NY Barfly

Pulqueria Launches Tableside Margarita Service

Downtown hot-spot Pulqueria is launching a fun new take on bottle service and the subterranean Mexican eatery is rolling out a new cocktail dubbed The Bleeding Heart to promote it. Tableside margarita service will get you enough booze for two to four people, and at only $60 it’s a pretty sweet bargain. The Bleeding Heart is an excellent option for Valentine’s Day, but it will be served for the entire month of February. A bottle of Corazon Tequila comes with a blood orange and beet blend, a bartender will mix up the beverages at the side of your table in glasses rimmed with a cocoa-chili rim. As a bonus, the large-format drink comes with free chocolates. If you can’t drop by in person, check out the recipe below.

Corazon Sangrante -

2oz Corazon Tequila

- 1oz Sour Mix

- 1/4oz Muddled Beets

- 3/4oz Fresh Blood Orange Juice

Garnish with a cocoa-chili rim and heart-shaped beet with a skewer through the middle

Drink of the Week: Michael Symon’s Rye & Orange Tumbler

Whiskey can get a bad rap during the warm months, when folks might not be excited about hitting the brown spirits due to the heat. Well, you should get over that aversion when you see the temperatures are creeping up – as long as your rye is mixed into a good cocktail, it can actually be quite refreshing. Knob Creek is releasing a new Rye label this July, and while the entire US food and beverage world was recently in Aspen for the Food & Wine Classic, the label got Michael Symon to whip up a tasty cocktail to showcase their spirit. The recipe for his Rye & Orange Tumbler is below – we think this one will win some converts if you serve it at your next barbecue.

KNOB CREEK RYE & ORANGE TUMBLER

Ingredients:

1 1/2 PARTS KNOB CREEK RYE

1 PART CLUB SODA

1/2 PART SUGAR

 1/2 ORANGE

 1/2 ROSEMARY SPRIG

To Serve: 1. Muddle the orange, rosemary and sugar thoroughly in the bottom of a shaker. 2. Combine with Knob Creek Rye, add ice and shake vigorously. 3. Strain over ice and float with club soda.

Drink of the Week: Saxon + Parole's El Presidente

We like Saxon + Parole because of the solid New American fare and the cool horse theme (after all, the joint is named after two famous racehorses). But we LOVE Saxon + Parole because of the cocktails. Naren Young, who also impresses with the drinks at The Daily and Madam Geneva, is behind the list here. We’re a fan of his work – if you want to see why just stop by Saxon and try one of their signature Celery Gimlets or Champagne Negronis. While those concoctions may get all the love, this week we’re giving a shout out to the El Presidente.

This mix of Appleton Estate Rum, Curacao, dry vermouth and house-made grenadine is a boozy delight, and the perfect way to get back in the groove after all those Bud Lights you drank over Memorial Day. While it’s fine to knock back a few brews at the barbecue, now that summer is here it’s time to get back to the cocktails. Check out the recipe below:

EL PRESIDENTE RECIPE:

1.5 oz. Appleton Reserve rum

¾ oz. dry vermouth

½ oz. orange Curacao

Dash of house made grenadine

Stir with love and strain into a frozen cocktail glass. An orange twist and a smile should round it off nicely.

Drink of the Week: A Blueberry Scone, Liquid Edition

The folks over at Whiskey Blue are getting creative in the cocktail department with the release of some new Comfort Food Cocktails, a line of drinks that seem more like something you’d order for brunch than at happy hour. The beverages include a drink dubbed the Bacon and Eggs (which includes both of the namesake ingredients), one based on waffles and maple syrup and a third that’s our favorite – the “Blueberry Scone.” We do love the flavor of a good scone, but does anyone actually enjoy eating the crusty and crumbly things? Nope. So, this frothy cocktail is a welcome substitute. Check out the recipe below. The other good thing about this one? If you want to have it for breakfast, no one will really judge.

Blueberry Scone

Ingredients:

1 ½ oz. Stoli Vanil

½ oz. Bailey’s Irish Crème

½ oz. Half & Half

20+ Blueberries

Splash of Simple Syrup

Pinch of Cinnamon Powder

Garnish with Cinnamon Stick

Build in shaker: Muddle 15 Blueberries and add Simple Syrup, Stoli Vanil, Bailey’s, Half & Half and a dash of Cinnamon. Add one scoop ice and five Blueberries, shake well and pour into rocks glass. Garnish with one Cinnamon Stick, Blueberries and dash of Cinnamon.

Drink of the Week: Flippin' Irish, A New Take on Irish Coffee

Yep, this weekend is St. Patrick’s Day. While many of the city’s cocktail lovers will be hiding indoors while drunken hooligans take over town (it’s on a Saturday this year – egad!), you should still celebrate the tipsy holiday with a tipple or two. If you want to be lazy, you can always pour a few swigs of Baileys into your morning coffee, but modern mixology has moved far beyond such sloppy drink making. Instead, we propose cooking up a Flippin’ Irish, a modern-day take on the Irish Coffee from Employees Only bartender Dushan Zaric.

The mustachioed maestro has created a beverage that both celebrates Irish heritage (note the whiskey) and makes use of interesting trends currently taking hold of cocktail circles (witness the bitters). Most importantly, it will get you hopped up on both caffeine and booze – so maybe you’ll want to go join the cavorting crowds after all. Check out the recipe below and, if you’re going to set foot on the streets this Saturday, all we can say is Godspeed.

