Best of Lounge - 2015



Loungerati and artist Dave Stolte donated the fee for this illustration
in Sasha's memory to the YouCaring fundraising site for his family.  

The Loungerati have voted via Survey Monkey for the 2015 Best of Lounge Awards and the results are in:

Lounge Scene Awards 

Best Burlesque Act or Performer: CALAMITY CHANG

Honorable Mention: Flatiron Follies - Grace Gotham, Hazel Honeysuckle

 

Diane L. Naegel Award for Best Lounge or Vintage Event: JAZZ AGE LAWN PARTY at Governor's Island

Honorable Mention: Playboy Swings Salon at the Players Club, Club Wit's End 7th Annual Black Cat Masquerade

 

Viva La Musica Award for Best Jazz, Lounge, or Swing Band: DANDY WELLINGTON AND HIS BAND

Honorable Mention: Queen Esther, Brian Newman Orchestra at the Rainbow Room

 

Most Sought After Ingredient for the Home Bar: DEAD RABBIT DRINKS MANUAL

Honorable Mention: Beach Bum Berry's Skull bar spoon, New York Distilling Company's Ragtime Rye

 

Best Dressed Lounger: DANDY WELLINGTON (Song and Dance man)

Honorable Mention: Queen Esther (Belle of the Ball), Eff Blangiardo (Scion of Sprezzatura)

 

Cocktail Bars and Lounges

Best New Cocktail Bar or Lounge: SLOWLY SHIRLEY (New York)

Honorable mention:  Mother of Pearl (New York), Dante (New York)

Best New York Cocktail Bar or Lounge: THE DEAD RABBIT GROCERY & GROG(New York)

Honorable Mention: Long Island Bar (Brooklyn), Dutch Kills (Queens)

 

Best Barfood: OYSTER HAPPY HOUR at THE DEAD RABBIT GROCERY & GROG (New York)

Honorable Mention: The Cheeseburger at The Happiest Hour (New York), Carrot Tartar at the Elephant Bar in NoMad Hotel (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), King Kole Bar at the St. Regis Hotel (New York)

 

David A. Embury Award for Best Cocktail of 2015: SHADDOCK and SMOKE (Ardbeg scotch, grapefruit liqueur, Amaretto, lemon juice, and seltzer) at the UP & UP(New York)

Honorable Mention: The Garibaldi at Dante (New York), Noche Buena at Leyenda (Brooklyn)

 

Editor and Staff Picks:

Best Seat in the House: Bar Seat at SLOWLY SHIRLEY (New York)

Honorable mention: The "Regular" at Employees Only(New York), Seat F12 (aka F14) at Clover Club (Brooklyn), Dugout seats at Dante (New York)

 

Best Cocktail for the Road: DIRTY BIRD (scotch, Amaro Montenegro, sweet vermouth, coffee bitters at GOODNIGHT SONNY (New York)

Honorable Mention: Sakura Martini at Bar Goto (New York), Brancolada at Donna Cocktail Bar (Brooklyn), Beer and shot at Holiday Cocktail Lounge (New York)

Best Saloon: BAR X (Salt Lake City)

Honorable Mention: Daddy-O (New York), American Whiskey (New York)

*NEW* Best American Tiki Experience: A tie: LOST LAKE (Chicago) and LATITUDE 29 (New Orleans)
Honorable Mention: Tiki Mondays with Miller (New York), Smuggler's Cove (San Francisco), Mother of Pearl (New York)

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

Honorable Mention:  American Bar at the Savoy Hotel (London), White Lyan (London)

Best Dive aka "The Gutter Award": MONTERO BAR & GRILL (Brooklyn)

Honorable Mention: Patriot Saloon (New York), American Trash (New York)

Don't Bruise the Ice Award for Best Ice Program: BAR GOTO (New York)

 

Brian F. Paynter Award for Lounger Number One: SASHA PETRASKE (Cocktail Icon and Jazz lover)

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)

Destinations: Nitehawk Cinema's "Spirits, Dinner and a Movie" with the Dead Rabbit on August 7th

Our friends at award winning cocktail den The Dead Rabbit have team up with Nitehawk Cinema for the very first Spirits, Dinner and a Movie! The feature film will be Gangs of New York with food and cocktail parings throughout the Scorsese classic. This is a cannot miss event.

Here is the press release and Cocktail/Dinner menu:

Fresh on the heels of their three-time win at the 11th annual Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards (International Bartender of the Year, World’s Best Cocktail Menu and World’s Best New Cocktail Bar), The Dead Rabbit’s Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry will launch Nitehawk Cinema’s very first “Spirits, Dinner and a Movie” event on Wednesday, August 7th in Williamsburg.  Teaming up with the best bartenders in the city, this series is the newest of Nitehawk’s creative repertory programming, combining moviegoer’s favorite things: fantastic drinks, food, and film.

The first feature is Martin Scorsese’s 2002 fictional historical drama, Gangs of New York, which depicts the violent rise of gangland power in New York City. Larger than life, the film has it all: history, love, loyalty, revenge, and true O.G. gang violence. The best part? As with Nitehawk’s “Beer, Dinner and a Movie” and “Film Feast” series, the audience will be served each course during the specific moments inspired by the film.

AUGUST 7 - 7PM ($95)

GANGS OF NY - with The Dead Rabbit

Martin Scorsese • 2002 • 187 Mins. • USA • English • 35mm • Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Daniel Day-Lewis, Cameron Diaz, Jim Broadbent, Liam Neeson, John C. Reilly • R

In 1863, Amsterdam Vallon returns to the Five Points area of New York City seeking revenge against Bill the Butcher, his father’s killer. 

Food & Cocktail Menu

Bill The Butcher Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey, poire eau de vie, lemon sherbet, Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters, mace tincture, boiling water, freshly grated nutmeg 

The Dead Rabbit rabbit terrine, whiskey aspic, torn bread

Old Smoke Morrissey

Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey, Dolin Rouge Sweet Vermouth, Chartreuse Verte, Bittermens Orange Cream Citrate, Pernod Absinthe, Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters

Three Square Meals bacon and red skinned potato hash, poached quail egg; smoked whitefish salad, celery, My Friend’s Mustard**; blue fish ceviche, lime, jalapeno, tomato

Reddy The Blacksmith Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey, Dead Rabbit Jamaican Rum Mix, Grahams LBV Port Wine, fresh lime juice, raspberry cordial, Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters 

Whose Man Are You? port aged rib eye, champ, watercress

Paddy The Priest

small serving of Guinness & Redbreast 12 Year Old Irish Whiskey 

The Return of The Dead Rabbits rabbit loin, braised cabbage, mustard sauce

Challenge Accepted

blueberry and bourbon pie, guinness ice cream

Harry The Soldier Redbreast 12 Year Old Cask Strength Irish Whiskey, lemon & orange sherbet, Suze Gentiane, eucalyptus tincture, Dead Rabbit Orinoco Bitters, tamarind nectar, Assam tea

Food & Cocktail Menu is subject to change.

**My Friend’s Mustard (beer mustard born in Brooklyn, raised in Detroit) locally made by friend-of-Nitehawk, Nick Dodge

Follow on twitter, #SpiritsDinner:

@NitehawkCinema

@deadrabbitnyc