Beard House dining and drinking with the folks from Disney

May 7
I was drafted by our executive food editor Pam Parseghian to go to dinner at the James Beard House in her stead due to pages still needing to be closed. I was more than happy to agree to go to the Beard House again and this particular evening was showcasing both the food and wine with chefs and Master Sommeliers from Disneyland Resorts as well as Walt Disney World.

It was a Disney evening with tables designated with the name of Disney characters. Guests received pins of characters in case they forgot which table they were seated at. I got a Minnie pin. My face fell a little as I jealously stared at someone else's Winnie the Pooh pin. I love Winnie the Pooh...

The servers wore black and white vests with images of Mickey and the gang, which at the end of the evening during dessert mysteriously changed to a color-splashed version. Even the flower centerpieces on the table had little glowing lights in them that made it look like Tinkerbell was trying to hide in the flower vase and spy on us eating.

"After running after hyperactive kids all day, I'm sure the parents would like to relax with a glass of something," I quipped to Michael Jordan, master sommelier for Disneyland. Wow...wait, that came out wrong and mean and I totally didn't mean for it to sound like that. Let me try that again:

A Disneyland or Disney World trip is basically a dream come true for a kid, but don't forget that kids don't go on trips to Disney alone. Or for that matter, adults may make return trips for nostalgia. It's a family event. Families plan and save months in advance to visit. So why not have a food and drink experience to go with that high expectation? Let's put it this way. If after looking forward to living the princess fantasy in a Princess Diaries Suite or meeting Mickey at a place that's got castles and was built on the foundation of fairy tales, and as a mom and/or dad you've just taken out a couple of vacation days out of your busy schedule...a soggy third-rate corn dog isn't going to cut it (not that there's anything wrong with corn dogs, I inhale the things).

As Dieter Hannig, vice president for Walt Disney World food and beverage new concepts, told everyone at the Beard House that evening "I'm in the storytelling business." If someone is visiting Disneyland or Disney World expecting a magical experience, well good service, food and drink should be part of that as well.

Michael Jordan, master sommelier for Disneyland, said that adults visiting Disneyland are also more well-traveled and knowledgeable about the varieties of wines out there and are willing to try new wines. The wine program encourages the curious to try out new as well as rare wines through by the glass programs so that guests can sample a bit of the wine rather than commit to a whole bottle that may cost several hundreds of dollars. Jordan explained that with the current state of the dollar a lot of foreign tourists are visiting and purchasing more of the expensive wines.

I was glad to meet Michael as well as John Blazon, master sommelier and manager of wine sales and standards for Walt Disney World. Not being a wine expert I always feel better hearing from people who actually know something about wine rather than fumble around with my lack of eloquence in such matters. John and Michael both explained the pairing choices throughout the evening, and even followed up by walking by tables and answering any questions people had after the introduction of the wines for each course.

For example, the first course of white asparagus "floating islands" with American Sturgeon caviar, morel mushrooms and ramp oil was paired with a Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siecle Brut, Tours-sur-Marne NV. As soon as I took I sip I thought, "This tastes like mushrooms."

When I told Michael this, he said that the "mushroomy" flavor I so bluntly described comes from the presence of botrytis in the grapes used to make the wine, which gives it a more earthy and indeed mushroom-like flavor. The food had plenty of earthy flavors from the asparagus as well as the morels as well as some saltiness from the caviar, so this wine was chosen for its flavors that the two could play nice.

Note: I said "The what-what now?" in my head when Michael first said "bitrytus" and it took me several permutations on Google to find the correct spelling.

And after hearing Michael's description of how the grapes for the Chardonnay (Peter Michael, Chardonnay, Belle Cote, Knights Valley '06) were planted in holes blasted into what was basically rock and volcanic ash I did notice it tasted a bit "ashy" but was surprised at how sweet it was because I figured the hard knock life of the particular vine would made the resulting grape all rough and, well, bitter.

Michael said that this wasn't "sweetness," but sucrosity. The rough life it has sort of concentrates the fruit of the grapes.

"Aaah," I said as I thoughtfully nodded my head.

