Best of Lounge 2013 - Winners

And the 2013 Brian Paynter Award for Lounger Number One goes to ....
J. WALTER HAWKES,  Jazz Giant, Trombone man, and Ukulele Aficionado

The Loungerati readers have voted via Survey Monkey for the 2013 Best of Lounge Awards and the results are in:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: DRUNKEN DRAGON FESTIVAL at MACAO (Calamity Chang, Minx Arcana, Gal Friday, and Perle Noire) 
Honorable Mention: Gotham Burlesque at the Triad Theatre, Nuit Blanche: Dolls After Dark at Beaumarchais, Take Back the 80s Burlesque (Francine The Lucid Dream and Minnie the Moocha), Coney Island's Enchanted Tiki Room (Left Lucy & Co.)

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: JAZZ AGE LAWN PARTY AT GOVERNOR'S ISLAND
Honorable Mention: Club Wit's End 5th Annual Black Cat Masquerade, Loungerati Staff Beefsteak Dinner, The Salon: New Year's Eve Eve Party at DL Lounge, Manhattan Cocktail Classic Gala at NY Public Library

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: TERRY WALDO, PIANO MAN
Honorable Mention: Michael Arenella & Dreamland orchestra, Dandy Wellington & His Band, JC Hopkins Biggish Band, Gelber & Manning

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: DEAD RABBIT ORINOCO BITTERS by Dr. Adam Elmegirab

Honorable Mention: Leather Work Apron from Moore & Giles, Dale DeGroff's Pimento Aromatic Bitters, Home Bar Basics (and not so basics) manual by Dave Stolte, Tuthiltown Distillery Barrel Aging Kit

Best Dressed Lounger: EFF BLANGIARDO of Loungerati
Honorable Mention: Robert Kennedy (Tie Man), Michael Haar (Barber Extraordinaire), Dandy Wellington (Song and Dance man), Grace Gotham (Scintillating Chanteuse)

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New Cocktail Bar or Lounge: THE DEAD RABBIT GROCERY & GROG (New York)
Honorable mention:  Attaboy (New York), Golden Cadillac (New York), Sweet Leaf (Queens), Long Island Bar (Brooklyn)

Best New York Cocktail Bar or Lounge: CLOVER CLUB (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Employees Only (New York), Death & Company (New York), Dutch Kills (Queens)

Best Barfood: Oyster Happy Hour - MAISON PREMIERE (Brooklyn)
Honorable Mention: Charcuterie - Employees Only (New York),  Bill's Burger - Bill's Food & Drink (New York), Scotch Egg - Dead Rabbit (New York)

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), Bemelmans Bar at Carlyle Hotel (New York)

David A. Embury Award for Best Cocktail of 2013: THE MIDTOWN, Bryan Schneider for Quality Italian (New York)

Honorable Mention: Brancolada by Jeremy Ortel for Donna Cocktail Lounge (Brooklyn), Spanish Crown by Maxwell Britten for Maison Premiere (Brooklyn)

Editor and Staff Picks:
Best Seat in the House: Parlour Bar Seat at THE DEAD RABBIT (New York)
Honorable mention: Standing room at the bar - Prime Meats (Brooklyn), Seat F14 at Clover Club (Brooklyn), Corner bar seat at Attaboy (New York)

Best Cocktail for the Road: Toronto Cocktail from Jillian Vose of DEATH & COMPANY (New York)
Honorable Mention: Manhattan on Tap at Saxon & Parole (New York), Cynar Julep, Sable Kitchen & Bar (Chicago), Daiquiri shots at Berkshire Room (Chicago)

Best Saloon: BAR X (Salt Lake City)
Honorable Mention: Daddy-O(New York), Grace 365 (New York), Ward III (New York), Alewife (Queens)

Best of the Internationals: ARTESIAN BAR at LANGHAM HOTEL (London)
Honorable Mention:  American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London), Kelvin Grove Cafe (Edinburgh),White Lyan (London), Night Jar (London)

Best Dive aka "The Gutter Award": TRACKS in Penn Station (New York)

