NY Barfly

New York Times Alcohol Blog Celebrates New Year's Eve with, uh, Sobriety?

We’re shocked how many non-drinkers the Times has writing for Proof (its new alcohol blog). They posed a debbie-downer round up of New Year’s Eve, supposedly the most alcohol soaked night of the year. Not for this group! We suggest, in 2009, they rename the blog Abstain. Some choice bits:

This New Year’s Eve will be the fifteenth that I will pass completely sober. - Jim Atkinson

New Years’ Eve now means breaking out a bottle of Martinelli’s Sparkling Apple Cider and trying to stay up for the changing of the years, not always making it through, either. - Peter Holsapple

I am an adult child of an alcoholic. There are a lot of us out there. I was never a drinker. My job in life was the designated driver, the designated shoulder to lean on, the designated superhero to clean up the mess whenever it was needed. - Darrell Brown

Woo! Happy 2009! We’re saying that early because, based on the blog, we decided we’re going to have a noon game of Mahjong and then be off to bed before the ball drops.

We know that Proof is finding its legs, but they need to get more wobbly soon. There is a trove of material inspired by New Year’s Eve, and all of it does not relate to sobriety. How about the fact that this “biggest night of drinking” is also the year’s biggest amateur night? Everyone and their sober mother drinks tonight, and much wackiness ensues. Or, they should do a story about how we plan to hide from those sloppy crowds, sit in our bathtub, and drink. Once midnight comes, we turn the water on for a 2009 thrill.

Thank god we have Susan Vega to show us what a proper New Year’s Eve is supposed to look like:

My sister and I went to my ex-boyfriend’s house (the same man that had been my boyfriend 10 years before!) and we drank a lot and danced and had a lot of fun, until I sent her flying into the radiator under the window across the room.

Well done, Susan! The first thing we’re going to do when we step out of our bathtub is bash ourselves into the radiator. It finally feels like the New Year.

Celebrate New Year's Day: Drunk Brunch at the Sunburnt Cow

We weren’t planning to offer you a guide to events on New Year’s Eve – we figure if you’re sophisticated enough to enjoy our website you can figure out your last activity of 2008 (hint: drinking). What we will do is point you toward a fantastic option for New Year’s Day. What better way to ring in 2009 than with drunk brunch? Thanks to TONY, we are now headed to the Sunburnt Cow for unlimited Fosters, Bloody Mary’s and Screwdrivers. They are also offering the deal at Bondi Road, so you can go drunk brunch hopping!

The deal lasts from 1 – 6pm. Why do we like it so much? It lets you throw your New Year’s resolutions out the window a mere 13 hours after they went into effect. This isn’t as good as 2006 (remember – you slept with that guy in that alley at 3:43 AM), but it’s up there.

You can find more info on the Sunburt Cow’s website: Sunburntcow.com. The brunch will run you $15, so be sure to have some cash left over from the previous night. Better yet – why don’t you stay out all night, and have this be your last stop on the way to a glorious 2009. Note: if that is really your plan, the $15 does not include ambulance ride to the hospital.

Where We're Headed: Xai Xai Wine Bar

It can be trying to put up with the madness of New Year’s Eve. On one hand, you have the mindless bridge and tunnel masses flocking to the city and behaving like drunken cows. On the other, you have the memories of a year that seemingly flittered away faster than that bottle of Chardonnay you drank last night. All of this can be very stressful. On this day before New Year’s Eve, why not head to a quiet cove of wine to “de-stress” before the madness completely overwhelms.

There are only two days before these “resolutions” supposedly take effect. You might as well drink it up in style. Since you are going to “be more healthy” starting Jan 1^st, spend your time at Xai Xai Wine Bar gobbling $14 glasses of Sparkling Rose. This dimly lit haunt only serves wines from South Africa, and their list is quite impressive. Not quite as impressive as the list of changes that you promise to make come 2009, but it’s up there.

Their lush African décor allows you to feel as though you’re hiding somewhere special. Maybe you’re hiding from the crazy crowds that are about to invade our city, or from ‘08’s resolutions that you threw out the window on January 4th. In any case, Xai Xai makes the perfect spot to ride out the remaining minutes of the year. Be sure to raise your glass and toast to something for the holiday. You won’t get the chance tomorrow when you decide to lock yourself in your apartment with a bottle of wine and watch the Twilight Zone marathon.

Xai Xai is located at 365 W 51 St.

