura’s 125th anniversary of producing the world’s finest tequilas. True to the original formula that was kept a secret for almost a century, Antiguo has become one of the fastest growing tequila brands in Mexico.”
Antiguo Tequila is an authentic, super-premium tequila crafted to be a lighter bodied, exceptionally smooth product from Casa Herradura’s family of fine tequilas. Antiguo Tequila is 80 proof and has a suggested 750ml retail price of $24.99 to $29.99 depending on the expression; Blanco, Reposado and Añejo.
“These expressions are lighter in taste and color with a smoother and mellower finish, making them incredibly versatile for stylish tequila cocktails, or enjoyed neat,” he said.

Tim Laird of Brown-Forman developed a few recipes to ease Antiguo into drinker’s minds. See if this one piques your interest
Antiguo Citrus Mint Squeeze
2 oz Antiguo Reposado
1 oz Agave nectar
1 oz Club soda
1 wedge grapefruit, cut in half
2 lime wedges
3 mint leaves
Muddle grapefruit, limes and mint leaves in a shaker.
Add ice, agave nectar, club soda and Antiguo Reposado.
Stir in mix and strain into a rocks glass.

GOOD-BYE LENELL, BUT HELLO LUPEC-NYC!

admin — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 14:21:11 +0000

The ladies of LUPEC-NYC (of which yours truly is a proud founding member) teamed up with the fabulous LeNell Smothers for an Hasta Luego LeNell/ LUPEC fundraiser on Sunday night. The lovely folks at Ward III provided the venue and lots of help, and the LUPEC designed menu started flowing!

LUPEC ladies Elayne Duke, Eryn Reece, Erin Williams and Prez Lynnette Marrero tended bar while other, including Katie Darling and Lisa Hare, ran the door and shot trays. And of course with all these ladies involved it was a success, with the community getting to send LeNell off to new life and love in Mexico in proper fashion and cash raised for LUPEC!

Eryn Reece stirs a French Manhattan

Elayne hands out Lil Bit of Country

It was all about this lady

Punch & Judy by Charlotte Voisey

BÄRENJÄGER COCKTAIL COMPETITION

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:46:30 +0000

Last night at a secret NYC speakeasy the finals of the Bärenjäger cocktail competition went down, and yours truly was one of the finalists! Myself and about 60 other bartenders submitted recipes online earlier in the summer and 6 were chosen to mix off in front of a cocktail-loving crowd and panel of the industry’s most sophisticated palates. Judging the drinks with Julie Reiner, Aisha Sharpe, Gary Regan, Allen Katz and Jack Robertiello. Thanks to the Lush Life Productions folks for snapping great pics!

I was joined by Brad Farran and Kevin Diedrich, both of Clover Club, Gerry Corcoran formerly of PDT, Neil Grosscup of the recently closed Country Club and Jonathan Pogash of Hospitality Holdings. It was a fun night of mixing drinks at the end it was Kevin and his Bottom Line that took home the top prize, which is a trip to Oktoberfest to party it up with the Germans. Here’s his winning recipe:

The Bottom Line

1 1/2 oz Highland Park 18

1 oz Manzilla Sherry

3/4 oz Barenjager

1/4 oz Cio Ciaro

1 dash Orange Bitters

1 dash Angostura Bitters

add all ingredients to mixing glass. ice and stir strain into chilled cocktail glass

Gerry Corcoran won the crowd favorite for his beer-based cocktail, called Bäre Fizz

Bäre Fizz

2 oz. Famous Grouse Scotch

.5 oz. Barenjager, 1 barspoon Fig Preserves

1 oz. fresh lemon juice

1 egg white

2-3 oz. Toasted Lager beer

1 slice of fig for garnish

Dry shake all the ingredients except the lager, add ice and shake again. Double strain into a chilled highball glass, Top with the toasted lager beer, and garnish with a slice of fig

And here’s my cocktail, which might not be a winner but still simple to make and quite tasty!

Five in the Hive

2 dash angostura bitters

3/4 oz fresh lemon

3/4 oz Barenjager honey liqueur

3/4 oz Pimm’s No 1

3/4 oz Rittenhouse Rye Bonded

lemon zest for garnish

Put 2 dash bitters in mixing tin. Add lemon, barenjager, Pimm’s and Rittenhouse. Add ice and shake vigorously. Strain into chilled cocktail glass. Zest with lemon peel. Twist lemon peel and hang on side of glass for garnish

WINNING RUM RECIPES

admin — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 16:50:52 +0000

On Monday in NYC, Ron Abuelo and Rum Jumbie held a competition at the Rose Club at the Plaza Hotel. They challenged NYC bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts to create original recipes for the two products.
The winner was Paolo Votano, of Bocca di Bacco and owner of cocktail consulting business called On the Rocks NYC. This win in New York means Paolo will travel to Miami on Oct 15th for the finals of the Ron Abuelo/Rum Jumbie Mixology Contest. Here’s the winning drinks:

Pomchi Smash:
10 fresh Raspberries
2 oz. Cranberry Juice
1 ½ oz. Ron Abuelo Añejo
1 oz. Lemon Juice
½ oz. Simple Syrup
5 Mint Leaves
Dash Angostura Bitters
Ginger Ale

Muddle raspberry with the mint.Add the rest of the ingredients. Shake hard and strain in the highball. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with raspberry mint

Sweet & Spicy Cayca:
2 oz. Homemade Chili-Light Syrup
1½ oz. Rum Jumbie Coconut Splash
10 Mint Leaves
Club Soda
Coconut Powder
Chili Powder
Chili Pepper
Coconut

Muddle the mints on the bottom of the glass. Add all ingredients. Fill it with ice cube. Top with club soda