Eben Freeman gets his shake on.Photo: Abbe Benson
All Posts Tagged: ‘cocktails’
$5 Margaveza Among ‘GQ’ Top 20 Cocktails in America
Kirschen-Clark Leaves Jimmy’s for Pegu
Philip Kirschen-Clark, back in his Jimmy's days.Photo: Melissa Hom
Related: Jimmy's Secret Chef Performs Culinary Miracles in the East Village
Jalapeños to Blame for Salmonella?; ‘Rachael Ray Show’ No Place for Anorexics
• Government officials investigating the salmonella outbreak are now eying three kinds of hot peppers, including jalapeños, as the leading suspect for spreading the bacteria. [WSJ]
• With several restaurants out of business and others for sale, even dining destinations in the chichi Hamptons are suffering from the current economic downturn. [Real Deal]
• Three waiters at the Old Homestead Steakhouse say that ever since they sued the restaurant and won the case, they’ve been given the most undesirable tables in the house. Naturally, they’re filing another lawsuit. [NYP]
A First Look at Julie Reiner’s Clover Club
Keep your feet off the divan.Photo: Zach Desart
Julie Reiner's Clover Club Opens on Wednesday
Photo: Zach Desart
Clover Club drinks list [NYM (PDF)]
The Randolph's Menu, Revealed
The magic happens behind the bar.Photo: Melissa Hom
‘Best Bars in America’ Is Back in ‘Esquire,’ and a Little Baffling
Pegu is one of the great bars. But Grassroots Tavern?Photo: Melissa Hom
The Best Bars in America [Esquire]
Pizza, Pretzels, and Bourbon — Sounds Dreamy
The true successor to DeMarco's?Photo: Zach Desart
Tailor’s Menu Reborn, Again
Definitely better than the churros on the subway platform.Photo: Melissa Hom
There are two things that have been true about Tailor since it opened: Sam Mason and Fran Derby's food is often brilliant, and the city hasn't really warmed up to it yet. But the restaurant’s menu has evolved, first with bigger portions in December, and it is organized into course “one,” “two,” and “three.” More importantly, both the kitchen and Eben Freeman's bar downstairs have added some characteristically inventive new items.
Ron Ciavolino Gives It To You Straight on Wine Bars
Sometimes you read an interview and immediately you wish you were friends with the subject. Such is the case with Metromix’s sit-down with Ron Ciavolino, the head of wine studies at the Institute of Culinary Education, and a man who speaks his mind. Our favorite quotes:
• On modern bartenders: “Most bartenders feel like they’re giving away something for nothing if they’re charming. I want schmaltz. There’s no schmaltz.”
• On the downtown wine scene: “You go to those wine bars in Soho, they’re more bowling alleys — there’s no romance. Everybody’s 12 years old.”
• What happens when a bartender allows ice to melt in a shaker: “You hemorrhage through all of your apertures.”
