Tuesday, February 10, 2009

A New Chapter in Cocktail Culture







5 nights in a row of indulging in one of my favorite activities…Cocktailing. And so you know Im aware of it, the word cocktail will show up a few more times in this entry...cocktails-cocktails-cocktails.

Last week was dedicated to ushering in what I believe will be a new phase in the cocktail culture here in New York. Nirvino, a startup out of San Francisco promises to make the average diner and cocktailer more educated and involved when it comes to what they choose to drink. It also lets them share new information with their friends and develop new relationships with other enthusiasts. I had the pleasure of hosting a soft launch for Nirvino at Madam Geneva in the East Village. The guest list was a short but concentrated group of industry brand reps, mixologists, magazine writers and bloggers and of course fellow cocktail lovers. Having the event as Phil of Nirvino and I discussed, in a cocktail lounge that chose to create a simple concept with their cocktails (preserved jam cocktails in 3 different flavors served with either Gin or Vodka) to represent their unique style mirrored the fresh idea of the Nirvino vision and staying true to their core. We imbibed these delicious jam cocktails made with 42 Below Vodka (special thanks to Paul Franich) and also had custom cocktail ice spheres sent in just for the event. It was a great space with fun people and tasty cocktails.

As the week carried on we indulged in more of what the New York cocktail scene has to offer. Special thanks to:

*Esteban at Apotheke who gave us a 101, 102 and 103 on mixology as well as a flaming version of his Sweet and Vicious.

*Justin at Pranna would hosted us for a Pranna cocktail tasting Wednesday and then shaked up Cabana Cachaca cocktails for another Nirvino event. My favorite was the Winter Spice, a warm-spiced wine cocktail.

*Marcie at Madam Geneva who held down the bar for the 2-hour blitz of our 40+ guests

* "Sweetie" our server at Employees Only (she asked that I call her that), who was well versed in the cocktail menu.

I think I’m going to take a short break now...
...Okay, where next?

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