It was nice having a bit of narration going on with my meal, since my knowledge of wines falls under "Well, this is what it tastes like in my mouth right now," then describing very bluntly what it tastes like in my mouth. Hearing about how the grapes for the wines are grown and what flavors to expect was like having a CliffsNotes, and wine was my "Ulysses" — full of different characters, bold and subtle context and side stories to grasp all carried in the scheme of one person's day, or in a sip in the case of wine.

The evening was closed out with the introduction of a sweet sparkling wine that was making its first US debut at this particular dinner (Magicale, Brachetto, PIemonte DOC NV).

Disney also took the dinner as an opportunity to make several announcements. Dieter Hannig announced a new African concept restaurant to open in about 11 months or so. Chef Christine Weissman mad an announcement about Disney's upcoming 3rd Annual California Food and Wine Fest.

Stuart McGuire, director of beverage sale and standards for Walt Disney World food and beverages, also announced three cocktails from the menu for The Wave, a new restaurant at Disney's Contemporary Resort that's set to open in June.

The cocktails announced:

Antioxidant Cocktail
Finlandia Wild Berries Vodka, Chambord Black Raspberry Liqueur, Bossa Nova Acai Juice with agave, aloe juice, lychee and freshly squeezed lemon juice

Pure-tini
Purus Organic Vodka, X-Fusion Organic Mango and Passion Fruit LIqueur, and cranberry juice

Agava Nectar Margarita
Partida Blanco Tequila, organic agave nectar and freshly squeezed lime juice


Food and drink from the dinner:

Hors d'oeuvres
Chef Gloria Tae — Golden Wine Winery at Disney's California Adventure

Sherry-roasted figs with Jamon Iberico and Cabrales

Wild Mushroom Suppli with BRaised Pork and Spicy Pickled Cabbage

Shrimp and Sweat Pea Tartine with Candied Garlic and Lemon Relish

Laurent-Perrier, Grand Siecle Brut,
Tours-sur-Marne NV

First Course
Chef Jens Dahlmann — California Grill at Disney's Contemporary Resort

White Asparagus "Floating Islands" with American Sturgeon Caviar, Morel Mushrooms, and Ramp Oil

Pierre Sparr, Riesling, Schoenenbourg
Grand Cru, Alsace '01

Second Course
Chef Tim Keating — Flying Fish Cafe at Disney's BoardWalk Resort

Fennel Pollen-dusted Wild North Atlantic Turbot with Maine Lobster, Celery Root, Leeks, and FEnnel with Tahitian Vanilla-Hazelnut Emulsion and Montegottero Hazelnut Oil

Peter Michael, Chardonnay, Belle Cote,
Knights Valley '06

Third Course
Chef Andrew Sutton — Napa Rose at Disney's Grand Californian Resort & Spa

Crisp Sonoma Duck Confit with Roasted BAby Spring Vegetables and Porcini Msuhroom Essence

Williams & Selyem, Pinot Noir,
Allen Vineyard, Russian River Valley '05

Fourth Course
Chef Scott Hunnel — Victoria & Albert's at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

Marcho Farms Veal Tenderloin with Sun Gold Tomatoes and Garlic Roots and Shoots

Podere Le Poggiarelle,
Carmignano DOCG, Tuscany '04

Dessert
Master Pastry Chef Erich Herbitschek — Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa Bakery

Wild Berry Gateau wrapped in Bittersweet Chocolate with Forest Strawberry Sorbet

Magicale, Brachetto, Piemonte DOC NV

Friandise

Caramel-Chocolates with Sea Salt, Pate de Fruit, and Lemon Cookies

Taking PDT's new spring menu out for a spin

May 5

Of all the drinks I tried on PDT's new spring menu, I found myself liking The Rite of Spring very much. It had piqued my interest since Don described it to me at the Rhum Clement event, and I was looking forward to giving it a try. However, a close contender would be the Swiss Mist, which Jim let me try on Friday.

"I'm just here to kill two hours before I go see Iron Man," I reassured Jim when I stopped by PDT on Friday with fellow NRNer Elizabeth Licata. I didn't want them to think I was casing the place. Then again, I kind of totally was since I'd be lying if I said a little part of me wasn't there to find out for sure when the new menu was going to debut. Don had told me the week prior that the ETA was probably sometime around the weekend of May 2, but Jim said it was looking more like Monday would be the day.

