PDT (Please Don't Tell) -- St. Marks Place.

[Vinotas]

Still working on the name for the Walnut Cognac cocktail.  I am open to suggestions on this one if anyone has a good name let me know!

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The first one that comes to mind, especially in this season, is the Nutcracker.

Great list though, looking forward to trying many of them soon.

Cheers!

Edited December 18, 2007 by Vinotas (log)

[slkinsey]

Very nice to see a cocktail named after one of my favorite composers. Is this a Bellini riff? Awesome list.

To pick a minor nit: It's Amaro CioCiaro, not Amaro Cio Ciaro (as explained here, and also see the producer's product page here where it is spelled without capitalizing the second C -- which I would take to be the most correct). Not a big deal, but maybe worth fixing before you print.

Edited December 18, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[johnder]

Thanks Sam, good catch. Luckily we haven't printed these yet, and we also print them in -house now, since we are changing the menu so often it is cheaper for us to do it then sending it out to a printer.

[slkinsey]

Having had the Staggerac a few times, I can say that it is a mighty beast and not to be missed.

J: How are you guys making your orgeat?

Edited December 18, 2007 by slkinsey (log)

[johnder]

Having had the Staggerac a few times, I can say that it is a mighty beast and not to be missed.

J:  How are you guys making your orgeat?

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I used this great recipe from feste and tweaked it slightly. I will update that thread with the recipe as soon as I finalize the ingredient weights.

John

[hannnah]

Benton's Old Fashioned

Benton's Bacon infused Elijah Craig, Angostura Bitters, Maple Syrup

Oh, my. You are truly evil geniuses, and I'll be looking forward to this one, assuming it's still around in February when we're up there next.

Still working on the name for the Walnut Cognac cocktail.  I am open to suggestions on this one if anyone has a good name let me know!

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Maybe a play on the Italian or French for walnut - noce or noix, but the only ones I can come up with are mediocre puns like "great noce-on".

[Nathan]

Buona Noce?

Edited December 18, 2007 by Nathan (log)

[kathryn]

Benton's Old Fashioned

Benton's Bacon infused Elijah Craig, Angostura Bitters, Maple Syrup

God, I hope this is served with a piece of bacon as garnish.

[BryanZ]

Benton's Old Fashioned

Benton's Bacon infused Elijah Craig, Angostura Bitters, Maple Syrup

God, I hope this is served with a piece of bacon as garnish.

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This drink sounds so spectacularly delicious.

[Mayur]

It's truly awesome. (I like the bacon garnish idea, though!)

That Staggerac is a monster; I'd never have thought it would work, but man, that Stagg bourbon goes down like melted chocolate (okay, 144 proof melted chocolate, but...)

[weinoo]

I can attest to both drinks - love the Benton's and, as Mayur says, watch out for the Staggerac!

[ryeandchampagne]

Jupiter's Acorn

Walnut Infused Hine Cognac, Yellow Chartreuse, Amaro CioCiaro

"Walnuts (genus Juglans) are plants in the family Juglandaceae. The Latin name Juglans derives from Jovis glans, 'Jupiter's acorn': figuratively, a nut fit for a god."

A nut fit for a god - I kind of like that. Although I'm also a fan of Nathan's suggestion - Buena Noce.

[Mayur]

There's another definition of glans, you know.

[Scotttos]

Wow that Last Word sound mighty delicious also....with the VEP is it still the traditional equal parts?

And of course the staggerac just sounds evil in all the best ways.

[ryeandchampagne]

There's another definition of glans, you know.

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Indeed, the word glans does have a *cough* more anatomically-correct definition. However, the pure Latin translation of the word IS acorn.

It does put quite an interesting twist on my suggestion though... oh, lord. My bad, guys.

[Luckylies]

there. you've got a name: Jupiters Balls.

[eje]

Staggerac?

My goodness, I thought that the Thos. Handy Sazerac I made was a bit too powerful for my own good.

I can only imagine the damage a Staggerac would do. Sheesh, a good thing no one drives in New York City.

You folks truly are evil geniuses.

[Fat Guy]

Stumbling in later than Frank Bruni to the Momofuku party here, I just want to add my vote in favor of PDT as a seriously enjoyable cocktail spot. And I think the juxtaposition of the gourmet New York cocktails against the rustic New Jersey hot dogs comes off brilliantly. The Chang Dog and the John John Deragon are delicious. Jim Meehan is a great host. I think the reason I liked the place so much is that it takes cocktails seriously without taking itself too seriously.

