NY Barfly

Introducing Apple Pie Moonshine

Remember the last time you had an excellent slice of homemade apple pie? It was so tasty that you wished it would come in a liquid version that you could drink right up. Well – turns out that day has arrived. Ole Smoky Moonshine just released an apple pie label. Yep, they came out with a 40-proof liquor that tastes like apple pie. Better yet, the Tennessee-made spirit comes in a 750 ML mason jar – just like grandma used to make (or something!). We’re thinking this stuff will be excellent in some warm dessert cocktails and spiced drinks. While it’s not available yet in New York, hopefully it will make its way here soon. Until then, you’ll just have to score yourself a jar on the apple-pie moonshine black market. We’re sure that exists somewhere, right? Get more info here.

Drink Deal Alert: $10 All-You-Can-Drink at The Sunburnt Calf

Bruce is turning one! Who is Bruce and why do you care? He’s the mascot of The Sunburnt Calf on the Upper West Side, and you can celebrate his birthday with a killer drink deal. The UWS is an offshoot of the popular downtown watering hole The Sunburnt Cow (that’s where Bruce’s mother Bessie lives). They perfected the $20 for two hours of all you can drink promotion long ago – and it’s nice to see that they are keeping up the fun in the UWS. On Friday, April 1 you can eat and drink for two hours for only $10. Yep, that’s unlimited booze and grub for a ten spot (plus whatever you leave for a tip, but it’s still the best deal in town). There are two blocks of time during which you can booze it up: 6:30 to 8:30 and 8:30 to 10:30. All you have to do is RSVP to 646-823-9255 and bring $10 cash to the door. We wish every birthday party was this fun.

The Sunburnt Calf is located at 226 West 79^th Street.

Want Some Free Tacos with Those Margaritas?

Newly opened East Side Mexican joint Teqa is promoting a new “happy hour,” but that may be a little generous. Every day, from 5 to 7 PM, the eatery will hook up with an order of free tacos for ever pitcher of margaritas that you order. Now – we’re not one to complain about free tacos (or free anything for that matter), but that is a little stingy for a happy hour deal. If there are three or four of you sharing the pitcher, you’ll each get to snack on one little taco – which will either leave you really drunk or really hungry (or both). At least that will give you an excuse to stick around and order a full dinner! Teqa is located at 443 Third Avenue.

Drink of the Week: Guitar God Cocktails at Rockography

 

You may have heard about Rockography, a new restaurant on 13^th and 6^th that plays tribute to the classic rock era with a blaring soundtrack and old-time artwork bedecking the walls. Well, the tribute to great musicians of days past doesn’t stop with the décor – the spot uses its cocktail list as a shout out to the guitar gods. The drinks are named after classic tunes – in the picture above you’re looking at a Walk the Line (Jack Daniel's single-barrel, macerated cherries) and a Comfortably Numb (Bulldog Gin, St. Germaine, Meyer lemon and fresh sour). All of this rock-n-roll drinking gives rise to an important question: if you were going to name a drink after a classic rock standard, what would you call it and what ingredients would you use? Oh, and that's also a crystal skull in the picture, because why not?

If you need a little inspiration, you can drop by 504 Sixth Avenue to check out their offerings.

The Cotton Club Returns for One Night Only

 
Here’s a party not to miss. On April 16, event guru Adam Aleksander and Bootlegger Vodka are teaming up for a boffo bash. They are recreating Harlem’s famed Cotton Club, only for the downtown set. That’s right, you don’t have to head all the way uptown, because the shindig will take over a four-story Soho townhouse for a night of booze, casino games and hand-rolled cigars. Downstairs, you can boogie on the dance floor to a live jazz band while upstairs there will be a piano man, singer and faux gambling with some really great prizes. Tickets are $25, and the first 100 folks who purchase will also be offered a free drink ticket. We suggest you do that ASAP, here’s the link.

Schedule Announced for the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

It is coming. The event of the year. The bash of the season. Yes, we’re talking about the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, the city-wide booze fest taking over the town from May 13 – 17. Tickets go on sale THIS FRIDAY. We’re not usually one to use all caps, but kids, this epic festival only happens once every year. Of course, the must-attend event is the gala, which is taking over the New York Public Library on Friday the 13^th (the date is very fitting, don’t you think?). Get your black-tie garb ready! In addition to the gala, there are plenty of boozy seminars all over town – check out that schedule below and snatch up those tickets at the fest’s website. The sale starts at high noon!

SATURDAY MAY 14:

11:30am - 1:00pm: The Science of Mixology

12:15pm - 1:45pm: Hand’s on with Tony Abou-Ganim

1:45pm - 3:15pm: History: What is it Good For? Dave Wondrich

2:30pm - 4:00pm: Whiskey is the New Black

4:00pm - 5:30pm: How to Behave in a Bar

4:45pm - 6:15pm: Rye Mania with Dave Wondrich

6:15pm - 7:45pm: Aperitivo: The Italian Happy Hour hosted by Joe Campanale

7:00pm - 8:30pm: Beyond the Hangover Cure

Tales of the Cocktail Tickets Now on Sale!

Can it really be that time again!? We shook off the hangover from last year’s Tales of the Cocktail, the epic four-day spirits celebration that goes down every summer in New Orleans. Well, word is coming out of the Big Easy that tickets are now available for the annual shindig, which will be held from July 20-24 this year. There are over 150 events where you can wet your whistle – you can meet craft distillers, learn about the history of what’s in your glass and generally party down. Ticket packages run from $120 to $599. You can plan your bender and purchase tickets here.

The 50 Best Spring Bars

Ladies and gentlemen, outdoor drinking season is upon us! How nice that the folks over at Time Out New York compiled a whopper of an issue last week, detailing all of the best libation spots for the season. Their Spring Bars issue includes three bar crawls near parks (because who wants to actually go to the park – it’s more fun to just look at it), places to get your daytime-drinking action on and all-weather hangouts just in case the weather takes a turn for the crappy. You can get a look at all the awesome coverage here, because even though there is still a chill in the air, that’s going to go away real quick.

Hit The French Spirits Soiree

Our good old pal The Dizzy Fizz has put together another event, and this one will make you say oh la la (you know what we mean, oui?). The French Spirits Soiree will take place on Thursday, April 14, and you can expect an enchanting evening of booze, booze, and more booze. Ok – there will be other stuff as well (cheese – huzzah!). The Astor Center will play host to the shindig, which will set you back $40. Though, you should really just pony up the extra $15 for the VIP entry, it gets you in an hour early at 6:30 PM, so there will be no lines for the open bar. You’ll also get a gift bag with mini bottles of booze – that’s even better than the cheese. You can get tickets exclusively through Thrillist Rewards. With The Dizzy Fizz and Thrillist in the house – all of our favorite derelicts will be in one room!

Blog About Cognac, Win a Free Trip

Do you have a blog that covers wine and spirits? Well, come July you might just be jetting off to France for the Cognac Blues Passions Festival. The Cognac Board is sponsoring an awesome contest – the winner will get an all expense paid trip to the fest, which features musicians like Moby and ZZ Top, along with plenty of the signature spirit (naturally). All you have to do is write a blog post about cognac – there are very few restrictions on topic, so you can write about everything from the grapes to cocktails to your after dinner rituals. There are a few caveats – check out the full list of rules, and submissions info here. The best part? You can justify a glass for yourself – you need inspiration!