Congrats to Employees Only!



I have only been to Employees Only once -- and it was way before I was into the cocktail craze or even started this blog. Unfortunately, I didn't have the good sense back then to order a proper sip and the only thing that really made an impression was the fortune teller by the entrance.

But now I have a reason to go back, because this West Village speakeasy was just named Best Cocktail Bar in the World at Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans last month! Click here to see what the guys behind the bar had to say about this well-deserved honor.

And if you can't make it to Employees Only any time soon, consider stirring up the recipe below, a modern take on a classic punch.

The Remedy
By Steve Schneider, Employees Only

1/2 part absinthe (2 cups) (Schneider's prefers Pernod 68 Absinthe - decent price, high proof, very well balanced)
1 part raw sugar syrup (4 cups)*
1 part fresh lime (4 cups)
2 parts filtered water (8 cups)
1 part Champagne (1 bottle)(Schneider's rec: Perrier Jouet Grand Brut for its level of dryness)
1 pound strawberries, sliced
2 long English cucumbers, sliced
3 limes, cut into wheels
grate nutmeg to taste

Take all the ingredients, except the Champagne and nutmeg and place them in a container overnight. The punch and the fruit will soak together nicely overnight. Once ready to serve, add the decorative ice mold** and add punch. Top off with the Champagne and grate nutmeg to taste***

*Sugar syrup: 2 cups of water to every 1 pound of sugar. Heat all ingredients in a saucepan and stir until sugar is dissolved, let cool and bottle.

**Decorative Ice Mold: Purchase any sized bundt pan and fill it up by strategically placing strawberries and cucumbers with ice cubes in the pan before topping it off with water and freezing overnight. This provides a nice large block of ice to keep your punch cold, and as it melts, it will add more fruit to your punch -- it also adds a cool decor element to the table.

***Don't add the Champagne until the end so it doesn't go flat. A note about the fruit that's been sitting in the punch overnight: Schneider likes to discard the original fruit because it can get mushy after sitting overnight and replace it with new, diced fruit small enough so it can comfortably fit in the glass and won't hinder the drinking experience.

Wake Up Sippin'

As I sit here sippin' a double Nespresso cappuccino (my new favorite non-alcoholic drink on a weekend morning), I was reminded that I forgot to post about one of the most brilliant additions to my favorite spirited sip - the Espressotini.

Genius-ness was found at Balthazar (a place I dearly miss for a breakfast since leaving my last job which was located just around the corner. Eggs Florentine, yum...). The drink was the Pradotini (or Pravotini?). The additional twist? A splash of orange vodka which added a delicate hint of citrus to the finish. Devine. Unfortunately, I can't find the recipe anywhere, but if I was gonna give it a shot at home, I'd start with this and adjust accordingly:

Espressotini...inspired by Balthazar
2 oz. espresso
1 oz. Absolut Vanil
1 oz. Grey Gooose L'Orange
1/2 oz. Starbucks Coffee Liqueur

Shake over ice, and strain into a very chilled martini glass.

The Best Of Begins...

Tasting Table NYC just posted its Best of 2010 Cocktail list today. Click here to see who made the cut. This one in particular caught my eye (maybe 'cause I'm off to Texas in about an hour...):

Chupacabra
Courtesy of Fatty 'Cue
1 ounce silver tequila
¾ ounce chile-infused Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur (see Note)
1 ounce fresh watermelon juice
½ ounce fresh lime juice
½ ounce pineapple syrup (see Note)
Ice
1 lime wedge, for garnish

Combine all of the ingredients except the lime wedge in a cocktail shaker. Fill the shaker with ice, shake well and strain into a chilled coupe. Garnish with the lime wedge and serve.

Note: To make the infused Domaine de Canton, open a full bottle of the liqueur, pour off 1 ounce and drop in one long, fresh red chile and three fresh Thai chiles, all stemmed and cut lengthwise. Allow the mixture to stand for at least 24 hours before using. To makes the pineapple syrup, peel, core and quarter one fresh pineapple, then slice into 1/4-inch pieces. Combine the pieces with a quart of raw sugar and a quart of water, bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer until the pineapple turns translucent. Turn off the heat, allow to steep for one hour, then strain out the pineapple and reserve for another use.

Stay tuned for Martini Talk's Best Of 2010 list later next month!

