Tag Archives: mixology

bottle of don papa rum

Don Papa Expands to California and Mexico

Sweet Don Papa small-batch premium rum characterized by a distinct vanilla top note has now launched on the West Coast and Mexico after a successful release on the East Coast, Europe, and Asia.

Hailing from the Philippine island of Negros which is known for its sweet molasses and Noble sugar cane, Don Papa loves to take its bottle for a liquid appreciation trip. Grown, distilled, and aged on the island — lovingly dubbed ‘Sugarlandia’ — the rum brand carries its heritage onto the bottle itself, which is decorated with flora and fauna found on the island. With them they also bring all the best parts of their home, of course; the brand travels with their own team of mask makers, dancers, and Sugarlandia-recreators. An official celebration took place in Mexico City followed by a weekend in Tulum where Don Papa became a proper Mexican resident.

 

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Images: Courtesy of Don Papa

The spirit itself is easily enjoyed neat or in a cocktail, so the expansion to Mexico — a millennial culture hub and mixology capital — was inevitable.  The spirits market in Mexico is always keen on experimenting and quickly transforming new alcohol into unique cocktails and using them in experimental kitchens. Don Papa, in particular, is an almost hybrid with a new complexity blended to perfection quite to the liking of whisky drinkers and, of course, rum lovers,

Don Papa‘s new chapter will unveil on the West coast, garnering new recipes, and reaching new palettes — the launch also parallels a preview of the newest Don Papa expression aged in sherry casks.

 

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It’s Been A Long Week: Cinco de Mayo Edition

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

There are truly too many things happening this week– spring, Frieze Art Fair, and the Derby just to name a few, but Cinco de Mayo outshines those all when margaritas are on the menu. With a proper tequila base, these three cocktails will be of liking even to those who may have disliked tequila.

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Served at Toro Loco, where one can choose their own garnish from the actual tower, this fruity margarita is both yummy and dangerous,

Ingredients: 

  • 2oz Patrón Silver
  • .25oz Patrón Orange Liqueur
  • 1oz Fresh Squeezed Prickly Pear Juice
  • .75oz Fresh Squeezed Yuzu Juice
  • .5oz Vanilla Syrup

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Easy and smooth, this is your classic marg with a twist and it’s even quite healthy (think: lots of cucumbers.)

Ingredients: 

  • 1 oz of Bandero Tequila 
  • 1 lime sliced into 6 wedges
  • 1/2 oz of Agave Syrup 
  • 3 half-inch slices of cucumber 

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If you like your tequila with a side of berries and orange-liqueur, this one is spot on.

Ingredients: 

  • >1 oz Cointreau
  • 1.5 oz Blanco Tequila 
  • 0.25 oz Fresh Lime Juice 
  • 3 Blackberries

 

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It’s Been A Long Week: Cruel Spring

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

We can finally say it– spring is truly here, a bit deceptive, stormy, and moody but also blooming with florals and proper weather. There is never really a bad time for a rum cocktail, but this one from Venezuela shakes spring into a Collins glass and tops it with some bubbly. With a punch of bold and dry Santa Teresa rum, the ultimate refresher comes mixed with floral and citrus notes. Cruel Spring is sure to bring out the ultimate seasonal mood–

Ingredients:

Created by Rael Petit at The Water Tower bar

  • 1 oz Santa Teresa 1796 rum
  • .25 oz Genepy le Chamois
  • .25 oz Mandarine Napoleon
  • 1 spoonful Banana Combier
  • .75 oz fresh lemon juice

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Method:

  • Shaken and served in a highball glass with a Collins ice sphere
  • Top drink with sparkling wine
  • Garnish with a single plantain chip and an edible orchid

Cheers!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Aranciata Rossa

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

While we’re still debating whether the Aperol spritz will be the cocktail of the summer, it’s safe to save it will at least be a popular one. But a typical spritz sometimes gets quite boring– so we’ve asked the wine director Aaron Von Rock at Leonelli (in The Evelyn Hotel) for his recipe of the perfect spritz (sans Aperol.) Everything yummy is quite simple as it turns out and the restaurant also sticks to the 3-2-1 spritz ratio with a tweak here and there to make the drink extra dry–

Ingredients:

  • 3 oz. Extra Dry Prosecco (or Brut)
  •  1 1/2 oz. Cappelletti Aperitivo Speciale (drier than Aperol)
  • 1/2 oz. Amara Rossa
  • 1 oz. San Pellegrino Aranciata Rossa

