Tending Bar: The Seven Year Itch
May 28th, 2012 § 2 Comments
While I may not be much of a cook, I do quite enjoy tending bar. With an exceptionally warm Memorial Day Weekend (what thunderstorms?!?) and friends visiting from out of town, I took the opportunity to make my first pitcher cocktail of the season. A bit bubbly, a bit tart, and completely refreshing, I’m calling this gin-based concoction of mine The Seven Year Itch. To make it, you’ll need:
- 1 1/2 cup of gin. I used Brooklyn Gin.
- 1/2 cup elderflower liqueur. I used St. Germain.
- 1 cup club soda
- 1 large handful of fresh raspberries
- 1 handful of fresh mint, additional sprigs for garnish
- 1 lime
- 1 lemon
- ice
- large pitcher, wooden spoon or muddler, cocktail glasses
First, take all of the fresh ingredients and add them to your pitcher.
Take care to wash everything and slice up the lime and lemon.
Muddle, muddle, muddle.
Next, add a good amount of ice to the pitcher, and then pour the liquors and the club soda over the ice. Serve immediately to avoid the club soda going flat and the ice melting.
Voila! Garnish with a raspberry and a mint sprig.
So, what’s with the name?
One of the most iconic Marilyn Monroe movies — yep, the white dress/subway grate one — The Seven Year Itch was directed and co-written by Billy Wilder and was released in 1955. Featuring an exceptionally hot summer in New York (ahem), the story details the overactive imagination of publishing executive Richard Sherman (a role that Tom Ewell originated on Broadway), who has been left to his own devices in the city while his wife (yep, of seven years) heads off to Maine for the summer with their son. Settling in for a long, hot few months, Mr. Sherman is surprised to find his upstairs neighbors have sublet their apartment for the summer to a model (Monroe). Proper Wilder-esque hijinks then ensue. It’s a lovely little film and one of my very favorites. And when I thought about what I wanted to call my cocktail, I immediately thought of Marilyn’s dress, crisp and fresh in the hot city night. Perfectly fitting, no?
Cheers!
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QC Prêt-à-Porter || Tangerine Dream
May 18th, 2012 § Leave a Comment
A springy New York weekend calls for refreshing hues & sparkling cocktails:
Paul & Joe Sister chambray blazer
Equipment signature sleeveless washed-silk shirt
Mulberry braided belt
Levi’s Made & Crafted mid-rise skinny jean
Illesteva Leonard sunglasses
Sam Edelman Sophie mid-heel wedge
Mulberry Alexa bag
The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles
Pimm’s Cup No. 1
This week has been something of a grind, with jury duty (ugh!) and rainy days. However, with a whole lot of sunshine on the docket for the weekend, my spirits are already lifting — so this pretty shade of tangerine seems completely apropos. I’m loving it paired with crisp white denim and leather that’s a rich golden tan.
Sherbet shades aside, did you notice I’m in a distinctly “mid” kind of mood (e.g., the mid-rise jean and the mid-heel wedge)? Indeed, I’ve gradually come to favor a higher rise, initially for its somewhat retro feel, but primarily because of the realization that its actually much more flattering for my body type. But don’t get me wrong, I definitely was a hipbone-baring, low rise-wearing, blue jean baby a few years ago when I lived in Los Angeles. I’m not sure what has changed my inclinations. Age, perhaps? Locality? Comfort? Confidence? Some combination of them all? The New York Times recently wrote about the personal process of breaking up with your formerly beloved fashion brands (you can read it here), and I couldn’t help but also think about the evolution of my personal style in the same context. My 23 year-old midriff was practically an accessory, while today, despite being practically unchanged, rarely sees the light of day. Perhaps I’ll break it out this weekend. Please don’t hold your breath.
This weekend I will brunch in honor of friends running the Brooklyn Half, attend a performance of the Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet at the Joyce, and repeatedly check the mailbox for the arrival of my new Owens from Warby Parker. My aspirational goals include starting The Sheltering Sky by Paul Bowles (I’ve something of an obsession with Northern Africa these days, more on that later) and making a Pimm’s Cup or two. You can find a great Pimm’s Cup recipe here via NPR, as well as a short discussion of the very civilized and very British origins of the drink on All Things Considered.
Here’s to a grand weekend!
xoxo. M.
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QC Recommends || Silver Lining {and the Brown Derby cocktail}
April 3rd, 2012 § Leave a Comment
Just a quick note to recommend Tribeca cocktail and jazz bar Silver Lining. Located in the basement of the gorgeous Bogardus Mansion, which was built in 1850 and named for its builder James Bogardus, the originator of cast-iron architecture, Silver Lining offers serious cocktails and a menu of small plates that are so good they could stand on their own, alongside nightly live jazz music, served up in a speakeasy atmosphere. This somewhat still-hidden gem — bustling, roomy, but never ridiculously crowded — is the product of the Joseph Schwartz/Sasha Petraske partnership (Little Branch), was recently named the best cocktail bar of 2012 by New York Magazine and is on the shortlist to become my new local.
