Vino Noir NYC's Open Salon Blog

Women & Whisky - New BFFs

Tue, 3 Apr 2012 09:04:36 -0400

On a recent balmy this March, the only thing you you could hear louder than the ice cubes clinking against the glasses at SoHo, NY tiki bar hot-spot Lani Kai was the clicking of stilettos on the hardwood floor. But this was no bachelorette party. It was International Women's Day and Great King Street whisky was sponsoring a fundraiser to benefit Bottomless Closet, a not-for-profit organization that provides work clothes, professional coaching, and financial counseling to disadvantaged women who are re-entering the workplace. Within the first hour of the event the room was quickly filled with stylish women of every imaginable demographic happily sipping on very serious whisky-based cocktails, all containing the key ingredient: Great King Street Artist's Blend scotch whiskey from the venerable Compass Box line. Every drink was colorful and festive and there was not a cosmo to be seen in the room.

There were several romantically-industrious men in attendance as well, some who occasional exclaimed that they were rather surprised to see so many women attending a whisky event. I mean, they had hoped, but they never imagined.... Personally, I was not surprised at all. I have watched with interest over the past couple of years as more and more women have dipped a well-pedicured toe into the whisky pool. No longer just disinterestedly asking me to help them choose a gift for their dad or boss, women are now requesting knowledge and an introduction to a more nuanced drinking experience. What is it that the guys seem to know that we don't? We want in!

And "in" we are. There are at least three women & whisky groups in NYC, most of which are connected to some of the top brands on the market. And there are some dynamic women on the business side as well. On any given evening you can find the dynamic & knowledgeable Stephanie Moreno (former spirits buyer at NYC's famous Astor Wines & Spirits) pouring tastings for Compass Box, or the whirlwind that is Carmen Operetta regaling samplers of Bruichladdich with stories of her travels to Scotland. These ladies are serious. And so are the drinks.

By the end of the night Bottomless Closet has raised a sizable amount of money for their cause via the bar, raffles and a rather heated auction for a private 10-person Scotch tasting. The ladies mixing drinks behind the bar included Abigail Gullo of Brooklyn's venerable Fort Defiance cafe bar, a recent finalist in the Great King Street cocktail competition in NYC. She introduced the lucky crowd with the drink that got her there, the delicious "Charlie Hustle", a refreshing concoction made with Great King Street, Peat Monster Scotch (also from Compass Box), and deliciously decadent Green Chartreuse with a hint of maple syrup, lemon juice, and fresh rosemary. This was an overwhelming favorite of a delightful evening that created many converts, satisfied many stalwarts and inspired many enthusiastic smiles over toasts with new friends.

Gentlemen, be prepared: The ladies have indeed discovered the multifaceted pleasures of Scotch. And we won’t be settling for fuzzy navels any more!

Want to re-create an impressive cocktail? Here is the recipe for the evening’s favorite drink – compliments of Ms. Gullo:

The Charlie Hustle
From Abigail Gullo at Fort Defiance

Fresh rosemary sprigs, washed and well-dried
1 1/2 oz Great King Street scotch
1/2 oz Peat Monster Scotch
1/2 oz rosemary-infused maple syrup*
1/2 oz lemon juice
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse

Light a dry rosemary sprig, blow it out, and smoke the inside of a chilled rocks glass. Shake and strain remaining ingredients over fresh rocks into the glass. Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.

*(To make the Rosemary-infused maple syrup, brew a strong tea with 1/2 cup boiling water & 3 sprigs of rosemary. Combine with 1 cup of pure maple syrup),

Restaurant Review - Joya Thai, Cobble Hill, Bkln, NY

Thu, 17 Mar 2011 18:03:15 -0400

215 Court St., Brooklyn, NY 11201 (nr. Warren St.) 718-222-3484

Joya… Oh Boya

March 17, 2011

While others may eschew empty restaurants assuming that they must be bad if not one else is there, I understand that there are ebbs and flows in most eateries and that this might well be the only reason for the tumbleweeds floating through.

It was a beautiful day just before the official arrival of spring so I took a long stroll for lunch. Joya Asian restaurant on Court Street looked familiar as I passed it but it wasn’t until I was seated inside that I realized that I had not actually been there before but had only ordered delivery from them in the past. Then I remembered being underwhelmed by the food I’d received. No worries. Everyone deserves a second chance - generally. I wasn’t even daunted by the fact that they had no lunch menu since the prices looked somewhat reasonable. The large concrete rectangle of a space had a sleek modern feel to it and a lot of natural light coming in from the backyard, so I gave it a try.

As I read through the menu I had a difficult time making a choice. This wasn’t because everything looked so good. It was because every thing looked exactly the same. On a list of about 20 entrees, all of the general ingredients appeared to be identical except for the choice of basil sauce or ginger sauce. The meat choice seemed to be chicken or chicken. There must have been a beef there somewhere, but I could not discern it in the cluttered menu design and the waiter had no suggestions for me.

