Category: Whiskey, Spirits, and Cocktails

Ronald and I had a chance to make a quick trip to NYC in October. We had not been back since 2017, and we were overdue.

I had compiled quite a running list of great bars/cocktails and pizza joints I wanted to check out. I also really wanted to take a pizza tour with Scott’s Pizza Tours. I think I’ve been following Scott on social media since like 2009. My recent dive into making pizza at home – had me revisiting his videos, posts, reviews, etc. I decided it was time! I asked Ronald if that sounded fun to him – and he said “Yes!”

We stayed at the Intercontinental Barclay in Midtown Manhattan. It’s a nice and historic hotel and a fabulous location for adventures in the big city. The Barclay was one of several large hotels developed around Grand Central Terminal as part of Terminal City, and it opened in 1926.

We had some significant travel/flight delays…and fortunately I was able to adjust our first reservation at Red Hook Tavern from 5p to 9p. We arrived at LaGuardia, grabbed a ride and managed to get checked in and catch our breath before heading off to dinner.

Red Hook Tavern was amazing! It’s a small and cozy place with a great looking bar centric set up. Ronald started with a Spanish Gibson (Choice of Vodka or London Dry Gin, Atxa Vino Vermouth, charred onion, rosemary) and it was a divine savory gin martini. I started with the Dukes Martini (Overproof Gin & Vodka, Amalfi lemon oil, salted cucumber, Chambéry Vermouth, gordal olive) and it was also amazing, but I give the edge to the Gibson. We also got things going with an order of the Country Ham Croquettes (one-year aged white cheddar, dijonnaise, rye bread crumbs). For dinner, we had the Cavatelli (oxtail ragu, garlic breadcrumbs) and the very famous Dry-Aged Red Hook Tavern Burger (American cheese, white onion, frites). Holy 💩! Everything was amazing, and that burger lived up to the hype. Many people say it’s the best burger in NYC, and I’d be hard pressed to argue with that. It’s certainly one of the very best burgers that Ronald and I have had. We closed out with the Fior di Latte Gelato with homemade hot fudge and candied pecans. Full and happy – we made our way back to Manhattan and crashed out.

Day two – we started slow. The breakfast buffet was still being served downstairs, and we hit that up. We cleaned up and decided to take a stroll with no particular destination in mind. We ended up walking a bit in Central Park. We hung out on a bench for a bit – enjoying the weather. We thought it might be fun to check out the crowd at Rockefeller Center, and we ducked in Blue Bottle Coffee for a caffeine upgrade. We started making our way back to the hotel, and walked past the Nintendo store. We couldn’t resist a brief stop in. We had worn off our breakfast, and we needed a snack to tide us over before dinner. Ronald wanted to make an unofficial start to our NYC pizza tour by quality checking the lower range offerings. 99¢ Fresh Pizza is iconic in NYC. Inflation has pretty much led to most dollar/99¢ shops upping their prices. While it’s certainly not gourmet pizza…it certainly fills a need and is probably made as well as it can be for the cost.

After a brief down spell back at the hotel, we made our way to the spot at the top of my cocktail/bar list – The Coop at Double Chicken Please. Let me just say- the prospect of getting in to this highly acclaimed and lauded bar was daunting to say the least. I expected a line…and maybe to even be turned away and have to try again. While instinct would tell you to get in line early. I decided we should arrive around opening or just a bit before. When we did arrive there was a LONG line 🤯 – I estimated about 70-100 in front of us.

I was actually hoping that we would miss the first seating, and be put on the list to return for maybe the second. We arrived about 5 min before their 5p opening, and we moved through the line very quickly. We were at the host stand in about 15 min. We were informed the expected wait for 2 for The Coop was about 90 min. They took my number and said they would text me when my table was ready – you have 10 min to respond to the text and then 10 minutes after your response to present yourself at the host stand. This worked out perfectly. Instead of having to captively hold a spot in line for an hour plus to be in that first seating – we took the opportunity to walk around the corner to Bar Contra during our 90 minutes wait (I’ll tell you about that next).

We wrapped up at Bar Contra and started making our way back in the direction of Double Chicken Please. Before we made it very far, I got a text our table was ready. Perfect timing! We were taken to some seats at the end of the bar. I love being able to see what’s going on at the bar, and DCP definitely has an interesting set up.

