But to get away from the booze for a moment, they serve a ridiculously tasty Mac N Cheese that reminded me why this humble dish should never be overlooked as “un-exciting”.  But then again, theirs is done with Pork Belly and Chicharrón, so you know its something special.  (In fact, watching a backwaiter trying to explain to a woman in butchered English that Chicharrón are fried pig skin was a highlight of my meal).

Aficiao
Karlsson’s Vodka, Basil, Passion Fruit, Lemon Juice, Pasteurized Egg Whites, Orange Bitters.  (Made by Miguel Maldonado, house mixologist)

Matador
Heradura Blanco Tequila, Lime Juice, Jalapeno Syrup, Cucumber, Mint.  (By Alex Valencia – Yerba Buena Perry, NY, NY)

A tower of cocktail power (photo by shaderlab)

Their movements were balletic.  Like robotic apothecaries, they created elixirs in a dizzying progression of steps.

They spun on their heels with perfect calibration, knowing exactly the degree of rotation needed to land on their spirit of choice, and spin back while the bottle was upended and measured into a jigger angled over the mixing glass.

The area behind the bar—their stage for the night—was tiny.  A four-person trapeze act performing in your living room.

Would you like that shaken or stirred?

Jedi Knights, each sensing the others’ movements, and the bottles and delicate glasses wizzing by each other in a blur, barely passing by millimeters and avoiding a spectacular explosion of glassware (which happened later in the evening, but more on that later).  Welcome to Angel’s Share, a speakeasy located in the East Village of Manhattan.

I’ve been there many times over the last few years, yet each time I wander a few steps past the entrance, confused how to gain access to its second floor perch overlooking the world below through a massive picture window.

If you’re looking for a romantic date, then sitting in front of this window, watching the snow fall with the warm sensation of booze caressing your soul, may just be the most memorable NY nightlife experience you can have.

A trip up the stairs to the Japanese restaurant, a quick turn to the left and a short walk to a non-descript door leads you to the unmarked entrance.  The room is quiet, and only those who have a seat may remain—this is not the place to cram the bar four-deep and shout at a Jets game blaring on four TV’s simultaneously.

I sat at the bar, a child in front of the lion’s cage at the zoo, my eyes straining to keep up with the action.  The back wall— lit from behind like a massive, adult-sized version of Lite-Brite—is stacked full of artisan spirits, liqueurs and small glass bottles seemingly stolen from a high-class perfumery in Paris.  The place is pure eye candy for any spirits geek; you could spend hours going through the collection.

The Del Sasser: smoky bacony, bourbon goodness

As I was finishing my Del Sasser (Bacon-infused Bourbon, Plum Liqueur, Pommegranate, Lime Juice, Balsamic Honey and Angustora Bitters), we heard a loud pop of exploding glass.  I half-expected to see the girl at the end of the bar—three seats to my right—brandishing a jagged shard of glass to her boyfriend’s neck.

But sadly, no; they both stared at a lone, glass base sitting in the center of the bar, surrounded by a field of broken shards.  They were dumbfounded.  My first thought was that the glass must have been hot, and that the coolness of the drink had caused it to explode.  But this was not the case; the guy had just taken the last sip of the drink, turned to look at his girl, and POW!  Total destruction.  A jealous glass, perhaps?  ”Keep your eyes on me, Jacko, not the broad!”

The crew descended in rehearsed, laser-like precision to clean up the refuse.  While we sat astounded, they showed no emotion.  They must have experience dealing with volatile glassware.  Monopolizing pint glasses, cuvetous high-balls, possessive rocks glasses and the like.  Libatious theatre at it’s best.

For more info on other NYC speakeasies, click HERE (and don’t even think they have websites, Johnny, they’re speakeasies, for God’s sake!)

The lions in their tiny cage (pic courtesy of Guest of a Guest)

July 21-25, 2010

The streets of the French Quarter were given a full shake and an Absinthe rinse for the 5-day fiesta that was the 8th Annual Tales of the Cocktail.

Bartenders, barbacks, barmaids, bar wenches and bar geeks invaded New Orleans once again this year for what has become the premier yearly gathering for spirit hounds.

Just to give you a sense of what hosting thousands of fans celebrating at the sacred altar of the cocktail entails, they tallied a brief summary from 2009:

13,884 mint leaves · 14,000 lemons · 11,250 limes · 192 pounds of sugar · 1,824 Driscoll’s Blackberries and Driscoll’s Blueberries · 74 Gallons Lime Juice · 82 Gallons Lemon Juice · 45 Gallons Grapefruit Juice · 21 Gallons Pineapple Juice · 25 Gallons Tomato Juice · 75 Gallons Simple Syrup · 950 Luxardo cherries · 450 cucumber wheels · 10 Gallons Rich Simple Syrup · 5 Gallons Honey Syrup · 3100 Driscoll’s Raspberries · 1400 Tropicana Orange twists · 1200 Lemon Twists · 1250 Lime Wheels · 940 Lemon Wheels · 400 Lemon Wedges · 430 Lime Wedges · 350 Stalks of Celery

Yeah, this list pretty much speaks for itself…it’s an onslaught of hedonistic fun, a celebration of the bartender as true artisan and a chance to honor those who are forerunners in the field.