(ri)1 Whiskey: The Best New Spirit of 2008

2008 was a good year. We had the opportunity to sample buckets full of alcohol, attended countless fancy functions at some of the city’s newest haunts, and saw a peak in traffic that should continue its glorious rise into 2009. Don’t worry reader, we’re not about to get all sappy on you. Some people like to wrap up the year with nostalgia filled top 10 lists, but not us. We plan on breaking out a bottle of the best new spirit that we’ve had the pleasure to try this year and toasting to the future.

Gasp – it’s a whiskey! As you know, we normally are gin people. Right Gin, DH Krahn, and Bulldog are all runners up for this award. The moment we took a sip of Beam Global Spirit's new ultra-premium brand of rye whiskey – (ri)1 – we knew that we had a winner. What’s that funny business with the parenthesis, you ask? Who cares, we say. Pronounced rye one – we predict that this silky smooth fire-water will find its way onto all of the city’s top bars in 2009 (as it should).

The brand is a double threat – perfect for mixing a delectable Manhattan but even better on its own with a cube or two. We were drawn to the spicy aromas but a bit scared by the alcoholic content. Although this spirit is a kicker – clocking in at 92 proof – it’s surprisingly subtle on the palate. You’ll certainly feel it after a few glasses, but when you’re sipping away the savory liquid you would never guess that it packed such a punch.

We suggest ordering a glass of (ri)1 when you’re feeling too sophisticated for straight Whiskey and not “old man” enough for Scotch. Us? We’ve got a glass of it ready to go for the last moments of 2008 (with a Champagne chaser – naughty us).  We can’t wait to raise our glass and take a sip when the ball drops. How fitting that we should savor our drink as much as we’ve savored this year.

This Week in Drunktown: Here Comes New Year's Eve!

-P. Diddy’s busy pimping it for Ciroc Vodka. The brand and the hip-hop mogul plan to donate $1 million to a charity on behalf of the city in exchange for a New Year's Eve ball takeover. They want to replace the current ball with Ciroc’s iconic blue sphere. P. Diddy recently offered an additional million if, instead of singing Auld Lang Syne at the stroke of midnight, the crowd raps Come to Me.

-The Times did a piece on the growing market share of Prosecco, which American drinkers are turning to in hordes. If our New Year’s Eve Champagne is a bit too pricey for you, why not try some Italian bubbly instead. If this is too expensive for you, we’re out of suggestions that will let you celebrate in style. For a buzz, try a forty of Olde English or two capfuls of witch hazel.

-The Times Square Alliance (organizers of the ball drop) came out with some interesting statistics: one out of five people don’t have anyone to kiss at the stroke of midnight and more people kiss their pets than their friends. Yikes! Good thing we don’t have this problem. We drew a puppet face on our hand two days ago!

Drink of the Week: Piper-Heidsieck Champagne for 2009

Another year? Ladies and Gentlemen – buck up – 2009 is upon us. Surely you’re all getting your best ball-gowns and tuxedos ready for a New Year’s Eve celebration. Ok, so maybe some of you are going the “jeans and beer-pong” route, but you should still have something sophisticated to drink at midnight (Amstel Light doesn’t count).

They say that the first moment of the year will dictate the mood of the entire 12 months to come, so put that ping pong ball down and pick up a glass of stylish Champagne. We’ve got a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck with Happy New Year written all over it (in magic marker – it was a fun art project). We think the company’s slogan - “ongoing extravaganza since 1785” - bodes for a pretty good year to come.

There are plenty of delicious sparkling wines available, but we think an occasion like New Year calls for an old pro. These vineyards have been producing Champagne for hundreds of years, so Piper-Heidsieck has some experience celebrating the stroke of midnight. The Champagne also has plenty of experience with New Year’s resolutions. When you raise your glass to say “Happy 2009”, the brand vows to take you seriously. Judgments about your promise to lose 15 pounds by Feb 1^st will be left to your snickering friends.

If you still can’t face the dread of another go-round the calendar, try spicing it up a bit. Piper-Heidsieck suggests drinking the champagne over ice for a fun twist. Better yet, pre freeze some Champagne in your ice cube trays and pour a glass over these alcoholic cubes. This slight change to the midnight ritual could be enough to make you believe that 2009 will be different. If not – at least you’ll have some ice on hand to help with 2009’s first hung-over headache.

P&G Cafe Gets Ready to Move. Will the Drunks Follow?

Barfly has a soft spot for Upper West Side dive P&G Café – they have been pouring us pints since we were wee youngsters (ahem - we mean truly sophisticated underage drinkers). We were sad to hear that the drink-hole lost their lease. With Yogi’s and P&G gone, this area of town was looking like it would be dive-less. Luckily, P&G scored a new location. They are setting up shop in the old Evelyn Lounge space, only a few blocks away.

