Barbarians at the gates ...

by Fredo

I had to read the New York Post article twice to actually believe it. In fact, it seemed like an article from The Onion, so I threw down the rag on the floor and hit the web for a double confirmation. I found it at Eater. It was true. The venerable 21 Club, one of New York's most prestigious establishments had adopted a new dress code.

"Ties are still preferred and greatly appreciated, but they are no longer a must."

The 21 Club, which opened as a speakeasy in 1922, was one of the last Manhattan restaurants that required a jacket and tie for gentlemen to eat in the main dining room. For 87 years, celebrities, politicians, the well to do, of course ordinary gentlemen and their ladies, have been making the scene at 21 wearing ties. The formality and the sense of special occasion made it a place where you wanted to get dressed up. Now it is in danger of being lost.

See I'm really pissed off at The 21 Club because they missed the point as to why business is down. The New York Post article insinuates that the reason for the policy change is less covers. However, they fail to realize that the slow down has nothing to do with the formality of a tie. No, it has to do with their price point and the tanking economy! As Bernie Madoff used to say Keep It Simple Stupid: Ridiculously high prices + recession = less business!!

For example, two items from the menu:

The ’21’ Burger, green beans, roasted tomatoes, caramelized onions, choice of potato
30.00
Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail, mescalin greens, pickled fresh horseradish
20.00

Those items are on the low end of the scale! Seriously, even if they get more business from the pre-theater crowd, the a la cart menu will surely keep the crowds away. You don't need an MBA to figure that out!

Instead, 21 let the Visigoth of dress down conformity across the frontier and hope he will just settle down, satiated by his new rep tie. Then the hordes will barge into "Upstairs at 21," ordering Budweiser in a bottles and the West 52nd Street restaurant will sacrifice the blazer hoping they go away. Then the Vandals will be across the threshold of the Bar Room, clad in distressed denim and sneakers. By then it will be too late, for the barbarian of comfort dress will be talking loudly on his cell phone throughout dinner and watching "the game" on the club's new flat screen. His date sitting ignored, his shirt untucked, and the magical place that was The 21 Club relegated to antiquity.

Wednesdays at Clover Club - Michael Arenella's Quartet

News from our pal and maestro Michael Arenella:

Presenting the Michael Arenella Quartet's new, weekly appearance...
Wednesday Nights at Clover Club
7:30 - 10:30 pm

Join us at Smith Street's swankiest "Speak", from the proprietors of Manhattan's fabled Flatiron Lounge. Champion, well-groomed bartenders will stir up your favorite old-time cocktails, whether it's a Ramos Fizz or a real Whiskey Sour.

Fresh bitters, black cherries, and even the long forgotten essential ingredient to a true cocktail, the egg, are among the charms to be found.

Tasty gourmet bar food menu.
Cozy up with the Quartet in a handsome leather booth, for Brooklyn's most sublime evening out.
(Room to dance, but keep it a secret.)

Clover Club
210 Smith Street, between Butler and Baltic
F or G to Bergen
718.855.7939

Happy New Year!!

The gang at Loungerati wishes you a Happy and Joyous New Year!! The New York office will be representing at Campbell Apartment in Grand Central Station for GMT New Years then Clover Club in Brooklyn til closing time. Expect Turf Number 2 cocktails and slurred stories. Other NY members will be making Strawberry Bourbon Shakes at the Red Room, serving wankers at Pranna, and making the scene at Shanghai Mermaid.

The Kansas City office is playing up their home bar skills while New Jersey Loungerati will be cracking open homemade Rickety Old Wagon wine. Scotch will be the liquor of choice in both locations. They will be imbibing J & B Rare Scotch whiskey on the rocks and Rob Roys respectively.

Elsewhere, the Seattle office will OD on Branca Mente and lamb couscous, while our San Francisco operatives try to barnstorm Beretta in the Mission for one of their fine concoctions.

2009 looks bright, but not end of the night bright...no one ever enjoys that experience.

San Francisco cocktail scene on the rise.

by Fredo

The New York Times published an excellent article in Sunday's Travel section about the up and coming cocktail bars of San Francisco. I knew I had to post it when within minutes of arriving at work, my cousin Caterina (who lives in SF) and Loungerati operative "Bacalao" who is home visiting the city by the bay for the holidays sent me the link to the article. They read it and automatically thought, "Fredo would appreciate this" - and I do.

