Best of Lounge 2014 - Winners

Lounger Number One 2014

 

The Loungerati have voted via Survey Monkey for the 2014 Best of Lounge Awards and the results are in:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: A FIRST TIME TIE!!!! NEW YORK BURLESUE FESTIVAL - ANGIE PONTANI and WASSABUCCO 10TH ANNIVERSARY)

Honorable Mention: Drunken Dragon Festival at Macao Trading Co., The Return of the Slipper Room

 

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: THE SALON AT PLAYERS CLUB

Honorable Mention: Club Wit's Monthly Jazz Age Party at Flute, Jazz Age Picnic at Governor's Island

 

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: MICHAEL ARENELLA AND THE DREAMLAND ORCHESTRA

Honorable Mention: Dandy Wellington and His Band, Terry Waldo - Piano Man

 

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: GREEN SPOT IRISH SINGLE POT WHISKEY

Honorable Mention: Death and Company Cocktail Book, Amaro Montenegro

 

Best Dressed Lounger: EFF BLANGIARDO of Loungerati

Honorable Mention: Dandy Wellington (Song and Dance man), Queen Esther (Belle of the Ball)

 

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New Cocktail Bar or Lounge: THE GILROY (New York)

Honorable mention:  The Happiest Hour (New York), Boilermaker (New York)

Best New York Cocktail Bar or Lounge: ATTABOY (New York)

Honorable Mention: Clover Club (Brooklyn), The Dead Rabbit (New York)

 

Best Barfood: TUNA TARTARE at CRIMSON AND RYE (New York)

Honorable Mention: Oyster Happy Hour at Dead Rabbit (New York), Chicken Soup at Employees Only (New York)

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

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

 

David A. Embury Award for Best Cocktail of 2014: OLD OSCAR (Woodford Reserve Bourbon, Amaro Montenegro, Campari, Ancho Reyes, Aztec Chocolate Bitters)  by Francis Verrall for THE GILROY (New York)

Honorable Mention: The Man About Town at Crimson and Rye (New York), The Stinger at The Dead Rabbit (New York)

 

Editor and Staff Picks:

Best Seat in the House: Parlour Bar Seat at THE DEAD RABBIT (New York)

Honorable mention: Corner bar seat at The Gilroy (New York), Seat F12 (aka F14) at Clover Club (Brooklyn)

 

Best Cocktail for the Road: DARK AND BITTER (Victor King Dark Stout and Ramazzotti Amaro) BOILERMAKER (New York)

Honorable Mention: The Old Pal at The Gilroy (New York), The Irish Coffee at The Dead Rabbit (New York)

Best Saloon: BOILERMAKER (NEW YORK)

Honorable Mention: American Whiskey (New York), Hudson Malone (New York)

Best of the Internationals: ARTESIAN BAR at LANGHAM HOTEL (London)

Honorable Mention:  American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London), Sherry Butt (Paris)

Best Dive aka "The Gutter Award": SUBWAY INN (New York)

Honorable Mention: Memory Motel (Montauk), American Trash (New York)

Don't Bruise the Ice Award for Best Ice Program: HAND CARVED ICE AT RARE BAR (TAICHUNG, TAIWAN)

Honorable Mention: The Dead Rabbit (New York), Sherry Butt (Paris)

 

Brian F. Paynter Award for Lounger Number One: EFF BLANGIARDO - A SICILIAN
Honorable Mention: Joe "Leisure Master" Desmond (Rhum Rhum Room), Bernie Courtines (Loungerati)

Happy Repeal Day! Three Cheers for Utah!!

Salt Lake City's Oldest Bar opened Dec 5, 1933

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 born on a cocktail napkin at a bar called Brooklyn Social in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn and memorialized 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!

To toast this joyous occasion try out a modern take on the classic rye buck from one of Salt Lake City's top barman - Jacob Hall of Bar X, Utah's oldest post-prohibition bar!

 Mr. November
adapted by Jacob Hall for Bar X

1.5 oz rye whiskey (try High West Double Rye!)
.5 oz fresh ginger juice
.5 oz fresh lemon juice
.5 simple syrup
2 barspoons muddled cooked bell pepper
candied ginger
bell pepper slice

Tools: Mixing tins, jigger, rocks glass, Hawthorne strainer,

Method: Muddle the cooked bell pepper in a mixing tin,, add the rest of the ingredients and then ice. Shake until well chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over ice. Garnish with candied ginger and bell pepper slice.

