EMBURY COCKTAILS

Embury Events at The New Traditionalists

 

Embury did our first proper cocktail catering this week for an event in the showroom of The New Traditionalists, makers of classically inspired, environmentally sound furniture. The crowd was a lively mix up uptown and downtown, the showroom was a great setting for a party and the drinks, if I do say so myself, were smashing.

 

We made 3 large batches of some of our favorite cocktails, all of which proved to be highly effective in punch form. We poured the punches over ice and added garnishes with each serving.

NEW LONDON PUNCH (from the mind of Naren Young)

5 parts Beefeater 24 
1 part St Germain 
1 part Maraschino 
5 parts Chilled Green Tea 
1 part Lime Juice 
5 parts Proseco

Add ingredients to Punch Bowl with Ice Block, stir well, serve on the rocks, dropping a blackberry in the glass as a garnish.

PETER PAN PUNCH (All credit to a pre-Hendrick's Jim Ryan)

1 1/2 part Basil Hayden's Bourbon
1/2 part Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
1/2 part Lemon juice
1/2 part. Simple syrup
Middle of 1 Pixie Mandarin (I per serving)

In a bowl, muddle Mandarin sections and add Luxardo, lemon juice, simple syrup and Basil Hayden's. Stir well, add a large block of ice and pour into a rocks glass--garnish with a good cherry, in syrup.

IN ANOTHER TIME (An Embury orginal)

2 parts Basil Hayden's Bourbon
1 part fresh grapefruit juice
1/2 part ginger simple syrup (instructions here)

Pour into punch bowl, add ice block, stir. Pour over ice, top with a fanned green apple resting on top of the rocks.

I served some impromptu cocktails from the New Traditionalist's highly desirable Bar Cart no. One., a great piece that stands at the exact proper height for building drinks. More about that bar cart to come.

Hendrick's Toasts Bert Stern

Most folks know Bert Stern for his iconic collection of images of Marilyn Monroe known as "The Last Sitting", shot shortly before her death over several days (and cases of champagne). My main Stern cue is the sublime documentary about the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival that he directed, "Jazz on a Summer's Day", as gorgeous a music film as has ever been made.

Stern shot the current campaign for Club Monaco and at a big fete for the occasion at the C.M. store on Lower Fifth throngs of neutral-clad fashion folk sipped Hendrick's cocktail, and Marc Jacobs DJed under an alias. Embury DP Chad Mumm (all his ace how-to videos here)and I hit the party and he took the Leica X1 I'm reviewing for a spin--all photos are his.

 

Ashley, our arm candy. Well, Chad's arm candy, but I count myself in.

My first one, The Marilyn, tasted familiar and I emailed Jim Ryan of Hendrick's for the recipe.
He responded:

"The drink is actually one of mine called the Pink Victrola that we renamed in honor of Marilyn for the Bert Stern/Club Monaco evening. It really drinks very well on a Summer's day, actually just about any day for that matter. Delightfully quaffable."

THE MARILYN (a.k.a. the Pink Victrola)

3/4oz Hendrick's Gin
3/4oz fresh strained pink grapefruit juice
1/2oz fresh strained lemon juice
1/2oz gomme syrup (2:1 sugar to hot water stirred and chilled)
1 barspoon grenadine (2:1 sugar to pomegranate juice heated until the sugar dissolves and chilled)
In a mixing container combine beautiful gin along with other ingredients. Ice shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a grapefruit peel and serve. 

As suspected, I'd had the Pink Victrola at some point in the past at another Hendrick's event. This one hits the sweet spot between sweat, sour, vegetal and fresh. Perfect spring drink.

There was a Kennedy, to0 (and there's a Club Monaco super 1963 suit called The Kennedy) a Hendrick's and tonic, as well as a New Yorker. She's drinking the Kennedy, he's drinking some champers.

The New Yorker (based on the classic cocktail, The Alaska)

2 1/2 oz Hendrick's
3/4 oz Yellow Chartreuse
2 dashes orange bitters
Stirred and garnished with a lemon peel twist.

When I sent this photo to Jim to ID the drink, he replied:

"Interesting. That photo is of the Marilyn with the garnish from the Kennedy. Match made in a comfy hotel bed if ever I saw one."

Somehow they got a pool table into the basement of the Club Monaco for the night.

Friend of Embury Justin Violini.

A rare flash of color in the sea of monochrome. 

 

I like candy. J.R.