Briefly, I went to San Francisco no less than a half dozen times between 1998 and 2002. In those years, swing was big and I'd would hit Club Deluxe, the Hi-Ball,the Orbit Room, Cafe du Nord, the Red Room at the Commodore Hotel, Bimbos, etc. I drank cocktails, lots of them but there weren't so many choices back then. We kept it basic, Manhattan, Martini, Sidecar, sometimes an Old Fashioned; see no one was serving Pisco Sours or using Carpano Antica vermouth. Unfortunately I haven't been back in a while (which my cousin often reminds me!) and now I look forward to not only hitting any remaining old haunts but the new cocktail circuit too!

Bacalao and Caterina, get thee to Beretta and have a brick oven pizza then a Dolores Park Swizzle, then the Airmail cocktail, then go have an Old Fashioned at Alembic. I want a full report! Anyone else in San Francisco, hit Bourbon and Branch or Clock Bar or Cask, let me live vicariously through you!!

Enjoy the NYT article of
San Francisco's Artisanal Cocktails

(photo of Airmail cocktail at Beretta courtesy of the New York Times)

2008 Best of Lounge

It is safe to say that 2008 has been a turbulent and surprising year. While the nation witnessed history at the ballot box and in the capital markets, we doubled our efforts and hit every joint, bar, lounge, dive, and burlesque show in an effort to spread the lounge gospel. Loungerati partnered with The Salon and JC Hopkins. We helped promote events and crafted their cocktail menus with the help of top mixologists. We continued to buck the "dress down" (aka dumb down) aesthetic that plagues our society and went out dressed to the nines. We tried new cocktails like the Silver Fizz and old classics like the Martinez (two ways on Repeal Day).

The day after the most momentous election in our lifetime, Loungerati operatives were spotted at the Chelsea Hotel hunting down the Senator (not Obama or McCain but The Senator of Kansas City). Once apprehended (stumbling and muttering down 23rd Street), he was whisked to Flatiron, Daddy-O, and Little Branch. A mini-Summit occurred and the Lounge Doctrine reaffirmed over Penicillin cocktails. A new era in lounge living seemed on the horizon.

December saw Loungerati celebrate its' second birthday on Repeal Day and make the scene at all the top lounges to celebrate holiday cheer. We didn't let the doom and gloom of the daily financial results stop our mission. Sure, our Paul Stewart houndstooth jackets maybe purchase on ebay, but that doesn't mean we cannot be civilized about it all. After all, looking like a million, doesn't need to cost a million. We proved that at Ella Lounge for Holiday Cocktails. What a perfect ending for a banner year. On that note, we would like to bring you our Best of Lounge list for 2008. These selections were hard to make but we believe they accurately capture our year:

Top Lounge Newcomers
Clover Club, Brooklyn
Macao Trading Company, Tribeca
White Star, LES
(Honorable mention: The Jakewalk)

Top Lounge Veterans
Death & Company, East Village
Milk & Honey (sorry can't say)
PDT, East Village
(Honorable mention: Pegu Club, Flatiron Lounge, and Little Branch)

Top Old School Joints
Lenox Lounge, Harlem
Freddy's, Prospect Heights
Arthur's Tavern, West Village
(Honorable mention: Frank's, Ft. Greene)

Top Pubs
Conker Hill, Hell's Kitchen
Chip Shop, Brooklyn Heights
Spotted Pig, West Village
(Honorable mention: The Libertine)


Top Burlesque clubs
Corio Parlor - "This is Burlesque"
The Zipper Club
Slipper Room

Best Seat in the House
The "Mafia Table" at PDT
Seat F14 at Clover Club
Any Bar Seat at M & H
(Honorable mention: The "Regular" seat at EO)

Top Loungerati Hangouts
Clover Club, Brooklyn
White Star, LES
Employees Only, West Village
(Honorable mention: Brooklyn Social, Flatiron Lounge, The Jakewalk)

Top Brooklyn Lounge/Bars
Clover Club
Brooklyn Social
The Jakewalk
(Honorable mention: Weather Up, Huckleberry Bar, Hotel Delmano)


Top Biergartens
Radegast Hall, Brooklyn
Loreley, LES
Franklin Park, Crown Heights
(Honorable mention: Gowanus Yacht Club)

Top Joints for Eating at the Bar
Char No 4, Brooklyn
Jack the Horse Tavern, Brooklyn
Freemans, LES
(Honorable mention: Blue Ribbon and Balthazar)


