Barfly's Beat: Pouring Ribbons

Death & Taxes Cocktail - a best seller at Pouring Ribbons

Joaquín Simó (Tales of the Cocktail American Bartender of the Year, 2012) partners up with Toby Maloney (Alchemy Consulting), Troy Sidle and Jason Cott to open up a new East Village cocktail destination. This collaboration has been hotly anticipated by cocktail lovers who flocked to Death & Company for Simó's drinks.  Joaquín brings his signature attention to detail and D&C tradition of layering flavors to his new boite Pouring Ribbons. Maloney (a Milk & Honey and Pegu Club alum) and company bring an impressive record of opening award winning operations like Patterson House (Nashville) and Violet Hour (Chicago). Needless to say, with this pedigree, Pouring Ribbons could quickly rise to the top of New York's cocktail pantheon.

The entire bar is on the second floor above a liquor store at 225 Avenue B near 14th Street. When we rolled up, there was a ear piece totting doorman who on door control duty. After two unsuccessful attempts to radio upstairs to check capacity, he cried UNCLE and sent us up. I expected a D&C style wait and was pleasantly surprised for the easy access. Up the stairs, we entered an airy 88-seat bar with a curvy wood bar, and plenty of banquette and table seating. There was more of a saloon vibe to the place which is a nice departure from the standard speakeasy motif. A smiling hostess greeted us, asking our preference for table or bar? One can stand in the bar space at Pouring Ribbons, so we chose that option until a seat opened up. We wanted to see Joaquín at work and got quite a show.

The cocktail menu is succinct and simple which is a nice departure from the encyclopedias handed out at some bars.  The menu is divided into two main sections, classic drinks made to your preference (negroni, manhattan, mai tai, etc) and 15 house cocktails. According to Simó, the best selling house cocktails are a delicious concoction called Death &Taxes (Dorothy Parker Gin, Lemon, Clear Creek Blue Plum brandy, Lavender-infused Cinzano Bianco, acai honey syrup, grapefruit bitters) and the Dueling Banjos (Weller Special Reserve Bourbon, Lemon, Eagle Rare Bourbon, Pierre Ferrand Dry Curacao, and Coconut milk). My favorite, The Death & Taxes, was reminiscent of an Aviation cocktail but with a layers of floral and fruit flavors from the brandy and infused vermouth. The Dorothy Park American gin was definitely prominent and overall the drink has a thirst quenching feel to it.

The house cocktails are expected to change seasonally so expect lots of exciting variations on classic and new favorites. The ice program here is serious too, with hand carved blocks and cylinder shaped pieces fitting snug in elegant glassware. Even the garnishes were artistic with grapefruit peels cut into the shapes of lips. It is noteworthy to add that these extra touches of fancy did not come off as ostentatious given the general welcoming and egalitarian feel of Pouring Ribbons. There are also small plates available (Beecher's gourmet cheese, charcuterie platters, and other delectable tidbits) and the wine and beer selection is top notch.

No reservations, no dress code, come as you are, and enjoy yourself.

Pouring Ribbons

225 Avenue B 

(btw 13th & 14th Streets)

New York, NY 10009

Phone: 917.656.6788

Lounge Essentials: Japanese Barware

For over a decade, I have been using a standard bar glass (typically a bar pint) to roll stirred cocktails. My bar is stocked with a half dozen of them which I also use as part of a Boston Shaker for mixing shaken drinks too.  Recently,  I began retiring the old pint glass.

First, I substituted stainless steel tops to my Boston shaker in lieu of the pint glass after seeing them used to achieve maximum chillness at some of the nation's top cocktail lounges. Then year ago, I began noticing heavy bottom crystal mixing glasses with a chemistry set beaker type spouts popping up at cutting edge establishments such as PDT in New York City.  My interest was peaked but it was impossible to find these glasses. Last summer, I attended Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans and there was a buzz about the newest barware; the tools were Japanese and originated from innovations of the Tokyo cocktail scene. The mixing glasses were crystal with seamless pour spouts and the shakers are stainless steel cobblers that produce super ice cold drinks. The man to talk to about getting my hands on the gear -  Mr. Greg Boehm of Mud Puddle Books.

