Tales of the Cocktail begins today

The Seventh annual Tales of the Cocktail begins today in New Orleans, Louisiana. Tales, as many of us call it, is a five day convention of top mixologists, bartenders, chefs, cocktail bloggers, and drinks aficionados. Tales is not just for industry folks either, it is like a Star trek convention for cocktail geeks! The event which began in 2003 is the brain child of Anne Tuennerman, a marketing and promotions guru who turned her love of well crafted cocktails into the premier mixology event in the world.

Loungerati is dispatching resident cocktailian, Fredo Ceraso to the Big Easy for the event. Though not an official Tales Blogger, Fredo will be reporting on the various seminars, cocktail tastings, spirited dinners, and of course the competitions and Spirited Awards winners. This will be Fredo's first Tales. Rumor also has it that professional lounger Mark "the Senator" Vasto, Loungerati's man in Kansas City may be making an appearance. Should Vasto indeed appear like an apparition in the night, say at Herbsaint bar around 11pm on Thursday night, one can count on another legendary lost weekend in the gutter!

Next stop the Carousel Bar, VIP happy hour at the famous Hotel Monteleone for a few Sazaracs!

Tales of the Cocktail
July 8 - 12, 2009
New Orleans

Follow Loungerati at Tales on Twitter.

Destinations: Nouvelle Époque at the Players Club

JC Hopkins and Gemini & Scorpio present the Nouvelle Époque party at the historic Players Club on July 17th. Fredo from Loungerati has crafted a specialty cocktail menu for the soiree.

The Players

The legendary Players, boasting such luminary members as Mark Twain, Eugene O'Neill and Ernest Hemingway,is a members-only social club founded by the famed 19th century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth. The Players' landmarked home is a magnificent Victorian mansion with a wrought-iron balcony overlooking Gramercy Park.

The Cabaret

The Slipper Room's illustrious owner James Habacker presents (and hosts, in guise of Chester Mackerel, charming professor of abnormal psychology), a night of exuberant entertainment to ignite the senses. JC Hopkins' Biggish Band plays rollicking hard bop swing all night featuring guest vocalists tap-dancing sensation DeWitt Fleming Jr, velvet-voiced Jolie Holland, and Tony-nominated downtown icon Justin Bond, in addition to JC's resident front-woman Queen Esther. The always-surprising Julie Atlas Muz (Miss Exotic World 2006), the jaw-droppingly stylish MsTickle, and hilariously naughty Trixie Little & Evil Hate Monkey perform feats of burlesque to live accompaniment by the band all night. In band breaks, 1920s tap sensation The Minsky Sisters amuse and titillate you. The cabaret runs 9pm-1am in the formal Dining Room, preceded at 8:30pm by a complimentary dance class. After the cabaret, DJ Shakey spins a most unique mix of vintage + modern beats to keep you dancing.

After 9pm, the Sargent Room across The Great Hall, named after its three John Singer Sargent portraits (he was an early member), is your salon for cocktails and conversations, as jazz pianist Jesse Gelber sets the elegant mood. A custom cocktail menu will be crafted for Nouvelle Époque by Fredo Ceraso of Loungerati.com.

VIP Reception

The Sargent Room and its park-facing balcony are reserved for VIP guests 7-9pm for a cocktail reception and a private performance by San Francisco opera diva Marisa Lenhardt, as stylish cigarette girls treat you to hand-rolled cigars and hand-dipped chocolates, courtesy of Velvet Cigars and Desserts by Michael Allen.

Dress code

Belle Epoque - late 1800s to WWI, evening glamour, top hats + tails, feathers + gloves, outdo yourself at your most fabulous.

The Players private club, 16 Gramercy Park S bet Park Ave S & Irving Pl, 21+
July 17th - VIP admission: 7-9pm cocktail reception + regular admission, $30 w/RSVP, $35 door
Regular admission: 8pm-late, $20 w/RSVP, $25 door
Late admission: 12am-late, $10 w/RSVP, $15 door

What We're Drinking: Winding Down with The Flip

by Fredo

It is 3am and you have been out all night. Before throwing in the towel, you decide to have a nightcap and get into a premier cocktail bar. This is where a bad decision could occur that could wreck your morning. If you choose shots of Jameson whiskey or an all booze drink in the Manhattan family you maybe in for a long stretch in bed. If you go beer, chances are you will have more than one and walk out the bar at sunrise. As an alternative, next time you crave a stiff drink for the road but need to mellow out, try a Flip.