Best of the Internationals
Curio Parlor, Paris
Tausend, Berlin
Bramble, Edinburgh
(Honorable mention: Experimental Cocktail Club - Paris, Victoria Bar- Berlin)

Best Cocktail of 2008
Paper Plane (Bourbon, Aperol, Nonino Amaro, Lemon Juice) - Sam Ross
(Honorable mention: The Jersey Julep - Giuseppe Gonzalez, Vieux Carre at Little Branch)

Best Bar Food
Lamb burger, Clover Club
Deviled Eggs, Pegu Club
Bar Steak, Balthazar
(Honorable mention: John Delucie's Pork Chop at The Waverly Inn)

Best place for a cigar
University Club private balcony
The Havana Room
Hudson Bar & Books
(Honorable mention: Circa Tabac)


Best place to get a cocktail after dodging an oncoming taxi
Little Branch

Top Bartenders of 2008
Giuseppe Gonzalez, Clover Club
Sam Ross, Milk & Honey
Damon Dyer, Flatiron Lounge
(Honorable mentions: Maxwell Britten, Jack the Horse Tavern, Alex Day, Death & Company, Nino Cirabisi, Brooklyn Social, Jason Kosmas, Macao Trading Co, Igor H, Employees Only, and Ari Form, The Jakewalk)


Best Night to go out
Sunday Night (Death & Company then White Star then M&H - ask for bar seat)
Runner up Wednesday (Tailor then Little Branch then cab it to Clover Club for night cap)

Worst Night
Whenever Senator stumbles into town

Most Sought Liquors for the Home Bar
Plymouth Sloe Gin
Carpano Antica vermouth
Batavia Arrack
(Honorable Mention: Bols Genever, Branca Menta - for our pal Bena)

Best Dressed Loungerati staff members
Eff from Loungerati
Neville
Jee Jee
(Honorable mention: Grumpy, Fredo from Loungerati)

Places we want to visit in 2009:
Dutch Kills (to be opened soon in LIC)
Dressler for brunch
Victoria Bar in Berlin
Tales of the Cocktail, New Orleans
Woodson and Ford
The Violet Hour, Chicago

RIP:
Grace - this bar was just one of those place that had a great Whiskey/Scotch selection, consistent food, the longest bar I've ever seen, and a proprietor (Fred M) who remembered your name even after a year. It survived 9/11 and years when Tribeca was no mans land. It closed this year and we will miss Grace. Salute!

Happy New Year!!!

Hendrick's Gin Limerick night at Employees Only

by Fredo

Jim Ryan, Hendrick's unusual man in New York, sent the following note on Facebook:

Come one come all if ever you care,
Employees Only is the locale of our affair,
You shall dress in most unusual attire,
Showcasing our botanicals we certainly require,
Proving Hendrick's a gin most debonair!

So we dispatched our primo gallo della citta, Giancarlo Zanetti to represent Loungerati at the Hendrick's Gin Limerick and Cocktail competition at Employees Only on Monday night. Needless to say the poetry became more whimsical with every passing glass of Gin, whether it be martini, with tonic, or neat! The competition lasted from 4-6 and drinks until sunset. Nostro gallo Giancarlo then made his way to the trifecta of cocktail destinations - absinthe bar White Star, newly private M&H, and nightcapped it at molecular HQ - Tailor. Well done ragazzo...for a Monday!

Giancarlo, I hope in your travels, you enjoyed one of my favorite Hendrick's cocktails, The Mayfair Cocktail (think margarita but with gin!):

2 oz. Hendrick's Gin
¾ oz. simple syrup
½ oz. fresh lemon juice
2 slices cucumber

Wet the rim of a coupe or martini glass with lime.Then dab it in the mixture of kosher salt and dried thyme to "frost" the rim of the glass. Combine the gin, simple syrup, lemon juice and one cucumber in a shaker and shake. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a thin slice of cucumber.

Recession Worries curb Fredo's Vespa Purchase

by Fredo

Brooklyn, NY - For many years, I have saved up to buy a Vespa motorcycle by Piaggio. My love of the Italian scooter and the dolce vita culture it sprung was looking like a reality this year when my Vespa fund finally achieved its' goal. Finally, I had enough to buy a Vespa PX150, plus two helmets, plus security chain, severe weather cover, insurance, even morotcycle lessons required for the NYS motorcycle license. I have riden the bikes when I was a student in Rome, but I need a refresher course, especially on the new versions of the model. Well, now that purchase is on hold. Recession worries are making me check my spending on big purchase items such as the Vespa.

