EMBURY COCKTAILS

Heroic Drinkers: David Lane, Ancient Ice Master

For our innaugural (I think) Heroic Drinkers I'm electing a friend I made through the Key West Literary Seminar, David Lane, a delighful WASP whose wit verges on acid. Even with all the mania over ice in bars around the world now, I do think David sort of trumps even the biggest ice geeks with this whiskey on the millenia-old-rocks, as he explained in an email: 

Was actually in Patagonia not long ago and had 1000 year old glacial ice with Johnny Black rather frequently while cruising through the Darwin Channel.  See pic. The ice is filled with little air bubbles, from the compression I assume.  You might want to add that ingredient to your collection of exotica & difficult. Or start importing the ice via fed ex as a business.  There must be a few investment bankers still in the game.

Not coming to KW for the Seminar in 2013.  We'll be busy moving to Vancouver if Romney is elected.

Well done on all counts! And speaking for myself, now that it's Romney and the Ayn Rand lovin' Ryan, I'll be busy moving to Australia if the election goes that way.  J.R. 

The Monday After (Tales of the Cocktail)

About the last thing one feels like doing the day after Tales comes to a crashing-and-burning end is drink all day--but I appreciate the sentiment of LeBonTempsRoule in Uptown, and love New Orleans for having a bar that approaches Mondays this way. Notes to follow on the epic communal bender of work, schmoozing, catching up with long-last bartender friends and Hammer Of The Gods-scale partying.

T.J. Lynch's Frozen Yellow Tomato Bloody

The most refreshing drink I came across during the Manhattan Cocktai Classic this year was T.J. Lynch's Frozen Yellow Tomato Bloody at Mother's Ruin. Perfectly sidestepping the mary's elements that can get a little heavy, Lynch delivered something light and refreshing, still spicy but subtley so, and I'm going to assert that this one borders on healthy. Full recipe in my piece at Men's Journal.

Leo Robitscheck's "Paris Is Burning"

Cocktail realness.

Tasted Leo Robitscheck of Nomad's dynamic cocktail at the English Gins party atop the brutally chic Nomad Hotel, on a sun-drenched Saturday afternoon during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. The mezcal punched through the gin's sweeter side and accented its herby botanicals, pineapple and lemon juice always makes a vibrant mix, and the judicious use of St. Germain didn't pretty her up too much and gave her that light French touch (Mexico, England and France all represented, not an easy party to host.)  The name alludes to Jenny Livingston's 1990 film about the drag balls of Harlem so it seems appropriate to run the cocktail on the weekend of Gay Pride in NYC. Amazing to revisit the film 22 years after I first saw it at the Indepent Feature Project when Livingston was seeking distribution. The film, and the subject, remains as radical, subversive, empowering and bad-ass as ever. For a neat summation of the pre-Madonna, pre-RuPaul uptown gay phenomenon read Janet Upadhye's s article at Huffington Post, clip of the movie below and a link to the full film on YouTube here.

PARIS IS BURNING

1 oz Mezcal
1 oz Beefeater gin
1 oz Pineapple juice
1/2 oz Lemon juice
1/2 oz St Germaine
1/4 oz Cane syrup

Shake and strain into a coupe. top with angostura bitters

Edinburgh's Last Word Saloon in Men's Journal

My first piece (and photo) for Men's Journal is online here. Hopefully the first of many. It was a pleasure to stumble upon Edinburgh's Last World Saloon on its second night of business.

Very congenial atmosphere at the bar.

Jason Scott on the ones and twos.

Some of the American journos mentioned in the article.

Last Word

• 25ml Fifty Pounds gin
• 20 ml fresh lime juice
• 20 ml green Chartreuse
• 12.5ml Maraschino liqueur

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, fill with block ice and shake rapidly. Double strain into a Chartreuse glass or a cut glass martini glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Who Dares Win (pictured, above)

• 60 ml Beefeater gin
• 25 ml fresh lemon juice
• 15 ml homemade orgeat
• 10 ml kummel

Pour all ingredients into a shaker, fill with block ice, shake rapidly, double strain into a cut glass martini glass. Garnish with star anise.