So on Monday I flitted out of work at 5:40 pm and rushed on down to PDT. The hostess who greeted me at the phone booth told asked me if I didn't mind waiting a minute or two since the bar was trying to take it slow between people on account of the new menu.

Once I got in I kind of stared at the menu for a couple of minutes. Menu choices are always daunting because I'm terrible with decision making, and there were plenty of interesting-sounding items. The Rhubarbarita caught my eye because of the rhubarb puree...and, well, because it was Cinco de Mayo. The Rhubarbarita is made with Partida Resposado tequila, lemon juice, Grand Marnier, Veloce and the above mentioned rhubarb puree that is sweetened with agave nectar. It was a sweet start, with a bit of body added to the texture of the drink from the rhubarb puree.

If anything, the menu definitely was a show in seasonal ingredients and flavors. The honey liqueur in the Bee's Sip. A hint of berry with raspberry preserves ("until seasonal berries are available") in the Rose.

Also, to go with the light airiness of spring, there was some misting going on with the drinks. The Swiss Mist I tried on Friday is described as a "grapefruit accented silver gin sour" on the menu. Made with Gin, lemon, grapefruit syrup and egg white, the lightly sweet and foamy drink gets a slight spraying of Kubler Swiss absinthe from an atomizer.

Other drinks get a bit of misting too, but the mist goes in the cup before the drink rather than on the drink. For example, the Kin Kan (Beefeater Gin, lemon juice, kumquat syrup, St. Germain), gets a spritzing of St. Germain.

The the next drink I had to try the Rites of Spring. As someone who finds a swig of sour dill pickle juice straight from the jar or spicy tangy pickled kimchi brine with some cold noodles most refreshing a hot summer day, the mention of "pickled ramp brine" had me salivating as I read the description on the menu. Pickled ramp brine from Momofuku Ssam Bar, Tanqueray Gin, and Vya dry vermouth combine to create a surprisingly not all that sour drink. More clean on the tongue for a dirty martini, the tangy pickled ramp flavor mostly kicks in as an aftertaste.

"It's not as sour as I thought," I told Don.

"Did you try the pickled ramp brine on its own? It's pretty intense," Don said.

I asked for a taste and it was good. Sour, but sweet with a bit of heat. I probably could've just had a glass of that all evening long. Keep in mind though, that the person writing this enjoys eating lemons and limes (besides the pickle juice drinking mentioned above). My tooth enamel cries for me.

"How's the new menu going?" I asked Don who was going through the ingredients with a checklist as Jim informed him of inconsistencies on the behind-the-bar recipes list.

"Ask me again in four hours," he answered.

I tried The Mariner next mostly because I found the cardamom syrup intriguing. Again, I was surprised by how light the flavors were, even with the combination of Compass Box Oak Cross malt scotch whisky, pineapple juice, lemon juice and smoked cardamom syrup.

I tasted the cardamom syrup on its own. You got most of the spicy almost medicinal cardamom-ness (it's a word if I say it is) when you smell it, but when you taste it, that's where the smokiness hits. If you hold it against the front of your tongue, it gives off a slight burn as well.

The interesting thing was, no matter how complex, everything still managed to be light and not overbearing. Cardamom? In a syrup? Smoked? with malt scotch whisky AND pineapple juice?"

It's definitely smoky and a little sweet, but on the whole The Mariner isn't weighed down as a cocktail.

Even spirits-based drinks like the Rites of Spring, manage to come across as airy spring drinks. I asked Jim what I should try next and he mixed me a Hotel D'Alsace, which again, sort of took me aback at how light and sweet it was. Bushmills, Cointreau, Benedictine and rosemary came together as a slightly sugared herbal drink. Jim said that people found this drink to be their new favorite, but it wasn't going to unseating Rites of Spring or the Swiss Mist for me anytime soon, but that's just me.

It came down to the Bee's Sip (Chamomile Infused Barsol Pisco, Masumi "Okuden Kantsukuri" junmai sake and Barenjager Honey Liqueur) or The Kin Kan for me to choose for the last drink, and I went with the former. And the name fits. If bees drank alcohol this is what they'd probably drink. It tasted and smelled like honey and flowers.

I did make it a point to try the new addition to the food menu, The Wylie Dog. A deep fried Crif Dog with tomato molasses, shredded lettuce, dried onions and...battered deep fried mayo. Let me let that sink in with you for a moment.

