NY Barfly

A Strip Club Closes / Hot Bird’s Food Truck

-Grub Street laments the closing of “the last seedy thing” in Times Square. Yes kids, the area’s last all-nude strip club, Bare Elegance, has closed its doors. Now if you want to see something obscene in the Square, you’ll have to order an entrée at Bubba Gump’s.

-Fork in the Road has a peek at the Hot Bird menu. This Atlantic Avenue bar will serve it’s grub using a food truck, and they have top-notch goodies like a lobster roll and a bowl of chili. Perhaps they should change the spot’s name to Hot Truck!

-Club Guys and Dolls was closed due to underage drinking. How did the authorities know that underage boozing was taking place? They found a passed out teenager inside the club. Looks like someone should have skipped the last Long Island.

A New Column for Lushes at the Times

Oh, Bruni – we knew you were a lush just like us. The Times writer helms the first installment of The Tipsy Diaries, which is a bi-weekly column that chronicles drinking life in the city. First stop, P.J. Clarke’s, to visit an epically talented bartender who slings drinks to up to 500 patrons a night. Well done, sir!

Doug Quinn is the cool cat’s name. As a former bartender, we particularly appreciated his spot-on description of the job:

Being armed and agile isn’t the half of it. “A great bartender will get you a date for the evening, get you a job and get you a new apartment,” he said.

With thinking like this, no wonder Bruni dubs him the “bartender of your dreams.”

There’s another thing we like about he article. While sitting at the bar “gathering material”, Bruni admits to having at least two Hendrick’s gin martinis, straight-up with olives. Wow, Frank. You deserve your own gold star – well done, sir!

Party Report: How Epic was the Epic Prom?

Last weekend, in a Williamsburg Schoolhouse, the Epic Prom went down. This dance / dinner extravaganza featured food by Nick Suarez and Theo Peck of The Food Experiments. Even better, drinks were poured by a Little Branch bartender and the Harlem James Gang bust it up with some musical numbers on the stage. The crowd was decked out in their best 1950’s attire, and much drunken wackiness ensued.

So, how epic was it? Moderately epic? Epically Epic? We’ll let you check out the pictures and decide:

 

 

The Dizzy Fizz Gets Ginned Up

We were sorry to miss the recent Next Gineration cocktail challenge. This one was a little different, in that bloggers rather than bartenders were the ones mixing up the spirits. We didn’t realize that bloggers could stop drinking for long enough to actually take part in something like this – bravo!

We’d like to congratulate fellow boozy blogger Selena Ricks of The Dizzy Fizz for her winning combination. A mix of New Amsterdam Gin, elderflower, and basil, this is surely one treat you can enjoy as the weather heats up. Check out the recipe:

Green Market Smash

1 ½ oz New Amsterdam Gin

½ oz liquified honey

½ oz elderflower liquer

6-8 basil leaves

1 oz orange juice

½ oz cranberry juice

We’ll have to start preparing for the next one of these, surely we have our reputation to uphold. Hopefully we’ll figure out a way to do it without putting down our drink.

The Standard Grill's New Menu Item: Cigarettes

The other night, we sat at The Standard Grill’s bar trying to decide between the trout and the swordfish. Another patron had already made up his mind. He leaned over the bar, and asked the tender for a pack of cigarettes.

Cigs weren’t printed on the menu, and we assumed that the fellow had too much to drink. Nope. The tender happily obliged, and sold the gentleman a pack of American spirits for $12.

Turns out The Standard Grill really is that trendy. They sell Parliaments, Marlboros, and American Spirits for $12 a pop if you ask the bartender. What, no Newports!?

Are other hopping city resto’s also running a nicotine counter? We’re not sure, but we do know that a P-funk probably would have tasted better than our trout.

Where to Watch the World Cup: Bounce

It’s time to get in touch with your inner soccer hooligan. The World Cup is almost here, and bars throughout the city are gearing up to host some wicked soccer watching parties. So – where should you watch the World Cup in New York? We’ll provide you with some suggestions, as long as you promise not to set fire to cars if your team doesn’t win.

First up, check out the Upper East Side sports bar Bounce. As the World Cup wears on, it’s fun to balkanize yourself and watch the games in a spot that represents your team (i.e. cheer for the German team in a beer garden). At the beginning, it’s just fun to hang out and get used to calling it “football”.

Bounce will oblige with 14 high definition televisions showing the games. Better yet, they’ll feature food and drink specials for each game, and special offerings if you’re wearing your team's jersey. Getting into the soccer spirit with some “buffalo kickers” should help you avoid the smashy-smash time if your team comes up short.

