And this was just the preview folks!

As a lover, part time slinger and part time geek of the cocktail, I was in good "spirits" all weekend for the preview of the 1st Annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic. We reveled in libations and watched the Official Bar in the Astor Center pump out cocktails from some of the most talented cocktail cats in the country.

The preview weekend to the Manhattan Cocktail classic, a festival of seminars and tastings with a goal of preserving the history, culture and art of the cocktail gave us just a touch of what the full 5 day event will be like in May. Attendees got a chance to see, hear and taste with the thought leaders and tastemakers of the cocktail and spirit industry as they talked about some of their favorite points of the culture through seminars. I dipped into the "Cocktails for Your Home Cocktail Party" seminar with Sasha Petraske and picked up a few great tips for the next time I entertain at home. I imagine the avid consumer found this seminar really exciting as he went through lots of great little tips on things such as the quality of ice as well as specifics on counts per person when hosting a cocktail party and how to properly use your bar tools. Out in the main bar area, I got a chance to chat with folks like David Wondrich, Dale DeGroff and even cracked a joke with Gary Regan at his book release party that was held at the new Crosby hotel.

The kicker of the weekend was the gala that was held in the gorgeous New York Public library's Grand Astor Hall. 12 bars represented by different brands and again bartenders from the most established cocktail joints were in full sling for our sipping pleasure. My lovely date and I sipped on whiskey cocktails all night and danced to the big band jazz sounds of Vince Giordano and the Nighthawks.

It was a fancy affair for the cocktail scene and I was happy to be a part of it. Can't wait for May's events!

At your service,

The Boulevardist

p.s....thanks to MetroMix for the fancy photo

A Liquid Concerto in 4 parts

As I continue on my mission to spread the word of where to get a good cocktail with Nirvino, an online network for cocktail and wine enthusiasts, I share with you a quick recap of my latest cocktail tasting event.





This last Tuesday Nirvino Ambassadors got a real treat once again in Midtown for another Ambassador cocktail review. We had the pleasure this time to experience Rouge Tomate, a beautifully airy and fairly new restaurant thats received lots of buzz for addressing social and environmental issues and seeking out farmers who provide local and seasonal produce. They've developed innovative cooking techniques that ignite the natural flavors while heightening the nutritional value of each dish. Now you put that same philosophy into cocktails and your cocktail just isnt the same anymore.

We were set up in their lower level cocktail lounge StirRed where mixologist Rain Lampariello formerly of Lever House conducted a symphony of flavor and gave us some education on their cocktail philosophy.

We imbibed a 4 course cocktail tasting menu that included a mini Moscow Mule as a palette cleanser and led into the 3 main cocktails of the evening.


Heres what the Ambassadors had to say about them.

Annie S. takes a sip of the Electric Honeydew and gets a lil dreamy "Sweet and sumptuous honeydew melon gets an electric kick in infused gin form. A genius combination with mint tea and honey as the inspiration. Fresh and spiky and shockingly pleasurable...like an icicle in August."

Josh B. goes far east and beyond with the Singapore Sling-"Malaysia with its strict Islamic liquor laws and gorgeous brothels make this drink a little mysterious. It was bold with cold blocks of ice and that helps in NY sweltering weather. My friend Liz had never been to to Asia but after one drink, when she hopped into the cab and yelled, Singaore, Buster!"...woah.

Dylan B. gets inspired by the Tequila Maria-"Drinking this is like picking vegetables from your own backyard garden that grows some of the best tomatoes, basil, and peppers. But rather than using those vegetables for a fresh caprese salad, mix their juices with tequila and you've now got your garden in a glass. Zesty, spicy, and fresh."





There you have it again folks. There's a story in every fine crafted cocktail and theres a place to talk about it.


What was your last great cocktail experience like and where did it take you?

As always, I invite you to sip and tell www.nirvino.com

for more info on Rouge Tomate: http://rougetomatenyc.com/

At your service,

The Boulevardist

Monkeys, Cocktails and Emotions

This past Tuesday marked another installment of the Nirvino Ambassador Cocktail Review. As we build our cocktail community here in NY we’re also venturing out of our box we call downtown in search for tasty drinks. Ambassadors and guests got to once again take part in creating the first online menu of all the best drinks New York has to offer. Beekman Bar and Books was the perfect spot for this stop for Bols Genever Cocktails. Known for its fine whiskies and cigars this libation pad also has a running theme of monkeys carved in wood and in artwork all throughout the space. Perfect.







Mixologist, Ben Scorah of Beekman Bar and Books created the tasty cocktails for the evening, including the Holland Razorblade which is currently on their menu. As we opened the Nirvino gates for on-site reviews it was also the other cocktails on the menu, the Dutch Blood and Sand and the Green Apple Infused Old Fashioned that equally captured the palettes and emotions of some of our Ambassadors. Might we have another potential Bols Genever cocktail for the menu?? Heres what they had to say.