Honorable Mention: Jimmy's Corner (New York), Montero Bar & Grill (Brooklyn), Arthur's Tavern (New York)

Don't Bruise the Ice Award for Best Ice Program: SAXON & PAROLE (New York)

Honorable Mention: Dutch Kills Bar (Queens), Booker & Dax (New York), Little Branch (New York), Violet Hour (Chicago)

Brian F. Paynter Award for Lounger Number One: J. WALTER HAWKES - Jazz Giant
Honorable Mention: Robert Kennedy (OcTIEBer), Patrick Soluri (The Salon), Fredo Ceraso (Loungerati)

The Salon at Players Club - New Year's Eve Eve Party Dec 30th

New Years’ Eve Eve & The Piano Store’s 10yr Anniversary

Fore more info & advance tickets, go to:
http://www.thesalon.biz
Advance Online tickets end Monday (Dec. 28th) at 11:59pm

***NEWS***
THE SALON is thrilled to announce sponsorships by DEWARS and INFINIUM SPIRITS! This includes free Scotch tastings all night long by Dewars and top-shelf premium spirits from Infinium featured in our specialty cocktails, at our regular cocktail prices.
***********

In the Main Ballroom:
GEORGE GEE's JUMP, JIVIN, WAILERS
with John Dokes & Hilary Gardner on vocals
(10 piece Big Band)

Upstairs in the Library Lounge:
QUEEN ESTHER & THE HOT FIVE

with Guest Bartender
Eryn Reece (LUPEC NY and LOUIS 649)

in the Sargent Room:
GELBER & MANNING
The feuding vaudeville lovebirds.

In addition to live music all night long, The Salon proudly presents:

HELEN PONTANI
The Burlesque Tap Dancing Sensation

PANDORA
The Greek Goddess of Burlesque

DJ RIKOMATIC
Spinning an eclectic mix of soul, funk, swing & blues to keep you dancing


At the main bar, cocktails designed by our friends from
LOUNGERATI & WIT's END plus former Piano Store bartender KEVIN BROWN

Plus, Zelda: The Magazine of the Vintage Nouveau!

AND special guest performances... including The Remarkable Theater Brigade (hot off their Carnegie Hall debut) performing FIRE, the caveman opera!

The Players Club
16 Gramercy Park S.
(20th St., off Park Ave)
New York, NY

Destinations: The SALON at Players Club on 7/31/09

The Original SALON Returns with a Swing and Loungerati is crafting the cocktails.


It's a hot and steamy night in the city that never sleeps. Over at The Salon, the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra is swingin hard; the dames are breaking hearts and the gents are dressed to the nines. Rumor has it that on a night like this you could find Bogart, Bacall, or Sinatra at the Club.

The only one missing... is you.

featuring
HARLEM RENAISSANCE ORCHESTRA
18-piece Big Band
+
BURLESQUE DANCER
Melody Sweets
courtesy of Sugar Shack Burlesque.
+
DJ Swank
+
Guest Mixologist & Specialty cocktail menu created and mixed by Fredo from Loungerati

Friday July 31, 2009
8:30pm doors open. Live Music starts at 9pm

The Players Club
16 Gramercy Park S.
(20th St., off Park Ave) New York, NY

$20 - Cash Only at door
$15 - Online in Advance

Exquisite libations. Live music & Burlesque.
Dance/Lounge Dress up/Dress Down Old School/New School

Join Us

Upcoming Salons:
October 9th
Ron Sunshine and His Orchestra

December 30th
George Gee’s Jump, Jivin' Wailers
with John Dokes on vocals
celebrating New Year's Eve Eve AND
the 10th Anniversary of the Piano Store!

THE SALON: Lounging, Dancing & Swinging in Style since 2001.
Instigated by Patrick Soluri, Andre Soluri, Loungerati, and Prohibition Productions

World Premiere of "MURDER AT THE MASQUE"

Salon instigator Patrick Soluri sends us the following news about his new ballet:

"You are cordially invited to attend the world premiere of Patrick Soluri's new ballet score, "MURDER AT THE MASQUE: The Casebook of Edgar Allan Poe."