Making it Official

Today is a good day. Not only is it my 5-year anniversary of living and working up in NYC, but Martini Talk is finally "official" according to the United States Patent and Trademark Office - the seal arrived in my mailbox this morning - woo-hoo!

In addition to the two milestones above, there is a also a slew of other reasons to celebrate:

My best friend, Dayna, finally got engaged to her longtime boyfriend and best friend, Dave.
My other best friend, Tracy, is expecting her second child. Here she is with her super-cute Grady.
My awesome brother and his wife Jenn celebrated their 5-anniversary this past week.
My parents are turning 60 and lookin' and feelin' fabulous.
And my boyfriend Charlie and I are moving in together in a couple of weeks.

So tonight, we are kickin' the holiday season off a little early, poppin' some champagne, and mixin' up a few signature sips with our closest friends to celebrate all of the above. Good times :)

Oh and for today's cocktail recipe, I think the Lovely Day -- a blend of Milagro tequila, Ribena blackcurrent syrup, lime juice, and club soda -- from the lobby bar at the Ace Hotel couldn't be a more perfect sip.

Spanish Sips

The other night, I met a friend at one of my very favorite restaurants in New York, Sala 19. This place is one of those rare restaurants in New York City where I feel the urge to visit again and again. It's my go-to place for meeting up with friends, celebrating Big City milestones and first dates (though I happily believe my days of those are long gone...). Sala 19 is sexy, sophisticated, loud, dimly lit, affordable -- and the tapas are so damn good.


For drinks, I usually get the red sangria, but the other night, bartender Joe concocted up his own specialty for us, the El Halcon, a smooth blend of Hendrick's Gin, St. Germain, grapefruit bitters, a splash of cranberry (for color). Once all the ingredients are shaken and poured into a martini glass, Joe singed and orange peel with a match to give this sip a smokey flavor. The finishing touch? Topping the whole thing off with some bubbly cava. Salut!

Sips from The Knot Gala

This past week, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of The Knot at an amazing gala at the New York Public Library (check out all the pics here). Of course, no party is complete without a menu of signature cocktails, so we called upon the Cocktail Guru himself, Jonathan Pogash, who just launched his Wedding Cocktail Design blog and graciously hopped behind the bar to mix up the following sips for our 750+ guests. Thanks, Jonathan!

Manhattan Wedding Punch
(wedding theme: simple, backyard, harvest, seasonal)
(season: fall/winter)
(color scheme: caramel)

2 parts Bols Genever
1 part Sailor Jerry Rum
1/2 part Domaine de Canton Ginger liqueur
1 part Apple Cider
3/4 part Fresh Lemon juice
1/2 part maple syrup
The Bitter Truth Aromatic bitters to taste

Directions: Add all to punch bowl with several lemon and orange wheels, and chill and dilute w/ ice. Add freshly grated nutmeg when ready to serve.

Cranberry Spice Sparkler
(wedding theme: Holidays, Valentine’s Day, modern)
(season: fall)
(color scheme: cranberry, cardinal, burgundy, candy apple)

5 whole fresh cranberries
1 heaping tsp. pumpkin pie spice agave nectar
splash of fresh lemon juice
3 oz. Sparkling wine

Directions: Muddle the cranberries in the pumpkin agave nectar and lemon juice. Add the sparkling wine and ice and gently fold. Strain into a chilled champagne flute.

Garnish: a floating cranberry

New Favorite NYC Cocktail Den

I know, I know - long time, no sip. Honestly, I didn't do much sippin' (of exciting cocktails, that is), this past summer. However, last week I did venture out to the big, bad East Village to check out a cocktail den I've been dying to try. Mayahuel is this great, little Mexican restaurant off Second Avenue that, of course, barely has a sign for it's name outside. Inside, its sexy, dark, and romantically lit - if there is more than two in your party, squeezing into one of their cave-like booths could be difficult, or just cozy depending on how comfortable you are with getting a little closer - but this is New York, right? We're used to this.

OK, so onto the cocktails. Three words: Smokey. Spicey. Tequila. An excellent cocktail combo in my opinion. Here's what we sipped:

Pale Rider: Fino sherry, jalapeno-infused tequila, sugar cane, and lime juice.

Blackfriar Cobbler: Mescal, sloe gin, lemon juice, sugar cane, and blackberries.

