NY Barfly

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.

Drink of the Week: Ofrenda's The Afterlife

It’s not just Halloween that’s on the horizon, the Day of the Dead also approaches (cue evil laugh). This Latin American celebration commemorates the lives of friends and relatives who have passed with skeleton-like makeup, colorful costumes and (most importantly) tequila. A few bars around town are dishing out special cocktails that are meant to celebrate the holiday, but we particularly like the one at Ofrenda.

Dubbed The Afterlife, the drink features Espolon Tequila (one of our personal favorites), which fits with the theme year round with the skeleton-bedecked bottles. The drink finds a delicate balance between spicy and sweet, and bartender Jorge Guzman points out that the combo echoes the dark and light moments people experience during their experience on earth.

Check out the recipe below, and if you’d like to drop by Ofrenda, the restaurant is located at 113 Seventh Avenue South.

1.5 ounces Espolon Tequila Reposado

.5 ounces Frangelico

.5 ounces Lemon Juice

1 ounce Chile Piquin-Cinnamon Syrup

2 dashes Wormwood Bitters

Directions: Shake ingredients together and strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with a lemon twist. Drink, preferably through the mouth hole of a skull mask.

Drink of the Week: Haru's Silk Lantern

What’s our favorite thing about this week’s featured cocktail? Yep, it’s yummy, but we really like the fact that it’s only $7.50 during Haru’s happy hour (that means we can get two of them, natch). The drink is made with Calpico, which is a non-carbonated Japanese soft-drink that’s popular to use as a mixer. It’s a tad milky and there are hints of vanilla in the mix. If you do head over for happy hour, you can also enjoy some deals on the grub – sushi rolls start at the super-cheap price of $3.50. If you want to try mixing up one of these at home, check out the recipe below:

The Silk Lantern

1.5 oz sake (light/fruity)

1 oz nigori sake

1oz vodka

1.5 oz Calpico

Splash soda

Lychee garnish

Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice.  Shake and pour over strainer into cocktail glass.  Add splash of soda. Serve straight up with garnish or two or three lychees on a bamboo skewer.

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.

Drink of the Week: Rosa Mexicano's Margarita Francesa

Ahhh, heritage – forging unique identities, creating a tangible sense of community, giving us an excuse to get blasted. September 15th marks the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month – we actually weren’t aware of the annual event, but who cares. The Rosa Mexicano restaurants are pouring a specialty cocktail for the occasion. They’ve teamed up with Grand Marnier to launch the Margarita Francesca, a take on the classic cocktail that switches up the normal measures of liquor so you’re left with more Marnier and less tequila. Heritage never tasted so good. Recipe below:

Margarita Francesa

Served at Rosa Mexicano in honor of the 25^th anniversary for National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15)

1.5 oz Grand Marnier
1 oz Alma Tequila
1 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Orange Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup

Combine Grand Marnier, tequila, lime juice, orange juice and simple syrup in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Strain into a tall glass with ice and garnish with an orange wheel and lime wedge.

Mary Queen of Scots Pouring Alexander McQueen Cocktail

On September 8, New York fashion lovers will come together for the annual Fashion’s Night Out. The evening celebrates NYC Fashion Week and, if previous years are any indication, it will be mobbed. Plenty of people use it as an excuse to go shopping and score some great deals, but we really just see it as another reason to go out and drink. And isn’t it nice that some city bars are obliging with specialty cocktails that will be served throughout the day. Downtown Scotch house Mary Queen of Scots will pour one inspired by Alexander McQueen – if you couldn’t force yourself to wait in the epic lines to see the show, think of this as a substitute of sorts. If you want to stop by and try the fashionable beverage, Mary is located at 115 Allen Street. If you want to get creative and try this at your home bar – check out the below.

The McQueen

On the menu at Mary Queen of Scots; and created by head barman, John McCarthy.

1 oz. The Glenrothes Select Reserve

1 oz. Mezcal

1/2oz dark agave syrup

1 dash orange bitters

1 dash chocolate bitters

Stirred and poured into a couple glass. Garnish with grapefruit twist.