Bounce is located at 1403 2^nd Ave. and you can check out the Cup watching schedule at their website: www.bounceny.com.

Get Ready For Maker's 46

The folks down at the Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky have only ever made one thing. Until now. A new label from Maker’s Mark is on the way to the market. Deemed Maker’s 46, this spirit puts a new twist on the old Maker’s recipe. That twist is in the form of delicious burnt logs. Funny, that’s our favorite thing to dip in whisky!

Maker’s Mark fans shouldn’t worry too much – the 46 label uses fully matured Maker’s Mark as its base. Rather than start from scratch, distiller Kevin Smith decided to stick with what works. (Note: this is not a sign of laziness, come on haters!) Once the bourbon is fully mature in the barrel, the top is removed and ten seared oak staves are placed inside. The product is then returned to the shelves, where it is aged for several more months.

The searing caramelizes the sugars of the wood, and the flavor seeps into the bourbon. A recent tasting revealed that Maker’s 46 is kind of like “Maker’s Mark Plus.” You get all the caramel notes and drinkability of the original, plus a more intense aroma and notes of seared wood on the tongue. It’s more sophisticated than dipping our own burnt logs into whisky, even if you don’t get to lick the ingredients afterwards.

Maker’s 46 is set to hit stores in July – just keep your eyes peeled for their signature red wax, which also tops this bottle. If you still feel incomplete, feel free to lick that.

Booze it Up at the Gourmet Latino Festival

The first Manhattan Cocktail Classic has come and gone, and we know that you’re totally jonesing for another excuse to hit up Astor Center and imbibe in the name of education. Well, luckily the Gourmet Latino Festival is hitting town from June 4 -12^th. Celebrating the best of Latin cuisine, drinks (!) and culture, this fest features seminars with top chefs and deals at dining haunts throughout the city.

Better yet, they’ve got some choice spirits seminars over at Astor. You better block out your Saturday, June 5^th because judging by the schedule (and your lush-itude), you'll be there all day. Check out these classes.

An Exploration of Latin America and a Unique Take on Rum - With Chef Daisy Martinez and St. John Frizell

Writer/restaurateur St. John Frizell (Fort Defiance) will team up with Food Network chef Daisy Martinez for a rum-fueled cruise of the Latin Caribbean and delve into this 500-year-old spirit in all of its styles, from light rums that power the Daiquiri and Mojito to well-aged sipping rums.  Guest mixologists will prepare classic and contemporary rum drinks for all.

Agave & Maize: The Crown Jewels of Mexico’s Spirits and Cuisines - With Chef Sue Torres and Steve Olson

Chef Sue Torres (Sueños Restaurant) will be joined by Steve Olson (aka Wine Geek and beverage ambassador of the festival) to discuss the corn-based dishes that have sustained Mexicans since pre-Hispanic times when the process of nixtamalization was developed, and their natural interplay with agave-based elixirs such as Tequila and Mezcal, which have their own ancient origins and distinct terroirs.

You can scope out more seminars and plan some Latin fun at the festival's website: www.gourmetlatinofestival.com

A Cocktail Smack Down at Rye House

A slew of the country’s top mixologists gathered recently at Rye House for the End of the Road Show cocktail competition. It was hosted by the Classic and Vintage Artisanal Spirits group, and the challenge was to create a classic cocktail for 2010. Each mixologist had a slew of spirits to choose from, but the fun came in their “mystery boxes” – which contained ingredients from lime juice to Kit Kat bars.

And the winner? Julian Cox from Los Angeles took the top honors with his MJ inspired “Beat It” (pictured). Oh, and he had to use beet juice. We’ve included the recipe below the jump – along with another of our favorites, The "Road Show Julep" which contains yummy ingredients like Averna and Bitter Truth Bitters. Bravo!

NY Brewfest Approaches

Beer lovers know that there is one can’t-miss event for the summer season. The New York Brewfest brings together over 100 craft breweries, and sets you loose with a little tasting cup. How many sips can you have? Well, they’ve got 300 beers to sample, so you have your work cut out for you.

This year, they’re throwing the bash on Governors Island, meaning some pre-fest planning is in order. You’ll have to get off the island at the end of the event. Building a boat out of all the empty tasting glasses – probably not an option.

Tickets are $55 and well worth it. This year, the event is on Saturday, June 19^th and you can get info and tickets at their website, www.nybrewfest.com