THE SALON: 5th Annual New Year's Eve Eve Party

The place to be this Sunday December 30th is THE SALON's 5th annual NEW YEAR'S EVE EVE party. This year, the Salon continues the tradition with another spectacular lineup of more than 40 performers for your lounging and dancing pleasure! 

This year's venue is THE DL, an elegant new club built into two brownstones that were combined to create a beautiful three floor venue, each featuring its own bar and dance floor, plus the huge rooftop lounge even has a separate outdoor smoking area... bring your cigars and pipes!

Live Music by:

** The 3rd floor features live music by:

THE GEORGE GEE SWING ORCHESTRA
featuring vocalist John Dokes

QUEEN ESTHER & THE HOT FIVE
Grand Prize Winner, Jazzmobile Vocal Competition, 2008

plus
DJ VaVaVoon Spinning tunes to keep ya dancing all night

** The 2nd floor is all about the blues in the gorgeous "Red Room" with DJ FLOUER (from Friday Night Blues)...

and live music by 
RON SUNSHINE & BAND

** The Hot-Jazz 1st floor featuring
GELBER & MANNING The feuding vaudeville lovebirds. 

THE RED HOOK RAMBLERSDixieland Hot Jazz

MIKE “the barber” HAAR of the Ragged Phonograph Program
Spinning 1920’s hot-jazz & dance

**The Salon also proudly presents**

THE MINSKY SISTERSThe '20's Tap Dancing Sensation

DANDY WELLINGTON Master of Ceremonies and Emcee Extraordinaire

burlesque by
MEDIANOCHE
HAZEL HONEYSUCKLE

Plus, our lovely Go-Go dancers and Stage Kittens
STELLA CHUU
SYDNEY SUNRISE
MISS KACIE MARIE

FREE Beginner swing dance lesson from 7:30-8pm by
ARTURO PEREZ
The NYEE Salon tradition continues with Radishes for dapper gents by MICHAEL INGBAR

The Salon's signature commitment is equal billing for quality performances, dancing, AND cocktail culture. In that spirit of bon vivant, Loungerati is honored to be included in The Salon's 2012 NYEE party as their in house cocktailian along side award winning bartender ERYN REECE of Mayahuel!

THE SALON: New Year's Eve Eve
Sunday, December 30th, 2012
DL Lounge
95 Delancey Street
(Corner of Delancey St & Ludlow St) New York, NY
Doors open at 7pm with live music from 7:00pm to 1:30am
21+ (ID required)

TICKETS
* General Admission
$25 - Advance Tickets (online)
$30 - At the Door (cash only)

* VIP Tickets
$100 - Advance Tickets (online)
$110 - At the Door (cash only)VIP Tickets - Two hour premium top-shelf open bar from 8-10pm. Skip the line at the door, and gain exclusive access to VIP-Only area, with cocktail tables, seating and more. Limited availability. Food not included.

* All Ticket sales will be capped to prevent overcrowding.
* Early-Bird discounted ticket sale ended on Dec 16th.
* All advance ticket sales end Sunday Dec 30th at 12 noon.

Lounge Essentials: Last Minute Holiday Gifts

Revive your corpse after painting the town red with the Breville Dual Boiler. 

Espresso perfection requires precision temperature and pressure control, consistently, every time. At the heart of this machine is its dual stainless steel boiler heating system. The dedicated espresso boiler is adjustable (190°-205°F) for different bean roasts and origins, while a separate steam boiler offers instant and powerful steam on demand. So you can extract your shot at the right temperature, delivering optimal flavor, while simultaneously steaming your milk to cafe quality.

Luigi Borrelli corded slacks, in burnt orange. 

Owned by the Naples-based Borrelli family, this upscale Madison Avenue boutique is known for its slim, elegant suiting. Set apart from the work of more stolid English haberdasheries, Luigi Borrelli clothing features trim, stylish look. may we suggest their delightful handmade pants in festive orange this season? 

Need to make notation barside of a new cocktail discovery? Grab for the Rhodia Webbie. 

Why settle for the (Moleskin) imitation when you have the original, as French schoolchild have known for years. The  Webnotebook (aka Webbie) is the  pocket-sized journal goes everywhere and is filled with functionality. It has a hard leatherette cover embossed with the iconic Rhodia logo, plus a convenient expanding rear inner pocket and elastic closure that matches the cover color.Choose from lined, blank or dot paper - all 90 g, ivory-colored, acid-free, and pH neutral paper. 

Voyage d'Hermes Eau de Parfum: a fragrance to share for both men and women.

The composition is built around the above notes of the original Voyage d'Hermes with added floral notes of rose and warm amber. The composition provides lemon, cardamom and spices in top notes. A heart hides hedione, floral notes with accentuated rose, green notes and tea notes, with a strong trail of musk combined with blond wood and warm amber. To die for.