With that in mind, for the fourth year running, a lavish dinner called the Spirited Awards was held on July 24th at the Roosevelt Hotel where the industry’s leading lights were saluted.  Sponsored by Pernod Ricard USA and voted on by a panel of thirty top professionals, fifteen awards were given out.

Here were this year’s winners (click on links for more info):

World’s Best Drink Selection
Bar Lebensstern in Cafe Einstein, Berlin

Best American Cocktail Bar
Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best Cocktail Bar
Death & Co., New York City

World’s Best New Cocktail Bar
Mayahuel, New York City

World’s Best Hotel Bar
The Connaught Bar, The Connaught Hotel, London

American Bartender of the Year
Murray Stenson (Zig Zag Cafe)

International Bartender of the Year
Agostino Perrone (Connaught Bar)

Best New Cocktail/Bartending Book
Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh

Best Cocktail Writing
CLASS magazine

Best New Product
Celery Bitters, The Bitter Truth

World’s Best Cocktail Menu
Death & Co., New York City

Best Bar Mentor
Dale DeGroff

Best American Brand Ambassador
Charlotte Voisey, William Grant & Sons Portfolio

Best International Brand Ambassador
John Gakuru, Sagatiba

Helen David Lifetime Achievement Award
Brian Rea

Congrats to the winners and to the organizers of this behemoth event.  I’m particularly stoked to see that with the growing success of the event that New Orleans rides high on it’s coattails.  Last year alone, the event brought in $9.7 million to the city (click here for the economic impact).

Stir it, shake it, sip it, slam it down, and then sit back and rest for a year…Tales will ride again soon…

North Williamsburg.  On a rather desolate block, a mini-Mecca for libation lovers awaits in two-story glory.

Be you beer geek, cocktail purist or refined wino, this is your place.  All under one gloriously designed roof and with a level of hospitality that will warm any NY’ers heart.

The Counting Room, at 44 Barry Street in Brooklyn, plays to many strengths, and is testament to the consumate professionals behind its multi-beveraged-assault on the senses.

A cocktail program born from the classics of the 1860′s and spun into the modern world, a wine program that is diverse, current and savvy, a beer program that celebrates the craftsmen and a level of food that promises to please the refined.  It has it all.

I recently sat down with co-owner and mixology wizard, Vincent Favella, for a couple of cocktails and got the low-down on what makes The Counting Room tick.  Watch the video below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4JmKHigI0g

The Empire Sour

• 2 oz Laird’s Applejack
• 1/4 oz Carpano Antica Formula
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 1/2 oz Lemon Juice
• 2 Dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
• 1 Egg White

1. Combine the simple syrup, lemon juice, orange bitters and egg white in a shaker and shake vigorously (without ice).
2. Add ice and applejack and shake what your mama gave you.
3. Strain into a frozen 6-ounce tumbler and float Carpano Antica Formula.

Get yourself to Williamsburg and down to the cocktail lounge of the Counting Room where Vince and his crack team of mixologists are waiting for you.

Come thirsty and leave content.  You may even be a bit more educated…tipsy, but educated.

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

The kitchen has truly migrated to the bar.  Cabinets have been ransacked, ingredients have been lifted and spun off in wild directions, and bartenders have become mixologists (the closest term to describe the tinkering, oft mad geeky pursuit of flavor and fascination with combinations…the building of formulas a la the chemistry beaker).  In the midst of this madness, they have lifted vinegar, and its sour flavor profile, to the level of respected cocktail component, the trend even appearing in the hallowed pages of the Washington Times.

Bartender Kelley Slagle of Hearth Restaurant has been experimenting with vinegar and has come under its spell, utilizing it in four, soon to be five, cocktails giving them a signature zip of sourness.  Made by oxidizing the ethanol in wine, beer, cider, or any fermented fruit juice, vinegar gives drinks an acidic backbone that plays opposite its fellow ingredients, heightening them.

Kelly’s recipe for the Marc Antony uses a gastrique of vinegar, a process utilizing sugar and heat to reduce the liquid down until the water is almost evaporated. This recipe is an orange cardamom gastrique made by adding orange juice and cardamom seeds.

Marc Antony

2 oz Spanish Brandy
1oz Orange Cardamom Gastrique*
Shake and strain into rocks glass, on the rocks garnish with orange twist

* Orange Cardamom Gastrique
Splash of Lemon Juice
1 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup water, enough to just cover sugar in pan
1/2 Cup White Wine Vinegar
1/4 Cup Cardamom Pods
1 Cup Fresh Orange Juice
Splash of Vodka

In a saucepan combine Lemon Juice, Sugar and water. Cook over medium
heat till liquid turns brown and no longer bubbles.
Slowly stir in Vinegar and Cardamom Pods
Gradually add orange juice to pan, continue to cook over medium heat,
stirring till smooth and syrupy.
Cool and Strain. Add a splash of vodka to preserve freshness. Keep refrigerated.

Vinegar cocktails are tangy, they’re crisp, and they’ll plant a smile on your face when they bite your tongue back with their sour acidity.