At some point in the evening as I was chatting with Alex Day, Thomas Waugh ambled in Allen & Delancey. For those of you who didn't know, Thomas, formerly of Alembic, recently relocated from San Francisco and currently works shifts at Death and Co (ask him to make you something with his banana chip infused rum). It's not his first time behind the bar there, since he previously participated in the bartender exchange. Nonetheless, he still had to wrestle with learning the huge now-not-so-new menu.
How'd he do it? While Damon (not at Death and Co. anymore, but working full-time at Flatiron Lounge, by the way) used flashcards, Thomas came up with a system. Like the Kumon of cocktailing or something. He decided to learn all the cocktails that were takes on classics first. As for the rest? Brute force memorization. Though he said learning the recipes was one thing. Getting used to the layout of the bar was entirely something else. The more you know (ding, ding, diiing.)
Showing posts with label Allen and Delancey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Allen and Delancey. Show all posts
Friday, September 26, 2008
Allen & Delancey's new cocktail menu
I met up with Alex Day at Allen & Delancey to talk about the new cocktail menu he created. I got a taste of it at Death & Co. a little while ago, then had a more blurry hectic try of the menu at the Star Chefs After After party.
On the day I visited, newly recruited Maxwell Britten of Brooklyn's Jack the Horse Tavern was busy behind the bar. Alex was there to train Maxwell since he'd only signed on to consult with revamping the restaurant's bar program. The menu's official debut was at the Star Chef's party, so it was still brand new. He had just finished the last drink on the menu, the Atlantic Ruin variations, a week and a half before the debut.
Alex explained that cocktails sometimes get categorized with terms that don't exist in the true culinary world. He wanted to reflect that with his menu as well as get away from the what he described as the "ego issue" that sometimes comes with giving cocktails clever names well as making a more well-rounded cocktail menu that was accessible and not intimidating for the customers.
"It's drinking. It's about more than making a name for yourself." Alex said.
For the new Allen & Delancey cocktail menu, Alex lists five different categories of drinks, each with two variations that are connected by a theme.
"Sometimes you're in the mood for something boozy or sometimes you're in the mood for something refreshing," Alex said about the dual-nature of each drink category.
As the preamble to his menu states: "Instead of simply providing a catalog of drinks, our cocktail menu is a little different...No. 1 is light and festive, with citrus and fruit meant to refresh the mind and whet the appetite, while No. 2 showcase base spirit, a stirred cocktail best enjoyed with thought, time and good conversation."
He explained, "The first four are connected by base...also with modifiers such as spice or rinse."
For example, the William and Mary variations both contain gin, but overall connecting theme of the drinks, so to speak, is listed as "Juniper, spice and alchemy."
Variation one contains gin, lime, yellow Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, rose and lavender bitters, while the second is gin, vermouth bianco, green Chartreuse and a dash of cinnamon bark tincture.
Before the revamp, the previous menu was "pretty basic," but Alex said he worked out the numbers to show the exact cost of how using a variety of ingredients doesn't have to mean very expensive ingredients and cocktails without much return. Even with pricier modifiers, the menu balances itself out.
"Some drinks are more expensive, but it's paid for by other ones and the menu," Alex said. "And the menu has a lot of different things."
"I wanted to do something different. I don't want to give them a list and a Kold-Draft machine and end it there."
According to Alex, his intentions with this "first experiment" of a format was to make it easier for the customers as well as for any bartender who would be working with this menu in the future.
While for a cocktail enthusiast it'd be easy to point out exactly what they wanted or what they are looking for, for those who are not well-versed in cocktail geekery the menu gives them a basic structure of flavor and components that makes it easier for them figure out what they enjoy. From there, they have a better way of conveying what they want to their bartender.
At the same time, the revamped menu along with changes in the bar works as a jumping off point for any bartender who will work with the menu and the restaurant. However, you could see his fingerprints here and there, from housemade tinctures and bitters to the use of maple syrup.
Alex said he luckily got a lot of freedom in doing what he wanted to do, but he still worked with what was already in the bar. He filled in the shelves behind the bar with more bottles. Glasses line the wall and tools such as jiggers and shakers are front and center where the guests can see the bartender working on their drinks. The changes are both aesthetic and practical.
The menu itself is using a wide variety of spirits and ingredients, but fuller stocked shelves appeals to the eye with the different bottles with different contents and labels. Alex added that the stacked glasses are all used for the drinks, but they also add to the atmosphere. The guests have something interesting to look at while hinting to the fact that this is a professional bar and what htye can expect, whether it's by seeing what spirits are on-hand or that juices are fresh-squeezed from the juicer in the center of the bar.
How's the response so far?
"Pretty good," Alex answered.
The important thing was, "Overall, people are more enthusiastic about cocktails here."
