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-If a bar with great cocktails chugs along in Brooklyn and no hipsters show up, does it make a sound?
-Emilio Estevez is getting into the wine-making business. We hope he releases a brat-pack themed label (a wine that doesn’t care that it’s not too tasty).
-Lower alcohol cocktails are becoming a thing, for those who don’t want to get too boozed-up, or (more likely) for those who need to rehydrate after a few stiff ones
For your Super Bowl party this year, why don’t you skip the frozen chicken wings? No one actually likes them – they just get gobbled up because everyone is wasted by halftime. If you want to learn how to prepare some hot wings of your own – head over to Traffic Bar & Restaurant in Midtown East tomorrow. The sports bar and watering hole is launching a series of “Flavor Mashup” cooking classes – you can learn how to be a killer wingman (get it?!) from 8 to 10 PM on February 1st for $35 per person. At the end of the class, you’ll get to sample everyone else’s cuisine and vote for the best preparation.
Check out more information here – you can hit the Mashup at 986 Second Avenue.
Is it us, or is there a new vodka launch pretty much every hour these days? The latest new brand to show up on our radar is Purity Vodka, which we’ve seen at haunts like Scarpetta, The Lion and the Gramercy Park Hotel. So – what sets this sauce apart from all the other clear spirits that are launching of late? Well, first off, it doesn’t have any celebrity owner that we know about – thank god. We are also a fan of the name – anything that justifies another sip (or three) by telegraphing positive attributes like “purity” is good in our book.
Also – it’s made in a castle – the distiller's notes say that it comes from Ellinge Castle in the southern part of Sweden. Since we’ve always dreamed of being made in a castle, we think you’ll give this one a try.
It’s whiskey time at The Plaza Hotel! On January 24th, the Rose Club (one of our favorite swanky hotel bars) and Brown Forman previewed nine rare labels, including a 1930’s King Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whisky and a Jack Daniel’s from the ‘80’s. During the month of February, you can check out a full range of these rare spirits (which span most of the 20th Century) for $20-25 each. Yes, that’s a bit on the expensive side, but how often do you get the chance to try a spirit that’s older than you are? Drop by the bar and drink up.
Correction!: It's actually $25 for the entire flight of nine labels, making this (as they say) one hell of a deal.
You know you’ve had those days – too much to drink the night before, but you still hit the gym because otherwise you would weigh 400 pounds. Well, turns out that you’re not alone in your struggle to keep up your workout regime. In fact, the gym is full of lushes! Check it out [via Huff Post]:
Two recent studies highlighted in The New York Times found a correlation between people who drink alcohol a lot and people who exercise a lot. In the first study, rats who had an "inbred taste for alcohol" were given an unlimited supply of alcohol. Those who had exercised on running wheels drank significantly more than the rats who didn't exercise, surprising even researchers.
The second study was based on actual people -- hundreds of thousands who were interviewed via telephone. It found drinking alcohol "is associated with a 10.1 percentage point increase in the probability of exercising vigorously." It also stated that "heavy drinkers exercise about 10 more minutes per week than current moderate drinkers and about 20 more minutes per week than current abstainers."
Maybe they should just start putting the bar in the gym so you can get an immediate post workout beverage. Sounds like a plan to us!
Because sometimes your home bar just isn’t complete without an alien-shaped booze bottle. Now, don’t think that Alien Tequila is only using the extra-terrestrial as some cynical gimmick, the spirits maker actually has an office in Nevada near Area 51. Just one tip about this space-age sauce: don’t try to phone home after you have a few shots, as no one wants to get a drunk dial from your alien ass. Get more info here.
Drinkers all over the city were saddened the other week by the pending demise of Max Fish, a Lower East Side institution that was about to be shuttered due to a lease dispute with their landlord. Well, everyone can take a boozy sigh of relief, because Max Fish is set to stay open, at least for another year. The landlords came through with a last-minute lease extension, and the bar owners vowed to keep the beer flowing as they look for another spot to play host to their gritty bar.
If you’re wondering about the history of The Fish, Time Out New York has some great coverage about the bar. Basically, if you drink and you live in New York, you’ve been there. But, that doesn’t mean you remember anything – so check out the TONY coverage here.
Will 2011 be the year of rye? It’s looking that way – we have heard whispers of a few new brands that are gearing up with new launches, and today just got news that Polish vodka maker Chopin is set to debut a Rye Vodka label sometime in March. The spirit uses rye grown in the fertile Podlasie countryside in eastern Poland, and it goes through a copper-pot distillation four times before hitting the bottle. The Chopin that’s now on the market is a potato vodka, so it will be interesting to see how this flavor profile differs once it is released. If you want to keep your eyes out, the rye-based spirit will be sold under the Chopin Red label. If you get a taste – send us your thoughts!