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OK, so when it came out I thought to myself, "Does that bun have two hot dogs on it?" If you think so, no, you're mistaken. And don't feel bad, I seriously thought that too. That second "hot dog" is the deep fried mayo. A stick of deep fried mayo. I like to think I'm not too shabby when it comes to describing things, but the only notes I have from last night about The Wylie Dog is, and I quote verbatim, "Deep fried mayo is EFFIN' delicious." Apparently I managed to lose all sense of using profanity to this hot dog.

(Download the full Spring Menu from PDT, here.)

The 3rd Annual Clement Cocktail Challenge

April 29

PDT swept up prizes when Don Lee and Daniel Eun placed second and first place, respectively, for the Rhum Clement cocktail challenge. Daniel made a drink called Bitches Brew, using Clement Premiere Canne, fresh lime juice, Pampero Anniversario, St. Elizabeth All-Spice Dram, demerara syrup and an egg. Don's Sargasso is made with Clement V.S.O.P., Lustau East India Sherry, Aperol, dash of angostura bitters and garnished with an orange twist. Lydia Reissmuller of Elettaria got third place with her Sweetie Pie, a drink made with Clement V.S.O.P., St. Elizabeth Allspice Dram, fresh pressed apple juice, angostura bitters, a pinch of salt and garnished with salt-tipped apple slice.

Daniel wasn't there to accept his prize, an all expense paid trip to Martinique, because he had to go back to work. "He's not here?" Jim Meehan asked almost incredulous as he made his way up to receive the prize on Daniel's behalf.

"Yea, he went back to work," Don answered.

"What? I can't believe he's not here." Jim said.

"Wait, aren't you his boss?" someone asked Jim as the room broke out laughing.

And those were just three drinks out of all the drinks mixed by 18 (some submitted two recipes, while others just one) mixologists/bartenders for the evening. The Astor Center was packed to the gills with bartender that I knew and new ones for me to meet.

I drafted my friend Marc Almendarez to come take photos for me. We've done the "Wonder Twin Powers, activate!" thing before for concerts (Marc: "In the form of a pretty decent photographer!" Me: "In the form of a wannabe concert writer who goes to shows and writes about them for fun every now and then, but hasn't had anything professionally published in that realm!"), so I knew I could trust him to snap some nice photos so I could concentrate on the note taking and writing. It also doesn't hurt that he takes way better pictures than I do, has a nicer camera than I do, and is willing to work for food and drink. Actually, now that I look a bit more closely at the pictures, some of them look like...

...Clement Cocktail Challenge edition baseball cards!! Collect them all!

Alex Day, Death and Co.


Joaquin Simo, Death and Co.


Tarcisio Costa, Alfama


Besides the bartenders participating in the challenging, the judges of the competition included Jim Meehan, Julie Reiner, Tony Abou-Ganim, Jerry Banks and last year's winner, Tad Carducci. There were plenty of familiar faces weaving in and out of the crowd as well.

I spotted Willy Shine and said hi to Aisha Sharpe and Leo DeGroff. At first I thought they were all in attendance, but then Leo told me that the Bar Alcohol Resource was holding classes just next door (quite literally next door, since the classes are being held in the same building), so some people were popping in from there to check things out.

Later when I ran into Kenta Goto from Pegu Club, who I hadn't seen in a while, he said that he too had just come from next door.

Contestants showed a wide range of variety in flavor as well as cocktail styling. Some showed off their bar chef techniques through housemade ingredients. For example, Damon from Death and Co. created a kumquat syrup for his Doctor D's Beach Planter (Rhum Clement X.O., demerara syrup, fresh lime juice, kumquat syrup, herbsaint, Angostura bitters). Kumquat peels were macerated in high-proof demerara rum, and some kumquats were pressed and the juice added to simple syrup. The two were then combined and strained to create the syrup.

Fresh fruit made its appearance in a variety of ways in several cocktails. Abel (Dylan Prime) served the Martinique Passion that had muddled fresh strawberries and white peppercorn as the base. Jacquelyn Leon's (Martinique Cafe) Cava Fresca had muddled Bartlett Pear (and was garnished with a pear petal. The Blackberry Smash by Brain Matthys from Izakaya Ten had the flavor combination of muddled fresh blackberries and shiso leaf. Ethan Kelly from Brandy Library created a surprisingly not so sweet banana cocktail that muddled bananas. Elba Giron from Bar Milano made what seemed to be a rum version of a Bellini using not only Clement's Premiere Canne, but the Creole Shrubb as well to combine with the white peach puree, prosecco and a bit of lime juice.