Allen & Delancey's new menu:
WILLIAM AND MARY
~Juniper, Spice and Alchemy~
ATLANTIC RUIN
~Cain, Molasses and Heritage~
TINKER'S STAND
~Grain, Oak and Revolution~
JALISCO TRAIL
~Agave, Pacific Winds and the Jimadors~
L'HEURE VERTE
~Wormwood and Company~
On the day I visited, newly recruited Maxwell Britten of Brooklyn's Jack the Horse Tavern was busy behind the bar. Alex was there to train Maxwell since he'd only signed on to consult with revamping the restaurant's bar program. The menu's official debut was at the Star Chef's party, so it was still brand new. He had just finished the last drink on the menu, the Atlantic Ruin variations, a week and a half before the debut.
Alex explained that cocktails sometimes get categorized with terms that don't exist in the true culinary world. He wanted to reflect that with his menu as well as get away from the what he described as the "ego issue" that sometimes comes with giving cocktails clever names well as making a more well-rounded cocktail menu that was accessible and not intimidating for the customers.
"It's drinking. It's about more than making a name for yourself." Alex said.
For the new Allen & Delancey cocktail menu, Alex lists five different categories of drinks, each with two variations that are connected by a theme.
"Sometimes you're in the mood for something boozy or sometimes you're in the mood for something refreshing," Alex said about the dual-nature of each drink category.
As the preamble to his menu states: "Instead of simply providing a catalog of drinks, our cocktail menu is a little different...No. 1 is light and festive, with citrus and fruit meant to refresh the mind and whet the appetite, while No. 2 showcase base spirit, a stirred cocktail best enjoyed with thought, time and good conversation."
He explained, "The first four are connected by base...also with modifiers such as spice or rinse."
For example, the William and Mary variations both contain gin, but overall connecting theme of the drinks, so to speak, is listed as "Juniper, spice and alchemy."
Variation one contains gin, lime, yellow Chartreuse, Maraschino liqueur, rose and lavender bitters, while the second is gin, vermouth bianco, green Chartreuse and a dash of cinnamon bark tincture.
Before the revamp, the previous menu was "pretty basic," but Alex said he worked out the numbers to show the exact cost of how using a variety of ingredients doesn't have to mean very expensive ingredients and cocktails without much return. Even with pricier modifiers, the menu balances itself out.
"Some drinks are more expensive, but it's paid for by other ones and the menu," Alex said. "And the menu has a lot of different things."
"I wanted to do something different. I don't want to give them a list and a Kold-Draft machine and end it there."
According to Alex, his intentions with this "first experiment" of a format was to make it easier for the customers as well as for any bartender who would be working with this menu in the future.
While for a cocktail enthusiast it'd be easy to point out exactly what they wanted or what they are looking for, for those who are not well-versed in cocktail geekery the menu gives them a basic structure of flavor and components that makes it easier for them figure out what they enjoy. From there, they have a better way of conveying what they want to their bartender.
At the same time, the revamped menu along with changes in the bar works as a jumping off point for any bartender who will work with the menu and the restaurant. However, you could see his fingerprints here and there, from housemade tinctures and bitters to the use of maple syrup.
Alex said he luckily got a lot of freedom in doing what he wanted to do, but he still worked with what was already in the bar. He filled in the shelves behind the bar with more bottles. Glasses line the wall and tools such as jiggers and shakers are front and center where the guests can see the bartender working on their drinks. The changes are both aesthetic and practical.
The menu itself is using a wide variety of spirits and ingredients, but fuller stocked shelves appeals to the eye with the different bottles with different contents and labels. Alex added that the stacked glasses are all used for the drinks, but they also add to the atmosphere. The guests have something interesting to look at while hinting to the fact that this is a professional bar and what htye can expect, whether it's by seeing what spirits are on-hand or that juices are fresh-squeezed from the juicer in the center of the bar.
How's the response so far?
"Pretty good," Alex answered.
The important thing was, "Overall, people are more enthusiastic about cocktails here."
