We recently attended a special sneak preview of Jason Giordano’s new tavern menu at The Bedford in Williamsburg, and while all of the food that we sampled that evening was amazing — especially the devils on horseback (bacon-wrapped dates filled with cheese) — the one thing that got everyone at our table the most excited was a bubblegum-flavored shot called the Katy Perry. We liked it so much that we asked Sean Rawlinson, the man who dreamed up it, to share the super easy recipe with you guys. Enjoy, but be warned — it’s surprisingly powerful!
In his 1922 book Cocktails: How to Mix Them, honorable barkeep Robert Vermeire provides the generally accepted story for how the cocktail came to be. Over a hundred years earlier in America, distressed over the loss of his prize-fighting cock, a squire offered his daughter’s hand in marriage to any man who brought the animal back alive. When a cavalry officer arrived at his door bearing the live cock in tow, the squire’s daughter, in her excitement, mixed up some drinks, blending whiskey, vermouth, bitters, and ice. The delicious concoction was christened on the spot, and the “cocktail” was born. With the holidays fast arriving, you might savor some tips from some storied barkeeps and writers. Click through for a small selection of vintage cocktail books, along with a few newer selections by writers we love, to help you get through the season of merry-making. Read More »
In the wake of last night’s midterm elections, we imagine many of our readers have turned to drink (or plan to, come five o’clock). Allow us to help you out with that. Inspired by HTMLGiant’s wonderful list of Writer Cocktails, we bring you 10 brand-new Artist Cocktails, meant to embody everyone from Rothko and van Gogh to Jeff Koons and Pipilotti Rist. As you might have guessed, some of them are disgusting.
It may not be as simple as Michael Pollan’s “Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.” The omnivorous author’s bestselling books In Defense of Food and Food Rules offer plenty of excellent advice about how to eat better without hating what’s in your fridge. He barely mentions drinking except for the divine commandment “Have a Glass of Wine with Dinner.” Until he writes a follow-up bartending guide, we’ve rejiggered some of his most important rules so that they apply to what goes in our glass as well as our plate.
Eben Klemm, the “cocktaillier” of B.R. Guest Restaurants (Primehouse, Wildwood Barbecue) was perhaps the first of his kind, sparking the army of cocktail-as-religion barmen dotting the city from the mustachioed mixologists at Employees Only to the underground innovators at Milk and Honey. Klemm earned a degree in molecular biology from Cornell and managed a research laboratory before opening the Campbell Apartment at Grand Central in the late ’90s.
Sorry Copenhagen: Not all of today’s visionary thinkers are focused on cloud-sourcing and climate change. Some of them are doing important work behind the bar, as well. While most drinkers are happy to enjoy a decade-old scotch or a classic cocktail, there are plenty who are not so old-fashioned. Here, we review some of the brave souls exploring unknown territory in alcohol-based chemistry.
Popular Science reports that Nonpolynomial labs has developed an ingenious game system that rewards players with a drink mixed based on their playing ability. Ignore the Pavlovian implications and appreciate Bartris. This game operates on the same system as Tetris, but here each colored block represents either rum, coke, or water.
