So I meant to post earlier but kept forgetting.? My bad.
Last weekend I was in NYC.? Friday night we started with a trip to Stand, mostly known for its burgers and milkshakes.? I started with a Southampton Secret Ale on draft, a beer that I’ve always enjoyed in the bottle at Lost Dog Cafe here in Arlington but didn’t like as much that night.? Then I had a Negroni made with Hendricks – a very good change to it I felt.
My friends got some various drinks – a notable one was an orange milkshake type drink made with Campari.? I thought that was quite good.
We then went to Alta.? Two of us started with Spanish Manhattans: Maker’s Mark, Oloroso Seco, port infused with cinnamon, clove and dried cherries. Those were good, not spectacular, but good.? We chowed down on a number of tapas and I ordered the Ewa en Provence which was lavender infused aquavit, dry vermouth, Cointreau, lime juice, and a dash of cassis.
The next day was a beer day, really, after mimosas at Ed’s; after a failed attempt to go to Park Ave Liquors we went to Zum Schneider and had liters of Weihenstephan Hefeweizen and then to McSorely’s for their traditional two-beers-at-a-time.? There was a loud group of USMC at one table near us and a group of “Black Irish New York” at another table – it was really all quite entertaining.
On Sunday we did a lot of walking around; the only notable drink of that day was a Baron’s Black Wattle Superior Ale, not bad, though I was amused and annoyed to see that the bottles in my $15 six pack were only 11.2 ounces.? That’s 5.6 ounces less than a normal six pack!
After I got home on Monday I went to have a cigar.? I was quite concerned with my cigars at first, afraid they might be screwed up, but it ended up that they had just dried out.? I’m not certain what happened with my hygrometer in my humidor, but I’ve got to be careful about it (they’re fine now).
Some apple wine and Brooklyn Pennant ’55 ales over the course of the week led to a trip to Oyamel after our volunteer shift at DC Central Kitchen with the DR.com peeps.? After a Dogfish Head beer (60 Minute IPA, I believe) I went for an Oyamel – a margarita made with Jose Cuervo Tradicional, Patron Citronage, lime juice, and topped with “Salt Air”.? One of the best margaritas I’ve had in a long time!
Next up was Pina y Salvia – muddled sage, pineapple juice, herradura tequila, and triple sec.? This was almost like a tiki drink to me, probably because of the pineapple juice, but it might’ve been made a bit sweet (the waitress asked if it was made too sweet, at least).? I followed it up with a Zanahoria Borracha made from 10 Cane rum, carrot and orange juice, and agave nectar.? The last drink, recommended by the waitress since I seemed to be “an adventurous drinker”, was a Hada Verde.? St. George absinthe, Sauza Blanca tequila, Chichicapa mezcal, and pineapple juice? – whoa.? That was a drink I had to share with others.
Finally, last night I went over to Marshall’s.? After a couple of Rocktoberfests at Rock Bottom Brewery we went back for cigars and drinks.? I had a Negroni, made MUCH better by Marshall’s recommendation of adding two dashes of orange Angostura bitters and two dashes of Fee’s rhubarb bitters (damn, I need some rhubarb bitters!).? For watching Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas we made up a batch of Pisco sours, using the recipe from Drinkboy which uses lime juice instead of lemon juice.
The final drink of the night (other than Magic Hat’s fall seasonal) was a drink I was experimenting with, an attempt at a variation of a Negroni using Veev (2 ounces), 1 ounce Aperol, 1/2 ounce Cointreau, 1/2 ounce Plymouth Sloe Gin, and some Fee’s orange bitters.? Marshall declared it too sweet; I’m notorious for my sweet tooth especially after I’ve been drinking but I think that this drink might have some potential down the road.? So I will experiment with it later – maybe even later today – and see what I can do.? I’ll probably swap the Aperol for Campari, reduce the amount of Veev, and up the amount of bitters added, maybe using a combination of a spicier orange bitters and lemon bitters (or grapefruit?).
Okay – that’s all for now.? I need to find caffeine!