NY Barfly

Where We're Headed: Print Bar at Ink 48

We had the pleasure of dropping into the newest bar on the (very, very far) West Side of Manhattan: the Ink 48 Hotel’s lobby lounge. It’s attached to the hotel’s restaurant Print, which focuses on regional cuisine and farm-to-table ingredients.

 

But, more importantly, what about the spot’s alcohol-to-mouth selections? The bar is small but stylish, perhaps not as opulent as other Midtown Hotels (we still prefer The Royalton), but it’s by far the best thing going on this far west. There are nooks bedecked in bordello-red wallpaper, and plenty of leather couches meant for lounging in the restaurant area.

We didn’t get to try the grub – we were too stuffed from a visit to nearby Virgil’s BBQ – but the drink list was solid. We tried a Scotch and Ginger concoction, and were pleased to see plenty of reasonably priced wines on the list. Guess you can’t charge $15 a glass once you’re on 11^th Avenue.

The true excitement at this spot is yet to come. Their rooftop restaurant and lounge has yet to open, but it’s sure to be a choice destination. Until then, we’re perfectly content to sit in this stylish lobby and order another round.

Print at Ink 48 is located at 653 11^th Avenue at 48^th Street.

Black Eyed Peas: First a Band, Now a Garnish

Call us cheesy, but we’re huge fans of the Black Eyed Peas song I Gotta Feeling, because we really do believe that most nights are going to be good nights, at least before they devolve into the usual shitshow. We noticed that the Peas are currently on tour (they’re billing it the E.N.D. World Tour 2010). Even better, we noticed that the tour has a signature cocktail.

Bacardi Rum is a partner for this concert, and they created a drink to make sure that even the doubters will have a good night. This isn’t the usual swill you’d drink at a concert hall. They’re serving the drink during the VIP after parties, and it contains interesting ingredients like egg whites and black sugar.

Best part? The garnish: actual black eyed peas. Nice. After all, if it’s really going to be a good night, you should probably eat something along the way. Check out the recipe below, if you want to rock out to i-tunes with drink in hand:

Bacardi V.I.Pea

Recipe:

2 parts Bacardi Superior

1 part Freshly squeezed lime juice

2 tsp Black Sugar (Fortnum & Mason)

1 dash egg white

Garnish:

4 dried black eyed peas

Preparation:

Put all ingredients into a shaker, stir until the sugar has dissolved.  Fill ½ cubed ice and ½ crushed ice and shake vigorously until chilled.  Double strain into a chilled or frozen coupe or cocktail glass.

China Club Kaput

We recently noted that the China Club space changed its name to BLDG, without changing anything else in the interior of the club. Looks like that was a ploy to keep the space open while the China Club peeps get their bankruptcy filing in order. Club Planet has news that they have been hard hit by financial troubles since the economic collapse:

China Club’s management has been pretty verbal about their money woes, claiming that job cuts at Lehman Brothers (which accounted for a large chunk of their customer base) was to blame for putting their already-slowing business deeper in the hole. Nightlife Enterprises LP (China Club) listed up to $10 million in assets and liabilities in Bankruptcy Court last Wednesday.

Wow – it’s really true that everyone and their sister blames Lehman Brothers for their financial troubles. Our credit card debt? Damn those selfish bankers.

Drunk Shopping Time / Strongest Beer in the World

-Racked has a fun new feature they’re calling Drunk Shopping. They’ll show you where to get blitzed during brunch, followed by nearby spots where you can run up the credit card. Nothing is as fun as waking up the next day and seeing what you bought.

-Fork in the Road has a bittersweet interview with Donald O’Finn from Freddy’s Bar and Back Room, which is facing imminent closure by the city due to the Atlantic Yards project. They put up the noble drunken fight, that’s for sure.

-A Scottish brewer just took the title for producing the strongest beer in the world with their Sink the Bismarck label. The alcohol content is an astonishing 41%. Although it’s served in beer bottles, it’s meant to be consumed in spirit sized portions. We suspect the secret ingredient is vodka.

Drink this Now: Argentinean Wine with French Flair

Our recent visit to the Wine Expo left us largely impressed with the wide range of South American labels available for tasting. One winemaker in particular stood out, perhaps because they combine a dash of French tradition with the hearty South American terroir. Catherine Péré-Vergé is one of the seven French estate owners who are currently producing wine at the foot of Argentina’s Cordillera de Andes.

This cultural combination works like a (tipsy) charm, as evidenced by Péré-Vergé's Malbec sold under the Lindaflor label. The years of working the estates of Bordeaux have clearly made their way into her new world wine production. This was easily one of the best reds we tasted at the expo, with notes of pepper, plums, and licorice balancing throughout its long finish.

It may be a little more expensive than your average nightly purchase, but we urge you: put the magnum of cheap crap down. You’ll find this label in the $25 – $35 range (here it is at Wine Library for $30). Perfect for when you want to impress at a dinner party, when you’re just feeling fancy, or when you simply can’t stomach the Four Buck Chuck for one more second.

Lessons from the Wine Expo (Besides Drink More)

Is everyone over their hangover from last week’s Wine Expo yet? Ostensibly a forum to sip and learn, this annual Javits Center event quickly turned into a liquefied party of “sophisticates” looking for the next drops of vino to wet their palates.

Ever the scholar, we attended the expo intent on actually learning something before tipsily wandering out into the West Side evening. You can check out our valuable lessons here at Huffington Post (yes kids, we’re moving up in the world).