In addition to tequila-infused sips, Mayahuel also has a lengthy list of cerveza cocktails, tequila flights, punches, wine cocktails and more. Seriously, there is so much to try, I may just make Mayahuel my bar of choice for fall and try to sip my way to Mexico.

Of all the gin joints...

...in all of New York, I walked in to The Back Room on the Lower East Side earlier tonight. The reason? To take part in the first official Next GINeration Cocktail Challenge, hosted by New Amsterdam Gin.

For those of you who haven't heard about New Amsterdam, it's an American-made gin named after old-school New York and packaged up in a sleek glass bottle inspired by the Empire State Building -- nice, right?

The challenge was to create a cocktail inspired by Manhattan in just 10 minutes using ... New Amsterdam Gin, of course. Inspired by my frequent travels through the three notoriously late airports of New York, my drink was aptly names The Flight Delay. I tried to do a twist on the classic Aviation Cocktail, which I doctored a bit by adding orange juice to the mix, since I always drink OJ on the plane to keep me from getting sick.

How did it turn out? Let's just say I'll leave the mixology to the experts -- experts like Alex Ott, who was our host of the evening and who also created these Manhattan-inspired libations:

Five Points
1 1/2 oz. New Amsterdam Gin
2 1/2 oz. orange juice
2 1/2 oz. cola
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice

Fill a pilsner or highball glass with ice. Pour in the gin, orange juice and lemon juice then float with coal. Garnish with a thick orange wheel.

Little Italy
2 oz. New Amsterdam Gin
1 1/2 oz. limoncello
1/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 oz. soda

Combine all ingredients except the soda in a shaker filled with ice, shake vigorously and strain over an ice-filled high ball glass. Garnish with a lemon wheel.

Get Your Tickets!

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is just around the corner and the events are selling out fast. This is the first event of its kind in NYC, complete with parties, workshops, and lots of tasty cocktails. But perhaps the most anticipated events are the Stories from Behind the Bar series, where you'll get an insider's look at Manhattan's famed cocktail bars, such as Little Branch, Macao Trading Co., Pegu Club, Apotheke, and my favorite - Flat Iron Lounge.

For tickets and a list of events, click here.

Swanky Bubbles

When I first moved to New York four years ago, I was overwhelmed by the number of restaurants and bars. After all, I knew every restaurant and bar in Philadelphia having lived and worked there all my life. So when I came to NYC, someone said to me, "Make your own Philly in New York. Find 10 restaurants you really love and make them your go-tos." I haven't found ten yet, but I do have a few favorites that I frequent often (Cafe Noir, Sala 19, Snack Taverna). And now, my latest: The Bubble Lounge in TriBeCa. The thing I love about it is that it reminds me of my favorite champagne bar in Philadelphia, Swanky Bubbles (except its missing the great sushi). Here's my favorite cocktail from The Bubble Lounge. Ironically, it's not made with any kind of bubbly, but it's one of their signature sips, and it's so good.

The Calabria: Hennessy VS, gingerale, lemon juice, muddled strawberries

Oh, and my fave from Swanky's? The Blondie: a mix of champagne, Stoli Vanil and pineapple juice

Sips & Apps

I just got an iPhone and I'm am slightly addicted (well, that's an understatement - it's like crack). I'm excited because now I'll be able to Tweet more for Martini Talk to bring you the best cocktails in all the cities I go to.

So, I've spent the morning doing my new favorite thing (downloading free apps, of course!) and unfortunately, I couldn't really find any cocktail apps I like.

Any suggestions?

I think the problem is that all the apps I find seem to have a lot of the same traditional sips. I wish there was an app that mixed up all the great cocktails served up at restaurants and bars around the country. It could be filtered by city, style (old-school, molecular, herbal, etc.), spirit (sort of like the UrbanSpoon app - my new fave). That's it -- Martini Talk needs its own app! I wonder how I could make that happen....

Now that I have a new phone, my old phone will soon be retired. As I was clearing everything out, I noticed that I had a lot of cocktail recipes saved in my notepad (which I should have Tweeted). So I thought I'd list them here. Enjoy!

Rooskie Doo @ Rick Moonen's RM Seafood, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas
Chinaco blanco tequila, lemon juice, grapefruit juice, and honey-ginger syrup. Garnished with house-pickled jicama.

