What’s Tony Drinking? Indian Gin, Irish Rye, Bajan Rum with a Spirited Crowd
Oh! It’s The Ophelia Lounge!
Given that I’m an obsessive Frank Sinatra fan, it was a glaring omission on my part that I hadn’t been to a bar located in what used to be his penthouse suite in Midtown Manhattan. What’s Tony Drinking regular Philip Duff took care of that matter by summoning me for 5 o’clocktails at the Ophelia Lounge in the stylish Beekman Tower on East 49th, near the United Nations. It’s inconvenient to get there for pretty much everyone (except me and Philip, appropriately enough), but it’s one of New York’s hidden-in-the-open treasures. The space, which was also lived in by Miles Davis and Frank Zappa (not at the same time, sadly), is stunning, with original Art Deco-era details and unmatched views from both the inside and outdoor spaces. And the cocktail program by Amir Babayoff is as spiffy as its environs. My favorite of the bunch was the Palo Santo Martini, made with Jin Jiji High Proof (57% ABV) Indian Gin, Cocchi Americano, Noilly Prat, and Palo Santo cordial, is a little sweet, very velvety on the tongue, and way too easy to drink. The bar bites, which are also tremendous (orange-miso glazed Chilean sea bass skewers, I mean, come on!), came in very handy to offset the effects of the martini. I would have had a Jack Daniel’s on the rocks in Sinatra’s honor, but honestly, I think even he might have felt like broadening his horizons a bit in such an esteemed joint.
More Powers To Ya
It was one of those nights where… well, let’s just say if a bomb had dropped on The Ivory Peacock, the new gin palace on 26th St., it would have become a lot harder to get a good cocktail in the Big Apple, because the cream of the city’s bartenders were in attendance to welcome Powers Irish Rye — the first ever Irish whiskey made from 100% rye — into the boozy pantheon. I’m talkin’ Dale DeGroff, Sother Teague, Meaghan Dornan, Brian Evans, and the Peacock’s own Sean McClure, to name maybe half of the luminaries on hand to make Manhattan variations using the stuff.
My writer amigo Ted Simmons and I were invited a couple of hours early to have a taste of the whiskey neat with Powers distiller Eric Ryan, and it is not only delicious, with a little spice, a little tropical fruit, a little mint, and a light and clean vibe quite unlike American ryes, but at $32 a bottle, it’s also quite the bargain. Post-tasting, we still had an hour to kill until the festivities kicked off, which meant I got to hang out with the bartenders and apologize for not visiting their venues enough (I’m more of a homebody than I let on). Thankfully they were not only understanding but actually seemed happy to see me, which means they’re either very nice people or great actors. Oh, and as for those Manhattan variations they made… my memories are kind of fuzzy. I’d already had a couple ounces of neat whiskey before the cocktails started getting made, which did not stop me from having liberal samples of all ten (!). But there wasn’t a bad one in the bunch, and I had a fun time trying them all.
The Return of the Silver Foxes
It doesn’t happen often enough, but when Robert Haynes-Peterson and I are in the same city at the same time, you’d best believe some fun will be had. My fellow gray-haired amigo (and Alcohol Professor contributor in good standing) and I were known as The Silver Foxes back in the halcyon days of the 2010s, and we spent much of the decade drinking our way through New York’s finest establishments and rarest booze. Robert moved to the Pacific Northwest a few years ago — our livers breathed a sigh of relief, but our hearts were heavy. Apart from a very brief meetup a few months ago, we hadn’t seen each other in close to five years, so when he came over to Chez Sachs for a quick hangout before his business took him elsewhere, I knew I had to pull out the good stuff. And good stuff it was. We started with a little Foursquare 2009, a classic Bajan pot/column-distilled rum, aged in ex-bourbon casks and bottled at a cool 60% ABV — Robert’s not a rummy, but I figured maybe this would convert him. I don’t think I succeeded but he did seem to like it. From there we pivoted to Scotland and drained the remainder of my sample of The Balvenie’s Tale Of The Dog, a jaw-droopingly good 42 year old whisky priced at a cool $15,000. Worth it? If you have 15 grand to spend on a bottle of single malt Scotch, absolutely. What to follow that up with? My 1962-vintage bottle of Jack Daniel’s beckoned. I don’t give samples of that one out to just anyone, but RHP isn’t just anyone. It really is a ridiculously good whiskey — today’s Old No. 7 still has its basic DNA, but this stuff has… what’s the word I’m looking for? Maybe gravitas (and an extra 5% alcohol doesn’t hurt either — vintage Jack is 90 proof to today’s 80). Suitably buzzed, we said farewell… for now. I’m already trawling through the collection for stuff to drink with him next time.
These Cocktails Go To Eleven
I don’t get enough date nights with my wife, but when we do go out, we do it right. Case in point — one recent Saturday night we found ourselves out and about and, not sure where to go, decided to pop into the bar at Eleven Madison Park. The restaurant proper happens to be one of the most acclaimed in the world, and snagging a table for dinner takes lots of advance planning, not to mention a bulging wallet. But the bar is one of New York’s best kept secrets. At 8:00 on a Saturday night, we not only found a table for two, but we found beverage director Sebastian Tollius on the job. EMP is rightfully known for its food, but the cocktails are nothing short of spectacular, some of the most creative and innovative (and delicious) in the city for sure. The peerless level of service and the presentation of the drinks makes everything even better.
Sebastian was the consummate host and even sent us home with a pair of freezer Gibsons (an elevated take, with Japanese and Irish gin, Blanche Armagnac, Chambéry dry vermouth, and Salers Apéritif, a Suze-esque gentian liqueur) complete with pickled onions that were almost (but not quite) too tasty to put in the drinks. And the best thing about the bar? You can order from the world-beating, all-vegan-but-you-won’t-miss-the-meat food menu a la carte. And believe me, that’s what you want to do when you’re there.
Kebabs & Cocktails On The UWS
I checked out Kebab Aur Sharab, the ungainly-named new kebab-centric Indian restaurant on West 72nd St., during its soft opening around New Year’s, and I’d been meaning to make it back ever since. It took a few months, but I finally returned with wife in tow (another date night! Will wonders never cease?) and both the food and drink had gotten even better in the interim. The spouse ordered the most photogenic (and maybe the tastiest) cocktail of the night, the Rona — a punch with Old Monk rum, mangosteen, star fruit and assam chai, served aflame in a copper vessel that was as gorgeous as it was tasty. While not as pyrotechnic, I loved my vibrant green-colored Paan Shop, made with Jaisalmer Indian gin and sporting a betel leaf garnish. Almost as good was the Falooda, a rose-scented libation with Tanduay rum from the Philippines and basil seeds. Oh, and the kebabs were phenomenal as well. I mean, you can’t live on cocktails alone….