Days of Wine and Poses [Metromix NY]
A Recession-Proof Restaurant Scene?; Death & Co. Owner Disgusted by Hassles
With all the exciting new restaurants opening in town, you’d never know there’s talk of a recession. But Frank Bruni figures anything opening now was planned a few years ago in better economic times, which makes us worry about restaurant openings in 2010. [NYT]
Death & Co. can continue to operate until mid-April, but don’t expect owner David Kaplan to produce any more nightlife destinations after that: “I’ll never open another bar, another restaurant, a deli, a fucking bodega — I’ll never open up anything ever again in New York.” [NYO]
The current cocktail craze has led to a lot of handmade – and therefore illegal – ingredients being mixed into drinks. Marijuana-infused gin, anyone? [NYP]
Publicity Gambit at Carlyle Inspires Our Oscar-Themed Beverage Menu
Drinking the Daniel Plainview.Photo illustration: iStockphoto, Courtesy of Paramount Vantage
Eben Freeman Turns His Cocktails Solid Just for the Hell of It
From left, Cuba Libre, Ramos Gin Fizz Marshmallow, White Russian Breakfast Cereal.Photo: Melissa Hom
Related: Video: Eben Freeman of Tailor Imparts the Secrets of the ‘Hard Shake’
Mixology Immortals Met at Last Night's Astor Center Opening
Front row from left: Consultants Gary Regan and Charlottte Voisey, Julie Reiner of Flatiron Lounge, David Wondrich, Audrey Saunders of Pegu Club, Dale “King of Cocktails” DeGroff and wife Jill, Jim Meehan of PDT, and Leo DeGroff. Back row from left: John Deragon of PDT, Milk and Honey owner Sasha Petraske, Giuseppe Gonzales of Flatiron Lounge, Kenta Goto of Pegu Club, and Eben Freeman of Tailor.Photo: Josh Ozersky
Among Fort Greene Drinkers, the Hideout Won't Stay Hidden for Long
Knock, and hope they let you in.Photo: Melissa Hom
Behind three shiny black garage doors in Fort Greene there’s a signless, pseudo-speakeasy called the Hideout. Ring the bell at a door within a garage door, and a scrutinizing set of eyes peers through a tiny latch. If your entrance is granted, you’ll find a dimly lit, tin-ceilinged throwback. Mixologist Charlotte Voisey, who consulted for the Gramercy Park Hotel and the Dorchester in London, helped create the six-page cocktail menu. Signature drinks include the Poison Rose (gin, elderflower liquor, simple syrup, a rose-petal garnish, and edible gold flakes) and the Snow Mosquito (vodka, tequila, raspberries, blueberries, simple syrup, and fresh mint), along with $50 shots of Pappy Van Winkle and drinks mixed with 150-year-old Grand Marnier starting at $20. Bar snacks include square bowls of goldfish crackers and M&Ms imprinted with “The Hideout” — “We want to keep things signature,” explains co-owner (and record distributor) Qaseem Muhammad.
Introducing the ‘Gastroteca’
The revelers at Gottino don't even care that it's January. Photo: Brian Kennedy
Carroll Gardens May Get a Swank New Cocktail Lounge — Pending CB Approval Tonight
Does Alan Harding, the king of Carroll Gardens, have a new project up his sleeve? We hear talk of an “upscale cocktail lounge” on Hoyt Street near Union Street’s Black Mountain Wine House. A neighborhood foodie tells us that this new venture depends on the community board, which will vote on the liquor license tonight. Sure enough, right there on CB6’s land-use committee agenda tonight is “Discussion and formulation of recommendation on an on-premises liquor license application submitted to the State Liquor Authority on behalf of 415 Union Street Inc. at 303 Hoyt Street (Block 430, Lot 78) between Union/Sackett Streets.” Will Brooklyn Social or another neighborhood competitor try to protest? Find out tonight.
Eben Freeman of Tailor Imparts the Secrets of the ‘Hard Shake’
Eben Freeman of Tailor isn’t just a bartender. He isn’t even a mere mixologist. We’ll go ahead and say it: Eben Freeman is a cocktail guru. Who else could have imported the secret maneuver of the "hard shake" to our shores from its hiding places in Japan and Slovakia? No one. And that’s why we present this video, of how to perform the hard shake, for your viewing pleasure.
Huckabee Loves Salad and Bread Sticks; Domino's Still Won't Deliver in 30 or Less
Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee chose T.G.I. Friday’s when a Times reporter offered to take him to lunch anywhere in the city, but Huck ultimately settled for the Olive Garden. [NYT via Serious Eats]
The Food Network’s ratings are hurting, which might help to explain why Emeril Live got canned. [NYT]
How do Thomas Keller and Mario Batali fare against McDonald's when it comes to calories? Keller's veal breast and polenta and Batali's pork loin are worse for you than a Big Mac, but who cares? [WSJ
Secret Supper Club Adds Death & Co. Cocktail Man
We got a note from everyone’s favorite secret-supper-club chef, the mysterious “D” of Bite Club NY. (Bite Club, like the Ghetto Gourmet and other secret-dinner societies, serves invitation-only meals by trained chefs at private homes around town.) Bite Club is pretty much the French Laundry of the dinner clubs, and now the cocktail program is of equal stature, thanks to the addition of Joaquin Simo from Death & Co. The next dinner, with such Simo-created pairings as foie gras–infused bourbon, is on December 22. Bite Club is accepting new members.