Matthew L. calls the Dutch Blood & Sand "an explosion of flavor.This is one pinkish colored drink that I will display proudly as I enjoy it!"


Nicole T. says the Holland Razorblade is: "Like biting into a citrus fruit while looking out the window through a sheer curtain at the end of summer . . . Light, refreshing, and sexy. And before the sipping experience even began, I was dazzled by the constellation of cayenne pepper sprinkled on the surface."


And Selena R. says "This one's all about the baked apple bitters, giving the sophisticated Bols a warm autumn punch. Is it fall yet?" referencing the Green Apple Infused Old Fashioned

Folks as you see, a cocktail is not just a drink. It’s also a gateway to fantastic imagery and sensation all contained in a pretty little glass.

So as we continue our quest for Nirvino, I invite you to Sip and Tell.

for more info on the Bols Genever and Beekman Bar and Books:
http://www.bolsgenever.nl/
http://www.barandbooks.cz/beekman/


At your service,
The Boulevardist

Tales of the Cocktail 2009

Well folks I’ve finally come back to earth from my first trip to the “Tales of the Cocktail” festival and it was by far one of the funnest and craziest “work” trips I’ve taken in a long time. I had the good fortune of attending the festival as media through Nirvino which brought on a whole slew of benefits including access to some of the hottest parties of the week. See random pics below.

Work is play.

New Orleans, Louisiana is the annual host to the internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine, and culture, Tales of the Cocktail. This event brings together the best and brightest of the cocktail community — award-winning mixologists, authors, bartenders, chefs, and designers — for a five-day celebration of the history and artistry of drink making. Each year offers a spirited series of dinners, demos, tastings, competitions, seminars, book signings, tours, and parties; all perfectly paired with some of the best cocktails ever made. Basically lots of drinking.
As part of my “work” at Tales, I arranged 2 interviews, first with Kathy Casey, one of the first female executive chefs in the country, a TV and radio personality, author of 9 cookbooks including her latest “Sips and Apps”, mixologist and a few more tricks up her sleeve. Second was exceptionally eccentric as well as the man known for keeping the splendors of the Edwardian era alive through his curiously decorated Hotel Estates in Notting Hill and his oblivious take on changes in society as a whole. Mr Miller was accompanied by his Co-creative director David Bromige who did most of the talking.

As this was the first time I were to interview anyone for anything I was very excited and somewhat nervous. As I built my list of questions specifically directed towards the industry I realized that I would just be one of the many bloggers asking the same questions and getting the same answers. That doesn’t make a Boulevardist. I realized that the people I’m looking to reach are outside of the industry so I decided to look to my fellow Nirvino Ambassadors for questions they would ask from the outside looking in.

The following are a few questions and my interpretation of their answers.

Matt S asks: "for those of us who don't use bitters often, what liquors and flavors would bitters best compliment?
Kathy Casey: With her array of different bitters she looks at using them with any spirit as you would in cooking any meat or fish. She likes to think of them as the salt, pepper or even soy sauce of cocktail mixology. So it all works and should be played with.

Catherine P asks: "I have a theory that the rise of cocktail culture might curb alcoholism because cocktail culture, in my opinion isn't about "getting wasted". It is a slightly more cerebral pursuit that includes being present, savoring, and appreciating a craft. Do you think this theory has validity and/or has potential to create a new respect for alcohol?
Martin Miller/David Bromige: (jokingly)"Well first of all, it takes longer to get wasted because the cocktails take longer to make so your forced to be cerebral about it". As a spirit that's been around for 10 years, they had to reestablish tradition and not just be a trendy spirit. They didn't want to pay to play like other big brands but rather focus on expressing the fine details of crafting their gin and let that hold as their style and fashion. They understand the the cocktail culture has been rapidly growing and because you are sipping crafted cocktails that at times will cost more, they believe that there is more appreciation and time taken to enjoying them as well as promoting more conversation in between.

Neil G asks:"I would like to hear about their favorite cocktails or any trick of the trade.
Kathy Casey: Although she's a trend forecaster, coming up with ideas that turn into tradition such as the lime in a corona is a big part of what drives her thinking process. She suggests an alternate with Asian food, a cucumber slice with a Tsingtao(its actually good!) Also, when you sit at a sushi bar you have all the fish displayed right in front of you while the chef preps your dish. Why don't these new cocktail bars use the same equipment practice? This could be a new trick in display well as keeping the fresh ingredients fresh.

As I am in this to serve I feel that this is the best way to understand what the consumer thinks and this industry can close into its own club at times forgetting the main reason why they're in it. To make money. Wheres the money to be made if you're only catering to your own colleagues and industry associates?

and now for some random "shots" of the craziness...

Funeral service for the "Red Headed Slut"cocktail

Don Q Mixologist Esteban Ordonez with the Nitrogen tank in a W Hotel suite!