Personally, I’m quite partial to their Brown Derby cocktail, probably at least partially due to its Los Angeles roots (like me). The cocktail takes its name from The Brown Derby, an iconic chain of Los Angeles eateries, founded in the 1920s. Their most recognizable location, on Wilshire Boulevard, was actually hat-shaped (it’s since been demolished, today its dome sits atop a mini-mall in Korea Town — so sad!), while their more storied location in Hollywood was where the entertainment set went to see and be seen, with their illustrated portraits lining the walls in the dining room.
Can’t make it to Silver Lining to order your own Brown Derby? Try it at home:
1 ounce bourbon
1 ounce grapefruit juice
½ ounce clover-honey syrup (1 part water, 1 part clover honey)
In tin-on-tin shaker, add freshly squeezed grapefruit, then honey and bourbon; shake and strain into chilled cocktail glass (ideally, a 5 ½-ounce Champagne coupe).
Recipe via the Los Angeles Times, where you can watch a video of it being made by bartender Marcos Tello.
Silver Lining
75 Murray Street, Tribeca || 212.513.1234
Closed Sundays
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Quite Continental Charm School: Day 21 — Drink More Gin
February 21st, 2012 § 8 Comments
The Quite Continental Charm School
A modern guide to creating a charmed life
Women in a New York City bar, 1941. Taken by Nina Leen for Life Magazine.
Editor’s Note: I’m very pleased to introduce our next guest speaker! My good friend Marisa Zupan is a journalist, writer and the founder of the excellent men’s style blog The Significant Other, where she provides a thoughtful and studied female opinion on issues, brands and individuals important to the well-dressed man. If your boyfriend/father/boss/anyone! is in need of a bit of a sartorial upgrade, please forward him to Marisa posthaste.
After I learned of our shared love of wearing beautiful neckties, I guessed we would get along famously, and I was right. Marisa is one of the most grounded and supportive individuals I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and I’m also quite pleased she chose to write about gin, one of my favorite libations. If you are not yet familiar with Marisa, or The Significant Other, it is my pleasure to introduce you.
Without any further ado, Marisa’s tip for a charmed life.
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Day 21: Drink More Gin
Let’s face it ladies, you’ve been drinking mostly vodka your whole life. In high school it was vodka and crystal light (everyone did that right?), college it was vodka and whatever the hell juice your roommate had in the fridge, and in your young adult life it’s been some vodka martinis with the occasional ironic whiskey on the rocks to switch things up. Through all of this, gin has really gotten the short end of the stick. I’ll admit, in my younger less classy days, I thought gin tasted like licking the underside of a moss covered rock, but those days are over and this year will be the one when I educate my much more mature palate.
Like its flavor profile, Gin’s history is varied and complex. It was discovered by Italian monks, used as medicine during the bubonic plague and, because it was cheap and (too) readily available, gin became associated with people and places of disrepute in London. Despite its sordid past, gin made a come back in the British colonies and has since then been the spirit of choice in some of the classiest and most popular cocktails. In my efforts to become more gin-knowledgeable, I discovered Brooklyn Gin, a company based right in my backyard. The ingredients, fresh citrus and juniper berries, are bought at a market only a 10 minute walk from my apartment, and distilled 30 minutes out side of the city. Local and delicious, what more could a lady ask for? A cocktail recipe. Below is just that, I hope you enjoy, here’s to kicking the vodka habit and getting more sophisticated in 2012.
Olive Rosemary Martini (via Martha Stewart)
Ingredients
2 ounces gin
2 teaspoons dry vermouth
1 rosemary sprig
Pitted olives
To Make:
Shake 2 ounces gin and 2 teaspoons dry vermouth with crushed ice; strain into a stemmed glass. Strip leaves from bottom 2 inches of a rosemary sprig, skewer through pitted olives, and add to the drink.
by Marisa Zupan, of The Significant Other.
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The Quite Continental Charm School
A modern guide to creating a charmed life
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The Aviation Cocktail
August 19th, 2011 § 4 Comments
One of my favorite drinks is the Aviation, a classic, pre-prohibition era, gin-based cocktail. I’d say it is a perfect summer cocktail, owing to its sky blue color and crisp tartness…but I enjoy the hell out of it the other three seasons of the year as well. To make the Aviation, you’ll need:
- 2 ounces gin
- 1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 ounce of crème de violette
- 2 dashes of maraschino liqueur
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice, shake well and then strain into a cocktail glass. Some bartenders will garnish the drink with a twist or a cherry, but I prefer mine without.