Bite Club NY [Official site]
Bite Club menu
Video: Winter Cocktails From LeNell's, Death & Co., and Flatiron Lounge
Since this is a big weekend for holiday parties, we thought you could use some new drink ideas. Why serve your guests the same old Syrah when you could make them a Mae West Royal Diamond Fizz or whip up some spiced butter to go with that hot rum or mulled cider? We sent a camera to LeNell’s, Flatiron Lounge, and Death & Co. to learn winter secrets from some of the city’s booze experts. They even shared the recipes with us. So watch, prepare, drink, and repeat.
Tailor’s Eben Freeman Masters the Hard Shake
Eben Freeman: hard shaken, not stirred.Photo: Food & Wine, December 2007
PDT Guru Jim Meehan's New Project Pays Tribute to Baltimore
The view of Jim Meehan after your fifth PDT cocktail.Photo: Patrick McMullan
Two Bucks for Ice at Bowery Hotel!? Register Your Customer Complaints Here
Oh, you wanted a cold drink? Cough up another $2!Photo: iStockphoto
Classy Cocktails Come to Williamsburg
Will the kids trade their PBRs for Agave Sunrises?Photo: Melissa Hom
Caviar: Fashion Week's Latest Hideous Accessory
Waiter, there’s something in my drink.Photo: Courtesy of Imperia Vodka
The Box Back in Action; Smith & Wollensky Sold at Last
The Box is back in action and even hosted a corporate event last night for Virgin America airline, clearly meant to bring the venue one step closer to becoming a "cultural institution." [Down by the Hipster]
The $94.7 million sale of New York–based Smith & Wollensky Restaurant Group, which includes Quality Meats and Park Avenue Summer, to the national corporation Patina has been finalized, but there's still no word on a timetable for Park Avenue's fall makeover. [Nation's Restaurant News]
Related: The Secrets of Steakhouse Riches
Is Top Chef’s Brian into threesomes? Of the kind less celebrated in popular culture? [Amuse Biatch]
Smith and Mills Now Open for Breakfast and Lunch
The last time you'll see this place empty?Photo: Melissa Hom
Rayuela Mixologist Junior Merino to Uncork His Latino Cocktail Program on Friday
Junior Merino, the pride of Latin mixology.Photo: Melissa Hom
Chodorow, While Still Bitter, Lifts Ban on Platt
Adam Platt and Frank Bruni are no longer banned from Jeffrey Chodorow’s restaurants. Even though, says the restaurateur, Platt “missed the whole point of Wild Salmon.” [Restaurant Girl]
Related: Salmon Cured? [NYM]
In a revealing interview, Marco Pierre White takes a stand against the star-chef game: “Can you imagine: You take your wife out to my restaurant for dinner, and I'm not behind the stove. You find out I'm in America — how would you feel when you've just done $1,200 for dinner? It's a sour taste, isn't it?” [Salon]
Thomas Keller announces that he isn’t really the man at Per Se: “I [speak] as someone who is somewhat detached from it because it is a Jonathan Benno restaurant.” [MSN]
‘Top Chef’ Talbot Out at Spitzer’s Corner; FDA Too Weak Even for Industry
Top Chef runner-up Sam Talbot is out at what was to be his debut restaurant, Spitzer’s Corner. [Eater]
The FDA is facing increasing ire about its having largely abdicated its regulatory role. Even the produce industry wants the agency to do its job; suppliers are “virtually begging for stronger intervention.” [NYT]
Salsa mogul gives the Culinary Institute of America $35 million to advance the careers of Latin cooks and kitchen workers and to “deepen the United States’ relationship with food from Latin America.” [NYT]
Sam Mason Doesn’t Find Wine Intoxicating
We will sell no wine until...um....Photo: Melissa Hom
Beard’s Finances Questioned; Restaurants Manipulate Zagat
The Beard Foundation, in the spotlight as Monday’s awards approach, is still on shaky ground financially, and questions still linger about the way it spends its money. [NYT