The Times asked the question that is on all of our minds. Will fickle drunks follow their beloved dive bar to its new haunt? From this weekend’s edition:

Some regular customers worry about being dispossessed. “I’ll feel out the new place,” said Patrick Duffy, a stagehand who has been a regular for more than a decade. “But we don’t know if the new place is for us — we’re old school.”

We understand Mr. Duffy. 6 blocks (the new bar will open on Columbus and 78^th) is a tremendous distance for a thirsty fellow to travel. The bar has until Feb. to complete the move – and we certainly plan on stopping by to scope out the new locale. Management plans a bigger and better drinking den, but we fear that could be just the problem. When beloved Meatpacking dive The Hog Pit upgraded to a new space on 26^th street, some of the divey charm was definitely lost.

We’re rootin’ for you P&G, and can’t wait to check out the new digs. We’ll even try to use our fake ID, for old time’s sake.

Merry Christmas Lushes!

Barfly would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our lovely readers a Merry Christmas. We'll be spending the next few days with our face in the bowl of eggnog, so you'll have to find another way to get your Christmas jollies. Don't go overboard, we've heard that free-basing candy canes can land you in the hospital. Instead, why don't you just find an elf and kick them? This way, no one gets hurt.

We'll be back on Monday to ring in the "New Year" Barfly Style. In the meantime, here's a jolly old soul to keep you company:

The NYC Bartender's Ball Party at the Hawaiian Tropic Zone

The other night we headed back to our favorite mid-winter tropical paradise: The Hawaiian Tropic Zone. We weren’t just stopping in to enjoy more rounds of their Prickly Pear Mojito; we were there to learn about an important cause. Not too fast reader, in this case the important cause was not an open bar (though we certainly enjoyed learning about that as well).

The event was a kick-off for the 1^st Annual NYC Bartender’s Ball. We were excited by the concept: a big party honoring all of the hard workers who tromp through the service industry night after night. Though new to our beloved city, the Bartender’s Ball started in Washington DC over 30 years ago. At first, we thought it was just an excuse for thirsty bartenders to gather. We quickly learned that this event is something more. The ball raises money for numerous local charities. Nice – we’re always looking for an excuse to feel good about our drinking.

NYC’s Ball is slated to benefit The National Foundation for Human Potential and Citymeals on Wheels. It’s scheduled for Monday, May 11^th and is to be held at Mansion. Yes – the tickets seem steep at $150 a pop, but just think of all the warm and fuzzy feelings you’ll have after (both from the hooch and from being charitable).

You can learn more about the event at NYCbartendersball.com. They also promise a few contests that are sure to rile up the service industry personnel: a vote for Best Bartender, Fastest Bartender, etc. We did spy LXTV host Pedro Andre in the audience at the HTZ, perhaps he was on the scene scouting new talent for his America’s Top Bartender Show. Or, maybe he was canvassing for votes in the “Best Host of a Web Based Bartender Show.” We’ll be sure to ask him at the ball!

Where We're Headed: Marshall Stack

You know the moment – you’re all ready to head out from work, meet some friends, and get your drink on. Thinking of a place to go? How utterly exhausting. What’s that place you went that one time with the beer? Didn’t they have a good happy hour at that hidden bar in Chinatown? Maybe you should just give up and go home – choosing the perfect place for the night is too high a mountain to climb. Drinking a bottle of merlot while watching reruns of MTV’s True Life? Now, that’s a hill you can handle.

As much as we all love being paralyzed by indecision, someone has to make the eventual choice. Especially since you’ve already seen the True Life I’m on Steroids 3 times.  Instead of grabbing your friend and frantically shaking them (while screaming “pull it together man and make a decision!”) Barfly is here to help. It’s 5PM Somewhere will provide a quick suggestion, so you can stop with the shaking and start with the drinking.

Where are we headed this evening? To one of our favorite low key downtown spots: Marshall Stack. For the most part, the Christmas party circuit has ended and everyone in the city is just winding down before heading out for the holidays. With their inspired selection of beer and wine and "After School Special" bar snacks (those English muffins pizzas = too cute!) this spot is perfect for hiding out from the cold.

Not to mention, Marshall's is one of the only places in the city that serves Night Train. Last time we stopped by they were out. We hope it's back in stock on this visit, we've really been craving this special variety of bum-wine.

While we hate the label hipster, it’s ok for everyone to be scruffy for a day. Challenge some of the young Converse-clad drinkers to a game of Connect Four and don’t stay too late. You have to catch that plane back to your wretched, boring hometown tomorrow!

Marshall Stack

66 Rivington St # A
New York, NY 10002
(212) 228-4667