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| November
Bar Buzz |
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The scoop on the city's clubs and pubs—from an A-list appertif
and a dismissive door girl (aw snap!) to a boozy Alphabet City boutique
and a haven for Hollywood on the Bowery (calling Nick Nolte!).
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recipe
Falling Leaves
Limply infused vodkas fall flat next to the thirty pounds of distilled
fruit found in each bottle of eau de vie, a brandy that forms the
basis of Falling Leaves, Audrey Saunders' new seasonal cocktail
at Bemelmans Bar. Pungent
pear eau de vie from upstate New York lends the drink suppleness,
while the high acidity of Riesling provides backbone. The result?
Autumn's multihued spectrum in a glass.—Erin Monju
Falling Leaves
1 oz. Clear Creek Pear Eau De Vie
2 oz. Trimbach Reisling
1/4 oz. Honey Syrup (equal parts of honey and water)
1/2 oz. Marie Brizard Orange Curacao
1 dash Peychauds Bitters
Garnish: Star Anise
Measure all ingredients into a mixing glass, add ice, and shake
well. Strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with the star anise.
Serve cold, or allow to warm slightly for fuller flavor.
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the industry
The Right Girl
To generate that much needed opening-night buzz, last
month the owners of Green Room (286 Spring St.; 212-929-8560)
staged a citywide search for their door girl. 200 women responded
to the casting call, and after a grueling interview process, the judges
narrowed the field down to five girls, revealing the winner just hours
before doors opened (and you thought America's Next Top Model
was intense!). We caught up with the winner, Ashley Harder,
moments before the red carpet was rolled out.—E. J. Samson
What were you doing before landing this gig? I've been modeling
for the last five years, but I want to break into acting. I'm gonna
be on the Guiding Light! I'm just in the background, but
everybody has to start somewhere.
How's living in New York? It's amazing. I feel like I've been
here forever, but it's only been two months. I'm fresh meat!
So how was the competition? The girls were very trendy, very
cute, great bodies—the whole package deal. I think it came down
to my personality. I'm not really afraid or intimidated by anyone.
When did you find out you won? I found out today. Six hours
ago. I literally sat on my couch and was like "oh my god." I didn't
know what to do.
Congratulations! But doesn't it suck that you have to go into
work now? It's cool, because I do have to say the pay is incredible.
I get to help my parents out with the rent, so I'm very happy with
that.
What kind of person will get into the Green Room, anyway? Somebody
very trendy with high class and a great sense of style, who's gonna
be able to spend the money and throw a couple of bottles back.
And what kind of person won't get in? I'll know it when I see
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| market
research |
B-to-the-E
Everyone's heard of energy drinks like Red Bull and
Jolt Cola, but energy alcohol? This month, Anheuser-Busch rolls out
B-to-the-E, beer made from barley, malt, hops, and enough caffeine
to keep you partying till the break of dawn.—Leah Hochbaum
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| Sold since... |
November 2004
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1997
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1985
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| Cost |
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| Results |
Equivalent of 1 1/4 cans of Mountain Dew
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Equivalent of 3-4 cans of Mountain Dew (yowzer!)
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Equivalent of 1 1/2 cans of Mountain Dew
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| Gives you... |
A hangover.
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Sweeter vodka.
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Um, a jolt.
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| Slogan |
Beer with Something Extra
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Red Bull Gives You Wings
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Positive Reinforcement
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| Selling point |
"Packaged in a sleek, slim-line 10-ounce
can with stylish graphics."
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"With taurine"—ooh, it has taurine.
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Mentioned in most mags that "utter
the word 'computer.'"
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| Drinkers |
No one yet. But it's being targeted at "highly
social" adults.
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Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Demi Moore,
and Ashton Kutcher.
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Apparently, a lot of computer programmers.
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archive
Jack Rose
"It's funny what a wonderful gentility you get in the bar of a big
hotel," Jake Barnes tells Lady Brett Ashley in Ernest Hemingway's
The Sun Also Rises. While the
View's institutional furniture, garish carpeting, and queasy
orange glow certainly wouldn't inspire Jake, it might not stop him
from tossing back a Jack Rose with the bar's drunk tourists, either.
