Lo-Down food contributor and Tasty Travails mastermind Mitch Weinstein appreciates a good cocktail. Earlier this summer, he found inspiration inside White Star (menu) the tiny LES bar operated by downtown cocktail maestro Sasha Petraske.
If you have a favorite place for a cocktail in the hood, please let us know about it! Contact us here.
by Mitch Weinstein, Tasty Travails
Recently I happened by White Star, the cocktailian (and absinthe-centric) lounge that's right
across the street from our apartment – at 21 Essex – and that's Essex
Street just after the trees in the photo, looking west from our kitchen
window.
Asking the tender for a "Manhattan-like" cocktail, he
(Kelvin) was kind enough to stir me up a 1920 cocktail – and it made my
night. I'd never had one before, and since K. was nice enough to share
the formula with me, I got to make one at home.
Actually, I liked it so much that I immediately had to share it with friends of mine. Jude and Jeff, whom I've posted about before, really enjoy their cocktails. I shot an email off to them, and they tried it and liked it so much, that Jude blogged about it too! As she writ:
The
“1920” is a hook up between a Manhattan and a Sazerac and the recipe
goes like this: 2 parts rye, 1 part sweet vermouth, absinthe rinse in
the glass and a dash or so of orange bitters, stirred, never shaken.
And
that's what it is. The absinthe rinse is what separates that 1920 from
a Manhattan. Here are a couple of tips to make an excellent cocktail:
1) It's always good to keep your cocktail and mixing glasses in the freezer. It's really good.
2)
To "rinse" is just to pour a teaspoon or so of spirit into the frozen
cocktail glass (in this case, absinthe), swirl it around and pour
what's left into the sink. It leaves just a hint of spirit in the
glass, and is a great technique. Do this right before pouring your
cocktail.
3) Lots of cracked ice in that mixing glass. Stir the shit out of it.
4) Enjoy rather quickly – (as you should all cocktails.) No matter where you are, it's a damn good drink.
More from Mitch Weinstein at his blog, Tasty Travails.