All I can say about the cocktails AND the food is WOW! We started with two cocktails – the Red Eye Gravy and Mango Sticky Rice. Crazy cocktail names? The cocktails are reinventions of iconic dishes/foods. Red Eye Gravy (Teeling Irish Whiskey, coffee butter, corn, walnut, wild mushroom, and microwaved coppa) blew my mind. It’s like brunch/breakfast in a glass. It delivers sweet and savory notes in complete harmony and absolutely makes your brain go to that place of hot coffee, ham, cornbread (or biscuits). Mango Sticky Rice is a stunner as well (Barcardi Reserva Ocha Rum mango) – it drinks EXACTLY like the classic Thai dessert. The funniest thing I probably said while we were here is, “So, I don’t usually ever like chicken liver mousse or pâté, but I feel like we should order theirs.” I’m so glad that we did order the chicken liver mousse because it may actually be my favorite taste from the whole trip (maybe even of the year…but that’s a hard one…we were in Italy in May 🤣). Something about the combination of the bread/rich mousse and the added drizzle of HOT HONEY won me over. We also had some of their infamous Taiwanese-inspired fried chicken sandwiches. I had the Hot Honey version and Ronald had the Salted Egg Yolk version. They both were really delicious. Our favorite drink was the Key Lime Pie (Bombay Sapphire Gin, The Plum, I Suppose, winter melon, sweet cream, egg white, lime, soda). It was just a perfect balance between tart and sweet and an addictive sip. I was really looking forward to the French Toast cocktail. I had seen a video showcasing all the prep that goes into making the drink. However, I was a bit disappointed in this one. I’d certainly give it a try again, but it felt kind of flat for me (especially by comparison to everything else). Perhaps, I was already in palate fatigue 😂.

Ok – let me rewind and talk about Bar Contra. This one needs a little backstory. I’m a cocktail ?nerd?. I have a book called Liquid Intelligence: The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold (prior link is an advertisement – as an Amazon Associate I earn commissions from qualifying purchases). (Here’s a really great article on the impact of this book which also won a James Bear award for Best Beverage Book in 2015.) I’ve been following Dave and all his many adventures since I got my copy in 2019. I also had a Searzall torch (prior link is an advertisement – as an Amazon Associate I earn commissions from qualifying purchases)- many years before I really knew who Dave was. More recently, I got a Spinzall 2.0 – essentially a culinary centrifuge invented/made by Dave Arnold. I made mental note in July 2024 that a new Dave Arnold project/bar had opened called Bar Contra. We slipped in right at opening (no lines here). Ronald ordred the Sea Witch (frozen, aquavit, grapefruit, strega, lemon) and I ordered Fantasy Island (white rum, mezcal, blanc vermouth, and strawberry cordial). I don’t know how to explain the drinks here – they are just perfectly engineered and executed. The Sea Witch was bright, refreshing and exactly as the menu said not too bitter and not too sweet. Ronald loved it – which is very high praise. He is always game to go on cocktail adventures with me, but he doesn’t actually care that much about drinking them these days. The Fantasy Island was also delightful and a real compliment to strawberries. As we were sitting, the conversations being had by the bartenders and the only other guests (some other bar/spirits industry folks I think) were so nerdy I simply was overrun with glee. There was a deep dive into coupe manufacturers and the capacity of one vs another even though they looked the same…they were not. Also, there were discussions of oxidized flavors in fortified wines. I can’t remember them all, but the cute thing is even Ronald noticed them and would look at me like…”hey, do you hear them speaking your secret language??” Then, I heard a voice, and I immediately recognized it as Dave’s. I started fidgeting 😂. I told Ronald, “You’re not gonna believe this but I’m gonna ask to take a picture with him.” If you know me, I’m not one to be star stuck or bedazzled, but I guess we all have our exceptions. He was very gracious and kind, and he asked me before the photo “do you want normal or crazy eyes?” Lol! A lot (most) of his instagram photos involve posing with crazy eyes. I opted for the crazy. I also thoroughly enjoyed a conversation with one of the bartenders, Theo. We talked clarifying strawberries and acid adjusting a cordial made with clarified strawberries. I got some recipe tips and all. My cocktail nerd heart was flying.

At the end of this day I felt like all the cocktail and culinary itches had been thoroughly scratched. 😅. Totally, stuffed to the gills after DCP…we headed back to the hotel and crashed out.

Day 3 – we started the morning with some coffee at the intriguing Ole & Steen just outside the entrance of the hotel. It’s a Danish bakery chain, and our previous walks past the windows had us reminiscing about Swedish bakeries. Sadly, we did not find the coffee nor the pastries very inspiring. We decided to make our way to Brooklyn for the afternoon, and our first stop was Paulie Gee’s Slice Shop. It’s a short walk away from the original Greenpoint Paulie Gee’s location (they serve wood fired pizza and Ronald and I visited there on both of our previous tripsto NYC). Paul Giannone, aka Paulie Gee, is a pizza icon. We first saw this name on the menu of Deep Ellum (Dallas) pizzeria Cane Rosso. That breadcrumb is what took us to Paulie Gee’s the first time, and it didn’t disappoint. I actually got to meet Paulie on our very first visit in 2015…he is quite a character. The slice shop opened since our last trip – so naturally, it was on our list to check out. It’s counter service and a more casual throwback vibe. Paulie has worked to recreate the slice shops he has fond memories of from his youth. I had a square slice of Hellboy® (a pepperoni pie with Mike’s Hot Honey and a sesame seed bottom) and Ronald had a square slice of Freddy Prinze (upside Sicilian, fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, Pecorino Romano and a sesame seed bottom). Wow! Both slices were big winners in our book. I absolutely love sesame seeds…and the addition of it to the bottom of these pies is just perfection!