The score was commissioned by Dances Patrelle to help celebrate their 20th Anniversary Season. It will be the 4th collaboration with esteemed choreographer Francis Patrelle and his company.

Dances Patrelle 20th Anniversary Season
April 16-19, 2009
Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday & Saturday at 8:00pm
and Sunday at 3:00pm

The Kaye Playhouse
68th Street btw Park & Lexington Ave.
NYC

Tickets are only $20
Special Patron tickets $100.
For tickets call the Kaye box office at (212) 772-4448

www.patricksoluri.com

------------

BARNES & NOBLE - Monday April 13th
I'll be speaking at a FREE event at the Barnes & Noble across from Lincoln Center at 7pm (66th & Bway). I'll be joining several special guests - including choreographer Francis Patrelle, writer Justin Allen, ABT dancers Marcelo Gomes and Maria Riccetto, and Prima Ballerina Cynthia Gregory to celebrate the 20th Anniversary Season of Dances Patrelle and the world premiere of the new ballet, There will be costume sketches, set designs, a preview of my music and even a short performance.


------------
Additional Info:
2009 marks the 200th Anniversary of the birth of one of America's most treasured literary masters, Edgar Allan Poe. Featuring characters and setting drawn from Poe's stories and poems, "Murder at the Masque" may be the world's first true mystery ballet. Lord Usher (danced by Royal ballet alum Matthew Dibble) has been murdered, everyone at the Masquerade is a suspect, and world famous detective Auguste Dupin (danced by Movin' Out alum Alex Brady) is on the case.

Based on an original story by Justin Allen (Slaves of the Shinar), choreographed by Francis Patrelle with lavish sets by Gillian Bradshaw-Smith, opulent costumes by Rita B. Watson, and lighting by David Grill.

In addition to MURDER AT THE MASQUE, the company is also reviving a Patrelle classic COME RAIN/COME SHINE (featuring songs sung by Judy Garland) and staged by Cynthia Gregory. The all-star cast includes American Ballet Theatre's Marcelo Gomes, Maria Riccetto, Isaac Stappas, Christi Boone, Gemma Bond and Roman Zhurbin."

The Return of The Salon

by Fredo


ITEM: After a year and half hiatus, The Salon is back to celebrate lounge culture, jazz, burlesque, dance, and good old fashioned cocktails.

ITEM: Loungerati honchos Fredo and Jee Jee Giles (reknown for the infamous Piano Store parties from the turn of the 21st Century) team up with the Salon's Fratelli Soluri and Biggish Band leader JC Hopkins to bring back lounging in style.

ITEM: The result is a noir-ish affair at the legendary Player's Club on Gramercy Park.

THE SCUTTLEBUTT:

The Salon at the Player’s Club

Featuring the notorious, the noir-ish

JC Hopkins Biggish Band

with Nicole Nelson and special guest Jolie Holland

Hosted by the irrepressible Mel Frye, dilapidated denizen
of the Slipper Room and featuring the illustrious, the talented, Headmistress of the
New York School of Burlesque, Jo Boobs

Tickling of the ivories by Jesse Gelber
accompanied on trombone and tap by Todd Londagin

Friday, June 27, 2008
8:30p.m. – 1:30A.m.
The Players Club
16 Gramercy Park S. (20th St., off Park Ave), NYC

The setting
The legendary Player's Club, founded in 1888 by Edwin Booth, located on the edge of idyllic Gramercy Park.

The scene
Hard-swingin' big band playing all original tunes for dancing, special guests vocalists, piano interludes, and burlesque breaks. Dress to play — sequins, feathers, bow ties and skinny ties, spats, backless dresses and finger-curled tresses welcome.

The characters
Past members of the Player's Club include Cole Porter, Lauren Bacall, Humphrey Bogart, Ernest Hemingway, and Harry Belafonte… Feel up to the part?

The Salon
Lounging and dancing with style since 2001.

$20 advance purchase / $25 at the door
www.thesalon.biz

Sponsored by Patrick Soluri, Andre Soluri, Loungerati, and Prohibition Productions

Specialty cocktails by Loungerati

See you all there!