This past Saturday I went to a couple of cocktail inspired events in Manhattan. I began the day at L’Apicio restaurant at 13 East 1st Street in the East Village for the Eat, Drink & Bloody Mary Fest. A Bloody Mary completion of more than fifteen restaurants with their take on the classic cocktail of vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, horseradish, tobacco, celery salt and pepper. Variations included the use of carrot juice, mustard, various chilies and while the default vodka at the event was Tito’s Handmade vodka, bacon infused bourbon and grappa made an appearance as well. Some nice nibbles provided by the restaurant included some tasty mini fried chicken with biscuit. It was a consumer event and soon became jammed with Bloody Mary fans. The competing restaurants included:
Extra Fancy: My favorite, made with carrot juice
Dell’ anima: Salumi infused vodka
DBGB: Mustard added, smoky, chewy
L’Apicio: A green one with tomatillo and jalapeno, could use a kick of heat at the end
Bar Sardine: Another green version
Northern Spy Food Co.: Stuck to the original recipe
Osteria Morini: Bright and vinegary
Atrium: Clean tasting with real tomato flavor
L’ Apriusi: Sweet, bacony with citrus at the end
Booker Dax: Non traditional with bouillon. light brown
Commerce: Classic recipe, chewy horseradish
The Smith: Traditional, lots of horseradish
After all those Bloody Mary’s I headed to the East Ville Des Folies Beer & Whiskey tasting event held at Webster Hall on 125 East 11th Street in the East Village. It was four floors of music, beer and spirits. The theme of the event was Prohibition-era speakeasy and people dressed in period costumes, the women as flappers and the men as 1920’s gangsters. In addition to spirits, there was live entertainment in the form of bands and burlesque. Webster Hall is an old dance club with many nooks and crannies and they were all filled with beer, whisky and live music, I really enjoyed the band, Michael Arenella and his Dreamland Orchestra which played in the main ballroom. It was a fun event.
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