10 Sage @ Palomino, Indianapolis
Tangueray, Alize gold passion, fresh sage leaves, and fresh lime sour mix

Rafaella @ deSantos, New York
Vodka, fresh raspberries, Cointreau, fresh orange and lime

Classe X @ Bagatelle, New York
Belvedere IX, muddled ginger, lime juice, pineapple juice, and passion fruit syrup

Grapefruit Basil Martini @ Whiskey Blue, W New York
Bombay Sapphire, grapefruit juice, basil, and simple syrup

Nina Fresa @ Sushi Samba NYC7
Svedka vodka, muddled strawberries, orange liqueur, lime, guava

Can't judge a bar by its cover

A couple weeks ago, I stumbled upon the Brandy Library in Tribeca. This might be my new favorite cocktail lounge. Not only is it by my house, it's totally different than any other place I've been in the city. Yes, it does have the typical old boys club feel, but look closer and you'll notice that the books have been replace with bottles of aged cognacs, Armagnacs, whiskies, brandies, and rums from around the world. At first, the cocktail menu can be a little intimidating but they do have fun descriptions for all the drinks. If you don't know where to begin, just ask the bartender for a suggestion. When I was there, I had a nasty cough, so they whipped me up their version of a hot toddy, made with whiskey, honey and lemon juice. Another one to try is The Librarian: cognac, ruby port, and creme de framboise.

I don't even like mojitos

I really don't. The best mojito is Philadelphia, at Cuba Libre. What makes a good mojitos? Three things: a frosted Collins glass, a sugar cane stick, and minimal fresh mint - emphasis on both MINIMAL and FRESH. Nothing is worse than when you get a drink with mint and the stuff is coming up through your straw - it's gross. And, unfortunately, it happens all the time.

However, I have found two mojitos that are actually worth ordering in NYC. The first is at The Yard at the Soho Grand -- order the pineapple ginger mojito (and yes, it comes with a sugar came stick).

The second I discovered at L'Orange Blue, though I don't think its on the menu. TyKu was in the bar promoting its Sochu-based liqueur by stirring up Dragonberry mojitos for anyone brave enough to try. Of course, we were game. The TyKu gave the mojito a light, refreshing taste. Bonus: its said to have less calories, carbs and sugars than traditional vodka -- though i don't really think liquids count in the grand scheme of things.

Superfruit Mojito
2 oz. Ty Ku
3 (just 3!) mint leaves
Fresh berry
Splash of diet citrus soda
Squeeze of lime/orange

Combine all ingredients and serve on the rocks.

Two Words: Coconut Vodka

If I didn't have a drinking problem already, I may definitely start to form a habit now that I've discovered Pearl Coconut Vodka. Coconut vodka. Not coconut rum. Coconut VODKA. Am I the only one who didn't know this existed? It's quite possible considering I'm late to everything in my life, including the Twilight train, but I digress ....

Back to coconut vodka. So apparently Van Gogh makes one, and so does Burnett's - just in case you were interested. I'm sure they are lovely, but I can already tell that I'll be a sucker for the super-premium Pearl. Where can you try it, you ask? Sushi Samba NYC 7. I have to say, I'm not a fan of the sushi, but this place has awesome cocktails, including the Tropicalla, made with Pearl Coconut Vodka, amaretto, muddle raspberries, and a coconut rim. So luscious I had two, and then I got a Hangover ... with Bradley Cooper, that is. Go see it if you haven't already, it's pee-your-pants funny.

Look for the red lantern...

So apparently, the casinos are now following me. On Thursday, we celebrated my friend Linda's birthday at Macao, an unmarked bar off Canal Street named after the Monte Carlo of the Orient. The vibe inside is one-part Little Branch, one-part Pegu Club, and a dash of Stanton Social.

Oh, and the cocktails are ridiculous. We sampled just about all of them and there was only one that I didn't like - though everyone else loved it, so I won't throw shade here. Sip for yourself:

Arrack Fizz: Batavia Arrack (a white rice and sugar cane spirit from the West Indies) shaken with mandarin blossom water, homemade hibiscus cordial, pineapple juice, and an egg white, served tall.

Drunken Dragon's Milk: Charbay Green Tea Vodka shaken with young coconut puree, thai basil, and Macao Five-Spice Bitters, served tall.

