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Happy Hour:
Quickie Bar Visits:
Clover Club
&
Cantina
To borrow from the words of a well-respected cocktail legend: "When they opened this place, they did something right!"
I couldn't agree more.
Not only is Clover Club convenient to my home (a huge plus), but it is also the perfect follow up for Julie Reiner and her Flatiron Lounge (which I had a short stint at, mind you). The bar itself is magical, as if transplanted from a 19th Century cocktail establishment, perhaps similar to the way Jerry Thomas' bar would have looked in New York City back in 1862. I visited a few weeks ago, when the Winter menu was in full effect. The drinks are, themselves, magical, with a cocktail list that's divided up into drink families (like Sours, Daisies, Collins and Fizzes). A favorite of mine is Mr. Tangerine Man (Rye, Tangerine Juice, and Yellow Chartreuse) as well as the Pisco Punch (Pisco, Pineapple, sugar cane syrup, cloves and bitters).
The service is friendly and efficient, and the food is on par with the fine dining establishments in the neighborhood. Try the Lamb Burger and the Fried Oyster Po' Boy (just like being in N'oleans.)
If you'd like to visit Clover, take the F train to Bergen St. and walk along Smith St. until you reach # 210. Unlike a lot of new classic cocktail lounges out there right now, this one is clearly marked.
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Cantina
Saratoga Springs, NY
My recent visit to Saratoga Springs, NY (a quick 3-hr drive due north from NYC), included a short tour of this city's new dining establishments. I walked by new trendy bistros that were once raggety, sketchy dance clubs, and ethnic restaurants that once housed vacant garages.
One such place, Cantina, used to be Professor Moriarty's, a not-so-impressive, very plain and dark restaurant that served uninspiring English pub fare. Cantina is an authentic Mexican down-home kind of a place, serving house specialty margaritas, tacos, fajitas, among other dishes. My lunch included a nicely balanced Guava Margarita, made with Sauza Blanco and their housemade lime sour mix (which the bartender/server assured me was made fresh daily), and roasted pork tacos. The portions are generous, and each come with home-made salsa and chips. Everything is a tad spicy, which I love, but for some it may come as a bit of a surprise.
I had originally planned on lunching at Max London's, a new bistro afilliated with Mrs. London's, one of Saratoga's most wonderful bakeries. But upon entering Max London's, taking a quick look around, and perusing their menu, I was uninterested, opting for something a bit more unusual and a bit less frigid in atmosphere.
I'm glad Cantina is around, and I hope it lasts for years to come.
Cantina is located at 430 Broadway in downtown Saratoga Springs, NY.
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Booze Briefs:
The Cocktail Guru Catering,
NY Restaurant Show
&
USBG NY Chapter Latest News...
The Cocktail Guru Catering
I am officially launching my catering service. Check out my nifty logo:
So, in a gross effort to self promote, I'd like to encourage you to get in touch if you are in need of professional mixologists for your social event, wedding, corporate event, or mixology lesson/team-building happy hour event...
There...I said it.
Speaking of The Cocktail Guru Catering, Michael Russotti, my most senior Cocktail Guru colleague, recently represented at Prenovius Bridal Salon for a cocktail event put on by TheKnot.com. What happens when 200 brides rush the bar at top speeds of 45 knots per kilometer? You'll just have to imagine that one.
**Oh - since this issue is so jam-packed as it is, I just thought I'd be naughty and add in one last itty bitty little thing:
Think you know me? Want to know more about me? Our friends at "Whom You Know" wrote up a profile on yours truly. So click here why don't 'ya?
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NY Restaurant Show
As a follow-up to last month's newsletter, I wanted to include a link to a blog posting I recently wrote about my experience at this year's New York Restaurant Show.
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The Latest in USBGNY News
First off, congratulations are in order for Christopher Stanley and Tad Carducci! These two fine gents have been selected by the USBG to represent our chapter in New Orleans for this year's Tales of the Cocktail Leblon Cocktail Challenge. Good luck!
Lots happening in the ever-exciting world of the US Bartender's Guild. We're in full planning mode regarding our local competition, which in turn will select our representative for the National USBG competition on May 13th in San Francisco. The winner of the US competition will then go on to Germany to compete against other international chapters. It's competitions galore these next few months!