 

Drink It This Weekend: Jason Cousin's "Margherita"

I recently helped judge the New York finals of a Plymouth competition, along with Gary "Mr. Cool" Regan, Noath Rothbaum of Liquor.com, Stanislav Vladna and Plymouth's uncommonly well-dressed Nick Van Tiel. The sartorial prowess of this panel was nearly as daunting as their cocktail savvy, but I busted out my silver/blue Joseph Abboud suit and my brown leather $10 Yves Saint Laurent thrift store shoes and was able to make myself reasonably presentable. Some fine cocktail were shaken up that evening, but the clear winner was from Jason Cousin of Brooklyn's Meatball Shop.  "The Margherita" is an improbable salad-in-a-glass that lingered in the mind's palette for days. Bearing some resemblance to Scott Beattie's vodka-based "Upstairs Neighbor", this "Margherita" pulls classic Italian food elements--basil, tomatoes & balsamic vinegar-and fuses them with citrus and gin for an unexpectedly subtle tall cocktail that's incredibly summery. And so out-of-the-blue that it should catch anyone you make it for way, way off guard, and subsequently delight the hell out of them. Once you make the basil-peppercorn syrup production is relatively simple, and with a little prep you can bang out a few of these at a barbeque or at the beach with minimal effort, and maximum joy.

THE MARGHERITA

1.5 oz Plymouth Gin
.75 oz lemon juice
.75 oz basil-peppercorn syrup
1 barspoon balsamic vinegar
3 plum tomatoes (1 for garnish)
3 large basil leaves (1 for garnish)
Club soda
Ground black pepper

Muddle 2 tomatoes and 2 basil leaves in the basil-peppercorn syrup in a mixing glass. Add all other ingredients, shake and double strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with 2 oz of club soda and garnish with a basil tomato flag and ground black pepper.

BASIL PEPPERCORN SYRUP

1 Cup water

1 Cup sugar

10 Cracked black peppercorn

5 Basil leaves

 

PREPARATION:
Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and add the peppercorns and basil. Simmer for 15 minutes, then remove from the heat and strain. Store in the refrigerator.

Cousins, in the "shaking and be judged" portion of the competition. Intimidating judges, too.

Nick Van Tiel, so well-dressed it borders on the rude. Look at that watch! There's a small list of brand ambassadors who really rock the suits--Paul Franich, formerly of 42 Below, is one (and he rocks the non-suit too) and Raj Nagra of Bacardi come to mind, but Van Tiel's a new contender in this ambassadorial bespoke fashion promenade of swagger. They might be discussing some arcane aspect of spirit production or the nuances of a cocktail, but you find yourself staring resentfully at their shoes, or cufflinks, or their windsor knot.  

Go Greek.

My piece for OUT on Greek wines is online now. It was a subject I knew almost nothing about two weeks before I filed the story and so huge thanks go to my friend from Beth von Benz of MVB Consulting who really introduced me to the category and many of the players and Greek winemakers who are doing some pretty magical stuff. I asked Beth for some recommendations for Embury and she was gracious enough to contribute the suggestions below, which pleases me immensely. These are fantastic and approachable summer wines--it's my aim to make greek wines big this summer. Get into it.

1-Thalassitis, Gaia Wines (Santorini) 2011 is the best Greek wine I have tasted this vintage. It’s a pure example of the overused word “terroir” with beautiful defined fruit flavors and zingy lime rind mixed with vibrant acidity in the finish.

If I were to choose one Greek wine, this would be it, hands down in this vintage. A wonderful example of old and new world blending in a balanced style that would appeal to all, especially in the summertime. 