The Yarai mixing glasses are made from crystal, have an artistic glass design that also acts as a grip,  and features a beaker like spout for "seamless pours." The thickness of the glass keeps the drink colder and the weighted bottom prevents the glass from tipping over while the drink is being stirred. The bartender no longer needs to hold the glass because weight is centered. Again, the idea is to eliminate body heat from the hand for the coldest drink possible. Oh and they look pretty rad too!

The AG Cobbler Shakers are mini stainless steel cocktail shakers for single serving drinks. It is composed of three-part shaker and holds 500ml of volume. This tool is essential to a proper "hard shake." In addition, Greg Boehm told me that in Tokyo the cocktails are actually smaller and not American portions, so this cobbler shaker was born of necessity as well as style.

This barware does not begin and end with mixing glass and cobbler shakers. The AG Japanese style jiggers are long and conical shaped with a weighted in the center to prevent spillage. There are two sizes of jiggers - 30ml/15 ml (1 oz/1/2 oz) and 45ml/30ml (1.5oz/1 oz) which are about $10 each.  There is also a weighted Hawthorne stainless steel strainer which fits perfectly on the Yarai Mixing glass.

The mixing "trident" spoons are perfect for stirring drinks, acting as a bar spoon to add floats to drinks, and trident piece is meant to grab garnish and fruit. They also make a bar spoon with a tear drop shaped top which I recommend. No need to lose an eye while waiting for your Manhattan to settle.

Then we have the uniquely designed bitters dispensers or "dasher" bottles. According to bartender Joaquin Simo of New York's Death & Company, the Yarai bitters bottles dispense the most exact "dash."  Mr. Simo has tested these bottles against the all manner of bitters dispensers. There is no overage or spillage or subjective amount. Just the perfect dash.

For your home bar I suggest the following starter kit which are great tools to mix shaken or stirred cocktails.

The Basics in Japanese barware:

• Yarai Mixing glass (500ml) - heavy and stable crystal with beaker like spout for seamless pour.
• AG Hawthorne Strainer - also weighted.
• AG Japanese jiggers - I suggest one 45 ml (1.5 oz) and 30 ml (1 oz). 
• 1-2 stainless steel stirrers (32cm) with tear drop top or Bonzer muddler 
• AG Cobbler Shaker (500ml) - if you want to master the hard shake, use what master cocktailian Kazuo Uyeda employs.
• Yarai bitters bottle (50ml)

While you are at it, why not pick up spherical ice molds at MOMA Design Store for the true Japanese cocktail experience. These perfectly round ice balls are perfect in an Old Fashioned because the ice melts very slow. Again the idea is less melting and maximum coldness for the duration of the cocktail.

The Japanese barware featured in this post can be purchased at Greg Boehm's  Cocktail Kingdom along with one of the best assortment of hard to find bitters and bar accessories on the web.

Disclaimer: Loungerati has not received any complimentary Japanese barware or any compensation from Cocktail Kingdom or MOMA Design Store. The review of this product and opinions expressed are purely that of the author.

What We're Drinking: Embury's Old Fashioned De Luxe and other recipes

"Water, either plain or charged, has no more place in an Old-Fashioned than it has in a Manhattan or Martini."- David A. Embury, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks

The Old Fashioned is considered among many as the world's first cocktail. In it's purist form, the drink is a jigger and a half of a base spirit, sugar, and bitters, garnished with a lemon or orange peel or both.  Unfortunately, the recipe has been bastardized since its' invention* at the Louisville, Kentucky's Pendennis Club in the late 19th century.  Today, the method most bartenders employ to make an Old Fashioned is to muddle pieces of fruit, typically orange rind, maraschino cherry, and lemon, with sugar and bitters. Then they shake the ingredients with Bourbon and ice and pour the concoction (ice and all) into a rocks glass. The drink is then topped off with club soda and garnished with cherry, orange slice, etc. In my opinion,  this drink appears to be a type of cloudy bourbon fruit fizz and not technically an Old Fashioned.

