You’ve probably heard of gin, rum, vodka, bourbon, and tequila. If you’re a little more advanced in the way of cocktails and other spirits, you probably know your way around mezcal, vermouth, and absinthe, too. But there’s a host of other libations with strange-sounding names, like cynar and campari. What the @#$! is this stuff, anyway?
Today, we’re going to demystify Mamajuana.
It all started with a simple question.
“What would you like to drink next?” Mathias, an excellent mixologist at Charlie was a Sinner in Philadelphia, asked Red Rose and me. We had just finished a magical wheatgrass concoction recommended to us by Derek, one of the spot’s regulars, and were hoping to stay on the gin train.
“Something with gin, maybe lemon,” we said decidedly. “Ah, an Aviation,” Mathias replied immediately, and whipped up two Aviation cocktails, placing them in front of us.
As I studied the drink before me, however, I was confused. “Are you sure this is an Aviation?” I asked demurely. “I mean, isn’t it supposed to be blue in color?”
“This is definitely an Aviation,” he nodded vigorously. “Gin, lemon, maraschino. That’s it.” (Note to past self: it’s never a good idea to question your bartender, who generally knows a hell of a lot more about this stuff than you do.)
Still, throughout the next week, our exchange got me thinking about this high-flying libation: How is the Aviation cocktail supposed to be made, and which version tastes the best? Determined to find out, I gathered my books and my buddies—Mr. Five O’Clock, Rachel, Miss Scarlet, and Bourbon Broad—to get to the bottom of this puzzle. What we found on our quest, dear reader, might surprise you.
In the “Booze Buzz” series, we take you to the latest and greatest watering holes throughout the country. Today, we head to U.P. (Unlimited Possibilities), part of Dominique Ansel Kitchen, in Manhattan.
I’m not a morning person. Anyone who knows me knows that I sleep in on weekends and hit the snooze button at least once on weekdays (not a healthy habit, I know). So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’ve never been able to drag myself out of bed for one of Dominique Ansel’s famous cronuts at 7:00 AM. I resigned myself to the idea that I’d never try one of those piping hot baked goods, a mystical cross between a croissant and a doughnut; I figured that if I couldn’t try the Holy Grail of desserts, then why bother visiting the bakery or tasting his other creations at all?
Fortunately, this misguided notion was recently laid to rest. Upon discovering U.P. (Unlimited Possibilities), an after-hours desserts tasting menu at Dominique Ansel Kitchen, and learning that these tasty morsels could be served alongside cocktail pairings designed in consultation with Jim Meehan of PDT (Please Don’t Tell) fame, Mr. Five O’Clock and I immediately booked a reservation for March 11.
Warning: spoilers ahead; if you don’t want to know what happens before you go, stop reading now!
You’ve probably heard of gin, rum, vodka, bourbon, and tequila. If you’re a little more advanced in the way of cocktails and other spirits, you probably know your way around mezcal, vermouth, and absinthe, too. But there’s a host of other libations with strange-sounding names, like cynar and campari. What the @#$! is this stuff, anyway?
Today, we’re going to demystify Chartreuse.
In the “Booze Buzz” series, we take you to the latest and greatest watering holes throughout the country. Today, we head to Le Boudoir in Brooklyn.
I certainly have my share of guilty pleasures—some that I can readily admit (crack pie from Momofuku Milk Bar) and others that are probably best kept to myself (Monday night viewings of “The Bachelor”).
These, however, pale in comparison to my laughable weakness for themed dining and drinking experiences (just ask my parents, who took me to Rainforest Cafe countless times as a kid, or my co-workers, who mercifully agreed to a late-night dinner at the Ninja restaurant in Tribeca two months ago). So when an e-mail popped up in my inbox in early February about a Marie Antoinette-themed speakeasy that had just opened in Brooklyn Heights, I needed only .1755 seconds before deciding that I had to check it out.