Please raise a toast December 5th to celebrate your right to imbibe and Loungerati's 8th Birthday!

Best of Lounge 2014 - Vote Early and Often!

Welcome to the Best of Lounge 2014 Voting!

Queen Esther & The Hot Five at The Salon

Click here to VOTE!

The categories open for your consideration are: 

Best New Cocktail Bar/Lounge

• Boilermaker (New York)
• Spirited (Brooklyn)
• The Gilroy (New York)
• The Happiest Hour (New York)
• Elephant Bar at The NoMad Hotel (New York)

Best New York Cocktail Bar/Lounge 

• Clover Club (Brooklyn)
• Maison Premiere (Brooklyn)
• Attaboy (New York)
• Employees Only (New York)
• The Dead Rabbit (New York)

Best New York Hotel Bar

• Rum House at The Edison Hotel
• Lantern's Keep at The Iroquois Hotel
• Elephant Bar at The NoMad Hotel
• Lambs Club at The Chatwal Hotel
• King Cole Bar at St. Regis Hotel

Most Sought After Ingredient/Bar tool for the Home Bar

• Green Spot Single Pot Irish Whiskey
• Amaro Montenegro
• Retro style ice tapper from Cocktail Kingdom
• Denim Bar Apron from Ben Davis
• Death and Company Cocktail Book

Best Barfood 

• Chicken Soup at Employees Only
• The Burger at Hudson Malone
• The Krispie Fried Chicken at Fedora
• Tuna Tartare at Crimson and Rye
• Oyster Happy Hour at The Dead Rabbit

Best Burlesque Act, Event or Space 

• The Return of the Slipper Room
• Peacock Party at Duane Park with Francine and Evelyn Vinyl
• NY Burlesque Festival - Angie Pontani
• Wassabassco 10th Anniversary Extravaganza
• Drunken Dragon Festival at Macao Trading Co - Calamity "The Asian Sexation" Chang

Best Dressed Lounger

• Eff Blangiardo, Pontif of Sprezzatura
• Michael Haar, Barber and Radioflyer
• Queen Esther, Chanteuse and Belle of the Ball
• David Lochner, Philly's Finest Haberdasher
• Dandy Wellington, Song and Dance Man

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge/Retro/Vintage Event

• Club Wit's End 6th Annual Black Cat Masquerade
• Jazz Age Picnic at Governor's Island
• The Salon at Players Club
• Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala at NY Public Library
• Club Wit's End Monthly Jazz Age Party at Flute

Viva La Music Award: Best Jazz/Swing/Lounge Band

• JC Hopkins Biggish Band at Minton's Harlem
• Queen Esther and The Hot Five
• Michael Arenella andThe Dreamland Orchestra
• Dandy Wellington and His Band
• Terry Waldo, Ragtime piano man at Dead Rabbit and Rum House

David A. Embury Award: Best Cocktail of 2014

• The After Dark (Old Forester bourbon, Cynar, cold brew coffee, egg white, chocolate bitters), The Rest, Salt Lake City
• Old Oscar (Woodford Reserve bourbon, Campari, Amaro Montenegro, Ancho Reyes,  Aztec chocolate bitters), Francis Verrall of The Gilroy, NYC
• Stinger (Green Spot Single Pot Irish whiskey, Fernet Branca Menta, demerara syrup, Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters) The Dead Rabbit, NYC 
• Link Ray (Celery, Suze, lime, cane, soda and choice of rum, gin or tequila), The Happiest Hour, NYC
• Man About Town (Old Overholt rye, Cocchi vermouth, Aperol, Campari, flaming orange zest), Crimson and Rye, NYC

Additional categories will be voted by the Loungerati editors and include:

• Best Saloon
• Best Seat in the House
• Best Cocktail for the Road
• Best of the International Bar
• Best Dive aka the Gutter Award
• Don't Bruise The Ice Award for Premier Ice Program
• Brian F. Paynter Award: Lounger Number One

Deadline to cast your votes is November 30th, the winners will be announced on Loungerati's 8th birthday Dec 5th (Repeal Day of course).

Cheers!

Fredo, Eff, & The Senator



The After Dark at The Rest, SLC