The “Lux Cider,” by Dean Hurst of Sidebern’s (Tampa, FL)

Yesterday, on a fine November day in Brooklyn— as the temperature soared to nearly 70 degrees and our sun-deprived flesh once again met it’s warm rays— twelve competitors stepped behind the bar of the Clover Club to do battle.

Brandishing their Sherry-filled libation armaments, they let loose for a panel of esteemed judges and a crowd of industry spirit-hounds in a frenzy of jiggering, shaking and stirring.  Culled from dozens of submissions from around the country, these twelve talented mixologists were selected to vie for the title of Winner of the 2011 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition and an all-expense paid trip to Jerez—not to mention, bragging rights for life and a fleet of trucks filled with Spanish olives.

Each bartender was required to present their cocktail to the judging panel then return to the backstage area where they would batch it out for the crowd of onlookers. The panel of esteemed judges was composed of the following:

• Dale DeGroff, King Cocktail/Author
• David Wondrich, Author/Historian
• Julie Reiner, Proprietor, Flatiron Lounge, Lani Kai, Clover Club
• Jacques Bezuidenhout, Winner, 2005 Vinos de Jerez Cocktail Competition
• Andy Seymour, Sherry Ambassador, aka wine geek
• Steven Olson, aka wine geek

These were the valiant warriors who traveled from near and far to present their concoction to the panel…and the world:

• Reza Esmaili, Ananas Consulting, San Francisco, CA – “España en Emerica,” Pedro Ximénez
• Brad Farran, Clover Club, Brooklyn, NY – “Midnight to Six,” Palo Cortado
• Mike Henderson, Colt & Gray, Denver, CO – “The Spaniard,” Fino
• Brendan Dorr, B&O American Brasserie, Baltimore, MD – “The Cádizian,” Oloroso Dulce
• Dean Hurst, Sidebern’s, Tampa, FL – “Lux Cider,” Dry Amontillado
• Ted Kilgore, Taste by Niche, St. Louis, MO – “El Maestro,” Oloroso
• Franky Marshall, Clover Club, Brooklyn, NY – “Mas Que Ayer (More Than Yesterday,)” Dry Amontillado
• Lucas Paya, ThinkFoodGroup (The Bazaar, LA) – “Spanish Golden Ale,” Amontillado
• Stephanie Schneider, Huckleberry Bar, Brooklyn, NY – “Perfect Lepanto,” Moscatel
• Kelley Slagle, Terroir Tribeca, New York, NY – “Cherry Cocktail,” Fino, Amontillado, Palo Cortado, Oloroso & Pedro Ximénez
• Carlo Splendorini, Michael Mina Restaurants, San Francisco, CA – “Ponente,” Oloroso
• Owen Thomson, ThinkFoodGroup (Café Atlantico, DC) – “Highland Games,” Pedro Ximénez

And the gladiator left standing to take home the prize?  Brendan Dorr of B&O American Brasserie in Baltimore, MD. 

Congrats, fine sir, and may the gates of Jerez open for you with the gusto shown only to that of visiting royalty.

Kelley Slagle threads her charm needle through the eye of the judging panel

Sipping on authentic, handcrafted libations is the same as sinking your teeth into a beautiful piece of sushi, or pulling the meat off the bone of a slow-cooked rib.  But drinks alone do not make a bar. In today’s cocktail world, you’ll often find  unassuming entrances, dark lighting, an elaborate bar composed of quality ingredients, bartenders with sharp, near balletic, movements, and a devoted following….

Behind the idea of a modern day “speakeasy” lies the desire to capture the essence of an era, an era that birthed illicit, underground clubs that operated by their own rules, and generated loyal fanatics in the process.  And today, these establishments and their mixtures fascinate us. Like jazz, many consider the cocktail an American creation.

Names like Gary Regan, Dale DeGroff, Julie Reiner, Jim Meehan and Audrey Saunders flood the scene.  These mixologist/chemist/showmen are well-trained in the old standards like Fizzes, Flips, Slings, Punches, Sours, Cobblers, Shrubs, Toddies, etc, and that grounds them in a rich past, but they have built on the basics and have built towers…and often in tiny, hard-to-find spaces behind concealed storefronts and sketchy doorways.  And these destinations are well worth the journey.  The following is a list of eight, great NYC cocktail shrines and modern speakeasies:

THE LIST

(click on each header for more info)

1.  PDT (PLEASE DON’T TELL)
113 St. Marks Pl, New York, NY
212-614-0386

2.  MILK & HONEY
134 Eldridge St., New York, NY
(secret phone number)

3.  DEATH & CO
433 E. 6th St., New York, NY
212-388-0882
Cocktail list

4.  CLOVER CLUB
210 Smith St, Brooklyn, NY
(718) 855-7939
Cocktail list

5. FLATIRON LOUNGE

37 W. 19th St., New York, NY 10011

212-727-7741      Cocktail list

6.  ANGEL’S SHARE
8 Stuyvesant St. at 9th St, 2nd fl, New York, NY
212-777-5415

7.  PEGU CLUB
77 W Houston St, New York, NY
(212) 473-7348

8.  LITTLE BRANCH
20 Seventh Ave. South, New York, NY
212-929-4360

***A cool site to read more:  The Lush Life, Guide to Manhattan’s Best Cocktail Bars