NYC Tastes

This was a fabulous weekend to do a little tippling around the city. The spirit Industry's biggest event of the year, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic,  descended upon the city.  There were hundreds of fantastic events around town and a two day trade conference hosted at Convene downtown. Saturday Angostura Bitters took center stage at Convene mixing fabulous brunch cocktails like this Bloody and Bitter made with Mango Nectar and Tamarind Chutney. They also put out a pretty nice spread of food like these Angostura Deviled Eggs and some delicious Bitters Glazed Nuts. This was the first time the Invitational was held at Convene downtown and the space was awesome.  There were two seminars almost every hour discussing everything from The Development and History of our Palate to Everything You Wanted to Know About Rum.  If only every conference could have topics like these :) There were so many great spirits on display but one of...

My very last event of the Cocktail Classic was their independent spirits expo highlighting small batch, artisinal distillers from around the world.  The walk around tasting was held at the Penn Club this year and the gorgeous setting made for quite the cap off to the fabulous five day event.  There were so many wonderful people and products...here's a few of my favorites. The amazing drinks from Machu Pisco.  I love the sweet, spicy flavor of Pisco and this particular blend was very smooth.   The incredibly interesting Novo Fogo, a type of Cachaca that's been aged in tiny oak barrels for over two years before bottling.  The flavor ends up as a mix of oak and vanilla...a great spin on regular Cachaca. Always one of my favorites, Tia Maria, was served with pressed espresso, port wine and a flurry of chocolate on top... ...and a new favorite of the expo Keep It Simple Syrup.  My family loves Mojito's but who wants to spend all...

No you're not seeing things...I had to miss day two of the Classic but that's okay because Day three is always my favorite- Brooklyn Day!!  There are always delicious doughnuts from Dough in the morning. The fluffy Toasted Coconut with creamy vanilla glaze is the things dreams are made of...obviously a morning cocktail is the only thing that makes sense at the Classic. The Scarlet Letter with Sorel Hibiscus, prosecco and bitters was the perfect fizzy start to the day.  Sorel was the official sponsor for the day with Jack from Brooklyn shaking up the drinks.  There were some lovely warm weather choices like the Summer Madness with Sorel, Ginger Beer and honey lemon oil... ...as well as the Ronin with smoky mezcal, Sorel, sake and grapefruit juice. Then it was time for lunch with Lobster Rolls from Red Hook Lobster Pound! I love how the toasted buttery bun holds in all the creamy lobster go...

Saturday was Day One of the Industry Invitational and the rainy weather couldn't put a damper on the festivities in the Andaz Hotel.  The day began with a wonderful breakfast spread. Creamy orange bitter yogurt with fresh berries and bitter honey glazed ham. Of course we need a cocktail to accompany breakfast:)  Some Light Guard punch made with Cognac, Sherry, Sauternes, champagne and bitters. There was a lot of bitters to be had Saturday because Angostura was the official bar of the Classic that day! Bitter is the most complex taste sensory we have as humans with 25 different taste sensors.  The smell and taste of bitters always intensify the flavor of cocktails which is why I love using a dash here and there in a drink.  And they were mixing up some seriously wonderful drinks like the bubbly Secret Garden made with raspberry preserves and gin... ...and the smoky, smooth Broadside made with Nav...

There are so many fantastic events going on this weekend I may need to go into a serious detox program when all is said and done.  Let's get started with the list: Manhattan Cocktail Classic-   The annual celebration of cocktails and culture returns this Friday with the fabulous opening night Gala at the New York Public Library.  This black tie affair is always amazing and the party continues all week.  There are 168 events at 71 different venues throughout NYC over the span of five fabulous days!  Not to mention the incredible Industry Invitational at the Andaz Hotel.  It will certainly be a "spirited" week. Manhattan Cocktail Classic The Great Googa Mooga-  Okay last year left a LOT to be desired but they apparently have been listening to feedback and promise much shorter food lines, beer set up and more cell service.  I'm hoping for the best and excited for the incredible line up of food vendors.  Not to mention t...

It's that time of year again where mixologists rule the city and bars break out their very best for a celebration of cocktails and culture.  It's the annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic and this years lineup looks better than ever!  Here's a quick look at a few events I'm especially excited about: The Campbell Apartment will be celebrating their 100th anniversary featuring turn-of-the 20th century cocktails Chef Eric Ripert from Le Bernardin will be hosting a cocktail pairing dinner  Take a Suburban Tiki Safari throughout the city Tour Chinatown with Bombay Sapphire And that's just a few...Of course there is always the fabulous Opening Night Gala where the New York Public Library gets turned into the biggest black tie cocktail party in the city.  Last year they went through 30,000 cocktails  12,000 pounds of ice and 5,000 oysters in that one event alone!  Tickets are on sale now and selling out ...

Monday afternoon I was back at the Andaz for more delicious drinks as the Cocktail Classic continued on... It started with a long refereshing Grapefruit and Lillet drink perfect for the daytime... or was it morning? The Brooklen doughnuts were still being enjoyed well into the afternoon Sorel presented Jack from Brooklyn Day and one of their signature cocktails was the Columbia & Congress. Created by the Jakewalk bartender out in Brooklyn this was a lively cocktail made from White Rum, Sorel, lime juice and simple syrup.  BTW Sorel is awesome- go get some.  Then the food really started to flow with Red Hook Lobster Pound in the house. The hot griddled rolls were chock full of fresh lobster, scallions and a bit of mayo.  Talk about a great lunch break. Then it was over to the Tanquery Bartender Evaluation where the aweomse Gary Regan took a whirl. I could have stayed at the challenge all day but wanted to check out one of the Alcohol He...

It was a great weekend to be in the city- the Manhattan  Cocktail Classic had a ton of events around the city and a great Industry Invitational outpost at the Andaz Hotel.  The official bar Sunday was Pisco Chile and they were serving up some delicious drinks like the Mapuche Mule. Pisco, ginger beer and poblano peppers really made this a fantastic start to the day.  Followed by a Mundo Loco made from barrel-aged Pisco, unaged aromatic Pisoc, Kronan Swedish Punsch, white grapefruit juice and Peychaud's bitters.  Between the fabulous drinks and awesome bartenders at the Pisco Chile Bar I almost stayed put all day but Mr. T arrived and we decided to check out the rest of the event. Up top in one of the outdoor penthouse suites The Napoleon House was showcasing their Mandarine orange brandy liquor as well as their XO liquor which was honestly quite phenomenal. Then over to the High West Whiskey boys for a whiskey tasting (of course). T...