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Bottoms up!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Watch Me Matcha

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

St. Marks Place is happening again with newcomers like Paper Daisy sprucing up the famed street. Simple and minimalist on the outside, the bar is an entire cabinet of curiosities inside with a gorgeous wooden bar and original interior decor. As soon as you take a look on the menu you’ll immediately daydream into days when Patti Smith or Robert Mapplethorpe would have been chatting in the corner. With a modern spin on traditional mixology, Paper Daisy offers an array of yummy cocktails including a matcha version–

Ingredients:

  • 1oz Four Pillars Gin
  • .75oz Mizu Lemongrass Shochu
  • .5oz Italicus
  • .5oz lemon juice
  • .5oz simple syrup
  • half bar spoon of matcha
  • 3 cucumber slices
  • egg white
  • 2 dashes orange bitters

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Method:

  • Add egg white, ad perishable ingredients, and 2.25oz batch (Junipero, Mizu, Italicus)
  • Dry shake
  • Wet shake
  • Fine strain into a coupe

Cheers!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Smokin’ Maid

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

Maybe everyone around is jetting off on a much needed tropical vacation, but we’ve got Mexico on our mind too with Tijuana Picnic‘s mezcal goodness. Think of it like a mezcal mojito with the hot and spicy notes, and extra jalapeño tequila kick balanced with mint leaves, lime, and agave syrup. While you’re at it, grab a taco (or five) too!

Ingredients: 

Created by Jim Kearns

  • 3/4 oz Mezcal
  • 3/4 oz Jalapeño tequila
  • 3/4 oz cucumber juice
  • 1/2 oz agave syrup 
  • 1 lime (squeezed)
  • 5-6 mint leaves

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Method: 

  • Combine all ingredients in a shaker.  
  • Shake and strain into a highball glass.
  • Garnish with mint spring/cucumber slice with salt & pepper half rim.

Bottoms up!

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It’s Been A Long Week: GM-P Collins

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

Daylight savings has been a pain and Mercury’s retrograde has been beaming hard on everyone this week. But we’re never really looking for an excuse to have ourselves a good gin-based cocktail. Prepared at Midtown’s Valerie,  GM-P Collins is perfect for this week: long and zesty with a bitter punch. Make one yourself or visit the Golden Age bar ornate with smoked mirrors, burlesque wall decor, and a mixed array of antique accent marks. Cocktails reflect just that too– respect for nostalgic old world creations updated with a twist. The bar is specifically known for a select batch of gin and tonics.

Ingredients: 

(Created by Marshall Minaya)

  • 2 oz Ford’s Gin
  • ¾ oz Fennel Syrup
  • ¾ oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 dash Scrappy’s Celery Bitters
  • pinch of salt
  • Soda
  • 2 dashes of Peychaud’s 

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Method: 

  • Add gin, fennel syrup, lemon, celery bitters, and salt to a small tin, add ice and shake.
  • Strain into a Collins glass and top with soda and two dashes of Peychaud’s bitters on the top cube. 

Cheers!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Portrait of a Paloma

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

You can never have one too many paloma’s, especially with a mix of traditional Jose Cuervo Silver and a Reposado tequila. Especially for the exhibit honoring Frida Kahlo at the Brooklyn Museum, Jose Cuervo proposes a refreshing tequila cocktail that you can easily make at home. Kick this retrogrades ass and bottoms up:

Ingredients: 

  • 1oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional Silver
  • 1oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional Reposado
  • 1oz Grapefruit Soda
  • 3/4oz Grapefruit Juice
  • 1/4 Agave 
  • Garnish: Grapefruit slice

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Method: 

  • Measure Tequila, Agave and Grapefruit juice into a tin.
  • Shake quickly to mix and pour over ice in a Collins/Highball glass.
  • Top with Grapefruit soda.

SALUD!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Winter Picnic

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it

Winter seems neverending at this time of the year when we crave warm suns rays and spritz on a terrasse. Normally perceived as a summer aperitif, a spritz can totally be a winter drink if prepared properly as featured in St-Germain’s newest cocktail book “How To Spritz French Fluently.” Winter Picnic is exactly what it sounds like, a cold-season refresher. Ryan Chetiyawardana of Mr Lyan in London pays homage to French Beaujolais season layering the wine and St-Germain with a touch of coffee liqueur. The cocktail “brings a slice of French celebration to the otherwise miserable cold of the season,” says Chetiyawardana. The cocktail offers a chocolate note that is ideal in the winter months.