Bashful Maiden: Hendrick's Gin shaken with St. Germain elderflower liqueur, Velvet Falernum (a rum-based lime cordial), lemon juice and pureed striped lemon, served straight up.

Dr. Funk: Mekhong Thai Rum served tall with homemade grenadine, ginger beer, dressed with fresh fruits and mint and topped with a drizzle of absinthe.

Blood Peach Bellini: Pureed blood peaches and a dash of Campari gently stirred with Zardetto Prosecco.

Yellow Fever: Rittenhouse Rye, Benedictine, lemon juice and egg white, shaken and layered over Cherry Herring.

Kaffir Jimlet: Kaffir lime-infused Plymouth Gin mixed with lime juice and agave nectar, served straight up.

Wanna learn how to muddle?

So I totally missed World Cocktail Week because I've been searching for a new apartment - which I scored and I'm happy to say that Martini Talk will be officially moving into Manhattan later this summer (YAY!). Too make up for missing WCW, I thought I'd share this cool video from CHOW.com where mixologist Michael Cecconi teaches you how to properly muddle. Enjoy!

Christmas on the Beach

So last night, the girls and I got together at Irving Mill in Union Square, which had an unexpected yet fantastic cocktail menu. Here's what we were sippin':

The Peruvian: Pisco, Purple Corn Cider, and lime. Purple corn cider? When I asked the bartender what that tasted like, he said "Christmas on the Beach - fruit forward with notes of cinnamon at the finish." Who care's what it tasted like, after that description I was sold. To my surprise, it was delicious -- and not too too sweet.

My friend ordered the In Fashion and after taste-testing, I ditched The Peruvian for this more stylish sip: Rye 1, Kirschwasser, Nonino Amaro (grappa), rose water and brandied cherries.

Another one not to miss: the Kumquat Fizz, a Spring Citrus Libation made with Hendricks Gin, Strega (and Italian herbal liqueur), kumquats, lemon and soda.

Movie Time

Today kicked off the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival (through May 3rd), and while I'm not a big film festival-goer, I am psyched to see Hugh Jackman and Ryan Reynolds (swoon) in X-Men Origins next week. Yes, I know it's not officially part of TFF, but this is my blog. I get to write what I want :)

Anyway, even though I probably won't be seeing any TFF films, I'm definitely going to make time to try the film festival's signature cocktail, the Darkening Theater, created by B.R. Guest mixologist, Eben Klemm.

It's made with popcorn-infused Stoli (yes, popcorn-flavored vodka!), salted Coke syrup and garnished with caramel popcorn. What do you think -- sound good?

Try it and let me know. It's being served up in NYC at Blue Fin, Blue Water Grill, Primehouse New York, Vento and Wildwood Barbeque.

Diamonds and pearls, Melissa.Diamonds and pearls.

No, I'm not talking about a Prince song. And if you don't know the dear, sweet Melissa Mariola you won't get the title of this blog post either. But needless to say, I could not stay away from the juice this weekend, and it was so worth it. I do believe that last night I found the single best cocktail in New York City. I may have said this before, but its going to be pretty tough to top the Diamonds and Pearls martini at the Jade Bar inside the Gramercy Park Hotel. As I said after the first sip: I just want to make out with my drink right now. Here's the mix: Reyka vodka and Lillet Blanc shaken with freshly muddled blackberries and a touch of coconut. Fair warning: It's $19 a pop - but worth every penny.

Sunshine in a Coupe Glass

I'm back in New York for a little more than a minute, and I've decided that since I'm not here so much anymore, I need to take advantage of the time I'm home. So this weekend I made it my mission to visit Little Branch, a speakeasy-style bar in the West Village. And it just so happened that I made it there twice! What was I drinkin'? Well, at Little Branch (below), the actual cocktail menu is fairly limited to sips w/ lots of brown spirits (think juleps, cognac-infused concoctions, etc.). If just the thought of sippin' whiskey gives you headache, take a leap of faith and order the Bartender's Choice. Little Branch's talented mixologists will ask you what you like and whip up something delicious. My sip was the Sunflower: a lip-puckering blend of gin, St. Germain (yes, it's back), Cointreau, and absinthe. It was a lovely preview to Spring, which can't get here fast enough.