Allen & Delancey's new menu:
~Juniper, Spice and Alchemy~
| 1 Gin, lime, yellow Chartreuse, Maraschino, rose and lavender bitters | 2 Gin, vermouth bianco, green Chartreuse, dash cinnamon bark tincture |
~Cain, Molasses and Heritage~
| 1 Tea infused white rum, Batavia Arrack, lemon, maple | 2 Aged rum, Batavia Arrack, demerara, Angostura bitters, roast coco bean tincture, orange twist |
~Grain, Oak and Revolution~
| 1 Bourbon, Amaro, lemon, honeyed ginger syrup | 2 Rye, Amaro, sherry, elderflower, Benedictine, aromatic bitters |
~Agave, Pacific Winds and the Jimadors~
| 1 Blanco tequila, acacia honey, lime, Angostura bitters, rinse of Luxardo bitter | 2 Reposado tequila, antica, green Chartreuse, orange bitters, rinse of Campari, orange twist |
~Wormwood and Company~
| 1 Old Tom Gin, lemon, egg white, absinthe, bitter orange foam, seltzer | 2 Reposado tequila, Isly whisky, agave nectar, absinthe, Peychaud's and Angostura bitters, discarded lemon twist |
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The stuff of myth and legends
"Did you hear about Don and the contest?" John Paul Deragon asked me last night at Allen & Delancey, where the Star Chefs After After Party was taking place. I was only going to stay for an hour or so, but the whole thing quickly turned into one giant catalog of who's who. It was so jam packed that I honestly could not leave even if I wanted to. There were bartenders from the city such as Sasha Petraske, Audrey Saunders, Sammy Ross, Mickey McIlroy, Marshall Altier, Joaquin Simo, Junior Merino, Kenta Goto, Toby Maloney and many other who I can't remember right now thanks to alcohol, but I also spotted some chefs in the crowd. Wylie Dufresne made an appearance as did Paul Liebrandt, Sam Mason and Johnny Iuzzini. As I overheard Eben Freeman quip later in the evening, "We just need to bring back Jerry Thomas and everyone is here."
"Are you talking about how Don shaved his head for the beard off?" I asked John in answer to his question. I have to admit, I was distracted by all the facial hair in the place. I practically squealed like a little girl when I saw John had a full-on beard. Alex Day's beard was a thick ginger carpet that probably was contributing to the sweat he was working up as he valiantly kept up with drink orders off of his new menu for the throng that choked the tight bar area. Though Matty Gee said he wasn't participating in the beard-off, when he showed up with his shock of fluffy beard and a pair of glasses perched on his nose I did a visible double-take as I covered my mouth in shock and asked squeakily, "Matty???"
"No, the Averna competition. He broke his wrist three hours before his flight to Italy, so he was rushed to the emergency room and missed his flight," John explained.
"Oh, no way! That sucks!"
But the story doesn't end there. According to John, Don then grabbed the next flight he could, flew almost 12 hours to Sicily. COMPETED. Then went on to win for several categories, including one for...wait for it...speed.
"Damn!" I said. "Getting your ass kicked by a...a..."
"A one-armed bartender?" John helpfully interjected.
"That's insane, man."
OK, this is how folk heroes are born. I can easily see the Elder Edda first taking shape under similar circumstances. The first premise of epic poem coming to light over the exploits of a contemporary over some drinks (uh, mead instead of cocktails I suppose). Heroes and giants easily borrowed from the pantheon of greats still alive during their time.
This Don Lee urban legend needs to snowball so that decades from now our grandchildren will be in bars sipping on drinks made by robot bartenders and one will say, "I don't know man, I heard back in my grandparents' days there was this one-handed bartender. No one knows how he lost the hand, but they said he later replaced it with a mechanical one that was a manual juicer. He was bald, and could out shake any bartender in town with just one hand."
"Are you talking about how Don shaved his head for the beard off?" I asked John in answer to his question. I have to admit, I was distracted by all the facial hair in the place. I practically squealed like a little girl when I saw John had a full-on beard. Alex Day's beard was a thick ginger carpet that probably was contributing to the sweat he was working up as he valiantly kept up with drink orders off of his new menu for the throng that choked the tight bar area. Though Matty Gee said he wasn't participating in the beard-off, when he showed up with his shock of fluffy beard and a pair of glasses perched on his nose I did a visible double-take as I covered my mouth in shock and asked squeakily, "Matty???"
"No, the Averna competition. He broke his wrist three hours before his flight to Italy, so he was rushed to the emergency room and missed his flight," John explained.
"Oh, no way! That sucks!"
But the story doesn't end there. According to John, Don then grabbed the next flight he could, flew almost 12 hours to Sicily. COMPETED. Then went on to win for several categories, including one for...wait for it...speed.
"Damn!" I said. "Getting your ass kicked by a...a..."
"A one-armed bartender?" John helpfully interjected.
"That's insane, man."
OK, this is how folk heroes are born. I can easily see the Elder Edda first taking shape under similar circumstances. The first premise of epic poem coming to light over the exploits of a contemporary over some drinks (uh, mead instead of cocktails I suppose). Heroes and giants easily borrowed from the pantheon of greats still alive during their time.
This Don Lee urban legend needs to snowball so that decades from now our grandchildren will be in bars sipping on drinks made by robot bartenders and one will say, "I don't know man, I heard back in my grandparents' days there was this one-handed bartender. No one knows how he lost the hand, but they said he later replaced it with a mechanical one that was a manual juicer. He was bald, and could out shake any bartender in town with just one hand."
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