I settled on an item from the specials menu, a curry chicken dish with wide noodles and broccoli. The food didn’t take long to appear but I was taken aback by the pasty beigeness of the entire plate: the sauce was the same color as the noodles were the same color as the chicken was almost the same color as the serving dish – all beige. Thank goodness for the broccoli florets that were set off in the corner. As I feared, the dish tasted like it looked… beige. The curry flavor was there but it was incredibly mild. I wanted to ask for condiments in order to add some flavor to my plate but my server decided that it was time for him to eat his own meal. That’s when I recalled the other problem with slow restaurants. The staff often feels like they don’t have to try that hard.

The open kitchen was directly in front of me and my waiter was facing the chefs with his back to the entire room as he munched away on something from a small bowl. Three other diners had entered, so the chefs had their heads down in their work. Looking around the room I noticed three other employees who also appeared to be on break as they were sitting at the end of the kitchen bar area chatting amicably, with their backs to the room as well. After several minutes of this I realized my food would soon be cold, so I had to be assertive if I wanted to add some flavor to my plate. I waved down and finally got the attention of a chef, who in turn got the attention of the lone waiter. My server looked a little put out at having his break interrupted but after taking a last bite and tidying up his mouth with a napkin he came over. This was my big chance so I made sure to ask for water too!

No one ever came by to check on whether the right dish was delivered or if I wanted to hand over any more of my hard-earned money by splurging on more items – like those at their full bar. At the end of my visit, I was actually surprised when the server eventually noticed that I had been sitting for several minutes with my plate pushed away from me in the middle of the table and decided to stop by to ask if I wanted to wrap up my leftovers and get the check. He did bring the check promptly, but sadly, I never saw him again. After several minutes I eventually took the check up to the bar and paid my bill. I hope he made it back OK.

On my way out I noticed a DJ turn table next to the bar. So maybe that’s Joya’s focus. They are a night club that happens to have food around if you get hungry. Fair enough. And if you want to have lunch while being left alone with your thoughts or your reading you can’t find a better place – except that the lighting is really low, so forget the reading.

Cheers!

Tanya ~ Vino Noir NYC

Mardi Gras on the Hudson

Sun, 23 May 2010 18:05:33 -0400

The official inaugural Manhattan Cocktail Classic launched on May 14, 2010 in its eponymous town and blew the alarm clocks off the night stands of The City That Never Sleeps. In the understatement of the decade, Astor Center alumnus Leslie Townsend left the famed food and beverage learning center approximately one year ago to “get involved in doing events”. The result was an impressive debut that left attendees gleefully astonished and clamoring for more.

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic brought top-level mixologists from around the country together with spirits brand ambassadors from around the world to enable fun-loving cocktail aficionados and professionals alike to experience Mardi Gras in NYC. It kicked off with a Friday night gala at the iconic New York Public Library on 5^th Avenue. The MCC owned the space that night, slathering the front steps in red carpet and setting up a different party in every room, every room, from basement to roof. Revelers garbed in everything from grunge to black tie, from white tie to Moulin Rouge-worthy period tributes, flowed through the historic Beaux Arts halls sipping every type of imaginable spirit and unimaginable cocktail they could desire. The mixologists at the library were deadly serious about their recipes and presentations and took great pride in showing off their skills. We took great pride in not spilling the drinks on our glamorous clothes.

Live bands, celebrity DJs and a good dose of food helped to keep the bacchanalian vibe buzzing. You were hard pressed to find anyone in the building who wasn’t displaying broad smile. No one in New York City was having a better time that night. And this was just the beginning.

The next four days were filled with events scattered around the city and across various palates. Brooklyn standouts like the Clover Club and Huckleberry Bar held “Behind the Bar” informational sessions in their spaces (yes there was education to be had too!) But the East Village Astor Center was the crown jewel of the 4-day conference as the institution had the honor of producing the Official Bar of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, a special space created just for this event. Inside the Astor Center there were even more educational sessions including “Cocktails for the Home Cocktail Party”, “Discovering Le Cognac”, and one of my favorite titles, “Sustainable Spirits? The Cocktail as Food Justice and the Universal Right of Pleasure”. There was even a cocktail photography workshop!

The conference included a bar crawl on wheels called “The Latin Spirits Bus Tour”, an import from Miami that carted imbibers around to super-hot NYC venues to sample each destination's own Gran Sierpe Pisco and Cuca Fresca cocktails. There was also a swanky cocktail-cruise that set sail on the Hudson for a picture perfect Sunday night aboard the Royal Princess Cruise Liner.

Old-schooler like Keens Chophouse joined in with super-secret lower East Side speakeasies to host many of the events around the city. When the after-party rolled around on Tuesday night you would have no idea that the participants had been sipping cocktails for four days straight. The last party had as much energy and fun as the first. In a word – the MCC was epic.

Being the first time this was held, the MCC event sort of snuck up on me so I apologize for not cluing you in early on. But rest assured you will know about it next time. And I’ll be sure to wear old-timey clothes to the gala.

Cheers!

Tanya ~ Vino Noir NYC