NY Barfly

Gentleman's Cocktail Crawl Added To Cocktail Classic Schedule

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is this weekend – are your livers ready?? We hope so – and if you were looking for one or two final events where you can booze it up, the last-minute addition to Saturday’s schedule should be just what you were looking for. The Gentleman’s Cocktail Crawl is a black-tie optional tour of the city’s swankiest hotel bars. The five hour event (which is open to ladies as well, natch) goes down from 1:30 to 6:30 PM – you can start either in the North of South areas of town. $55 will get you six drink tickets to use along the way – get more details and sign up for some fancy bar hopping here.

Boozin' at the Museum: Tequila and Chilies at the AMNH

The American Museum of Natural History is going beyond the dinosaurs this week and will get you tipsy. Sounds like a plan to us. The museum has a cool program dubbed Global Kitchen where they delve into the history of food and drink, and the tipplers out there will surely like the discussion coming up on Thursday, May 3. The event is dubbed Tequila and Chilies and will feature a chat led by Jean Carlos Aguirre from Mano a Mano: Mexican Culture Without Borders, which is a nonprofit organization that celebrates Mexican culture. He’ll be joined by a representative from Richard Sandoval Restaurants, who will dish out tasting flights of tequila along with samples of chili-based dishes from around Mexico.

The evening starts at 6:30 and costs $30 per person. Just don’t get too tipsy and think you can make like the movies and spend the night in the museum – they don’t actually let you do that. Get more info here.

Get To Know "The New Tuscany" This Week

We always love learning about off-the-radar wine producing region's, and this week’s lesson will take us to Ascoli Piceno, a small province in Le Marche in Central Italy. The area is known for its classy, picturesque vistas before its vino, but this week the region is trying to change that with an event at the 92^nd Street Y dubbed “Undiscovered Italy.” On Tuesday, April 17, you can drop by this chat (tickets are $40) and learn about the regions culinary (and liquid, natch) offerings. The chat will be led by Francine Segan, who is an author of numerous food-related books. Sounds like a swell night out to us, especially if you head to the wine bar afterwards and put your knowledge to use. Get info here.

Rooftop Bar Seasons Begins!

News Flash – it’s warm out! OMG! And, if you need a reminder about how excited you should be for spring, hit the elevator to the penthouse. Rooftop bar season is just about the most exciting thing about drinking in the warm weather (before it gets so sticky hot you can’t even bear it) – and mad46 in the Roosevelt Hotel is open as of this week! It’s a happy hour haunt for those looking to jump on the train from Grand Central after a long day at work. It kicks of the season on April 11 with Wed. – Friday hours from 5 to 10 PM and then expands to a six day a week agenda starting on May 7. If you need a little convincing that drinking on the roof is the best thing around – well, go have a drink on the roof and then talk to us…

Whisky Live Hits Town on April 11

Brown spirits fans, get ready! Whisky Live is slated to take over Pier 60 at the Chelsea Piers on April 11. This epic tasting event features dozens of labels – just be careful not to sip too many as you don’t want Whisky Live to turn into Whisky “I Shouldn’t Be Alive” when you wake up the next morning. Tickets are $119 and get you a tasting glass and access to the shindig from 6:30 to 10 PM. If you really want to tear it up, you can get VIP treatment for $149, which gains you access to the show one hour early. You can learn more about the event and buy tickets here. We’re thirsty already!

Hennessy Takes Over Chelsea Triangle This Week

The Chelsea Triangle, located right above 14^th Street in the Meatpacking District, has played host to all sorts of marketing events lately, and on April 5 Hennessy is going to take over this small patch of land to let you get into the ring with Manny Pacquiao. Ok, you’d have to be really, really drunk to get in the ring with the famous boxer, but for this event (which is promoting the spirit’s “Wild Rabbit” campaign), the boxing will only be digital.

If that’s still a little too sporty for you, you’ll also be able to sing digital duets with Erykah Badu at this installation, and if you really kill it you can upload a video of yourself singing to your social media. Just be careful, you don’t want to become a viral You Tube sensation for the wrong reasons.

You can check out the Wild Rabbit promotion from 9 PM to 2 AM this Thursday. If they are keeping these hours, chances are there will be some interesting videos coming out of this thing.

Manhattan Cocktail Classic Tickets on Sale March 15

Is it really almost that time again? It seems like just yesterday that we got our tux on and went over to the New York Public Library for the cocktail event of the year. Well, better send your fancy threads to the cleaner, because tickets for this year's cocktail classic go on sale March 15. Yeah, it's a little advance planning, but you should put that date in your calendar, because passes to all of the best events are sure to sell out super quick, as they have in previous years. And, if you want to get super on it, the tickets are on sale at noon sharp that day. 

You can learn more about the MCC and purchase tickets when they come on sale on the festival's website here: www.manhattancocktailclassic.com. 

  

 

Zum Schneider Dishes out Lent Beer

Everyone knows how to kick off lent Mardi-Gras style, but going crazy with booze and beads isn’t the only game in town. East Village bar Zum Schneider has been playing host to a Karneval festival for the past few days, and as part of the ongoing shindig they are serving up Hofbräuhaus Traunstein's special Lent beer. As with many beer labels, if monks are behind it, you know it must be good. This stuff was traditionally brewed in monastaries in the end of December, and lagered for six to eight weeks. The brew contains a higher alcohol level than the average label, as it had to be preserved through the 40 day fast. So, this stuff will get you tipsy on Fat Tuesday – not too shabby.

Oh, and that fasting business is out the window these days, it’s not like Zum is going to turn off the taps once Lent starts, so you get to have all the fun with none of the pain. Suh-weet.

Zum Schneider is located at 107 Avenue C.

Epic Booze Event: Good Spirits Hits Town on Feb 28

Edible Manhattan Magazine should be called Drinkable Manhattan on February 28, 'cause that’s when their awesome Good Spirits tasting event hits town. From 6 to 9 PM, some awesome mixologists will be in the house, whipping up libations to pair with grub from hot restaurants like Rubirosa, Back Forty and Northern Spy Food Co. The tickets are $45 and include all the food and booze you can handle. We like this one because of its scrappiness – walk around tastings can be pretty interchangeable at times, but with the lineup that this one is promising, it should be pretty choice, and not just because you’re sure to get tipsy. You can get more information and buy tickets here.

Love Potions for Valentine's Day

Yep. It’s that time AGAIN. While some people want to hide indoors and wait for Cupid to stop slinging his arrows, others actually enjoy celebrating Valentine’s Day. Bless their little candied hearts. We put together a little drink guide for those looking to booze it up, Valentine’s Day style. Our latest feature on Tablespoon has a Valentine’s Day Martini, a little ditty called the Cupid’s Kiss, and some sparkling rose if you’re looking for something a little less alcoholic. Read the story here. If the whole thing is too sickly sweet for you, well just close your eyes and before you know, it will be St. Patrick’s Day!