NY Barfly

Leave Spitzer's Corner Alone / Chumley's Chugging Along

-The Fun Police are really giving Spitzer’s Corner a tough time. The spot got busted AGAIN for serving underage drinkers. Come on guys, Miley Cyrus may be famous, but that doesn’t mean she can have a beer.

-Vanishing New York checks in on the slow going progress at Chumley’s. Looks like the rebuilt speakeasy still has a ways to go. Or, maybe they’re just taking the speakeasy thing to the next level, and you’re supposed to drink amidst the abandoned buzz saws.

-ABSOLUT is launching its newest flavor, ABSOLUT Acai. Nice. We knew our vodka tonic was missing something: antioxidants.

Drink of the Week: The Rose, it's V-Day Time

Yes, kids, it’s that time again. Valentine’s Day is upon us, so get out your pink drinks and candy hearts, because every restaurant and bar in the city is ready for romance.

There are plenty of pre-fixe menus throughout the city to help you sweep your sweetheart off their feet. If you need a little extra help, we suggest turning to the cocktail list. If you need extra extra help, order 3 drinks at once and claim it’s an “expression of your love.”

If you like to keep it simple, 10 Downing’s Rose Cocktail is a good choice. You can make The Rose at home, but then your Valentine will probably break up with you. It’s best to head over to this West Village spot and knock back a few while enjoying their $69 fixed price menu. Everything here is farm to table, so it’s sure to impress.

10 Downing is located at the corner of Downing Street and Avenue of the Americas. Check out the cocktail recipe:

THE ROSE  ($12) -

1oz St. Germain

.75oz cherry heering

.5oz lime juice

Shake ingredients. Strain into champagne flute. Top with champagne and garnish with rose petal.

Sake Dinner Deal at Zenkichi

Can’t stop crying because Restaurant Week is over? Well, dry those tears, because it’s sake time. Williamsburg’s Zenkichi is carrying on a choice deal until Thursday, February 11^th. Think of it as your Restaurant Week detox period. You can still get one more fix to help wean you off.

Even better, that fix includes warm sake. They’re billing the deal as their Warm-Up Winter Tasting Menu. You get four courses, plus a carafe of Kamoizumi Shusen or Tedorigawa Yamahai Sake to keep you toasty. All of this for only $35, which beats the pants off other Restaurant Week deals.

Food options include a scallop winter salad, slow simmered pork belly, and a grilled black cod with a Kyoto miso marinade. If that’s not enough, the restaurant offers an 8 course tasting menu for $48.

So, quit mourning Restaurant Week and get your sake groove on.  Zenkichi is located at 77 N 6^th Street in Brooklyn).

Caffeine Wine, the Only Way to Get Blasted

The Time’s has a hilarious (in a scary way) article about the popularity of Buckfast Tonic Wine. This beverage is quite popular in Scotland, where drinkers like it’s blend of 15% alcohol and loads of caffeine. Each wine sized bottle has more caffeine than 8 bottles of Coke-a-Cola and is more alcoholic than wine – quite the zesty combo.

Scottish government is looking to curb the sale of this sauce, as they claim it’s contributing to the country’s epic alcohol problems. Check it out:

The drink is favored by young, rowdy men with a taste for making trouble — “neds,” they are called in Scotland. Hard-core aficionados drink two or three bottles in succession, right down. “They say it doesn’t taste the same out of a glass,” explained a passer-by, Martin Rooney, 48.

“It goes straight to your head,” he said, “but it’s not my cup of tea.” (Mr. Rooney noted that his cup of tea is half a bottle of vodka a night.)

Even as horrible as it sounds, we think the U.S. has more pressing problems. At least it’s not Red Bull and Vodka.

Super Bowl Burlesque

Like some pasties with those chicken wings? Galapagos has the most unique Super Bowl party that we’ve come across. They promise a fun party for those who may not be so up on the “football” thing.

They’ll be playing the game on their big screen, but the real fun is the pre-game party. It features DJ jenNYork from Bar 13 and some performers like the ever lovely Ms. Calamity Chang.

The doors open at 3 PM and the show starts at 3:30. Tickets are $5 and available at the door, and beer specials are promised. At this Super Bowl performance, wardrobe malfunctions are not only welcome, they are encouraged.

Cocktails for the Super Bowl

Some people like the Super Bowl because it involves - what do you call it – “football”.  Needless to say, we like it because of the drinks. A good Super Bowl party will offer cocktails geared toward the fans of each team. Thanks to Google, we now know who those teams are. Here are our suggestions:

New Orlean’s Saints Fans: The Sazerac

How can Saints fans drink anything other than this ultimate libation from New Orleans? Depending on how many you have, you might pass out before the game is over. Isn’t that part of the fun?

Sazerac:

¼ oz. Pernod Absinthe

½ tsp. sugar

2 dashes Angostura Bitters

3 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters

2 oz. Rye Whiskey

Place a short rocks glass in the freezer to chill. Rinse the chilled glass with Pernod Absinthe. Place the sugar in the bottom of a mixing glass with a few drops of water. Muddle sugar and bitters. Add the whiskey and stir well. Add ice and stir again. Strain into the prepared rocks glass and garnish with a lemon peel.