At your service,

Tomas

Cocktailing 2.0 is in effect

This past Tuesday Nirvino took over the back lounge of Public for its first official Happy Hour event in New York. Public, a 2 level bakery in its past life, now showcases a themed setting designed to evoke public institutions like schools and libraries. Their wine and cocktail menu is as creatively expressive as their food, fusing ingredients from all over Asia to down under Australia. At the happy hour, a handful of Ambassadors on hand mingled with newcomers, giving them the lowdown on Nirvino and its new way of "drink and tell". The latest innovation to the Happy Hour events was a live "tweet" feed projected on the wall. The feed shared twitters and reviews instantly with everyone at the event and live in cyberspace.

There were sure signs of spring fever in the air as we sipped wines and cocktails from Public's current menu. Mary W. says of the Pear and Lemongrass Fizz, "The smell is zesty and sweet. Can I take a bath in it? :) I would most definitely order this for a long sunday brunch. Maybe I would order a few."

The Red Chili Guava Margarita set the event on fire as Sarah S. shouted, "Wow! I wore my pink pumps on the right night! The red chili is HOT. I loved the extra kick before you hit the guava. Feeling hot hot hot!" and Zarina N. said, "Delicious! I would love to serve this at a party and see the friends' reactions. Hot!" She's already thinking of parties!

A special thanks goes out to the crew at Public who kept our guests on schedule with the tastings and a special shout goes out to Mary behind the bar who not only shook the cocktails on point but also found time to jump out and mingle too.

Who would have thought that wine and cocktails could spark such fever? I guess it all goes down on the quest for Nirvino.

Stay tuned. They're just getting started New York.

BoBo's New Spring Cocktail Menu...Sip it

I had the pleasure of imbibing with a cast of aficionados and liquor industry folks at Bobo last night for the launch of the spring cocktail menu. Yes folks we're talking springtime and warm season cocktails!!
Sip on this: The Stealth Margarita

Partia Tequila, St Germain, lime and a chili powder rim...its French/Mexican spring in a glass and hardly stealth.


At your service,

The Boulevardist

Fitty Fitty, Spooky and the Elephants

Hello Hello,

This is not another rap band.


Last nights stroll was rather entertaining. Started off meeting a good friend for cocktails at famous Pegu Club in soho. I had the pleasure of sipping on what is called the Fitty-Fitty. This delicious cocktail was a spin on the classic Gin martini but the Gin to Dry vermouth was of course... 50/50. Added to that was a few drops of orange bitters that appeared simple but gave it complexity to ponder on. A contemporary remix of a sophisticated cocktail. We were soon joined by another friend who turned out to be a cocktail lover as well so we had a nice chat on all the interesting things happening in the cocktail world. Cocktail lovers are out there and we're multiplying daily...Nirvino.


We then cruised on over to Le Poisson Rouge where the tank in the entrance had orange fish in it...Ba-dum-bum. There the 6th edition of Pecha Kucha NY was held. This was my first time and I was very curious. Its goes like this(edited from their website):

They invite a dozen creative professionals working across a variety of fields to present 20 slides for 20 seconds each on whatever topic the speaker pleases. This format keeps presentations concise, interest levels up, and gives more people the chance to show their work and speak about their interests. Pecha Kucha is a Japanese phrase that translates as “the sound of conversation.” Pecha Kucha Night was devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham Architecture as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in Tokyo. Due to its popularity, Pecha Kucha Night has spread internationally to over a hundred cities.

There were quite a few topics I found interesting like Eric Sanderson's Mapping Mannahatta where he quickly and concisely talked about the ecological history of Mannahatta aka Manhattan up to what it is today. Did you know that Spring street actually had a spring running through it? The unexpected presentation was by Paul D. Miller aka Dj Spooky the Subliminal Kid. Spooky is one of my favorite Dj's who usually plays his heavy electronic sets with subliminal visuals in the background. Always trippy. His presentation was based on a large scale multimedia performance work that will be an acoustic portrait of a rapidly changing continent called "Terra Nova: Sinfonia Antarctica". Sinfonia Antarctica transforms Miller’s first person encounter with the harsh, dynamic landscape of Antarctica into multimedia portraits with music composed from the different geographies that make up the land mass. It's about the environment, sound, hip hop, electronic music and what it means to be a composer in the 21st century.

Totally "Spooky"

To end the night we met up with more friends to watch the Ringling Brothers circus parade into town. My good friend decided to call 311 for an ETA on the elephants because it was so brrrrick cold and they were half an hour late. The parade finally started around the odd hour of midnight where we got to see a caravan of elephants and clowns stomp their way out of the midtown tunnel and onto 34th street down to Madison Square Garden. It was one of those New York moments you just had to experience even if the thrill lasted a whole 3 minutes.

So there you have it, Fitty-Fitty, Spooky and the Elephants.

At your service,

The Boulevardist

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?