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Kansas City Cocktails: The Rieger Hotel and the Resurrection of Manifesto

Josh — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 19:13:54 +0000

As a cocktail enthusiast, I feel very lucky to live in a city like New York. New York and San Francisco (along with a few other cities like Portland and Seattle) have certainly led the modern cocktail revolution, and having regular access to bars like Milk & Honey, Death & Co., Clover Club and so on can easily lead one to take high-quality cocktails for granted, and perhaps even (unfairly) doubt the ability of other cities to hit the mark in terms of quality and creativity.

But I do love being proven wrong.

On a recent trip to Kansas City, I had the privilege of meeting Ryan Maybee. When I reached out to Brandon Cummins of the Lush Life team, a native of the Kansas City area, for suggestions on where I should visit while in town, Brandon assured me that Ryan was the guy to see. I found Ryan behind the bar at The American restaurant – a fixture of Kansas City dining, but not really where Ryan belongs. Over a Ward & Precinct cocktail he prepared (bourbon, housemade grenadine, lemon and orange juice, and Angostura bitters), Ryan told me the story of Manifesto.
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Upcoming Class in High Tech Cocktails

Josh — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:29:21 +0000

I’ve been slow to get behind the whole “molecular mixology” movement. If you’ve been reading this blog for any length of time, you know that a big part of my mission is to help make the creation of quality, classic cocktails accessible to the home bartender. But anyone who knows me also knows that I’m a hardcore geek. I like gadgets, tools and technology. And that’s why I’ll be going to the Holiday Cocktail class at the International Culinary Center, taught by Nils Norén and Dave Arnold, both of the French Culinary Institute. (I’ve mentioned Dave before – he co-presented the Science of Shaking class at Tales of the Cocktail.)
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The Pumpkin Pie

Josh — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 02:43:17 +0000

This evening, my friend Laren (@sweetblogomine) and I joined Jonathan Pogash for his Cocktail Lab class at the Astor Center Lounge. I’ve mentioned Jonathan here before (he was the source for our post on the Maple Plum Sparkler), but to refresh your memory, Jonathan is a cocktail development consultant, and the beverage director for Hospitality Holdings (which manages a number of major bars here in New York, including the Campbell Apartment and Bookmarks Lounge).

I’ve taken a number of classes at Astor Center in the past, and they’ve all offered an opportunity to learn a great deal from some of the country’s most talented mixologists. Be sure to check out their full calendar; if you’re in the area, I highly encourage you to give one a try. Jonathan’s class is actually offered monthly, so you can definitely take that one. If you’re just starting out, I’d suggest the Home Bar Basics course.
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Download Happy Houred for the iPhone

Josh — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:19:03 +0000

I don’t know how I ever survived without my iPhone. It helps me manage my e-mail, contacts and calendar. But also gives me directions, plays my music (and my NPR podcasts), and keeps me entertained on the subway. It is my one essential piece of technology.
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LeNell Leaving NYC – Heading South of the Border

Josh — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:03:20 +0000

We’re sorry to report that it looks like LeNell – of LeNell’s Wine & Spirits Boutique in Brooklyn – is packing her bags and leaving NYC for good. In an unguarded moment at a tasting of American Whiskey last night at Louis 649, LeNell Smothers admitted to the gathered aficionados that she had given up on finding a new space for her famous store and was taking the show to Mexico.
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A Visit to Tuthilltown Spirits – Where Baby Bourbon is Born

Josh — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:12:21 +0000

I had the extreme pleasure this past July 4th weekend to journey 90 miles north of New York City to visit Tuthilltown Spirits – the home of one of my all-time favorite whiskeys, Hudson Baby Bourbon.

Physically located in the heart of the Hudson Valley, near New Paltz, NY, Tuthilltown Spirits is the spiritual center of a revival that has been a long-time coming. Humility takes over when distillery partner Ralph Erenzo talks about his craft. He says, “There’s nothing magic here – It’s just whiskey. Really good whiskey.” But one need only set foot on the grounds of Tuthilltown Spirits to know differently, and none other than the New York Times agrees.
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High Tech Cocktails at the French Culinary Institute

Josh — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 22:16:13 +0000

Serious Eats has a great story today about the High Tech Cocktails class being taught at the French Culinary Institute. The class is being taught by Nils Noren and Dave Arnold, professors at the FCI and proprietors of Cooking Issues – their “Tech’N Stuff” blog. The combination of “cocktails” and “high tech” has me all wound up. This is a must read.

Cheers!

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The Virtues of a Twitter Tasting

Josh — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:02:07 +0000

I had the good fortune to attend a tasting last night of Macallan scotch. This wasn’t any ordinary tasting though – this was a Twitter Tasting! My cocktail-blogging colleagues and I took a break from our AA meetings to all get together in one place, taste amazing scotch, and broadcast our feedback via Twitter in real time. Our tweets were projected onto the wall so we could keep up with each others feedback, and the best part is, the entire conversation is preserved under the Twitter hash tag #Macallan. So even if you missed us last night, you can relive the entire event (including my feedback on the Macallan, and some great conversation with @halw, @livethelushlife, @nybarfly, @ekeyNYC, and many others) on Twitter. It’s a beautiful thing.

Once you’ve caught up, send me a tweet and let me know what you think.

Cheers!

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Ice is Important, Dammit!

Josh — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 15:53:00 +0000

Any time I’m in a conversation about cocktails and I start extolling the virtues and importance of good ice, I get made fun of. Not to worry, I can take it. But finally, I’m getting some support in the press! Good ice is important, and New York Magazine has backed me up on that, complete with a slideshow of the best ice in New York City.

And before you ask, yes, I already have the spherical ice molds available from the Design Store at the Museum of Modern Art.

OK. So I am an ice geek. I’m OK with it.

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Want to Breathe your Cocktail? Try a walk-in Gin & Tonic.

Josh — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 15:09:00 +0000

Just when you thought you’d seen it all…

Bompas & Parr – designer of fine jellies and curator of culinary events in the UK – has created a project called Alcoholic Architecture. In essence, they whipped up a walk-in cloud of breathable cocktail (gin & tonic to be precise, with Hendricks Gin no less!) Visitors “imbibed through inhaling.”

I’m honestly at a bit of a loss for words. I just don’t know what to make of this! Certainly, my preference is to experience my cocktails in liquid form, but then again, I’ve never had them any other way, so who am I to say? Any chance any of my readers in the UK have tried this? I would *love* to hear about your experience. Drop us a line and let us know what you thought. For those of you who haven’t tried this – would you??

Thanks to my friend Jenny for bringing this to my attention!

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