Indianapolis Colts: Chivalrous Colt

A drink for Colts fans is a bit trickier, as there isn’t really a cocktail that screams Indiana pride. We chose this tasty sounding drink from Chivas. Remember, it’s all for fun on game day. Just because the drink contains bitters, doesn’t mean you should if your team doesn’t do so hot.

Chivalrous Colt:

2 oz. Chivas Regal 12

Dash Benedictine

Dash Lillet Rouge

Dash Angostura Bitters

Dash Orange Bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a blood orange twist.

4 days left for $5 Martinis!

Some folks celebrate when they learn that they are having a baby. We like that New York restaurants start breaking out the cigars (well, in this case the cocktails) when the stork brings them a brand new liquor license.

We’d like to say congratulations to Philippe Express, the petite west village incarnation of Philippe Chow. They just got their license, and to celebrate they are offering $5 Lychee Martinis every day until Sunday. The deal runs from 1 – 7 PM, so head over.

Like a child, birthing a liquor license gives rise to a ton of responsibility. The bar also plans to serve drinks like the Philippe Passion, Midnight Mojito, Philipptini and Shanghai Philippe ($10-12). With all those kids running around, it’s sure to be a handful.

Philippe Express is located at 469 Sixth Avenue.

A Bad News Sticker for Superdive

We recently walked by East Village Bar Superdive and noticed a sign about the spot’s winter hours that might spell potential doom. Well, we were in the neighborhood again, and noticed this new sign pasted to their window:

 

We’re not quite up on our Spanish, but think the horror stories about their “private party room” in the basement were probably true. Aye-caramba!

Where We're Headed: Thom Bar

How is it that we haven’t been to one of the city’s swankiest hotel bars until now? The other night, we had dinner at Kittichai in the Thom Hotel (more on that later). Even though we were toasty from some of the spot’s cocktails, it was too frigid outside to go searching for a bar. We decided to walk up to 60 Thom’s second floor for a peek at their lounge.

The crowd at Thom Bar was sophisticated, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t dancing to the Michael Jackson tunes the DJ was playing. We ordered a Thom Old Fashioned (Woodford Reserve with muddled blood orange, excellent) and swayed to the music a little as well.

Thom Bar reinforced every reason why we love hotel bars. The crowds are chic, without having to deal with a velvet rope. The design and lighting are sexy, without drawing the obnoxious hipster element. It’s perfect if you want to cozy up in a banquette with your friends, perfect if you want to dance a little, and perfect if you want to mingle with some well clad homeboys and honeys.

This all adds up to the common element that the city’s A+ hotel bars share. They’re money. Next time you’re in the neighborhood, stop by and spend some, cause it’s well worth it.

The Soho Thompson Hotel is located at 60 Thompson Street.

Drink of the Week: Cannoli Martinis at Via Dei Mille

With everyone so focused on their waistline, dessert gets the short shrift. People don’t rush to order the flowerless chocolate cake anymore because they want a fat-less torso. Even so, there are those moments that even the skinniest among us wants to stuff our faces with a Cannoli. Thanks to Soho restaurant Via Dei Mille, dessert is once again possible. They’ve come up with the liquid version of a Cannoli, so you can enjoy all the face stuffing without the guilt.

They have two types of Cannoli martinis on their list. The first is made with Faretti Biscotti Liquor and milk, and then topped with chocolate shavings. The second, their Nutty Cannoli, combines Faretti with Frangelico, Coole Swan Single Malt Irish Cream, and milk.

The result? Egad – it tastes just like a Cannoli! A perfect nightcap if you just enjoyed some of the spot’s tagliatelle with braised chicken or breaded veal chops.

Yes, the drink does use milk, but your waist line will forgive you for these few extra calories the next day. It’s dessert, you know you can’t resist.

Via dei Mille is located at 357 West Broadway, between Broome and Grand.

Good Super Bowl Deals: The Full Shilling

Yesterday we highlighted the Super Bowl deal at Brother Jimmy’s. For those of you who aren’t Saints fans, there is a pretty amazing deal at a bar downtown. The Full Shilling plans to show the game on their big screen. The real draw? $50 gets you open bar! You’ll be so tipsy on beer, wine and well drinks by the end of the game that you will really believe the Jets ended up winning the whole thing.

The price also includes a complimentary buffet and giveaways. The bar at this spot is 116 years old so, if your team loses, it has plenty of experience supporting those who just want to put their head down for a minute and ask “how did this happen?”

The Full Shilling is located at 160 Pearl Street. And Drunky, the Jets lost. Get over it.

Beverage Industry Turnaround in 2010?

God, isn’t this recession done with yet? It’s gone on longer than the whole Jon and Kate Gosselin debacle, and it’s about as annoying. The upside has been some great happy hour deals at spots throughout the city, but that has come coupled with anxiety throughout the industry.

One industrywide survey showcased some potentially bright news for 2010. A study conducted by BEVFORCE (an industry career network) surveyed over 1,000 beverage professionals. Here are some optimistic findings:

- 75% of respondents anticipate positive growth for their company in 2010.

- 67% of respondents think that their company will be hiring in 2010.

-Only 6% of respondents think that they will conduct layoffs. That’s after 25% laid people off in 2009.

Not too shabby, we just hope the drink deals don’t get taken away! It might mean that stability has returned, but it would surely sink us into a Depression.