The crème de violette, a violet flower based-liqueur, will be the ingredient hardest to find. It’s not exactly rare, but it did take me a few tries to find a shop in Manhattan that had it. Also, make sure you’re purchasing actual crème de violette. Rothman’s is the standard. There are other “violet” liqueurs, like Parfait d’Amour, but they have an entirely different taste. (Sidenote: There is some debate about the inclusion of Crème de Violette, as the recipe that appeared in the first edition of the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930) mistakenly omitted it, and decades of bartenders have poured the drink without it. I prefer mine pre-prohibition style.)
I use Brooklyn Gin for my Aviations, due to its smoothness and how its citrus notes compliment the liqueurs, but also because the gents behind the tiny distillery are personal friends. The handsome bottle also pretties up a bar quite nicely, no? Look for Brooklyn Gin at select bars and liquor stores around New York.
QC Recommends: Orient Express
July 29th, 2011 § 2 Comments
On a bit of a lark, I found myself at Orient Express last night. Have you been? It was my first time and as someone who enjoys her cocktails with a bit of class and nostalgia, I found myself right at home. Open for almost a year in the West Village, this teeny tiny bar gives you the distinct impression that you’ve somehow slipped down a rabbit hole to a bar car on the famed Orient Express, complete with ceiling-high luggage racks and a curved ceiling, as you might be able to see from my picture above.
The drinks are what you would expect from a high-end, old school mixologist: lots of interesting concoctions with a knowledgeable bar staff ready to make a recommendation based on your inclinations. I had the Agatha II: gin, lemon juice, homemade raspberry soda water — perfect for a warm summer evening. The ambiance was bustling, but not overloud for a Thursday, perfect for a small gathering of friends or a lively date. As I sipped my cocktail listening to Chet Baker, I knew that this was a place I had to share with you.
To get into the mood, revisit the photos I posted
ages ago of this mighty train line in 1950.
Orient Express
325 West 11th Street
New York, NY 10014
(212) 691-8845
Quite Continental Recommends: Vintry Wine & Whiskey
February 23rd, 2011 § 4 Comments
I live in lower Manhattan, which can be on the quiet side as far as nightlife goes. Finding classy places to knock back a few, that aren’t completely dead after the happy hour rush, can be a bit of a task — but you are in luck! I was recently introduced to a gem of a bar that I wanted to share with you, in case you ever found yourself in my neck of the woods. And if you are, I expect an invite, d’accord!
Stone Street, in Lower Manhattan, is a short cobblestone street lined with landmark buildings, bars and restaurants. In the summer months the street is filled with benches and tables for open-air drinking and dining. Stone Street is not a destination I frequent, as it tends to be a bit touristy and all the bars are virtually the same tavern — and sometimes a girl wants something a bit classier than a pub, n’est pas?
Vintry Wine & Whiskey is an excellent alternative. A small sliver of a room with a beautiful wooden bar and interesting woodwork, Vintry feels rustic, refined and cozy. Open for about a year and a half, the bar offers — you guessed it — only wine and whiskey. If you’re worried you might be limited in your options, please rest assured — they have 80 wines on taste (not to mention the 300+ they have by the bottle) and 100 different whiskeys. Aside from their wine and cocktails, Vintry also has a small plates and cheese menu — a good move, because when this lass gets into her cups, food is an essential supplement.
Yours truly enjoyed a Gingerade (Jameson 12 yr old irish whiskey, muddled ginger, Peychaud’s bitters, fresh lemon & ginger ale) and sampled a few cheeses and the toasted almonds. As you would expect at a bar as specialized as Vintry, the staff is quite knowledgeable — if you wander in with no idea what you would like to have, they will ask a few questions and soon you will be thoroughly enjoying a new wine you’ve never even heard of. My only qualm with Vintry would be that the noise level can be a bit high when the room is crowded, making it difficult for a group of three or larger to have a conversation without raising their voices.
In the mood for wine or whiskey? I’d recommend Vintry. You might even see me there, cherie.
Vintry Wine & Whiskey
57 Stone Street
New York, NY 10004
Tel: 212.480.9800
28 Days of Classy and Fabulous Things: Day 6 – Champagne!
February 6th, 2011 § 1 Comment
**QC’s 28 Days**
In February I will be bringing you daily tips
to cultivate more classiness and fabulousness in daily life!
Day 6: Champagne
Today’s tip is short and sweet. A classy and fabulous household always has a bottle of bubbly on hand. Whether it came from California or Spain or France is not really all that important — neither is how much it might have cost, as long as you like it. It is essential to always have a bottle of sparkling wine in the fridge for impromptu celebrations with friends and family.
Earlier: Quite Continental’s 28 Days of Classy and Fabulous Things
Dom Perignon + Andy Warhol
July 14th, 2010 § 1 Comment
Dom Perignon will release a very limited edition of bottles honoring the master pop artist Andy Warhol. Six different bottles will be released, wearing labels identical to the iconic Dom label, but in bright, pop art colors — blue, red, violet, emerald green, lilac and yellow.
If it’s your mission to add these to your bar, you had better book your ticket to Spain now — because that’s the only place you can get them.
Via: Luxuo
