NY Barfly

It's Friday. Here's What You Should Drink.

Yep, we know you’ve been jonesing for a cocktail since about 11 AM today (and not just because you need a hair of the dog from your Thursday night shenanigans). It’s FRIDAY – and you are oh-so-ready to get your drink on in the desperate attempt to convince yourself that Monday isn’t really just a weekend away. Our friends at Nerve.com have cooked up a handy column that should help get your weekend started. They take a look at a new cocktail and chat with the bartender about their inspiration. Past entries have included a Cucumbertini at Chelsea eatery Salinas and a libation dubbed The Judson from Gramercy Tavern. If this week’s drink strikes your fancy, why not sneak out of the office at lunch and have a nip?

Drink of the Week: Nolet's Silver Feijoa Spritz

We know what you’re saying? What on earth is feijoa? We weren’t sure either, until we got to playing with light and airy Nolet's Gin, which is making a splash on the NYC market. We found that the spirit pairs especially well with fresh fruit, and in researching cocktail recipes, we came across this little sucker. While it looks like a slightly-dried-out lime, it’s commonly known as a pineapple guava and it is widely cultivated in areas like New Zealand. The flavor is a little sweet and a little earthy – despite the lime-like appearance it’s much more akin to a guava than anything citrus. It’s an interesting (and easy) way to spice up your gin-based beverage.

With the unique taste of the feijoa, the floral notes of the St. Germain and the hints of fruits and other botanicals in the Nolet's (which hails from Holland) this is a cocktail that goes down easy like a gin and tonic but tastes like anything but. And, you’ll get to seem like a trivia master when you explain all of your feijoa knowledge to your guests. Sounds like a reason to mix up a batch to us. Recipe below.

Nolet’s Silver Feijoa Spritz

1.5 ounces Nolet's Silver

1 feijoa

.5 ounces St. Germain

Seltzer

In a glass containing the St. Germain, muddle the core of the fruit after removing the skin. Add the gin and shake up the mixture. Pour the mix into a glass over ice, and top off with the seltzer. Garnish with a piece of the fruit’s skin, or go with a more standard lime wedge.

Manhattan Bartender Wins Barenjager Cocktail Competition

New York City mixologist Kyle Ford threw down at the second annual Barenjager cocktail competition and bested a trove of top mixologists from other cities in a mix-off using the honey-infused line of liqueur. As a reward, Ford gets an all-expense-paid trip for two to Oktoberfest in Munich Germany (we hope “all expenses” covers copious amounts of beer). He also gets some major respect from Big Apple drinkers (including yours truly) for showing the tenders from the other towns who’s boss. You can take a look at Kyle’s winning drink, the SS Europa, below:

1 part Barenjager Honey Liqueur
2 parts Noilly Prat Dry Vermouth
3 dashes St. George absinthe

Method: Stir for 20 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with an orange twist.

Beer at the Hospital? Yes, Please.

When a Huffington Post writer visited her friend who was laid up in the hospital, she noticed something exciting on his lunch tray: a can of Budweiser. Turns out the doctor gave the A-OK for the patient to knock back a can of brew as part of his rations. That sure makes mystery meat go down a lot easier, doesn’t it? Turns out a few patients get it if they’re going through withdrawal, but we think it should be expanded to anyone who wants it. Check it out:

Doctors sometimes order beers for patients who are going through withdrawal. The kitchen staff places on the trays whatever doctors order, and sometimes they order beer. A lot of patients get it, said the staffer, because doctors think they need it. Not usually throughout their whole stays, but at least at first.

Ohhhkay. So beer is a kind of comfort food to certain patients, and doctors decide.

Another staple of hospital food? Jell-O. We’re thinking turning those into shooters will make everyone’s stay a lot more comfortable.

Village Bar Down The Hatch Turns 20

We’ve got a pretty epic birthday in bar world to report. On October 5, Greenwich Village bar Down the Hatch is turning 20. In New York Bar years, the down and dirty watering hole might as well be 1,000 years old. Here’s why this b-day is one to celebrate:

1. If you’ve lived in New York more than two months, you’ve been to the bar.
2. If you’ve lived in New York more than a year, you’ve been back to the bar and thought “I can’t believe this place is still open.”
3. If you’ve been back twice, you’ve likely gone back a third time when you’re down to your last few bucks and want to drink anyway. The two words that have kept this place running over the decades? Cheap beer.

Stop by and guzzle a few to celebrate the bar’s twentieth, and remember the role it surely played in your NYC drinking history. Just think of it – since city newbies largely hit up this spot, the watering hole is just about as old as many of its patrons.

Beer That Looks Like Ballistic Missiles

Awesome bottle design alert! BMG-10’s “explosive” beer packaging gives getting bombed an entirely new meaning. These bottles – which aren’t currently on the market – were designed to look like mini atomic bombs. Though more of an art project than an actual exercise in consumer design, we could see the atomic-bomb packaging doing well, especially if they were filled with Night Train or Four Loko (before the caffeine was removed). What do you think? Bad-ass bombs or a tasteless attention getter? Leave a comment and let us know.

Deals for International Sake Day Around NYC

If you needed an excuse to drink this Saturday, we’ve got you covered: it’s International Sake Day! To celebrate, a few bars around town are offering specials in coordination with TY-KU, an Asian spirits company that has a few sake-based labels on the market. They’ll hook you up with deals like $5 TY-KU tinis or buy one get one free cocktails made with their brand. But, since it’s such a huge day for sake and all, we’re much more interested in the sake bomb specials they are touting. Get hooked up with the bonzai beverage at spots like Jake’s Saloon and Ido Sushi for only $2 or $3 a pop. On any other day it would be a bad idea, but today, it’s a necessity.

You can see the participating locations here and stay tuned. At 9 PM the spirits brand is touting an attempt for the World’s Largest Sake Bomb record. We’re awaiting location deets on that one, and will pass them along when we have.

Ken Burns Prohibition Coming October 2

Documentarian Ken Burns has taken on some pretty hefty subjects in his day, from The Civil War to the history of baseball. His next hours-long peek into American history, he is set to chronicle Prohibition. Of course, the movement that was started on January 17, 1920 has effects to this day – judging by all of the mustachioed bartenders and secret speakeasy style bars. Considering that Burns’ documentary is five hours long (it will be shown in three parts) we think he’ll go much deeper than the typical stories of Al Capone and bathtub gin. The first installment will be shown on PBS this October 2nd, check out the preview video above.

Substitute Teacher Passes Out Drunk, Gets Fired

Things not to do if you want to land a full-time teaching gig: pass out drunk at lunchtime when you’re working as a substitute. That’s just what one temporary educator did last week in Santa Fe (we know they have a reputation for being laid-back, but still!). Last week, local authorities found the teacher passed out in an office next to her classroom. There was a glass next to her “that was red and had an odor of alcohol.” Hmm, wonder what that could be. The teacher was taken away in an ambulance, and even though she claimed that she was just asleep, she was canned right away.

Alcohol vs. Marijuana: The Epic Battle

We always wonder how many people drink vs. how many like to smoke a little week, and the drinkers win hands down! Take that pot-heads. Though, as the chart below shows, they are both pretty bad for you (yikes!). Check out the info - since we're playing for team booze and might be a little biased, we though a handy chart would better illustrate the stats.

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Source: Online Court Reporting Schools