Elsewhere in the Liquiverse…

A new cocktail menu arrives tonight at The Breslin.

• Aisha Sharpe of Contemporary Cocktails unleashes a new cocktail menu at The Breslin at the Ace Hotel tonight. See the full menu below.
• My prediction of “all-tiki-everything” is already coming true–NYC is finally getting a tiki cocktail bar! Food & Wine reports that Painkiller (from Dutch Kills‘ Richard Boccato and Giuseppe Gonzales!) will open at the former site of the East Side Company Bar on Essex Street in March. The bar will combine the vibe of 1970s New York with 1940s tiki culture. Stay tuned!
• If you haven’t seen it yet, PDT’s Jim Meehan was a guest on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon last night, mixing gin tonics and tequila highballs.
• On Wednesday Jan. 13, Benedictine is hosting the finals for it’s “Alchemist of Our Age” cocktail competition celebrating the liqueur’s 500th anniversary. The throwdown takes place at the Hearst Tower in NYC, with Dave Wondrich selecting the winner. First place prize is a stand-alone profile in Esquire‘s March issue. Finalists are: Jackson Cannon (Boston), Damon Dyer (NYC), Brandon Clements (San Francisco), Lynn House (Chicago), and Daniel Victory (New Orleans).
• The cocktail industry was in a tizzy this week over the sudden shortage of Angostura Bitters, a staple product at most bars. Reportedly the plant that makes the secret-formula bitters in Trinidad and Tobago had a brief shutdown.  Many bar managers are either paying exorbitant prices (such as $65 for a 20-oz. bottle) for the bitters, or they have been told it will be weeks before their orders arrive. Expect to see different brands of bitters dashed in your next Manhattan.
• One more reason for cocktail bars to use bottled soda: an International Journal of Microbiology study found half of soda fountains analyzed contained fecal bacteria. Now you know.

The Breslin Cocktails, all $12:

Liquid Swords (rye whiskey, orange curacao, Aperol, Green Chartreuse, with an orange zest)

Lust for Life (gin with lavender syrup, mint, fresh lemon juice, topped with soda water)

Rush of Blood to the Head (prosecco with blood orange liqueur, hibiscus syrup, and lemon zest)

London Calling (vodka with Ribena-Blackcurrant Syrup, fresh lemon juice, topped with prosecco)

Kingdom Come (blended scotch whisky, orange essence, black tea syrup, fresh lemon juice, egg white)

Pablo Honey (blanco tequila with spiced agave nectar and fresh lime juice)

Beggar’s Banquet (bourbon whiskey with maple syrup, fresh lemon juice, aromatic bitters, topped with ale)

Rattle and Hum (rum with spices, brown sugar and butter and hot water)

The Breslin Gin & Tonics:

The Classic (Tanqueray Gin with tonic and a lime)

The Garden Tonic (Hendrick’s Gin with cucumber, celery bitters and tonic)

The Tonic and Grapefruit (Beefeater 24 with grapefruit bitters, tonic and grapefruit zest)

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, Brought to You by ROGUE Events

Aisha Sharpe and Willy Shine of Contemporary Cocktails Inc.

Are you tingling with anticipation for this weekend’s Manhattan Cocktail Classic preview event? While you are deciding which vintage hat to wear, dozens of the industry’s best cocktailians are shopping for ingredients, batching drinks, and plotting your inevitable intoxication. Not only will the Manhattan Cocktail Classic be the first NYC-based cocktail gathering, but the Oct. 3-4 festival will see the launch of ROGUE Events, a merger between two of the country’s most successful cocktail consulting firms, Contemporary Cocktails Inc. and aka wine geek. ROGUE, which is handling logistics for the event, is putting 50 of the best bartenders from around the U.S. to work for the weekend, said Willy Shine, who is co-founder of Contemporary Cocktails with Aisha Sharpe. “I wouldn’t be surprised if close to 10,000 cocktails will be served throughout the weekend,” said Willy, who is so busy at the moment that he barely has a minute to breathe, let alone answer my questions.

Aka wine geek was founded by Steve Olson, one of the top fine beverage experts and writers in the U.S., with the goal to offer consulting and education services that make tasting fun and remove the pretense. Andy Seymour, a star mixologist who has used fresh ingredients in his cocktails long before it became trendy, is Steve’s business partner and a mentor in his own right as a faculty member with BAR (Beverage Alcohol Resource).

Willy Shine and Aisha Sharpe are star mixologists who encourage a culinary approach to mixing drinks. Not only do they create cocktail menus for some of the finest restaurants, bars, and hotels worldwide, they also supervise the BAR program and put on events for top brands and celebrities alike.

Steve Olson

Andy Seymour

Dizzy Recap: Bärenjäger Throwdown

Grand-prize winner Kevin Diedrich, image courtesy of Guestofaguest.com

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.

Bradley Farran of Clover Club

Judges Allen Katz, Aisha Sharpe, and Julie Reiner

People's choice winner Gerry Corcoran of PDT