Dizzy Recap: Day Two of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic

Photo by Sam Meyer of Cocktailians.com

"The Sunday Mercury says that if you are at a hotel, and wish to call for a beverage compounded of brandy, sugar, absynthe, bitters, and ice, called by the vulgar a cocktail, ask for une queue de chanticleer--it will be an evidence at once of your knowledge of French and of Chesterfield."-- The New Orleans Daily Picayune, February 2, 1843, p.2 [Transcribed by David Wondrich]

[Better late than never:]

Day two of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (and by day, I really mean an afternoon that stretched into a late night) was a never-ending smorgasboard of boozy deliciousness capped off with a glittering gala that everyone is still talking about.

My afternoon began innocently enough with David Wondrich's seminar, "History of the Cocktail in New York, 1810-1920." The handout given out prior to the event innocently read, "liquid exhibits will be served." Actually, five re-created artifacts were served, and given their potency, those pre-Prohibitioners were no nancies when it came to getting their imbibe on. Beginning with the circa-1820 "Willard's Gin Cock-tail," a simple mix of genever (Holland gin), a lump of sugar, bitters, ice, and grated nutmeg, to the "Modern Cocktail" served in 1910 (scotch, sloe gin, absinthe, lemon juice, simple syrup, and bitters), it was interesting to learn how early bartenders became inspired by foreign influences, such as the French with their vermouth and the Japanese with their flavored syrups. I especially enjoyed the "Manhattan Club Manhattan," circa-1870 (1 1/2 oz. rye whisky, 1 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth, dash orange bitters, and lemon peel garnish). Clearly, there's a reason why this classic cocktail, the first to use vermouth, has stood the test of time--it's empowering and delicious.

The empowerment continued at the official bar at Astor Center, where I guzzled a frothy "Great Lawn Sour" pisco sour mixed by Jeremy Thompson of Raines Law Room, followed by an exclusive tasting of Jason Kosmas' Employees Only-brand grenadine and lime cordial, to be released early next year. Made from organic ingredients with a carefully-tuned viscosity ideal for hard shaking, I predict that these modifiers will be on many a cocktail menu next spring.

After a much-needed rejuvenation nap and change into my party dress, I made way for the New York Public Library where the Manhattan Cocktail Classic's main event, the "Spectacular" gala, drew a crowd of 1,000 willing to shell out $100 per ticket. Most attendees chose Gatsby-esque or 19th century wear, sipping drinks from more than a dozen bars. Sponsors included Absolut Vodka, Maker's Mark, Hendrick's Gin, Crop Organic Vodka, Ketel One Vodka, Tanqueray Gin, Don Q Rum, Gran Marnier, Bombay Dry Gin, Bacardi Rum, Aperol, Zacapa Rum, Bulleit Bourbon, Don Julio Tequila, and Solerno Blood Orange Liqueur. There was also a massive amount of delicacies on hand, including an oyster bar, roasted suckling pigs, smoked fish from Russ & Daughters, and cheeses from Stinky Bklyn. Swing dancing and swanky hobnobbing were the order of the night--this was an event not to be missed! (But if you did, you better be on the lookout for the grand event happening May 14-18!)

Dizzy Recap: Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Day One

A cocktail should be consumed quickly, "while it's still laughing at you"--Harry Craddock, American bartender and author of "The Savoy Cocktail Book," circa 1930.

Of all of the bustling corners in America where working men and women have enjoyed a stiff tipple since the early 19th Century, no metropolis has done more for the history of the cocktail than New York City [hey, David Wondrich said it, not me],  so it was fitting that this past weekend's Manhattan Cocktail Classic preview went off without a hitch. There's so much to digest (believe me, my liver is still working on it) from all of the seminars, tastings, and parties, that it's hard to believe that this was just a two-day affair. Based on the success of the weekend, I can't imagine how much of a knockout the grand event, taking place May 14-18, will be.

On day one, I arrived at Astor Center just in time to sit in on "Have Cocktail Shaker, Will Travel," led by Charlotte Voisey of Hendrick's Gin, Simon Ford of Plymouth Gin, and St. John Frizell of Redhook bar Fort Defiance. This seminar covered the enthralling period when New York mixologists took their craft overseas, both before, during, and after Prohibition. Before the 1920s, bartending was taken very seriously in the States, and mixologists had a much-respected, if not celebrity status that was well-received across the world. Charlotte spoke of London's reverence for cocktails during the Prohibition era, and how American bartenders came over and loosened things up a bit, especially Harry Craddock who was head bartender at the American Bar at the Savoy Hotel during the 1920s and 1930s. Since Craddock is believed to have created the "White Lady," that was our first cocktail of the seminar (gin, Cointreau, lemon juice). Simon followed with stories about "Professor" Jerry Thomas, considered the father of American mixology, who brought his showman style of bartending across the U.S. and Europe before settling back in New York in the 1860s. To commemorate Thomas, we drank the gin "Daisy" (gin, orgeat syrup, maraschino, lemon juice). Then St. John Frizell gave an enthusiastic account of the life of Charles H. Baker Jr., a traveling bon vivant famous for writing "The Gentleman's Companion Vo. I & II"  in 1939.  St. John has done extensive research into Baker's life and offered insight into how the writer used his inheritance money to travel the world on round-the-world cruises that were popular for featuring "flapper pirate"-themed parties. Baker, who hung out with the likes of Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, recorded better than anyone the exotic recipes of what people were drinking and eating during his time. We tried one such concoction, the "Barbados Buck" (rum, ginger beer, lime juice), which was a tropical number, indeed.