Lounge Essentials: Holiday Gift Recommendations 2012

Gifts for the Home Bar

The Loungerati staff share some of our Lounge Essentials holiday gift wish list:

For The Home Bar (pictured)

Home Bar Basics and Not-So Basics by Dave Stolte ($12.75) nominated for Best Cocktail Writing Spirited Award at Tales of the Cocktail 2012, this must have pocket cocktail guide is a welcome addition to any home bar. Stolte provides recipes, insightful commentary and even illustrations. 

Tuthilltown Distillery Barrel Aging Kit  ($12.50) - don't have room for an entire barrel to age booze? No problem, mimic the process with this home aging kit from the folks behind Hudson Whiskies which include honeycomb barrel staves that adds a charred wood flavor to pre-made cocktails. (cocktail not included)

Umamimart's Yarai Mixing Glass and Trident Bar Spoon gift set ($50.00) - The Japanese beaker shaped heavy bottom mixing glass and iconic trident fork bar spoon up your home bar game.

Cocktail Kingdom stocking stuffers: Lewis Ice Bag - perfect way to make crushed ice for juleps ($3.95), CoCo Ultra Premium Fine Strainer - essential strainer for citrus cocktails ($6.95), Cocktail Kingdom Steel Julep Spoon Straw -25 5" spoon straws set pack ($37.95) - no need to swipe them from Little Branch anymore!

Other great home bar gifts available at the Loungerati Home Bar Store!

Lounge Enhancements

Iconic Images of Josephine Baker, George Gershwin, Audrey Hepburn, and more - 

Condé Naste, publisher of such classic magazines as Vogue, Vanity Fair, and the New Yorker, offers a selection of fabulous photographs from their archives at very reasonable prices — these are obviously not vintage prints, but it's still a treat to be able to have access to such iconic images—as well as many relatively unknown but equally stunning shots. Particularly recommended are images by Edward Steichen, Cecil Beaton, Horst P. Horst, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, George Hoyningen-Huené to name just a few. The prints are available framed or unframed and in a number of sizes and finishes—just please don't insult the medium by ordering one on canvas!! 

Vinyl Mania, ($59.95) at Taschen web store - a two-volume book set—album-sized at 11.8 x 11.8" of course, and 556 pages—is packed full of the coolest, craziest jazz album covers from the 1940s to the 1990s ("the decline of LP Production" *sigh* ). Included are record covers from Sara Vaughn, Stan Getz, Cannonball Adderly, Duke Ellington, and Quincy Jones to name a few. 


The Postcards Age ($45.00) - 

Published to accompany a show  at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, The Postcard Age presents an incredible collection of postcards created during the early part of the 1900s, when,as the museum describes it, "postcards were Twitter, e-mail, Flickr, and Facebook, all wrapped into one." Also check out Posters: Irony, Imagination and Eroticism in Advertising 1895-1960, ($75.00) which offers a tantalizing dip into a pre-Mad Men world of the art of advertising and seduction. l

Threads/Gear  
The Rita Cocktail Dress from Bettie Page Clothing ($102.00) - knock them dead at the office holiday party with this killer turquoise dress that would make Joan Harris proud! Bonus: The Bettie Page Clothing just opened a NY location at 303 Bowery - 2013 will be a dynamite year!

Red and Navy Stripped Sock Garters from Fine and Dandy ($19.00) - Besides being a very personal fashion statement, sock garters are actually functional. I don't know about you but I have yet to meet a modern sock who elasticity survives more than a few months. Eliminate the risk of sock bunching around your ankles with a smart pair of sock garters. While you are at it, pick up some classic shirt garters too. Garters for men, no longer geezer but geezer chic!

Navy Cocktail Pocket Square also from Fine and Dandy ($39.00) - this silk work of art will be a hit for any well dressed cocktail man in your life. In other words, every male lounger you know. 

Holiday Bonus
Minetta Tavern Gift Certificate - opened in 1937 in Greenwich Village, the Minetta Tavern is a landmark and an old haunt of the Loungerati. When restauranteur Keith McNally  took over the location in 2009, he made it a food and cocktail destination. The best Cote de Boeuf in New York is worth the wait!

~ Happy Holidays!

Happy Repeal Day!!

On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment to the United States Constitution became the law of the land. This piece of legislation repealed the 18th Amendment's Prohibition of alcohol. The last state to ratify the amendment in the State conventions, thus passing the 3/4 majority required to amend the Constitution under Article 5, was Utah! So let's all toast Utah!

XXI Amendment 

Section 1. The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.

Section 2. The transportation or importation into any State, Territory, or possession of the United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.

Section 3. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by conventions in the several States, as provided in the Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the States by the Congress.