[KatieLoeb]

Having highly recommended a stop at PDT to a few of my friends and bar customers from Philly, I was disturbed to hear they were turned away at the door or (horrors!) found the place closed when they stopped by in the last couple of weeks. Were there days that the bar was closed?

Is there some protocol I'm unaware of for those that wish to merely stop in for a round or two? Are reservations required even at the bar? I realize I haven't had these issues myself because I undoubtedly stop by on a Monday or Tuesday when I'm off and it isn't that busy. And perhaps the friendly barkeeps recognize my mug on the monitor. But what shall I accurately tell folks that I'm recommending the place to? Particularly those that may have travelled some distance to check the place out....

[Nathan]

PDT only admits as many as can be seated (pretty much). its a small place. its virtually always full or close to being full.

[johnder]

We were closed xmas eve and xmas day this week, and we opened at 8pm on the 26th, aside from that we haven't been closed. We open every day at 6pm.

There isn't any secret passphrase or handshake to get in. Unfortunately it is a very small space, 13 seats at the bar, and 27-30 seats at the tables. The bar is first-come first-serve and the tables are reservation only. Although if there is a no-show for a reservation, or a table available, they are given away to walk-ins.

The best thing to do to secure a seat is to either call at 3pm the same day to make a reservation, or try to show up between 6-6:30 to snag a seat at the bar.

There are definitely good times and bad times to try and secure a seat, 8-9 pm is usually always packed, but there is almost always a lull around 11:30 before it picks up again at 1am.

[BryanZ]

PDT was packed last night at around 10:20 last night when I stopped by. Getting in was a bit of a logistical challenge with all the people trying to wait just outside the phone booth as others were trying to file out, having either finished their drinks or having been turned away by the hostess because they did not have reservations. It caused a bit of a bottleneck, but after making it clear that we would rather give up our table in favor of seats at the bar, the hostess kindly accommodated.

Tried three drinks last night: the apple martini, the desert rose, and previewed the professor from the soon-to-debut winter menu. Tried to get the bacon old fashioned but Jim said he wasn't able to make that drink yet. As usual, all three drinks were killer. As I learn more about mixology myself, the layered components of these drinks really set them apart. Apple martini was full of juicy, red delicious apples on the nose but tightened up to be more granny smith-like in the mouth. The desert rose is such a killer drink that really plays with the vegetal side of cocktails. It's like taking a bite out of a meadow, with flowers, grass, and a bit of black pepper. A nice break from other vegetal drinks with cucumber, jalapeno, green/red pepper, etc. Finally, the professor was the most complex of the bunch, the rum and port giving the drink leather and caramel notes beneath the fragrant orange nose.

Again, the place was busy, but we received our drinks in a timely fashion. Also had a nice chat with a gentleman sitting next to us at our, thankfully, relatively secluded end of the bar.

[Sneakeater]

Having spent an hour -- an hour! -- dialing and redialing for a reservation yesterday afternoon, and not surprisingly being unable to get one when I finally got through, and having been (unsurprisingly) unable to walk into PDT (or Death & Co.) with a friend at about 9 or 9:30 last night, and having been unable to get into either place in my last four or five attempts;

I have to conclude that the "serious cocktail" market is still being seriously underserved in NYC -- to an extent that makes it virtually impossible to participate in it.

I'm not complaining, but I can't make it to places at 6 or 6:30 in the evening (I work later than that), and I can't plan ahead enough to make reservations to grab a drink, especially by myself -- and anytime other than the week between Christmas and New Year's I can't spend an hour during a workday trying to get through to a reservations number (and I'll be damned if I'm going to ask my secretary to spend an hour trying to phone a cocktail lounge). I'm also not going to schlepp to the East Village after work in the hope of getting into a bar that I know I'll probably be excluded from.

As I said, I'm not complaining. I'm happy for these places' success. But I'm unhappy that they don't seem to fit into my lifestyle. I wish I could go to them.

I guess we need even more. The demand is obviously there. (I've heard rumors of one opening on my street in Brooklyn -- but having investigated, I think my informant was confused.)

[slkinsey]

(I've heard rumors of one opening on my street in Brooklyn -- but having investigated, I think my informant was confused.)

Don't know what street you are on in Brooklyn, but there is a cocktailian bar set to open in Brooklyn by a leading light in the NYC cocktail scene. I can't say (and largely don't know) more than that, but don't be too quick to discount this rumor.

[johnder]

Julie Reiner from Flatiron is opening the Clover Club in Brooklyn shortly. She was doing the "Clover Club" cocktail at the Taste of New York Event and handing out cards from the new place. It is going to be at 210 Smith Street apparently.

Details over at epicurious.