There were some schedule changes in effect for the subway, and that made our next stop quite an adventure. We were underground for a while, and walking for a while. However, it was a pleasant day in Brooklyn and we just took in all the sights and sounds. I had bookmarked this spot called Laurel bakery (who even knows anymore how I come across these kinds of things 😆). It was nestled in a more residential/neighborhood area. We had a coffee and I had a slice of bostock. Their version is croissant dough baked in loaf shape, topped with frangipane and sliced almonds and baked again. The coffee was excellent and I enjoyed the bostock (almonds/frangipane are some more of my utter favorite things). I only wish we were able to arrived a littler earlier to see what the other pastry options were – but regardless I would’ve still ordred bostock.

We transited our way back to the hotel to get some recovery in before heading out for the evening adventures.

Amor y Amargo and Death & Company have loooooong be on my to do list. They are almost right next to each other in the East Village. Sother Teague’s famous bitters tasting room, Amor y Amargo was exactly as I expected and imagined. Interesting bottles of cocktail bitters and various bitter liqueurs EVERYWHERE! Standing room only in the bar – and we were quickly able to grab a spot and get a drink. I had the 8 Amaro Sazerac (a blend of amari, Chartreuse and Peychaud’s bitters) Ronald had the Bermuda Triangle (Montenegro, Nonino, Allspice Dram, Bourbon, Overproof Rum, Remedy Toasted Coconut bitters, and Regan’s Orange bitters). Both cocktails were complex and balanced and quite enjoyable.

We headed over to Death & Co. We had a round of drinks – I had Sunshower (Russell’s Reserve 6yr Rye Whiskey, Mezcal, Amaro Pasubio, Faretti, Cucumber Bitters) and Ronald had Queen of the Night (Hibiki Harmony Japanese Whisky, Amabuki Junmai Sake, Cap Corse Rouge, Strawberry, Aperol). It’s quite dark and cozy in D&C and we were off on the side (couldn’t see too much at the bar and no table space). So, we didn’t get many photos.

By this time, we had worked up an appetite for something substantial to eat. We discovered the famous Katz’s deli was a short 10 min walk away…off we went. There was a line, but it moved very quickly. The deli was PACKED! We opted for sit down service – we didn’t want to end up at one of the cutter stations not knowing what we wanted 😆. Ronald got a huge meal that had everything (so we could try it all) and I got a pastrami on rye. I now dream of pastrami, every day. I also ordered a chocolate egg cream because I know it’s a historic drink and I had never had one.

That pretty much closed our night. We had a walk to the subway filled with fun SoHo/NoLita nightlife sights.

For our final full day in NYC we went on the Sunday Bus edition of Scott’s Pizza tours – I will write about that separately. After that tour, since we were already down in the Financial District area, we decided to walk over to The Dead Rabbit and see if we could get into their The Parlor bar. We were in luck (probably because close to The Parlor’s opening) and were taken to some seats at the bar. This was also our second visit here, and let me just say we were wowed by the beautiful cocktail menu and the artful execution of flavors in our drinks.

We shared Hop Too (Don Julio Blanco Tequila, Passionfruit, Citra Hops, Long Hots, Pineapple, Lemon) and Flight Plan (Hacienda Santa Ana 138° & Hampden Estate 5yr Rums, Plantain, Sesame, Shiso, Lemon). The were just liquid flavor sparks! Each took you on so many directions, but they were still balanced and not over done. The menu and menu art were absolutely STUNNING. I wanted to ask about buying the menu book…it was so gorgeous and inspiring.

We had a bit of an earlier turn in after quite a full day. We took the opportunity to get packed and ready for an early flight on Monday morning. Later in the evening, Ronald decided he was getting a bit hungry, and I said I had bookmarked a spot/cart near the hotel called King of Falafel & Shawarma. So, he went out and made the short walk to get a combination of chicken and falafel. No photos as there was no place to take one on the street and it didn’t look particularly “pretty” by the time it was walked back to the dim hotel room. Neverthless, it was FANTASTIC. The falafel were so delicious. Definitely recommend it!

We certainly knocked quite a few things off my must do list, but I still have more on the list 🤔. Until next time NYC…🫡