This Lost Generation favorite was lost to most Manhattan bars—until
it popped up on the View's new Dale DeGroff–designed cocktail
list. The drink—named for its rose color and applejack base
spirit, but possibly after a New York gangster, too—is so hard
to find because there's only one American company that still manufactures
apple brandy. Most recipes call for Laird's applejack, fresh lime
(or lemon) juice, and grenadine, but DeGroff also throws in simple
syrup, resulting in a slightly flat aftertaste. Still, a good dose
of lemon juice provides a nice tart balance to the View's punchy
version ($10.75). The Hotel de Crillon this is not. But what the
hell.—Carla Spartos
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ask the expert
Inexpensive Wine Picks
Our holiday social calendars are filling faster than our bank accounts,
but we're not sweating it thanks to Allen B. Sack of Warehouse
Wine and Spirits (735 Broadway, at Astor Place; 212-982-7770),
the downtown emporium renowned for cheap cheer.—Corinne Iozzio
Brrrrrr?I need a winter warmer.
1995 Quinta do Noval Silval Vintage Porto, $25.99
20% alcohol gets you flushed fast; try with cheese or dark chocolate.
Turkey schmurkey. I wanna wow.
2000 Blockheadia Ringnossii Napa Valley Zinfandel, $19.99
Zin grapes are quintessentially American; this one's rich in black
cherry.
I'm desperate to impress my father-in-law. Did I mention his affinity
for silk smoking jackets?
Hine Cigar Reserve French Cognac, $34.99
Well-priced, woody, with hints of licorice.
I need a regal red that won't bow down to my host's crown roast.
2000 Behrens & Hitchcock California Merlot, $29.99
A stand-up red with supple blackberry notes and high alcohol content.
I'm a hostess who doesn't want the mostest. What's an after-dinner
alternative to calorie-crammed cakes?
1998 Pierre Sparr Grand Cru, $17.99
This dessert wine goes from sweet to spicy, with a crisp, dry
finish.
Aaargh! Tonight, it's chick flicks, Chinese takeout, and ______.
Junmai Ginjo Tamanohikari Yamahai Sake, $22.99
Full-bodied sake as smooth as bourbon whiskey.
It's New Year's and I'm broke. Am I stuck swigging Asti Spumante?
2002 Vranken Champagne, $17.99
Bonafide French bubbly with hints of dry citrus.
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preview
Dream Lounge
It seems that midtown's tourist-class hotels are no longer content
with brass lamps and floral bedspreads. A Shrager-like lounge is now
also de rigeur. First came Trousdale,
the ultramodern lounge in the Theater District's budget-friendly Amsterdam
Court Hotel. Now the Majestic Hotel has been renovated into the Dream
Hotel, and its snug lobby bar is a hallucination made vivid by mod
stripes and mirror. Custom-made carpeting runs the length of the room,
with the striped motif repeated in tile behind the bar. All of which
would be disconcerting if it weren't for comfortable settees in coordinating
solids and waitresses in swishy black cocktail dresses fetching drinks.