The New York Bar Show is coming up this June 14th and 15th, and we're going to have a large presence there this year. Just to give you a sneak peek:
- USBG official area with demo stage.
- tables for recruitment of new USBG NY chapter members.
- master accreditation testing area.
- seminars led by the best of the best in the biz.
- a live cocktail competition that will blow your mind.
I've said too much already...
Stay tuned for the latest and greatest, and as always:
Interested in joining the USBG? Go to www.usbg.org, download the application, fill it out, and send it along with your dues to the address listed on the site.
Would you like your brand to get involved during our local USBG chapter meetings? The USBG & the NY Bar Show? Well, what are you waiting for? Email me.
The USBGNY Council (from left to right): Treasurer Brian Van Flandern, VP Allen Katz, President Jonathan Pogash, and Madame Secretary Charlotte Voisey. |
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Business Class:
Cocktails & Horses: A Trip Down Memory Lane...
&
** NEW** Video Diary **NEW**
Cocktails and Horses: A Trip Down Memory Lane
OR Does Anyone Know How to Make a Saratoga Cocktail in Saratoga?
As I sit here looking out the window of my room at the Surrey Williamson Inn, I'm reminded of the debaucherous adventures I shared with my fellow colleagues, and how working in the spirits industry was the furthest thing from my mind way back when. Of course, I'm speaking of my college years in Saratoga Springs, NY (ahh - now you get the horses reference from the title, right? No? Saratoga Springs...horses...horse-racing...get it?)
We spent many an evening here at Skidmore College playing friendly games in our dorm rooms, some of which involved the consumption of beverages that may or may not have included a percentage of alcohol in them (*Disclaimer: The Cocktail Guru and any of its affiliates do not encourage under-age drinking. You must be 21 years of age to consume alcohol. Please drink responsibly*). These were our early college days, while the later years consisted of trips to such fine establishments as The Ice House (a towny bar), Gaffney's, Desperate Annie's, The Parting Glass, and the Tin 'N Lint (Downtown Saratoga's oldest saloon). These years also included one of my first ventures into the bar and restaurant biz. We'll chat more about that a bit later...
Saratoga Today
It's peaceful here in the winter. Cold as hell, but peaceful still. March seems to linger here like an uninspired race-horse at the starting gate. The snow is taking it's time to retreat, and my plan to go jogging around the campus this morning was crushed by the thermometer in my car: 23 degrees. My lodgings for the next couple of days are pleasant. Whenever I'm in town I stay at the Surrey Williamson Inn, the English tudor-style house built in 1916, located on the campus of Skidmore College and reserved for visiting alumni and official college guests. Boy am I lucky - the hotels in this town can skyrocket to $800 a night during the summer horse-racing season (around $200 in the off-season - still pricey). This inn: $75 a night!
North Broadway is lined with palatial mansions, many of which date back to the 19th century. I've always marveled at these structures. I can only imagine living in one of them, and being around during prohibition, when bootleggers and gangsters thrived, and this city was one of the wealthiest in the nation. Even before then, Saratoga was reknowned for it's spas and healing spring waters, which first attracted it's visitors during the summers. Today still, the waters are highly sought after. You can walk into almost any supermarket or deli and see those cobalt blue Saratoga water bottles staring right back at you. And for those of you who thought those were just a marketing ploy, shame on you! It's the real mccoy.
I spent the evening yesterday with my lovely wife at the Tin 'N Lint bar. This was our #1 late-night hang out back in the day, and the place has not changed a bit: pool table, dart board, old wooden bar, people's initials carved into the wooden benches and tables, women's panties hanging from the ceiling. The vibe and beer prices are just right. Our beers were $3 each. Try getting a pint of Blue Moon for that on the Upper East Side. Not a chance!
We had dinner at Wheatfields. The pasta there is homemade, as is the warm, crusty bread. Dinner is always satisfying here. Perhaps that's why this was where we always brought our parents when they were visiting us at school. Wheatfields has changed, though. It used to be a small, quaint place, and has now nearly tripled in size to accomodate the summer crowds. The warmth has dissipated some, but not enough to turn me off from returning. Good for them if they can pack the place every August.
