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.

“What is this?” “Beer, my friend.  Beer”

Yes, its been known for ages. Just how long beermaking has been known is staggering to comprehend. Thousands of years. Where we are today, as brewers, is astonishing. Ancient styles, long-lost techniques, are being brushed-off and being thrust into the limelight. Microbrewers and craft specialists are a-flourish with all things Belgian, German, British, and Czech…oh, and don’t forget the Yankees. We, as Americans, have found our niche of brewing; a rag-tag group of upstarts gone wild has turned into big saga, with our country being filled with artisans and shrewd businessmen alike. Aflame with passion and a wealth of information, we are off and running. So, where did it all start? What is this beer in front of me, and what is its story?

A connection to the past. A taste of civilizations up and gone. Wine, beer and spirits connect us. To culture. To tradition. To identity, place, and geography. We are swept up by them on a daily basis, yet many of us have no idea the true lineage that sits in front of us in that glass (oft a weird shaped one, at that). By starting one beer at a time, one bottle of wine at a time, one can draw the connections made from grape to glass or barley to beer. It’s eye-opening bits of knowledge that sometimes sound of dribble, but can be great little nuggets that enhance our experience of the moment.