File Under: Hot Dates

• Burlesque icon Dita Von Teese will celebrate the launch of her Cointreau "MargaDita" cocktail at Los Feliz tomorrow, May 5 for Cinco de Mayo. Drop in from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. and try the drink for $10.
• Saturday, May 7 is the Kentucky Derby, otherwise known as "wear-a-big-hat-and-drink-mint-juleps" day, and there are a number of horse race festivities stampeding about town. In Midtown, The Rum House is showing the race (at 6:04 p.m. sharp), serving Maker's Mark mint juleps in cups you can keep, and offering traditional Derby food gratis from 5 to 7 p.m. In Park Slope, The Bell House is having a free party from 1 to 8 p.m. with $6 mint juleps, squaredancing, food by Urban Rustic, prizes for best hat and best sharp dressed man, and after the race, live band karaoke with Bunnie England and the New Originals. In Williamsburg, Brooklyn Winery is hosting a party with endless Maker's Mark mint juleps, wine and beer from 5 to 8 p.m. (tickets are $50). And in Windsor Terrace, Double Windsor is awarding a $50 bar tab to whomever guesses the winning horse.
• On May 11, Zagat and Gilt City are co-hosting an evening of luxurious tastes at "Les Bon Temps Rouler" at Maison Premiere in Williamsburg. Your $115 ticket gets you limitless absinthe cocktails and at least six different varieties of oysters, not to mention king crab, lobster, shrimp and other fruits de mer. As an added treat, guest bartenders Aaron Gregory Smith and Brandon Joise from San Francisco's 15 Romolo will join Maison's beverage director, Maxwell Britten, behind the bar.

The Cointreau MargaDita 1.5 oz Cointreau 1.5 oz silver tequila 1 oz fresh lime juice 1/2 oz Monin Rose Syrup 1 pinch chipotle spice Mix all ingredients into a cocktail shaker filled with ice.  Shake vigorously and pour into a chilled coup glass.  Garnish with floating organic yellow rose petals.  For an added kick, add a chipotle and salt rim.

Elsewhere in the Liquiverse...

• Results of the groundbreaking Ultimate Cocktail Challenge are in, determining which gin works best in extra dry martinis (Tanqueray London Dry!), which rum makes the best mojitos (Don Q Cristal!), which cognac makes slammin' Sidecars (Remy Martin VSOP!), etc. Expert judges included mixology superstars Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Jacques Bezuidenhout, Julie Reiner, Steve Olson, Audrey Saunders, Tad Carducci, Doug Frost, Andy Seymour, Don Lee, Jim Meehan, Sean Ludford, and F. Paul Pacult. Judges blind-tasted the spirits in cocktails mixed meticulously by Willy Shine, Aisha Sharpe, Sean Hoard and Lindsay Nader. Congrats to the winners!
• The Lucky Rice Festival, kicking off with a cocktail bash at Bowery Hotel tomorrow and running through May 2, is a celebration of Asian food and drink. Star chefs lined up for the festival include Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Daniel Boulud, David Chang, Anita Lo, Floyd Cardoz, Zak Pelaccio, Eric Ripert, and Pichet Ong.
• This Saturday, May 1, Derby Day parties are planned at Rye House, Bell House, and perhaps, your house? Exclusive invite-only racing day parties also take place at Eleven Madison Park and Clover Club.
• While the rest of us attend Cinco de Mayo fiestas, lots of lucky rum aficonados will head south for the Miami Rum Renaissance Festival, May 5-9. Sugarcane spirits get all the attention with events including a tiki cocktail competition, sipping seminars, and pool parties--can you tell I'm jealous?!
• Speaking of rum, NYC has a brand-new Cuban rum bar, Cienfuegos, from Ravi DeRossi, an owner of nearby Death & Co. and Mayahuel. The punch-heavy cocktail program by Charlotte Voisey includes tipples such as the Hemingway-inspired "A Moveable Feast" (Mount Gay Eclipse Silver, Dolin Blanc Vermouth, lime juice, dry French cider, Regan's bitters, and nutmeg). The ornate decor, reminiscent of a jewelry box, is sure to attract stylish characters to 95 Avenue A. 
• And you have until May 10 to create the best Catdaddy Carolina Moonshine cocktail for a contest that will send three finalists to Tales of the Cocktail!

