On Saturday, Nov. 6, go Dutch with a "Tour & Taste" brought to you by Rolling Orange Bike Shop, Vandaag and Bols Genever. Meet at 9 a.m at the bike shop at 269 Baltic Street in Cobble Hill, then bike over the Brooklyn Bridge to Manhattan with a stop at the Union Square Greenmarket. Vandaag chef Phillip Kirschen-Clark will lead a walking and tasting tour of the fresh ingredients he's inspired by. Then bike to Vandaag in the East Village for a three-course lunch paired with Bols Genever cocktails mixed up by Katie Stipe, or enjoy a beer or mocktail. Tickets are $45; email tourandtaste@vandaagnyc.com.
Also on Saturday, Nov. 6, and also featuring Bols Genever, there will be a Daylight Savings drink promotion at Louis 649. Enjoy a "Kopstootje"--a tulip glass of Bols Genever, to be slurped alongside a beer, from 11 p.m. to midnight, for a special price. What were you planning on doing with that extra hour, anyway?
You can file this in your mental folder of geeky cocktail trivia: Monday, Nov. 8 just happens to be "Harvey Wallbanger Day." A classed-up screwdriver, the Harvey Wallbanger features vodka, orange juice and Galliano (an Italian liqueur featuring notes of vanilla, juniper, anise and yarrow musk). There are a few stories about how the popular '70s drink got its name, and most seem to agree on a drunken Cali surfer who kept stumbling into walls. Find the classic at Huckleberry Bar and variations at Dram and Clover Club.
If you haven't already secured a ticket for WhiskyFest New York on Tuesday, Nov. 9, you're out of luck--the massive event is sold out. But you can still sip a dram or two at the after-party at Ward III, where after 10 p.m., there will be $5 beer specials, snacks and the possibility of whisk(e)y leftover from the festival for sampling. 111 Reade St., Tribeca.
Casa Mezcal, a ground-level mezcal bar within a three-story property that will soon include a Oaxacan gallery and a basement-level bar/cinema, opened at 86 Orchard St. in early June. Featuring a wide variety of sipping mezcals, including some obscure varieties, the bar also offers a cocktail menu designed by Junior Merino. A Mexican food menu will be added as soon as the gas is turned on, until then complimentary bites include fried grasshoppers and pico de gallo. The mezcaleria is within stumbling distance of two of NYC's most rambunctious cocktail bars--Painkiller and The Randolph--creating a "Cocktailian Bermuda Triangle," if you dare.
Legislation that could have a severe impact on NYC nightlife is on the table. Eater reports that State Senator Daniel Squadron has submitted a bill that would revoke a bar's liquor license if police receive six or more noise or disorder complaints within a 60-day period. This comes on the heels of a bill from Brooklyn Assemblywoman Joan Millman that would impose an 11 p.m. curfew on rooftop and backyard bars on weekends and 10 p.m. on weeknights, as reported in the Wall Street Journal. Let's hope both of these bills go nowhere--NYC nightlife generates renevue that the city can't afford to lose.
Tribeca cocktail den Ward III celebrates its first anniversary this weekend, offering specially-priced cocktails, as reported by NY Barfly. Check out Hendrick's Gin drinks tonight and Maker's Mark tipples tomorrow night.
Speaking of Maker's Mark, the Kentucky distillers will be launching their first new bourbon in 50 years, Maker's 46, next month. Check out blogger DrinkBoston.com's report from Louisville on how the special edition bourbon is made--the secret lies in the seared French oak staves. Retailing for $35, the 46 (named for the fact that it was simply the 46th recipe) will be a toasty addition to any Maker's lover's liquor cabinet.
Sam Mason, formerly chef at now-shuttered SoHo restaurant/cocktail den Tailor, has opened a no-frills dive bar, Lady Jay's, at 633 Grand St. in Williamsburg next to Bushwick Country Club. The bar, which Eater reports is across the street from his apartment, has neither fancy cocktails nor food--just whiskey, beer, shuffle bowling, a jukebox and standard hipster decor--antlers on the walls.