I even looked into cheaper varieties such as the Stella. This classic, made in India, is a version of the original Vespa P150 model. The two stroke 150cc motorscooter is attractive at under three and a half grand and one can chrome it out a la Quadrophenia if that's your fancy. But still I'm weary. I may want to hold on to my devaulating greenbacks just a bit longer as a cash reserve in case the economy goes to hell.

So the subprime/credit market/economic debacle is hitting home. I really thought this was the year to get on two wheels. It still maybe but I'll err on the side of my gut instincts and sit tight for now.

Happy Repeal Day!!

by Fredo


Today is the 75th anniversary of the day the 18th Amendment to the Constitution was repealed in 1932 with the ratification of the 21st Amendment! This monumental legislation effectively ended Prohibition and Americans could once again consume booze!

The 21st Amendment of the United States Constitution
Ratified December 5, 1933
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 there in 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.

It is also Loungerati's first birthday! So the New York chapter be celebrating at a Dewar's Scotch sponsored event at Conker Hill pub in Hell's Kitchen. Rumor has it Fredo may be guest bartending.

Come on (hiccup)down and drink..it is your right!

Bottoms up from Loungerati!

"Don't Think About Sex" and Lever House

by Fredo

Well now you can add actor to Loungerati Executive Director (Internazionale) Giancarlo Zingaro's resume. The "Outernationalist" sent us a video exclusive of "Don't Think About Sex", a club song by The HAVEX that is sure to be a staple on DJ's rotations from Leith to Ibiza to Berlin. The video was shot in the Leather Room of the Prestonfield Hotel in Edinburgh, Scotland. Hometown hero Giancarlo plays the poor lad with the naughty thoughts of burlesque performer Gypsy Charms. I wish all business presentations were this entertaining! The official release of the song is in November.

In completely unrelated news, I enjoyed an excellent Michter's Rye Manhattan at a wedding after hours party in Manhattan's Lever House on Saturday. The power dining restaurant and bar is situated on the ground floor of the landmark 1952 glass building which changed the face of Park Avenue and office building design. The building is still occupied by the Lever Brothers corporation, a soap and detergent company. The Lever House restaurant pays homage to the Jet Age with modernist design reminiscent of Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. After I stopped taking in the fantastic decor, I headed straight for to the bar. My cocktail was executed properly(in other words no shaking!!) and the bar staff was very attentive despite the crowd. Unfortunately, I did not stay for too long but I was able to relax in one of the circular booths that flank the left side of the room. I will definitely be going back to sample the food and enjoy the ambiance.

What We're Drinking: Cuba Libre

by Fredo

Havana, 1898. Cuban political activist, writer, journalist Jose Marti enters Havana with Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders to cheering crowds as the last Spanish forces flee the island. To celebrate this victory and freeing of Cuba from Spain’s colonial yoke, Senor Marti mixes Bacardi™ rum, gin, and American soft drink Coca-Cola™ to symbolize the unity between Cuba and her northern big brother. Marti dubs the drink “Cuba Libre” and proceeds to tie one on with the future president of the Untied States!

If that sounded too good to be true, you are right. Unfortunately, Mr. Marti was killed in battle with Spanish forces on May 19, 1895 and Teddy Roosevelt was a Mint Julep man. Legend has it that circa 1900, an unknown officer of the U.S. Signal Corps mixed the first Cuba Libre in an Old Havana bar to alleviate the unbearable tropical heat. He toasted ‘por cuba libre’ and the drink was born.

La Storia: The original Cuba Libre differs from its modern equivalent. Apparently, it was made up of rum, gin, dash of bitters, Coca-Cola and a lime. The drink remained a local favorite well into the century and did not gain prominence outside of the Caribbean and southern United States until the 1940s when the Andrews Sisters recorded a song called “Rum and Coca-Cola” (1945) while in Trinidad. This catchy and steamy tune was a marketing coup for the rum producers. It was during the Trader Vic Rum/Tiki craze of the 1940s and ’50s that drinks such as the Cuba Libre and the bastardized Rum and Coke became popular. Rum was cheaper than whiskey or gin and Coke tasted better than club soda or tonic water. In no time, Cuba Libres were being mixed all across America from swank urban cocktail lounges to tiki torch-lit suburban patio parties.