2-Robola of Cephalonia, Gentilini 2011

Here is a wine from the Robola grape, grown on the Island of Cephalonia (west side of Greece just below Corfu in the Ionian sea) with the most amazing views of any vineyard I have ever visited! The Gentilini family has long time family roots on this island and Italian heritage, hence the name. This wine is fresh, with flavors of apple and kiwi with hints of almond blossom and citrus in the long refreshing finish. Great sipping aperitif wine on the porch or for a summer BBQ

3-Akakies rose, Kir-Yianni (Amyndeon) 2011

Mouth watering rose made from Xynomavro grapes (pronounced zino-mavro) grown in the northwest of mainland Greece in an area famous to quality rose producing, Amyndeon. This rose is bright pink colored and bold flavors of red berries, watermelon, rhubarb with zesty citrus rind and a bright finish. Vibrant style, refreshing and delicious! Akakies means acacia in Greek, there are many acacia trees in this vineyard.

Beth von Benz of MVB Consulting

 

Saturday Special: Saxon + Parole's Pimm's Cup

This all-day sipper comes from Naren Young of Saxon + Parole . The pleasures of enjoying this fresh, fruit-laden mellow concoction whilst sitting in the outside dining area as cabs crawl past down the Bowery can't be understated. And it's perfectly simple to make at home--and malleable, as it's construction is by nature eclectic and personal. Whatever fresh fruit is available and looks good belongs in a Pimm's Cup. Here's Naren's recipe, cued towards the personal serving. I recommend going for the pitcher.

SAXON + PAROLE'S PIMM'S CUP

1.5 oz. Pimm's

1/2 oz. Pierre Ferrand Orange Curaçao

1/2 oz. Hendrick's Gin

Dash lemon juice

Top with Fever Tree Bitter Lemon, garnish with reckless abandon.

Looks like Naren's garnishes for this one include cucumber, raspebrry, orange and a slender stalk of lavender, a nicely British touch.

SAXON + PAROLE, 316 Bowery at Bleecker, 212.254.0530

Plumeria Champagne Cocktail

In Key West a couple weeks ago for my good friends Arlo & Ashley's wedding celebration, I concocted some drinks for the reception(with the considerable assistance of Jolly Benson, a local raconteur, flaneur and culinary badass). One was a very dry, very lime-y daiquiri with simple syrup, fresh lime juice and Ron Zacapa Centenario 23. I'd infused some water with plumeria blossoms and we added a drop to the top of the daiquiri to give it that floral nose--a nice flourish, but in all honesty a little ephemeral, the flower water added something nice if not pronounced and you may not have noticed its absence. Drink was a hit regardless and we ran through about 200 of them in an hour, and then we were out. However, later in the evening one of the ace bartenders who worked the party, Jenn Stefanacci, started making champagne cocktails with the water: white sugar (all we had on hand), Francois Montand, and a healthy dropper full (we used bitters droppers) of the plumeria water. The infusion process had turned some magical corner in the 4 hours since we first used it (total infusion time: 16 hours) and was markedly more intense--rapturously so. At one point, around 3:00 a.m or so, Arlo was assembling about 20 plastic champagne cups to distribute this new creation to guests, and one of my favorite images of the evening was Ashley basically chugging plumeria water from the jar. Try this at home. Photos from the evening by  Nick Doll, the man you want to go to if you get married in Key West.

Yes, that is a ukele in Ashley's hands. And a plumeria lei on Arlo, made by my dad, with flowers from a tree in our front yard.

We served Seelbachs as well. Georgia presented these to the bride & groom in family heirloom crystal champagne glasses.

The Right Bourbon For The Julep

My piece on how various bourbons produce markedly different qualities in Mint Juleps is online at OUT here. Many thanks to Seth Thompson of The Bourbon Review for his excellent suggestions and guidance. 

Many thanks also to Chad & Ashley Mumm, who hosted a Julep Taste-Off at their East Village apartment, all in the name of research. Lots and lots of research. Every year I'm surprised anew by just how potent Juleps are, and this year was no exception. It was a great afternoon party--Juleps have a way of igniting the party's fuse in short order.

A tip of the hat to Derby headgear.