The huge controversy in years past was the opening of a Starbuck's on Broadway, directly across the street from Uncommon Grounds, a local coffee shop. Residents and students alike were alarmed to the 4th degree, holding protests and signing petitions to save the beloved coffee shop from obliteration by the corporate Seattle-based monsters (some think so). Well, it worked. The "Grounds" is nearly twice the size it once was, and the leather recliners and wireless internet lead me to believe they are doing just fine. When I visited, the tables were nearly full, while Starbuck's across the street had more than half of their tables vacant.
Saratoga Then
My first gig here in 'Toga Town was as a valet at the enourmously popular Siro's Restaurant. This restaurant was always the talk of the town during the racing season, and it was always mobbed during the evenings. This is where I parked BMW's, Mercedes', Porsches, Cadillacs and even a Hummer once, without a clue as to how to drive a stick. Needless to say, I got myself in to a slew of sticky situations with some not-so-nice and possibly mafioso-involved high-brow guests. The "good" nights were reserved for the more senior valets, so I was stuck with Sunday and Monday nights. The money was okay, but not great.
Waking up at the ass crack of the morning is not something I've become adept to. This was surely not the case in college. My second job in Saratoga Springs, as a breakfast/lunch server at the famed Gideon Putnam Hotel, forced me to suck it up and wake up at 5am every morning, to begin serving breakfast at 7am. We had one older couple who were our regulars, always ordering oatmeal with bananas, eggs over-easy, and prune juice. Easter and Mother's Day were the busiest, while Mon-Wed breakfasts (my shifts) were the slowest. This job taught me patience, and more importantly, allowed me to grow as a hospitality industry professional. I became intrigued by the bar at the Gideon Putnam, and during off-hours began watching the bartender shake and stir his drinks. I asked questions, and perhaps because he felt threatened (that's what I made myself believe) by me, he would reply curtly.
The next year, I would graduate from Skidmore and meet my first teacher, Gary Regan. Gary would never answer my questions curtly, unless of course he had to pay the bar bill.
I visited the Gideon Putnam on this trip, and came to see that it, too, had changed and was changing before my eyes. I ran into Rick, the senior bartender at the Gideon Grille. He informed me that this classic lounge was going to be torn up later in the week, and that a new bar would go into the dining room. He said times were tough, and that the hotel management had come to the conclusion that the place had to be scaled back a bit - essentially eliminating the fine dining aspect. Rick seemed somber as we reminisced about the old days. He said those were the good old days, and although he's unionized and works for the state (the hotel is on state land, therefore owned by the state), he still wishes things weren't the way they were. Rick also told me that Siro's (where I was a valet) was just put on the market last week.
Only after those good old days at Skidmore did I really come to know Saratoga's claim to fame (the one that counts), and it's connection to what I do now. The Saratoga Cocktail is a drink that comes directly out of Jerry Thomas' Bartender's Guide, and although the exact origin of this drink is a mystery, we are fortunate enough to be able to recreate the earliest known recipe. Most likely, the cocktail was created to commemorate the opening of the Saratoga Race Track in 1863. We'll just go with that theory. Rick the bartender hadn't heard of the drink when I mentioned it to him, yet he eagerly jotted down the recipe as I explained it. So perhaps now there will be one place in all of Saratoga Springs that will actually serve this cocktail. (Although the kind bartender at The Parting Glass gladly stirred up the drink once I told her how to make it. And she made a darn good one, too!)
So here 'tis, the recipe:
Saratoga Cocktail
(use small bar-glass)
Take 2 dashes Angostura bitters
1 pony brandy
1 pony vermouth
1 pony whiskey
Shake up well with two small lumps of ice; strain into a claret glass, and serve with a quarter of a slice of lemon.
A potent drink, yes. A drink that would get you through the best and worst of times at the races. The Professor didn't specify which type of vermouth to use, but I would use French, or sweet, in this instance. There are those recipes out there for the Saratoga cocktail that include pineapple juice and maraschino liqueur. This is not the original recipe and, although fairly tasty, will not give you the full experience of this drink's storied past.
See accompanying photos below:
The View outside our window from the Surrey, and the amazing light on the winding staircase.
The Surrey Williamson Inn
Historic Saratoga Springs City Hall The Tin 'N Lint Bar
The Gideon Putnam Hotel and Rick the Bartender
Siro's - the hottest spot during the summer
An enjoyable Saratoga Cocktail at The Parting Glass
The grandest home in Saratoga. The carriage house is bigger than most homes, for crying out loud!