Ingredients: 

  • 1.25oz St-Germain
  • 1.24oz Beaujolais
  • 2 teaspoons coffee liqueur
  • 1.75oz soda water
  • 1.75oz tonic water

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Method: 

  • Pour all ingredients into a large wineglass filled with ice.
  • Stir to combine and add more ice.
  • Garnish with a purple basil sprig and clove-studded orange.

Cheers!

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It’s Been A Long Week: Smoke and Fire Margarita

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

As National Margarita Day approaches tomorrow, it’s quite obvious what we’ll be drinking. Amongst an endless list of tequila’s (Mexico produces close to 1,000 different tequilas,) we’ve settled on a margarita with Milagro Tequila (meaning “miracle”) and Montelobos mezcal. If you’re going to celebrate, you must do it right! As Milagro tequila is aged a bit longer than most others, its distinctive flavor adds an extra punch to a traditional margarita.

Ingredients: 

by Camille Austin, National Montelobos Ambassador

  • ¾ part Montelobos Mezcal
  • ¾ part Ancho Reyes Chile Liqueur
  • ¾ part Milagro Silver Tequila
  • 1 part fresh lime juice
  • ½ part agave nectar

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Method: 

  • Using a lime wedge, wet the rim of an old fashioned glass, salt it, and set aside
  • Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker
  • Add ice, shake, and double strain over fresh ice into the glass
  • Garnish with a lime wedge

Salud!

 

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Jägermeister Launches Luxury Expression Manifest

German herbal liqueur Jägermeister boasting over 80 years of an unchanged recipe characteristic for its herbal notes launched its first (and permanent) luxury extension Jägermeister Manifest. The new expression continues with the same herbal brand legacy adding extra punch to the game: more herbs, an increased number of macerates in the process, and stronger alcohol content. Manifest is for the consumer who was used to drinking the original and is now ready for a premium product.

Jägermeister is traditionally built on 56 premium ingredients– a mixture of herbs, blossom, roots, and fruits from all around the world. “After 80 years of producing the perfekt Jägermeister recipe, we decided to create a spirit that would build upon the original recipe to appease our consumer that had grown and evolved with us over the years,” explains brand meister, Willy Shine. Manifest boasts an array of extra secret ingredients too and an aging-like process of maceration in an old oak barrel where it rests for a year while the wheat distillate rests in oak casks with a medium char. The wood then adds a bit of vanilla flavor to the new spirit.

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Images: Courtesy of the brand

In comparison to the original, Manifest has more of an alcohol punch rather than the immediate warm that hits your tastebuds in Jägermeister. The newest expression is much spicier with ginger and even honey notes compared to the original which was quite spicy as well, but citrus and espresso notes took lead. “Manifest builds on Jägermeister’s iconic appeal, while at the same time transcending its tradition,” says Shine. As a result, Manifest is the big brother in this situation: refined and ambitious.

Super premium spirits have experiences significant popularity in the past few years with consumers preferring quality and the experience of liquid appreciation. Alcohol brands have elicited their options, usually available only at bars, as sipping options or unique cocktails. As for Manifest, it’s utilitarian whether you drink it chilled over ice, neat, or in a Manifest Old Fashioned:

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Ingredients: 

  • 1.5 parts Manifest
  • .5 parts Four Roses Small Batch Bourbon
  • .25 parts Black tea one syrup (1-1 Black tea to honey)
  • Spritz absinthe w/ atomizer
  • Garnish: Orange Peel
  • Glass: Rocks Glass
  • Ice: 2”x2” Ice Cube

Method: 

  • Stir & Strain garnished with expressed orange peel

Manifest is available in select on-premise accounts throughout the United States at an SRP of $59.99.

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It’s Been A Long Week: New York Cherry Sour

As true believers of the work hard, play hard mantra, we present you with It’s Been a Long Week, a weekly column aimed at awarding some liquid appreciation to you for just being yourself, dammit. Make yourself a glass or two, on us — you deserve it.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Drunk on love or on Stillhouse whiskey, we’ll take one of each, please. We’ve got a cherry take on a traditional whiskey sour, perfect for an aperitif or a nightcap if you please. And if you hadn’t had enough, Stillhouse bottles are easily portable in their stainless steel cans.

Ingredients:

  • 2 oz Stillhouse Spiced Cherry
  • 1 oz fresh lemon juice
  • 1oz simple syrup
  • Dry red wine

 

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Method: 

  • Shaken over ice
  • Strain into a rocks glass full of ice
  • Float with dry red wine

Cheers!