The Drink: The ingredients that go into the modern Cuba Libre are rum (light or dark but not spiced) freshly squeezed lime juice, Coca-Cola™, and a slice of lime. Purists believe the Cuba Libre should only be served with Bacardi™ brand rum, however I disagree. First of all, the Bacardi™ available on the world market is in fact made in Puerto Rico. The original Bacardi™ factories in Cuba were commandeered by the revolution and the Bacardi Company fled the island and set up shop in the US commonwealth. Therefore, I drink my Cuba Libres with real Cuban rum - Havana Club light or dark.

Atlanta doctor John Pemberton created Coca-Cola™ in 1886. Originally used for medicinal purposes, it was offered as an alternative to bitters and it had a kick too: real cocaine that made the “exotic” Coke an instant crowd pleaser. Crucial in a proper Cuba Libre, Coke has since lost its cocaine edge and went on to become a pop culture symbol of American marketing. Some places use Pepsi in the drink, but the taste is very different to the connoisseur. Coke is it — or order a different drink.

Where to Get It:

* Bar Florida aka La Floridita - in Hemingway's old Havana haunt is probably the best place to get the real thing.
* Café Cabiria (Firenze, Italy) — when in Firenze (Florence) and wanting a hit of rum to break up the daily wine intake, I head across the Ponte Vecchio to Piazza Santo Spirito. There you will find a hopping little bar/café named Cabiria where your Cuba Libres are served with real Cuban rum - Havana Club. They are made to perfection and are a rum lovers delight.
* The Deco Lounge (at the National Hotel South Beach, FL) — getting served a properly made Cuba Libres while smoking a Cuban Cohiba in the Deco Lounge is as close to heaven as this Barfly can get. The place is Al Capone slick and they take their time making top shelf cocktails.

The Cuba Libre

1 1/2 oz. light rum (Bacardi™ Light Rum for the purists, Havana Club for me)
1 oz Coca-Cola™
¼ oz of freshly squeezed lime juice
1 twist of slice of lime

Squeeze juice of one slice of lime over 2-3 ice cubes into Collins glass, stir, and serve up with twist of lime.

Brooklyn Social - "Non-Members Welcome"

by Fredo

When I first ventured to Smith Street in Brooklyn during the mid-1990s for friends’ house party the strip was ghost town. The street was populated by boarded up storefronts, a few car services, a pizzeria, dilapidated bodegas, and a few old social clubs. Back in those days, one did not stroll down Smith from Atlantic Avenue to 9th Street; one walked at a brisk pace and kept your wits about you. There were a lot of hard looks and it seemed the only friendly faces beamed out of the social club doors. A quick glance inside revealed old men playing dominos or smoking cigars in wood paneled rooms.

Well times have changed. The wave of gentrification arrived and quicker than you can order a steak frites at Bar Tabac; the new Smith Street was born. The old storefronts are now bistros, boutiques, and bars. The last bodega closed down was replace by an Asian fusion resturant. There is a bar on every block. But one bar has opened in the past three years that stands above the rest. Instead of shunning the old Smith Street, it celebrates it. The joint is called Brooklyn Social, a renovated old Sicilian social club.

The Scoop: Owners Matt Dawson and his partners obviously love the old Brooklyn. The bar is homage to the men who worked hard at blue-collar jobs and then stopped into socialize with their fellow paesani over some grappa or vino di tavola. The dark oak wood bar and fixtures have been dusted off and look like new. The copper ceiling, painted red is a tribute to fine workmanship. The main room contains the bar and two intimate alcoves for discussing “business”; the back room has a pool table and the bathrooms.

Bevi: I have sampleda majority of the outstanding cocktails on their list! At under ten dollars a cocktail the place is a worker’s paradise. Recently, I ordered a Plymouth Gin Negroni and it was right on the money. For the ladies, I suggest the Fellini, a champagne drink with rosemary.

Mangia:The joint also offers a choice of three grilled panini sandwiches — priced at $7 and includes a crisp pickle — a welcome treat when you’re engaging in some all-night watering!

Alas, friendly faces once again beam out of a social club on Smith. But this time all are welcome. The bar’s slogan is “Non-Members Welcome.” Plus you’ll probably find some of the Loungerati hanging outside puffing on stogies on a lazy Tuesday night.


Brooklyn Social
335 Smith St
Brooklyn, NY 11231
Cross Street; Carroll St.
Subway: F/G to Carroll Street.

CASH ONLY

(originally publised in the Barfly's Beat - April 2006)