The Flip is one of America's oldest drinks dating back to the 18th century. Originally, the recipe consisted of ale, eggs, sugar and heated up against an hot iron. Then a stronger spirit like brandy or a sherry was added to strengthen the drink. As the Flip evolved, the ale and the heat were dropped from the recipe but fortified wine or spirit remained. Today, a typical Flip consists of a cocktail with a spirit, sherry, or port, sugar, and a whole egg, shaken over ice and dusted with nutmeg. This base formula can be adjusted, improved, and tweaked. Some of my favorite Flips:

Porto Flip
- 3 oz Port
- 1 whole egg
- 1 oz heavy cream
- 1 oz Cognac (I use Martel)
- 2 tsp of sugar
- 1 tsp Green Chartreuse (float)
- Grated nutmeg garnish

Mix ingredients in shaker over cracked ice, shake hard and strain into chilled coupe. Float Chartreuse on top with bar spoon and then dust it with grated nutmeg.(Recipe from Charles H. Baker Jr.'s Jigger, Beaker, and Glass: Drinking Around the World)

Boston Flip
- 1 oz Bourbon (I use 90 proof Elijah Craig 12 Year)
- 1 oz Madeira
- 1 whole egg
- 1/4 oz. simple syrup
- Grated nutmeg garnish

Combine in shaker over cracked ice, shake thoroughly. Strain into chilled coupe.Dust with grated nutmeg.

Black Flip
- 1 oz Cruzan Black Strap Rum
- 3 oz Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
- 1 whole egg

Combine over ice, shake thoroughly. Strain into chilled coupe.
(Adapted from Wayne Curtis’s And a Bottle of Rum: A History of the New World in Ten Cocktails. Served at PDT in New York)

Where do we wind down?

Clover Club, ask bartender Thomas Waugh for his Wild Turkey Flip. Dutch Kills for Guiseppe Gonzalez's Champagne Flip. PDT, see above.

(photo courtesy of The Spirit World)

Tuesday Night Tastings - Chartreuse

by Fredo

Louis 649's Tuesday Night Tastings are a destination for mixologists, cocktail bloggers, spirits novices, and of course people who love free booze. Naturally, I was on the scene.

This past Tuesday, Todd Richman, Chartreuse's brand Ambassador teamed up with mixologist Eryn Reece and the Louis 649 crew to present the history of Chartreuse and then guide attendees to a tasting of the various types of the venerable 350 year old herbal liquor. Chartreuse is a French liqueur made by Carthusian monks from an centuries old recipe that is known only to three monks. No one monk knows the whole recipe, except Father Superior. The recipe is then passed on to the next generation of monks, again only three know any part of it at any one time.

Today, all Chartreuse liqueurs are made only in Voiron (France). However, the 130 herbs, plants and flowers from which Chartreuse is made are stored in the Monastery of "La Grande Chartreuse", 25 kilometres away. There, they are crushed, blended, whatever the secret recipe requires - and are eventually taken to the Voiron distillery where only the two monks are allowed to macerate and distill them, and finally oversee their ageing. - The History of Chartreuse

We tried Yellow, Yellow V.E.P(Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé), Green, Green V.E.P, and the Green 1605 (not available in the US.) Todd talked through each variation of Chartreuse and then held a Q& A. It is clear why so many bartenders at the nation's top cocktail bars are marrying Chartreuse with a variety of liquors including scotch, rye, gin, cachaca, and more. The depth of flavors that range from honey to clove to saffron compliment the main spirit without overwhelming it. Once the crowd was educated and enlightened from tastings, Todd and Eryn served up a classic cocktail that uses Chartreuse to prove their point:

The Last Word
3/4 oz Gin (Todd used Citadelle)
3/4 oz Maraschino
3/4 oz Green Chartreuse
3/4 oz Lime juice

Combine spirits and lime juice in boston shaker over ice. Shake rigorously for 10-15 seconds, strain into chilled coupe. no need for garnish but if you must, try a Luxardo maraschino cherry of lime wheel.

Don't miss Tuesday Night Tastings @:

Louis 649
649 East 9th St @Ave C
NYC, NY
http://www.louis649.com

Tuesdays is more than just tasting liquors, it is an education!

Destinations: Weekend of June 20-21

There is only one place to be this weekend and that's CONEY ISLAND for the kick off of summer!

2009 MERMAID PARADE
Saturday, June 20th, 2PM! Rain or Shine!
King Neptune Mr. Harvey Keitel and his Queen Mermaid Daphna
Special Appearances by The Uptown String Band from The Philadelphia Mummers Parade!
Monster Truck ‘Blue Thunder’ performing a parade prelude.
Performers from Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey’s Boom A Ring

For more information check out their site.

After the parade head over to the official after party:

MERMAID PARADE BALL at Dreamland Roller Rink
The Ball will run in 2 skating sessions 5:30pm-8:30pm and 9pm-Midnight
$20 (skate rental $5 or bring your own)
DJ, Burlesque and Sideshow performances, Adam Rinn, Tigger, Little Brooklyn, Ekaterina, Marni Halasa and more!

Loungerati also suggests:

Yehoodi "Brooklyn Bombshell" Mermaid party at Flatbush Farms in Park Slope.
3pm. That's at 76 Saint Marks Ave at Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn.

Brooklyn Pin-Up magazine party at BROOKLYN BOTANICA in Red Hook.
220 Conover Street
Red Hook, Brooklyn
718-797-2297
10pm

"Join us for the first hot party to kick off the summer season!!