After a much-needed lunch with a few of the ladies of LUPEC NYC, I returned for another round of seminars, starting with Sasha Petraske's "Cocktails for Your Home Cocktail Party." Sasha's primary message was that if you are going to throw a decent cocktail party, you must have decent ice. For proper cocktails, the storebought bag of ice or the ice cube trays that have absorbed the flavors of the contents of your freezer (God forbid, fishsticks) will simply not suffice. Sasha recommends cleaning out your freezer in advance, making an ice block using a plastic tray, cracking the ice before your shindig, and then refreezing it until used. Other factors to take into consideration are the amount of glassware you will need, your dishwashing capacity, and how much liquor to buy (expect to serve five drinks per guest, if you're throwing a rager). Sasha explained one easy way to keep glasses chilled during a cocktail party--employ a 19th Century method of creating a grid of glasses on top of a bar table, filling the first row with ice water and the second row with ice. By the time you need the glasses in the second row, the ice will have melted into ice water, which you can then toss before filling with the cocktail. Other tips and tricks: have four to six cocktail shaker sets on hand (as well as citrus peelers, bar spoons, citrus knives, and julep strainers), keep juice as fresh as possible by squeezing small (no more than 12-oz.) batches at a time, and for goodness sakes, taste your drinks before you serve them to guests. As examples of drinks that could easily be served at a home cocktail party, we tried the "Bee's Knees" (gin, honey syrup, lemon juice) and the "Silver Fizz" (gin, egg white, superfine sugar, soda water, lemon juice). It was great to hear Sasha admit that when Milk & Honey first opened, drinks were made so meticulously that some customers waited up to 20 minutes for their drinks, which he now regrets. "No drink in the world is worth waiting 20 minutes for," he said.

I then caught the tail end of "The Many Faces of Cognac and Armagnac" with F. Paul Pacult, Charlotte Voisey, and Julie Reiner. Cognac and Armagnac, France's legendary brandies, use virtually the same grape varieties but are made differently. Cognac’s wines are turned into spirit through double distillation in an old-style pot still, while Armagnac is distilled only once in an unusual still that is a hybrid of a pot and a column still. I arrived just in time to try Julie's Cognac cocktail (Martell Cordon Bleu Cognac, Calvados Apple Brandy, sherry, Gran Marnier, orange bitters) and Charlotte's Armagnac cocktail (Armagnac, apricot jam, orgeat syrup, Solerno blood orange liqueur, lemon juice, orange bitters), which were both delicious.

Downtime was spent at the event's official bar at Astor, where more than a dozen different cocktails were served each day, mixed by ROGUE Events' who's-who of bartending in NYC and beyond. This was also a great place to meet friends old and new, and to try a few new spirits. Compass Box Brand Ambassador Robin Robinson offered me an exclusive taste of Spice Tree, which officially launches later this month. Controversial for its non-traditional Scotch-making process (formerly the use of French Oak inner staves), Spice Tree is now made using three different levels of toasting on the French Oak barrel heads, offering  layers of complexity. The long finish was rich, boldly spicy, and warming, which was perfect for the rainy day. I also enjoyed a taste of Skinos Mastiha Spirit, a clear malt spirit made from the aromatic sap collected from mastiha, or mastic, trees on the Greek island of Chios. Uniquely nectar-like without being cloyingly sweet, the Skinos has a shochu-like mouthfeel with a subtly floral finish.

As if that weren't enough imbibing for the day, the evening's festivities were not to be missed. The brand-spaking-new Crosby Street Hotel (79 Crosby St.) was host to the launch party for Gary "Gaz" Regan's latest book, "The Bartender's Gin Compendium." Libations, sponsored by Plymouth Gin and Beefeater London Dry Gin, were mixed by Jamie Gordon, Chris Patino, and Dan Warner. I was stoked to have my copy of Gary's book signed by the man himself, hobnob with spirits writers from Imbibe magazine and the Village Voice, as well as chat a bit with Dale de Groff, "King of Cocktails."

Keep an eye out for my round-up of day two of the Cocktail Classic, coming soon. I offer a hat-tip and curtsy to Lesley Townsend and ROGUE Events for serving 18,000 people over the weekend and organizing such a memorable affair!

Dizzy Recap: Classic & Vintage Artisanal Spirits Launch

Aware that the Tippling Bros. would be in charge of the drink offerings, I was revved up to attend last week's Classic & Vintage Artisanal Spirits launch party at the Classic Car Club of Manhattan hosted by Domaine Select Wine Estates. The Classic & Vintage collection is a line of boutique products including: Averna, G'vine, Death's Door, Tuthilltown, Benromach, Ransom Old Tom Gin, Rhum J.M., and The Bitter Truth Bitters, plus many more. This is an unprecedented collection of rare small-batch gems made available to the masses, greatly due to the increasing interest in classic cocktails.