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** NEW** Video Diary **NEW**
Finally!
See Jonathan and Jeff's adventures in New York State's Finger Lakes region, as they attempt to find the origins of Manischevitz wine. See what crazy antics ensue...
Enjoy Part 1 below (state tuned for Part II in next month's issue):
The Finger Lakes Part I
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RECIPES GALORE and more:
Winners of The Cocktail Guru Bumper Sticker-tell-me-a-joke Contest...
and
The Cocktail Guru Bar Joke Contest
Why is it that when I ask for bar joke submissions, not a single one ends up clean.
Needless to say, the following bar jokes are not for the faint of heart, and if you've got children in the room you may want to do that "ear-muffs" thing with your hands.
Anyways, here 'goes:
John Pomeroy, Brooklyn, NY:
Q: What's the difference between a bartender and a toilet?
A: A toilet only has to deal with ONE as*hole at a time!
Termite walks into a bar... "Where's the bar tender?"
Dog LIMPS into a bar... "I'm looking for the man who shot my paw!"
Jake Bliven, Portland, OR:
Its the final round of a dog show and three contestants are left for the talent part of the competitiion in which the dogs must do a trick with a pile of bones. The first contestant, a basset hound with a mathematician owner, amazes the audience by configuring a "2+2=4" mathematical equation on the ground. The second owner, an architect, tells his cockerspaniel to do her trick and the dog runs over to the pile of bones and builds a model bridge replica and stuns the entire audience. The third owner, a bartender with his smart old mutt, had no idea about the talent round and was at a complete lost for Scruffy's trick (Scruffy's the mutt). The Architect cynically asks the bartender if Scruffy had a trick and the bartender stares blankly into the distance. Finally, the bartender says to Scruffy, "Why don't you do something like your daddy or something." Scruffy lfts up his ears in a puzzled fashion and then runs over to the pile of bones. He then crushes the bones up in a pile of dust, snorts the big pile up his nose, and goes and f*cks the Basset Hound and Cockerspaniel.
Congrats to John and Jake, for they've won limited edition TheCocktailGuru.com bumper stickers!
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The end of March signifies the changeover from our Winter menus to our Spring menus at Hospitality Holdings. This is the most drastic changeover of the year, and always involves long hours of experimenting, tasting, and training (not necessarily in that order).
That being said, it is one of my favorite times of the year for coming up with new drinks. I have many ingredients to work with, and a restful Wintry season has rendered me eager for refreshing warm-weather libations.
So now that our Spring menus are ready to roll out April 1st, I'd like to share with you all a few of them below. Please note that they won't be available until April 1st, so if you try to order them before then, the bartender may look at you quite puzzled:
The Kipling (will be served at Bookmarks Lounge)
6 dried apricots
3/4 oz. Basil infused agave**
Splash fresh lemon juice
2 oz. 10 Cane Rum
Directions: break the apricots apart and muddle with basil agave and lemon juice. Add rum and ice and shake well. Strain over ice into wine glass.
Garnish: apricot on rim and fresh basil leaf
**to make basil infused agave, allow several basil leaves to infuse in agave nectar for up to 30 mins, then remove basil leaves.
The Pulitzer (also at Bookmarks)
1 oz. Plymouth Gin
1/2 oz. St. Germain
1/4 oz. Fernet-Branca
1/4 oz. fresh lemon
1 tsp. agave nectar
Directions: Add ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into martini glass.
Garnish: mint sprig
Baja Punch (will be served at The World Bar)
1 1/4 oz. Leblon Cachaca
1/4 oz. Patron Coffee Liqueur
1 oz. unfiltered apple juice
1 oz. POM pomegranate juice
Directions: Shake ingredients very well in a cocktail shaker with ice and pour into wine glass 1/2 rimmed w/ chili pepper-sugar in the raw rimmer.**
Garnish: lime wheel
**Chili pepper sugar in the raw mix: equal parts of these, combined to form 1 rimmer.
Join the Hospitality Holdings email list here.
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THE FUNNIES: ON THE ROCKS
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Jonathan Pogash is a beverage consultant, educator, and mixologist for bars, restaurants, and liquor brands.
Join the Cocktail Guru List.
Cheers,
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