The "56" Julep from Wild Turkey

2.5 oz Wild Turkey 101 3 sprigs of mint (six to eight mature-sized leaves) 1.5 tsp brown sugar .5 cup crushed ice

In a traditional silver julep cup or double-old fashioned glass, muddle two sprigs of mint with the brown sugar and one ounce of Wild Turkey 101 for a few minutes, crushing the mint leaves with a spoon. Add the crushed ice, the remaining bourbon, and garnish with sprig of mint. Enjoy!

File Under: Hot Dates

 

• Just when you thought the Manhattan Cocktail Classic couldn't get soaked with any more liquids, hometown heroes The Tippling Point have gone and put together an event that actually floats--on New York Harbor, specifically. Tickets for "The Three Hour Tour," as it's been dubbed, went on sale today, and they are moving fast. The booze cruise aboard the Royal Princess Cruise Liner at sunset on May 16 will feature a live band and DJ, live ice carving by Shintaro Okamoto, and five cocktails by some of the best bartenders in the states:  Jacqueline Patterson of Heaven’s Dog (San Francisco), Thomas Waugh of Death & Co. (NYC), John Lermayer of The Florida Room (Miami), Richard Boccato of Dutch Kills & Painkiller (NYC) and Danny Valdez of Cure (New Orleans).  Moet Hennessy USA is sponsoring (10 Cane Rum, Ardbeg Scotch, Grand Marnier, Belvedere Vodka, and Hennessy), so you might as well be screaming "I'm a boat" the entire time. To make this happen, Jason Littrell teamed up with Gianfranco Verga, Tad Carducci, and Paul Tanguay to form the company The Tippling Point. Come through for this, the Gala, and of course, the Tastemaker's Punch, and you'll have your party points for the year--not to be missed! Use code TONY for 25 percent off on all Manhattan Cocktail Classic events!
• May 1 means Derby Day, the quintessential day to sip a mint julep and wear a hat for at least two minutes. This year is the 135th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, and with the resurgence in brown spirits it seems like a lovely reason to celebrate. Most recipes call for bourbon, but Harry Johnson's 1888 recipe with brandy and a dash of Jamaican rum, copied below, sounds equally as delicious.
• On May 3 and 4, bartenders from all over will converge in NYC to take a master class in Japanese cocktail technique from Kazuo Uyeda.  The most famous bartender in Japan, Kazuo is author of "Japanese Cocktail Technique," which is being released for the first time in English by Cocktail Kingdom/Mud Puddle Books, sponsors of the event. Two days of rigorous education (including hard shake demonstrations) take place at Hiro Ballroom in Chelsea, where everyone will also let off steam with Suntory cocktails the night of May 4. Contact christina@cocktailkingdom.com for ticket requests.
• And wow, what a difference a year makes--on May 13, we celebrate World Cocktail Day! The day marking the first public mention of the word "cocktail," this date also commemorates the first full year of The Dizzy Fizz! Coincidentally, I have the same birthday as one of the best cocktail culture blogs on the West Coast, Thirsty in LA. Since NYC is the place to be this month, Thirsty in LA's Daniel Djang will actually be here and we're going to celebrate our "blogiversary" together! Deets to come!

Mint Julep, adapted from Harry Johnson, "New & Improved Illustrated Bartender's Manual:"

Serving vessel: a glass.

1/2 oz. sugar 2 oz. water or seltzer 3 to 4 sprigs of mint

Muddle mint in the sugar and water to extract the flavor of the mint, then remove and discard the mint.

Add:

6 oz. brandy

Fill with shaved ice, stir. Garnish with a mint leaf, berry, pineapple and orange.

Add:

1 dash Jamaican rum.

Sprinkle with sugar, serve with a straw.