There were some definite trends in wine on display. Unoaked Chardonnay is hot, South American Tempranillo, and saucy labels like Sassy Bitch Red were everywhere. Think you avoided a hangover by not attending the Expo? Well, you probably should drop a few Advil after reading the article.

Don't Drink and Church / Superdive Expanding?

-Two New York lawmakers are trying to push spots that serve liquor farther away from the city’s churches. Lame. Wasn’t Jesus the biggest wino of them all? 

-What’s this, Eater has word that Superdive is expanding, and might open up another Manhattan spot? Good for them (and for the new midgets that they’d surely have to hire).

-Oooh – Brooklyn Brewery just released their latest Brewmaster Reserve label. Forget church, a glass of this is all the holiness you need.

Raise Money (and drink wine) for Chile on Saturday

We recently noted the fun new drunky school at Vero Wine Bar. This weekend, they aren’t just out there to educate the city’s drinkers, they also want them make a difference.

The proceeds of this week’s class, which is (appropriately) Wines of Argentina and Chile, will go toward Earthquake relief in the disaster stricken nation. The wine school is priced at $65.00 per person and more information can be found at www.veronyc.com.  Wines are paired with a selection of food hailing from the region, and the money is going to AmeriCares, a relief organization with a great track record of delivering when it counts.

Yes, you may still be hungover from all of those drink-laden fundraisers for Haiti, but that’s no excuse. Get your wallet out, learn about wine, and contribute to a good cause.

Class is from 4 to 6 PM on Saturday the 6^th. You can email Cara Buffalino / cara@veronyc.com for a spot!

Party Report: Gin Madness at Summit Bar!

Speaking of Martinis, last week the town’s cocktail Twitterati descended on favorite Avenue C haunt Summit Bar. The occasion? Well, there wasn’t really one, per se. It was more an excuse to drink lots of gin cocktails and gorge on fish and chips, trucked in from A Salt and Battery.

The cocktails were done up with Beefeater and Plymouth (two of our favorites, how did they know) and there were various stations throughout the room. Punches, classic drinks like the Last Word (the winner of the night, in our books) and modern twists were poured. It was a night to remember, except none of us could! Check out some pics from the party:

 

 

 

It's Martini Week, Peeps!

Leave it to the lushes over at Thrillist (not to mention the derelicts at Tasting Table, to organize what just might be the pinnacle of New York drinking glory. From March 1^st to March 14^th, it’s Martini week. Get your shakers, olives, and really lame James Bond jokes ready, because we expect you to be drunk the whole time.

A number of top notch city restaurants will feature $10 martinis from 5:30 to 8:30 PM nightly during the promotion. 10 Downing, Aspen Social, Madam Geneva, Tao – there are some top notch names on the list. The best part? There is a good selection of spots, but not too many that you can’t try them all. After all, Martini Week only comes around once a, well, we’re not sure about the schedule. Just drink your frickin’ drink!

You can check out the spots to get your martini on here. To be a stickler, it really should be called cocktail week, as many of the places are serving drinks that are not quite martinis, even though they are served in the same glass. Just sayin’.

Stinky Cheese Gets its Due

It’s easy to be mean to stinky cheese. After all it kind of reeks. It’s not the poor cheese’s fault. Besides, it’s what’s inside that counts, and that stinky cheese is hella delicious.

We’re glad to see that a few New York restaurants have banded together this week to make sure that the stinky cheese doesn’t stand alone. It’s the third annual Stinky Cheese Festival, and participating French restaurants throughout the city are showcasing dishes inspired by the stank. Yes, that’s a good thing.

Once you try the Limburger Steak Hache Entrée (Nice Matin) or gorge on some Chicken Cordon Bleu (a version of which is served at all the participating restaurants) you’ll see what we mean. There’s nothing wrong with a little smell (we mean on cheese, if you smell, you should probably do something about that).

All of the cheeses pair well with wines. Knowing you, you’ll smell like the 7 glasses you consumed once you’re done, so you don’t have to even worry about the fromage.

The Stinky Cheese fest is held from Wednesday March 3^rd to Friday the 12^th. Take a look at the chefs and participating restaurants, you’re just one sniff away from greatness.

• Andy D'Amico - Marseille, Nice Matin
• Philippe Roussel – Café d’Alsace
• Regis Courlvaud - Le Monde
• Thierry Haxairre- Pigalle, L'Express
• Mario Urgiles – Maison
• Frederick Piccarello -French Roast Uptown
• John Lee - French Roast Downtown

The Search for Shochu

What's gotten into us lately? During the past couple of weeks, we've been all about the Shochu. This Japanese spirit differs from sake in the fact that it is distilled, traditionally from raw materials like sweet potatoes, buckwheat, or barley. We have a big time crush on the West Village's En Shochu Bar, and figured we should score a bottle for our home mixing station.

That brought us to Haamonii. It's Japanese for harmony, and since we like our drinks to be harmonious (aka alcoholic) we picked some up to sample. Even though the liquid is only 44 proof, the nose is actually quite alcoholic. We were worried about how the bite of the liquor would gel on our palate, but it only took one sip to put those worries at ease (and not because of the hooch!). 

Haamonii is smooth, with ample hints of vanilla. We actually thought it would make a great cocktail base. It's not as alcoholic, and is certainly more flavorful, than a boring vodka. That means you can drink twice as much, doesn't it? We enjoyed sipping it sans mixer, only with a few chunks of ice. We're told that this is the traditional way of enjoying Shochu, and we're all about tradition.

Especially when that tradition involves an obscure Japanese spirit. Shouldn't there be more customs like this?