Cocktails

Since David Kaplan and Ravi DeRossi opened Death + Company in 2007, it has been one of the top cocktail bars not just in New York but internationally. Named in honor of the people known as Death and Company who drank alcohol during Prohibition and were thought to “live a life shadowed by death,” I was finally able to visit this famous bar in the East Village during a trip to NY. Arriving around 7pm on a Saturday night, there was already a line in front of the nondescript doors.  Reservations are not accepted and the policy is "first come, first served" as there is no standing-room inside the bar. The doorman was taking names and numbers and sending people to neighboring bars for drinks while they waited for a seat.  I patiently waited, hoping a single seat would open up, and it did after a 20 minute wait.
21 December, 2012
RANGE is the newest restaurant to open in Washington. D.C.  Not much of a foodie town when I lived there over a decade ago, today Washington, D.C. has transformed into a food and cocktail destination. RANGE, led by Chef and Owner Bryan Voltaggio (Bravo’s Top Chef season 6 finalist) and an amazing team including co-owner Hilda Staples, general manager Steven Fowler, wine director and Master Sommelier Keith Goldston, beverage director Owen Thomson, chef de cuisine Matt Hill, pastry chef John Miele and pizza-maker Edan MacQuaid, is no exception. RANGE is a 14,000 square foot space located on the third floor of the Chevy Chase Pavilion. Located in a mall and surrounded by neighboring malls, the modern space shares an atrium with the Embassy Suites hotel and other retail shops.  However, it is not a hotel restaurant, or for that matter a typical mall restaurant.  
18 December, 2012
MessHall is the newest incarnation of the original Brown Derby in Los Feliz. Built in 1929, it was originally the home of Willard's Chicken Inn until 1941 when director Cecil B. DeMille bought the restaurant and turned it into the Brown Derby, birthplace of the "Cobb Salad." It was Michael's of Los Feliz from 1960 - 1992 and then became The Derby nightclub, home of swing dancing. After The Derby, the space became Louise's Trattoria and then a Chase Bank and in 2006 the building was declared a Historic Cultural landmark. Today, MessHall Kitchen is a 14,000 square foot space with seating for 175 people and a corrugated metal bar located in the center of the room. The long wooden communal tables and fire pits on the patio will transport you to an upscale version of an army mess hall or camp.
17 December, 2012

ABSOLUT has always stood for innovation.  They are a company that has always asked the questions “What if?” and “ Why Not?” Absolut is a...

14 December, 2012
Bestia officially opened its doors this past weekend in downtown LA's Arts District.  A contemporary brick building decorated with reclaimed materials, Bestia is hidden among the nondescript warehouses of downtown LA, not far from the Greyhound Station. But when you walk inside, you will forget where you are and be transported into a warm, inviting restaurant with an open kitchen and a long bar for cocktails.
27 November, 2012
As we prepare for our Thanksgiving feasts, it is a time to give thanks for what we have. It is also a time to give. And I want to take a moment to applaud the bartending community who continues to give and give and give to help others, whether individuals or strangers. I am proud be affiliated with this industry and community of people who like to have fun but never lose sight of helping those in need.  Here are four remarkable examples. Helping Children “This business is what we have chosen as our career.  We do something that makes us happy and I love bartending. We provide a service to people on a daily basis. But, I want to find meaning in what I do, something I can pass on to my family and kids,” explained Josh Harris of The Bon Vivants, the San Francisco-based cocktailing company.  They created Pig & Punch, a party with whole roasted pig, trash cans of punch and t-shirts for sale that follows a day of volunteering at a local charter school.  Started three years ago at Tales of the Cocktail, this year they organized the event three times around the country - in May 2012 at Manhattan Cocktail Classic, in July 2012 at Tales of the Cocktail and in October 2012 at Portland Cocktail Week.
22 November, 2012
We all know that bartenders like to have a good time.  But our hard-working bartending community is also socially conscious and is giving back to the community, one party at a time! Three years ago when a group of bartenders went to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail, they decided to throw a casual bbq in the park with cocktail punches and pork.  But in 2010 New Orleans was in the wake of the oil spill and they wanted to be able to help.  How could a group of bartenders help?  Pig & Punch! Created by the Bon Vivants, a San Francisco-based bartending team, the plan was to first put in the manual labor and then also give back by doing what they do best - throwing a party.  In 2010, eleven volunteers spent time helping to build a house.  "By being hands on, it links the people to the place that need help" explained one of Pig & Punch's founders, Josh Harris of The Bon Vivants.  At the free bbq, open to the bartending community as well as local inhabitants, tshirts were sold with the Pig & Punch logo, raising $1600.  The money benefited the KIPPS Charter Schools arts and music programs.  The following  year, in 2011, 42 volunteers helped to build and paint houses in New Orleans. Then at the bbq, 550 tshirts were sold, raising $6600 for the Kingsley House.
17 October, 2012

When one talks about Tequila, it is not uncommon for Tommy’s Mexican Restaurant, and the Tommy’s Original Margarita, to be a part of the conversation. While still a family-owned business...

02 October, 2012
Unfortunately, we were awoken by the sound of the jackhammer outside on the street this morning starting before 8am.  This was not a welcome sound when bed time was at 4am.  Pillows over our heads, we tried to ignore it until we had to get up.  Even tougher to get up this morning (our feet still hurt from all the walking yesterday), we managed to get out and head over to the Monteleone. 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM - "Brunch with an Italian Twist" The Spirit of Italy team was back for breakfast.  The Italian bartenders were dressed in the finest white suits making more cocktails with the Italian artisanal liquors, digestives and grappas produced by Luxardo, Amaro Lucano, Distillerie Moccia, Distillerie Nardini, Pallini, Toschi and Varnelli. Cocktails included a Bourbon Milk Punch enhanced with Amaro Lucano, a Strawberry Ramos Fizz with Fragolí by Toschi, a New Orleans Chicory Coffee Shakerato with Zabov egg yolk-chocolate liqueur, Varnelli Anice with Clamato juice and cucumber-dill foam, a fresh-squeezed citrus Mimosa spiked with Nardini Grappa, a Luxardo Maraschino Cobbler and a Pallini Limoncello Champagne Cocktail. 11:00 AM - 1:30 PM - Come Aboard for Cocktails and Lunch with Carnival Cruise Lines
29 July, 2012
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