This Week in Lounge: April 23rd - 29th

J Walter Hawkes at Clover Club Wednesday

Tuesday April 24th 

Primativa in Hi-Fi at PK-NY

Make an escape to your own private paradise with Primativa in Hi-Fi every Tuesday from 6-11 at PKNY.  DJ duo Jack Fetterman and Gina of the Jungle's signature blend of old, new, popular and obscure music is guaranteed to invoke relaxing visions of locales southward, so head down to the lower east side, order of the many excellent cocktails and let the tropical sounds wash your cares away. In Tiki Veritas!

PKNY - 49 Essex St (at Grand St.), NYC

www.pk-ny.com

Broad Appeal at Macao Trading Co.

Join LUPEC NYC founding member Francine Cohen, Co-chair of Taste of the Nation at the intimate downstairs bar from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Francine and her celebrity barback Michael Neff of Ward 3 will shake up $10 cocktails to support the Taste of the Nation and Soaring Spirits. Great causes and even better company!


Macao Trading Company - 311 Church Street, NYC

www.macaonyc.com/

Wednesday April 25th

J.Walter Hawkes at Clover Club 

Our pal the Blatboy is teaming up with bassist Andrew Hall, Dan Levinson on clarinet, and Alan Carey on banjo/guitar for a night of jazz an cocktails at Brooklyn's Clover Club. Grab seat F14 and sample Julie Reiner's spring menu while Walt and his "syncopators" set the mood. 8:30pm - 11:30pm. Free.

Clover Club - 210 Smith Street, Brooklyn

www.cloverclubny.com

Friday April 27th

Late Night with Kevin Dorn and The Big 72 at the Garage

Missed J.Walter Hawkes at Clover Club? Close out your evening with jazz drummer Kevin Dorn and his Big 72 jazz collective at the Garage in the West Village. Walt will be on tailgate trombone and a gin and tonic diet. This shall rock. 10:30pm  - 2:00am.

The Garage - 99 7th Avenue South, NYC

Esquivel Tribute and Documentary filming at PKNY Oct 11th

Breaking news from our pals Jack Fettterman and mucho mu-cha-cha Gina of the Jungle:

"Tuesday October 11,  Primativa in Hi-Fi presents a tribute to Juan Garcia Esquivel at PKNY and we want you to help show NYC's love for the E-man!'

Director Arturo R. Jiménez  (from Mexico) is working on a documentary on Esquivel! and his influence and the musicians, DJs and fans who help keep his music alive today. He will be attending our PKNY party on October 11th to film footage of Esquivel! fans in a NYC bar enjoying his music today.

Shooting is scheduled for 7:00 to 9:00 in the back room. PKNY will be open to the public, but only recipients of this invitation will know that they will be filmed ahead of time.

The drinks and music won’t be such a bad reason to come either. 

Zu zu zu zu zu zu zuuuuuuuuuu..

PK-NY
49 Essex St.
NYC

Barfly's Beat: PKNY - Eagerly awaited NY Tiki Bar opens

I arrived early for the Painkiller "friends and family" opening. Graffiti artist NOC (of Style Wars fame) was still putting the finishing touches to the graffiti mural covering the store gate. Giuseppe Gonzalez, the beaming new proprietor, was outside enjoying the proverbial calm before the storn. That storm bearing down on his new little Tiki Bar would be a tidal wave of bartenders, cocktailians, bloggers, and others in town for the Japanese Cocktail Technique seminar that wrapped up earlier at the Hiro Ballroom.

Giuseppe let us in early and we took the "dug out" seats which in my opinion are always the best seats in the house.  This gave us time to catch up a bit with out hosts before the madness began. Richie Boccato and Giuseppe Gonzalez, of Dutch Kills in Long Island City, have collaborated with business partners to open a new generation of Tiki Bar.  As mentioned in our Tiki's Revenge post last winter, Painkiller isn't your typical kitschy tourist trap with badly made drinks. Inspired by New York's gritty 1970s and the drinks culture made famous by Donn the Beachcomber, Trader Vic, and most recently Jeff Beachbum Berry, PKNY makes serious cocktails but does not take itself too seriously. Graffiti murals fit in side by side with bamboo covered walls and comfy red booths.

Giuseppe addressed the growing crowd as his partner Richie prepared the industrial strength blenders for service.

"Come on you are all family - call it out." 

(silence)

"Ok, Mai Tais for everyone!"

(applause from crowd)

The Mai Tai and a Zombie

Three drinks were served and Brooklyn Lager beer. The signature Painkiller, a Zombie served in a Fu Man Chu style tiki mug, and the original Mai Tai. Besides the three featured drinks, there is no formal cocktail menu but rather genres of drinks including, Zombies, Tiki Flights, Swizzles, Daiquiris, Frozens,  a PKNY's (bartender's) Choice, a mini scorpion bowl called the "Cradle of Life", and the something called "The Bastards." This philosphy does not keep the menu stale and let's the barkeeper create bespoke or modified recipes based upon the availability of ingredients.

As the old East Side Company space swelled to capacity with a whose who of mixology talent and favorite regulars, we threw down the ice cold Tiki drinks as the temperature reached tropic proportions. New friends were made, old flames were cursed, and shots in "skull" shot glasses were slammed. An hour and half later I had to give up the hard sought real estate of the dug out and make our way into the fresh cool air. Painkiller was off to a momentous start!

PKNY formally opens on Friday May 7th at 6pm. I suggest you get their early and be prepared for scorpion bowls! I'll be having a Bermuda Swizzle!

PKNY

49 Essex Street

Chinatown, NYC