Tag: Cocktails

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This past Sunday I attended the Secret Summer food and cocktail festival. They promised “inventive mixology and farm to table eats while advocating forward thinking ideas about locality and sustainability”. Ok.

It was held a the event space, The Foundry at 42-38 9th Street in Long Island City down the block from the East River and in the shadows of the Queensboro Bridge. The Foundry is a 8 room ivy covered brick building with a large garden courtyard .

The theme of the evening was Shakespeare’s A MidSummer Night’s Dream. Winged Fairies pranced around the courtyard sprinkling rose petals and pixie dust on the guests while strolling troubadours entertained the crowd. Members of the Shrunken Shakespeare Company would break out in spontaneous performances of Shakespeare’s play, or at least I thought they were actors and not young couples have a rough day. There was also a “ginormous” beer pong to keep people busy.

In the courtyard were tubs of soft drinks, Heineken beer, Rekorderlig Cider and Perrier Jouet Grand Brut NV Champagne to go along with grilled food and grilled cheese sandwiches provided by the Morris Food Truck. I was able to grab some sausage, vegetables and a grilled cheese sandwich before the line became impossibly long.

Indoors had live ragtime music by The Ida Blue Band and several cocktail stations.

I was happy to stroll around with a glass of Brut or a pear cider in my hand but in the interest of research I sample several of the cocktails which included:

Herradura Tequila

Pamplona: Herradura, blood orange, dry curacao and ginger beer.

Sundown: Herradura, clementine and house acai grenadine.

Templo Mayor: Herradura, jalapeno, cacao, cornmilk, agave nectar and lemon.

Cachaça 51

Cai Tai: Cachaca 51, house falernum, acai grenadine and dry curacao.

Morango: Cachaca 51, market strawberries, sage and aromatic.

ColaDA: Cachaca 51, bitter cola syrup, coconut milk and fresh pineapple.

Jack Daniel’s

Doc Brown: Jack Daniel’s, market cherry sarsaparilla and micro bubble soda.

Shiso: Jack Daniel’s, saiso leaf, raw cane and leaf bouquet.

Bless your heart, but….: Jack Daniel’s, summer peach, market fennel and lemon.

It was a fun way to spend a sunny, Summer late evening.

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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.