Drinking The World

New York City was afloat in cocktails on the weekend of October 3rd and 4th during the preview of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (MCC.) The two days were just a taste, No, more like a tease, of an annual, week long event of all things Cocktails that will begin in May 2010. the core events were held at the Astor Center, with the preview consisting of two days of seminars, spirit and cocktail tasting events, networking, and a bar where dozens of the top bartenders and mixologists in the world, tag teamed all day long to serve up their creations. In addition many of the best cocktail bars in the city also opened their doors during the days from 1-3pm for special cocktails and mini-presentations. The key point to make about the MCC is that this is a celebration of cocktails from a New York City point of view. Again and again it became clear that the Big Apple isn’t the best moniker for the City That Never Sleeps.

Follow up:

On day one I was lucky enough to attend Have Cocktail Shaker, Will Travel with Charlotte Voisey & Simon Ford. As usual, Charlotte, Simon, and Co. were entertaining and interesting as they discussed the adventures and journeys of US bartenders as they set out to introduce the world to cocktails before and during prohibition.

Then I greatly enjoyed Steve Olsen’s education, and informative, The Agave Session: The Magical Elixirs of Mexico. Steve is a powerhouse of high intensity entertainment, coupled with ground breaking knowledge. He covered thousands of years of history and techniques, while holding the crowd breathless. Then held a tasting of nine tequilas and mezcal, many not available in the US.

Finally I attended The Many Faces of Cognac & Armagnac with Julie Reiner, Charlotte Voisey & F. Paul Pacult. This was a journey through France’s AOC grape brandies, Cognac and Armagnac, followed by cocktails made from the two. Fun, informative, and a rare chance to experience these three spirits and cocktails experts interacting on a subject they love.

In addition were seminars that I couldn’t attend. Sherry: The Cobbler and Beyond with Andy Seymour. This seminar and tasting explored the world of sherry. A half dozen of the best Sherries were explored, with discussion about the various styles, followed with sherry based cocktails to show the wines other side. Then everyone picked up a shaker and created their own sherry cocktail.

This was followed by Sasha Petraske of Milk & Honey Fame with his seminar on Cocktails for Your Home Cocktail Party. Sasha demonstrated the basics of creating cocktails in the home. How to set up and stock your bar, as well as giving a cocktail party in your home, and working with a fully-equipped bar. This included cocktail preparation basics, and even advanced information, as well as leaving with no-fail recipes and techniques for working with fresh juices and block ice.

Saturday night there was a lovely party at the Hotel Crosby, celebrating the release of Gaz Regan’s new book, The Bartenders Gin Compendium. Gaz was holding forth in style as he signed and gave away copies of his book, while surrounded by hundreds of fans, sipping cocktails made by master mixologists and a variety of bar locations. Mingling was the order of the day, snagging a few choice snacks and cocktails played a secondary role, and it was a thoroughly enjoyable evening.

On Sunday I wasn’t able to attend any of the seminars but heard great things about Allen Katz’s Call of the Rye. A wry discussion of that most American of spirits, rye whiskey. Then there was Dale DeGroff’s exploration of Glasses & Tools: How Do You Choose the Right Glass for a Drink? Where he discussed the pro’s and con’s of different types of glassware and how they can make or break a cocktail, and affect the bottom line in a bar or restaurant. He also talked about how using the right glassware at home can increase you and your friends joy in the experience.

The sold out session, History of the Cocktail in New York, 1810-1920 with Dave Wondrich was a hit. Dave delved deep into the history of the cocktail, especially as it applied to New York, and of course classic and rediscovered cocktails were served.
There was a voyage into barware with the Cocktail Kingdom Presents: A Practical Guide to Barware from Around the World with Greg Boehm, Don Lee, & Alex Day. Participants learned how to use Parisian shakers, Hawthorne strainers, Japanese bar spoons and a wide array of other modern barware, while classic cocktails were served. Everyone also received a complimentary copy of the classic cocktail tome, The Fine Art of Mixing Drinks by David Embury.

The last seminar of the day was Audrey and Gary’s Unparalleled Gin Palaver with Audrey Saunders & Gary Regan. These two gin fanatics rhapsodized about their favorite spirit, gin, to great length. Diving deep into Gin cocktails from the past, present, and future. Of course with obligatory gin cocktails to wash down their lyrical praise of Mistress Gin.

Sunday night was a Gala Spectacular held in the Astor hall at the New York Public Library. A few sentences or a paragraph or two don’t do it justice, so I will have to delve deeper in another article.

As you can see, all things Cocktail, and New York City, were thoroughly explored, delved into, and celebrated. Now this was just a two day preview of the annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic, but my thoughts are: How can they top this? I can’t wait until next may to find out.