The Fellini feel stretches into the lobby, with its funhouse furniture,
curio cabinets, and glass elevator leading down to the Subconscious
lounge, which is slated to open next year. A little overreaching,
maybe, but sure to impress the out-of-towners, too.—Carla Spartos
Dream Hotel, 210 W. 55th St., at Broadway; 212-246-2211;
dreamny.com; Sun-Thu,
6 p.m.-2 a.m.; Fri-Sat, 6 p.m.-4 a.m. |
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recently
reviewed
The Hanger
Maybe you're in the mood for shopping, but a cash-strapped friend
would rather sit down to an inexpensive drink. The creators of the
Hanger want people to do both in one place. At this cozy East Village
spot (formerly Plant Bar), a handful of reasonably priced vintage
dresses hang in the front window (and out of spills way), while a
selection of hats—including some for men—sit atop an antique
cabinet in back. Yet the local hipsters seem more interested in the
drink specials written with marker and taped behind the bar—and
with good reason. A mere $12 will get you a pitcher of the cocktail
of your choice, while three bucks will buy you a Staten Island Iced
Tea made from vodka and sickly sweet iced-tea mix. And where else
can you get a sampler of three whiskies or three scotches for just
$12 and $15? The decor—flowered wallpaper, flickering candlelight,
and wooden tables and chairs arranged in intimate corners—makes
this the perfect place for a low-key date or a quiet start to a more
raucous evening on the town.—Leah Black
217 E. 3rd St., between Aves. B and C; 212-228-1030;
Mon, 5 p.m.-4 a.m.; Tue-Fri, 1 p.m.-4 a.m.; Sat-Sun, noon-4 a.m. |
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Kos
Face it. If Page Six isn't the least bit interested in your life,
you're not getting into Kos. A small, exclusive lounge on the Bowery,
Kos's appeal lies in that you can't get in to see what you're missing
(which, to tell the truth, isn't much?). On our way inside, we witnessed
a group of three attractive girls get turned away at the door. "Three
attractive girls!" we thought. "The place must be packed." But the
club was so empty you could hear an echo. The front room is lined
with couches and tables, with a DJ booth in one corner and a bar
area further back. There's also a plush room dubbed the "Kitty
Box," where the mega VIPs (Bruce Willis, P. Diddy, Steven Tyler,
Mary Kate Olsen, et al.) mingle. As expected, the wait staff is
drop-dead, and if you make the cut, there's a certain thrill about
hanging out in a place your friends can't get into. Co-owners Lenny
Kravitz and Denzel Washington lend the club its air of celebrity,
and it's strictly their set Kos is looking to attract. Bungalow
8 did it, but whether Kos can succeed while catering to such a small
(though good-looking) gene pool remains to be seen.—Emma Rosenblum
264 Bowery, near Houston St.; 212-343-9722;
Daily, 10 p.m.-4 a.m.
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Snitch
A rock bar with attitude, Snitch caters to adventurers seeking an
alternative to the generic club scene—not to pretty young things
like trendy next-door neighbor Vela.
Any celeb you see here is liable to be of the VH-1 variety, like
at a recent Camp Freddy concert featuring members of Jane's Addiction
and Guns 'N Roses. As you might expect, the music is '80s rock staples—think
"Love in an Elevator"—and though space is limited, people
are definitely dancing to Aerosmith. Yes, the club is dark. And
yes, there are tough guys in chains. And if you stay really, really
late, Snitch serves breakfast starting at 4 a.m., although the menu
doesn't quite mesh with the scene—crî´e brulee french foast
or Kobe steak and eggs, anyone? Co-owned by Scott Weiland and Duff
McKagan of Velvet Revolver and Brett Scallions of Fuel, Snitch gets
its fair share of indie and A-list bands—Marilyn Manson and
Metallica are booked to play upcoming shows on the club's circular
stage. Most nights, though, you can count on a more low-key crowd,
when televised sports games are liable to be the featured entertainment.—Emma
Rosenblum
259 W. 21st St., between Fifth and Sixth Aves.;
212-727-7775; Mon-Thu, 5 p.m.-4 a.m.; Fri-Sun, 24 hours.
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Supreme Trading
Where can hipsters combine art and boozing now that P.S.1's summer
season is over? They need look no further than their own backyard
thanks to Supreme Trading, a 7500 square-foot salon/bar with multiple
rooms for live bands, DJs, even an art gallery. Exposed brick walls
frame the main bar area, and suspended light fixtures serve as artful
accents to the hangar-like open space. The crowd, which sports the
latest in so-not-trendy-it's-trendy attire (goodbye ironic trucker
hats, hello skinny ties!), guzzle down Stella and dance to the latest
in indie, nu wave, and post punk rock (just ask yourself: could
it appear on the Garden State soundtrack?). Several banquettes
are off to the side, and for a little more privacy, a second level
offers an intimate lounge complete with a pool table and leather
benches overlooking the dance floor. But if it's a breath of fresh
smoke you crave, head to the ceiling-less smoker's lounge with Little
League–style bleachers. If you're into indie rock but not the
scene's in-your-face attitude, this party is definitely worth the
trip on the L train.—E. J. Samson
213 N. 8th St., near Driggs Ave., Williamsburg;
718-599-4224; supremetradingny.com; Mon-Thu, 5 p.m.-2 a.m.; Fri-Sat,
5 p.m.-4 a.m.
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| Published
on November 1, 2004 |
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