I have search my library of cocktail literature and cannot pinpoint exactly what year or time period the Old Fashioned became a fizz.  I surmise this transformation happened during Prohibition when the taste of bootlegged or home distilled whiskey was masqueraded by the addition of fruit to the recipe. They did this with gin but again I have no written proof, just conjecture.

We know that by the 1950s,  drinks writer and aficionado, David A. Embury rails against water or soda in the drink and calls excessive fruit decoration "garbage." Embury includes the Old Fashioned in the six basic cocktails that everyone should master in his must have book, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. His recipe for the quintessential Old Fashioned is the one I use religiously. My spirit of choice is an 80 proof Rye such as Pikesville Supreme Straight Rye Whiskey or Old Overholt.

Embury's "Old-Fashioned De Luxe"
2 oz American Whiskey (Bourbon or Rye)
1-2 tsp simple syrup
1-3 dashes Angostura bitters

"Pour into each glass 1 to 2 teaspoonfuls simple syrup and add 1 to 3 dashes of Angostura. Stir with a spoon to blend the bitters with the syrup. Add about 1 oz whiskey and stir again. Add 2 large cubes of ice, cracked but not crushed. Fill glass to within about 3/8" of top with whisk(e)y and stir again. Add a twist of lemon and drop the peel in the glass. Decorate with a maraschino cherry on a spear. Serve with a short stir rod or Old-Fashioned spoon."

Embury adds that the recipe is not written in stone. He encourages experimentation using different base spirits such as Applejack, Rum, Gin, Brandy, and Scotch. He is not shy with adding modifiers either, suggesting Chartreuse, Cointreau, and curacao, amongst others.

Taking this advice to heart, these Old Fashioned recipes are currently on rotation at my home bar:

Tequila Old Fashioned
Partida Anjeo or Reposado Tequila
1 cube of raw Demerara sugar
2 dashes of Bittermans Xocolatl Mole Bitters

Muddle sugar and bitters in a bar glass, ad the tequila. Stir ingredients over ice, then strain over a large ice cube in an Old Fashioned glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

Scotch Old Fashioned
1 1/2 oz Compass Box Asyla or Bowmore Legends Scotch
2 bar spoons of Simple Syrup
Dash of Bittermans Grapefruit Bitters
Dash of Peychauds bitters

Stir ingredients over ice in a bar glass, then strain over a large ice cube in a rocks glass. Garnish with an orange peel and a grapefruit peel. The inspiration for this cocktail is the Young Laddie developed by Joaquin Simo of Death & Company in New York. Joaquin uses Bruichladdich Scotch in his complex yet refreshing masterpiece.

Go back to basics. Rediscover the Old Fashioned and mix it up using other base spirits. Add a variety of modifiers, different types of bitters, and sweeteners. Mastering the Old Fashioned is not only the way to "roll" better drinks, as Mr. Embury is fond of saying, but also an excuse to experiment and expand your palette by understanding the building blocks of cocktails. 

- Fredo

* According to drinks historian David Wondrich's Imbibe! Chicago politician Samuel Tilden mentions the old-fashioned cocktail in an 1880 speech, The Pendennis Club was not opened until 1881. Thus, one can infer that the cocktail did not originate at the club that has claimed this honor for over a century. 

(Correction: In 1880 Samuel Tilden, a New York politician, Governor, and Presidential candidate, gave a speech in which he declares he will not to run for President again. He references the Old Fashioned in the final toast to fellow Democrats encouraging them to drink, "Hot-whiskies ... sour mashes and old-fashioned cocktails." - Imbibe! page 197.)