Brooklyn Pin Up will be officially launching its brand with an evening to remember, filled with sexy surprise performances, beautiful pin ups and music brought to you by DJ's Sameer and Love On The Run.

Come and kiss one of our sexy pinups in the kissing booth, enjoy one of Botanica's specialty cocktails with fresh fruit and herbs and enter to win your own pin up photo shoot!!

Also be on the lookout for Brooklyn Pinup marching in this year's Coney island Mermaid Parade earlier in the day on June 20th!!"

What We're Drinking: The Gin Rickey

by Fredo

As we kick off the summer this weekend, thoughts of seasonal cocktails dance in my head. The perfect summer drink would have to be: Simple. Classic. Refreshing. We could go with a Mint Julep but they can be labor intensive. We could go Cuba Libre but honestly, we are trying to cut down on all that corn syrup. Wait, what about the Gin Rickey? London Dry Gin. Lime. Club Soda. Yeah that's it! You will wish all cocktails were this light and easy to make when you are BBQing in the hot sun.

What - no sugar? The Gin Rickey doesn't need sugar like a Tom Collins, which is intuitive when creating sour type drinks. On the contrary, as Esquire's David Wondrich describes in his article "Gin Rickey: The Official Drink of Summer" the inventor of the drink, Colonel Joe Rickey knew that "soda dilutes the acidity just enough so that the drink isn't sour, creating a peerlessly cool, dry drink..."

Well we couldn't agree more. The Gin Rickey is our official summer drink too - imbibe indeed!

GIN RICKEY
2 oz London dry gin (We prefer Plymouth or Beefeater)
1/2 oz fresh lime juice
club soda

Squeeze a lime into a chilled Collins glass full of ice cubes. Then add the gin. Finally, top off with club soda and garnish with half a lime wedge.

Where to get one? Try a bar with outdoor seating like Franklin Park in Crown Heights, Brooklyn!

Salute!

Destinations: Weekend of June 13-14

Painting the town red this weekend? Why not try these events for the weekend of June 13-14:

STAUNCH! The Ultimate Grey Gardens Festival
Friday, June 12, 2009 through Sunday, June 14, 2009

"But you see, in dealing with me - the relatives didn't know that they were dealing with a Staunch Character. And I tell you - if there's anything worse than a Staunch Woman. S-T-A-U-N-C-H There's nothing worse, I'm telling you. They don't weaken! No matter what." -Little Edie

We decided to get in the act and bring it all back to the house that Grey Gardens built. STAUNCH! is going to be a tribute to the film that spawned it all and to its many, many fans. Come hang out in our living, breathing diorama of Big and Little Edie's bedroom as recreated by artists and designers, with ephemera, specialty foods and sound booths with rarely heard audio of the Beales and their friends.

Friday June 12
@8pm Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.
Unpacking Grey Gardens: Panel with fashion, gender, sexuality and film personalities and director Albert Maysles.

Saturday, June 13th
@1pm: Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.
@4pm: Book signing of the new Grey Gardens book - authors Rebekah and Sara Maysles, with the one and only Albert Maysles!
@8pm Live Grey Gardens inspired cabaret and burlesque, sing alongs, contests, prizes! Come perform, join in, or if need be sit on the side lines! Grey-Gardens-revolutionary outfits optional but highly suggested.

Sunday, June 14th
@2pm: The Beales of Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (2006) 91 min.
@5pm: Grey Gardens, Dir. Albert and David Maysles (1976) 94 min.

*a limited number of early reservations are available. Call or email to reserve.

more info: www.mayslesinstitute.org
Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd
New York, NY


The Mode Merr Fashion Show Spectacular!
Witness the premiere of designer ANGELA ZAMPELL’S newest collection at BROOKLYN’S BELL HOUSE with a show that promises to be bigger and better then ever! Merging a runway fashion show, live music, hot rods, a full shopping boutique and cavalcade of performances from NYC’s A-List burlesque performers, this will be one sizzling Sunday afternoon you won’t want to miss.

Settling into it’s new home at Brooklyn’s indie hip and hot spot, THE BELL HOUSE, this years fashion spectacular will expand to new heights with live music from THE FISHERMANS XYLOPHONIC ORHESTRA plus performances from the MISS EXOTIC WORLD 08 ANGIE PONTANI, THE WORLD FAMOUS BOB, DIRTY MARTINI, HELEN PONTANI, DELIRIUM TREMENS, LITTLE BROOKLYN, PEEKABOO POINTE, THE LADY AYE, GIGI LAFEMME and THE WORLD FAMOUS PONTANI SISTERS. As if it couldn’t get any better, THE RUMBLERS CAR CLUB will decorate 7th Street with a dazzling array of ultra hot hot-rods!

The Bell House
149 7th St
Brooklyn, NY


Hopkins and Hawkes at Duane Park
Biggish Band leader JC Hopkins and Trombone Blat boy J.Walter Hawkes wow the supper club crowd in Tribeca.
7-9pm on Sunday June 14th
3 course prix fixe $25 and jazz only on Sunday evenings!

Duane Park
157 Duane Street
New York, NY
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