Flippin' Irish
Created by Dushan Zaric
Ingredients:
1 ounce Baileys with a hint of Mint Chocolate
1 ounce Bushmills Irish Whiskey
1 double Espresso
1/2 ounce Demerara Syrup
1 Whole Egg
2 ounces Heavy Cream
20 dashes Mint Bitters
1 Crown of Fresh Mint, for garnish
Ground Dark Chocolate, for garnish

Preparation:
1. Using a hand blender, whip the heavy cream with the mint bitters into consistency then set aside.
2. Add the Baileys with a hint of Mint Chocolate, Bushmills Irish Whiskey, Demerara Syrup, espresso and the whole egg into a mixing glass.
3. Add large cold ice and shake vigorously for 2 minutes.
4. Strain into a cocktail coupe and carefully add a tablespoon of whipped mint cream on top.
5. Using a microplane grater, grate dark chocolate on top and garnish with a fresh crown of mint.

Drink of the Week: The Blackbird Swizzle from Frank Cisneros

Those of you who have imbibed at Dram in Brooklyn know an important fact about the borough’s bar scene: bartender Frank Cisneros is the man. Last week, he joined author Baratunde Thurston (who penned the recently released How To Be Black) for quite the distinctive event – actually, the shindig was called The Distinctive Bartender Tour. Thurston has been travelling around the country hosting these beverage making extravaganzas, which feature top bartenders in each town mixing up cocktails with The Black Grouse, a tasty brand of Scotch.

Of course, the other bartenders at Mable’s Smokehouse last week came up with some choice ditties, but Cisneros had the most interesting drink in the form of his Blackbird Swizzle. Check out the recipe below, and mix one up when you need a little distinction in your life (because, don’t we all?):

Blackbird Swizzle (created by Frank Cisneros)
2 oz. The Black Grouse
.75 oz. Lime Juice
.5 oz. Pineapple Juice
.5 oz. Orgeat Syrup
.25 oz. Cinnamon Syrup
Angostura Bitters

Mole Bitters
Swizzle/whip shake on 3 kold draft cubes in a tall fluted pilsner glass filled with crushed ice. Top heavily with dashed angostura and mole bitters. Add more crushed ice. Garnish with a pineapple leaf.

Drink of the Week: A Cocktail for the Year of the Dragon

Chinese New Year approaches and 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. Killer. Purity Vodka has come up with some cocktails to celebrate – because what is an obscure holiday good for except drinking? Exactly. This drink takes its Asian inspiration seriously – it uses Dragonfruit, a mildy-sweet, kiwi like ditty that is more common in Asian cuisine. If you want to have some firewater that celebrates the fire-breathing animal, check out the recipe below.

Purity Sparkling Dragon

2 oz Dragonfruit-infused Purity Vodka

3 oz Sparkling water

3 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Fill a highball glass with ice, dash bitters, then add infused Purity and top with soda.  Garnish with a slice of dragonfruit.

Drink of the Week: Orange Spiced Cider from Ron Abuelo

Did we just have 70 degree weather this weekend? In January? Whaaa??? Is global warming going to ruin hot toddy season? No, damn it, not if we have anything to say about it. We’re still going to pour ourselves an Orange Spiced Cider this week – even though it may not feel like winter outside, we will make sure it does inside our stomach. This particular drink features Ron Abuelo, which is a dark, oak-aged rum from Panama. The libation was created by James Labe, who is a “tea sommelier,” whatever that means. If you’re as disappointed as we are about the weather (though it is sure nice to be able to go outside without a jacket so soon after the New Year), check out the recipe below.

ORANGE SPICED CIDER

Created by James Labe

1 Numi Orange Spice Tea Bag

8 oz. Apple Cider

2 oz. Ron Abuelo Añejo Rum

Heat Cider until very hot. Steep 1 Tea Bag directly in Cider for 5 minutes, covered. Uncover, add Rum and stir. Garnish with Cinnamon Stick.

Drink of the Week: Pomagrenade Punch from Nadia G

Nadia G, star of Bitchin’ Kitchen on the Food Network, isn’t your typical television chef. First off, do you see what she’s wearing? She gets more blinged-out than your typical Christmas tree. She also comes up with beverages to serve at your party like our Drink of the Week, the Pomagrenade Punch. Cheeky, right? The “grenade” portion of the drink comes from three different features of the libation:

1. A diced up, super-spicy chili, which adds a dash of heat to the punchbowl.
2. The Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka, which will make any actual grenades at your party loosen up and appear more attractive.
3. The Champagne that gives the beverage an extra boozy kick, blurring the vision of any dudes drinking it and causing them to chase those grenades underneath the mistletoe.

If you want to lob a few of these grenades at your upcoming holiday party, check out the recipe below. Bombs away!

Pomagrenade Punch

1 cup Van Gogh Pomegranate Vodka

1 fresh red hot chili, seeded and sliced paper thin

2 large pomegranates, seeded

1/2 cup pomegranate juice

1 bottle chilled champagne or sparkling wine

4 mandarins, finely sliced

1/4 cup maple syrup (optional - depending on desired sweetness)

Ice

Directions: In a large bowl combine pomegranate vodka, chili, and pomegranate seeds. Cover and marinate in fridge for 30 minutes. Add the rest of ingredients when ready to serve.

Happy Halloween: Here's a Black Eye

Ok, we're not actually going to punch you in the face for Halloween, that would just be crass. But, we'll let you hurt yourself by directing you to a drink being served at The Royalton for the spook-tastic day. The Black Eye is a blend of honey whiskey, walnut liqueur, orgeat syrup and espresso. It will leave you wired and tipsy - perfect if you have to head down to the parade in the village even though it's super cold outside.

Yeah, most people give candy to trick-or-treaters - but we're giving you a shiner instead. Don't be hating on us - a few sips of this, and you'll see why it beats a fistful of sweets any day (especially on October 31).

If you want to drop by and check it out, The Royalton is on 44 West 44th Street.