On December 5, 2006 Loungerati was formed to fill the void for lounge website Tommywhitetie.com which was closed down by it's eponymous founder. A select group of Loungers refused to go quietly. It wasn't last call yet, and there was an open bar of opportunity and ideas. 

Loungerati was born on a cocktail napkin at a bar called Brooklyn Social in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and institutionalized with the epic Lounge Doctrine delivered by The Senator at the Algonquin Hotel bar the following year. Loungerati continues to serve as an outlet to those who enjoy Lounge culture, the sporting life, exquisite cocktails, classic music, and a good time! 

Please join us at the legendary Monkey Bar in New York City late Saturday night December 8th  to celebrate your right to imbibe and Loungerati's 6th Birthday!

Best of Lounge 2012 - Winners

Lounger Number One for 2012 awarded posthumously to the impresario, Brian F. Paynter.
(Artwork by Dave Stolte)

The Loungerati readers have voted via PollDaddy for the 2012 Best of Lounge Awards and the results are in:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: THE MINSKY SISTERS
Honorable Mention: Francine "The Lucid Dream", Angie Pontani, Grace Gotham

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: JAZZ AGE LAWN PARTY AT GOVERNOR'S ISLAND
Honorable Mention: Club Wit's End - A Monthly Celebration of the Jazz Age,  Liberty Belle Fourth of July Spectacular at the Empire Hotel, The Salon's New Year's Eve Eve Party

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: MICHAEL ARENELLA & HIS DREAMLAND ORCHESTRA
Honorable Mention: Gelber & Manning, Ray Gelato & City Rhythm Orchestra, Queen Esther & Her Hot Five

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: PERRY'S TOT NAVY STRENGTH GIN from New York Distilling Company

Honorable Mention: Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters, Home Bar Basics (and not so basics) manual by Dave Stolte, Bittermens Amere Sauvage

Best Dressed Lounger: GIN MINSKY of the Minsky Sisters
Honorable Mention: Brian F. Paynter, Jack Newcastle, Dandy Wellington

Brian F. Paynter Award for Lounger Number One: BRIAN F. PAYNTER (Impresario)
Honorable Mention: Nicole Desmond, Eff from Loungerati, Mr. Gotham 

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New Cocktail Bar or Lounge: THE SHANTY (Brooklyn)
Honorable mention:  Experimental Cocktail Club - LES (New York), Middle Branch (New York), Pouring Ribbons (New York)

Best Veteran Cocktail Bar or Lounge: CLOVER CLUB (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: PDT (New York), Death & Company (New York), Fort Defiance (Brooklyn)

Best Barfood: The Prime Meats Burger - PRIME MEATS (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Deviled Eggs with Four Flavors - Clover Club (Brooklyn),  The Cubano - DeCoursey's Side Car (Brooklyn), Derby Cobb Salad - Astor Room (Queens)

David A. Embury Award for Best Cocktail of 2012: SAUVETAGE, Nate Dumas for The Shanty (Brooklyn)

Honorable Mention: Death & Taxes by Joaquin Simo for Pouring Ribbons (New York), KYPX by Franky Marshall for Monkey Bar (New York), Absinthe Colada by Maxwell Britten for Maison Premiere (Brooklyn)

Editor and Staff Picks:
Best Seat in the House: The "Regular" at EMPLOYEES ONLY (New York)
Honorable mention: Back window seat at Rum House (New York), F14 at Clover Club (Brooklyn), Any bar seat at the original Milk & Honey (New York)

Best Cocktail for the Road: Fernet Branca Bottle Service at BOURGEOIS PIG BROOKLYN (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Underberg bitters at Prime Meats (Brooklyn), Hanky Panky at American Bar, Savoy Hotel (London), Boulevardier  at Lantern's Keep (New York)

Best Saloon: WARD III (New York)
Honorable Mention: Daddy-O (New York), The Richardson (Brooklyn), Manifesto (Kansas City)

Best of the Internationals: ARTESIAN BAR at LANGHAM HOTEL (London)
Honorable Mention:  American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London), Happiness Forgets (London), Upstairs at Callooh Callay (London)

Best of the NY Hotel Bars: THE RUM HOUSE at EDISON HOTEL (New York)

Honorable Mention: Library Bar at NoMad Hotel (New York), Lantern's Keep at the Iroquois Hotel (New York), Breslin Bar at Ace Hotel (New York)

Best Dive aka "The Gutter Award": JIMMY'S CORNER (New York)

Honorable Mention: Jackies Fifth Amendment (Brooklyn), Montero Bar & Grill(Brooklyn), Arthur's Tavern (New York)

Don't Bruise the Ice Award for Best Ice Program: MIDDLE BRANCH (New York)

Honorable Mention: Dutch Kills Bar (Queens), Weather Up Tribeca (New York), Artesian Bar at Langham Hotel (London)

The back bar at THE SHANTY

Best New Cocktail Bar/Lounge: The SHANTY