This event was one of the better-organized cocktail parties I have seen in a while, and the Tippling Bros' (Tad Carducci and Paul Tanguay) event planning skills really shined, as did the stunning collection of classic cars. Tad and Paul are brand ambassadors for the Classic & Vintage collection, and they gathered top mixologists to mix drinks for the event: Danny Valdez (New Orleans), Sean Kenyon (Denver), Misty Kalkofen (Boston), Justin Noel (NYC), Jason Littrell (NYC), Tonia Guffey (NYC), Frank Cisneros (NYC), and Gianfranco Verga (NYC).

One highlight for me was that I got to try Ransom Old Tom Gin for the first time. Created by Sheridan, Ore. winemaker/distiller Tad Seestedt with the input of cocktail historian David Wondrich, Ransom has yet to launch on the shelves of NYC. The gin manages to marry maltiness and herbaceous sweetness (orange, cardamom, juniper) magnificently.

Ransom is based on 18th century distillation and aging methods, and Tad has sought to make the most historically-accurate Old Tom Gin in the world. The base wort uses malted barley to impart a subtle malty sweetness, and the final distillation is run through an alembic pot-still for maximum aromatics. Then the whole batch rests in neutral Pinot Noir barrels for texture and color. The gin has a warm golden tinge to it, and I have to say, I love the apothecary-style bottle design. Sipping it neat was pure pleasure, and I could also imagine it working perfectly in a Martinez.

Dizzy Recap: Bärenjäger Throwdown

Perhaps you have already heard that congratulations are in order to Kevin Diedrich of Clover Club for taking the grand prize at the first-ever Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur New York bärtending competition held earlier this week. His winning drink, "The Bottom Line," featured Bärenjäger with Highland Park 18, Manzilla Sherry, Cio Ciaro, orange bitters, and Angostura bitters. NoHo special-events-only speakeasy Woodson & Ford (643 Broadway) was host to the throwdown, where the vintage parlor decor was upstaged by a life-sized taxidermied black bear. The prop was in reference to the honey liqueur's heritage as a 15th century aid for hunters to lure bears from their dwellings. Made in Germany, the 70 proof vodka-based honey liqueur is made with honey sourced from the Mexican province of Yucatan.

Six New York bartenders competed in two rounds--first up was Neil Grosscup of Country Club, Meaghan Dorman of Raines Law Room, and Kevin. Neil offered "The Limburg," with Bärenjäger, Bols Genever, pressed apple juice, mint, and lemon juice, while Meaghan mixed the honey liqueur with Pimm's No. 1, Rittenhouse Rye, Angostura bitters, and lemon juice for the "Five in the Hive." The second round included Jonathan Pogash of Hospitality Holdings, Bradley Farran of Clover Club, and the people's choice winner, Gerry Corcoran of PDT. Jonathan made "The Bee Sting" with Bärenjäger, Laphroaig, Fernet-Branca, egg white, tangerine juice, and Peychaud's bitters; Bradley mixed the honey liqueur with tequila reposado, lemon juice, Cynar, and crème de cacao for "El Oso Agridulce;" and Gerry whipped up the “Bäre Fizz" with Bärenjäger, Famous Grouse scotch, fig preserves, lemon juice, and egg white, topped with Toasted Lager beer.

The judges for the event certainly knew what they were doing:  mixologist and spirits aficionado Allen Katz of Southern Wine & Spirits; mixology icon Gary Regan of ArdentSpirits.com; cocktail maven Julie Reiner of Clover Club and Flatiron Lounge; one of the foremost spirits trade writers, Jack Robertiello; and Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails, Inc. Judges based scores on taste, appearance, creativity, and overall delivery.

Kevin, whose drink the judges said was "an instant classic," won an all-expense trip paid for two to Oktoberfest 2009 in Munich, Germany. Kevin’s previous bartending experience includes Bourbon and Branch, Michael Mina’s Clock Bar, CASK, Beverage Academy, The Ritz Carleton and Bourbon Steak. Gerry received tickets to the Yankees.   " The Bottom Line" by Kevin Diedrich: ¾ parts Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur 1 ½ parts Highland Park 18 1 part Manzanilla Sherry ¼ parts Cio Ciaro 1 dash orange bitters 1 dash Angostura bitters   Add all ingredients to mixing glass, ice and stir strain into chilled cocktail glass.    “Bäre Fizz" by Gerry Corcoran: .5 parts Bärenjäger Honey Liqueur 2 parts Famous Grouse Scotch 1 part fresh lemon juice 2-3 parts Toasted Lager beer 1 egg white 1 barspoon fig preserves 1 slice of fig for garnish

Dry shake all the ingredients except the lager, add ice, and shake again. Double strain into a chilled highball glass, top with the toasted lager beer and garnish with a slice of fig.