While some played with fruit, Don Lee created a streamlined, spirits-based cocktail. He explained that he wanted to create something a little different and also used sherry to make the cocktail a bit lighter for the summer.

Something entirely different was Maria Polise's (Sansom Street Oyster House, Philadelphia) Hot Seersucker Fizz. The combination of heavy cream as well as egg white gave a really luxurious mouthfeel to the drink that contrasted sharply with the tart and throat-tingling flavors of Clement Premiere Canne, Creole Shrubb, fresh squeezed lemon juice, fresh jalapenos and a garnish of cinnamon-heavy aromatic bitters.

(You can view more photos from the event by clicking here. Though I just realized I need to help Marc label these photos.)

Charles in charge (of my drinks for tonight)

April 28

It was the culmination of several things on a gloomy, chilly, rainy Monday, that lead to me getting a run in my stocking. I was fixing my stockings before heading out when my finger poked through the fabric, leaving a run that ran for several inches. I said to myself, "This is a sign. I need to get a drink."

Stopping by Death & Co. was supposed to be just for fun, but also I knew Charles Vexenat was the visiting bartender. I was stopped at the door for an id check as well as a quick "Is there room at the bar?" check.

The latter worried me and made me wonder if my initial hypothesis that rain would make people want to go home was incorrect, but once my disgraced hosiery and I stepped inside, I saw that I had gambled wisely. There were several seats open at the bar and a few tables open. I scooched into a seat at the bar and smiled and waved to Mr. Joaquin Simo. Then I looked over to the tall familiar-looking blond guy.

"Hey!" Charles said as soon as he spotted me. He came out from behind the bar to give me the oh so French greeting of a kiss on each cheek.

There was a slight disconnect in seeing him here in New York behind Death and Co.'s bar with his Lonsdale apron on. The last time I saw him was several months ago in London. If you happen to find yourself in London, keep in mind that he no longer works at the Lonsdale, though he will give you their menu if you stop by Death and Co. while he's behind the bar.

It took me a while to decided what I wanted. The Lonsdale's menu is kind of the size of a modest novella, so when Charles asked me what I'd like to have the first time I answered plaintively, "I don't knoooowww. There's too many!"

"You had everything already?" he asked me jokingly. He probably remembered all the drinks he funneled into me the last time we met.

"Yea, you should really study that. There's going to be a quiz later on," Joaquin said from the other side of the bar.

This is what happens when your bartenders are not busy.

I finally asked to be started off with a Perfect Lady (gin, lemon juice, sugar, egg white, peach liqueur). A version of the White Lady, but with peach liqueur instead of Cointreau.

Charles was talking to Joaquin about the White Lady and said there's one original version made without gin and with creme de menthe instead. Charles offered to shake one up for Joaquin and the bar was turned upside down to look for white creme de menthe (which was found a little while later).

For the second cocktail I told Joaquin I'd like something with brown spirits. He asked me if wanted something stirred or shaken, and I answered stirred.

The customers sitting next to me went through the same list of questions and one of them asked what different the stirred or shaken made. Joaquin explained that shaken drinks involve juice while stirred drinks are all spirits.

"Does that mean stirred drinks are stronger?" the guy asked.

Joaquin said that definitely was not always the case.

Taking my requests into account, Joaquin made me his version of the Brooklyn called Carroll Gardens (a neighborhood in Brooklyn, for those of you reading who are not from around here). Joaquin said he figured he should create a cocktail named for his neighborhood.

Also, for some reason, the past couple days I've come across several mentions of the Kids in the Hall skit "Girl Drink Drunk." Last night it was Joaquin who brought it up. One table had issued a challenge that Charles make "the girliest vodka drink" he could make. As soon as Joaquin started asking Charles, "Do you know Kids in the Hall?" I knew where he was going.

"One of my favorite part of that skit was the names of the drinks. Like the Tahitian Tee-Hee and the Chocolate Choo-Choo," I chimed in. Actually that whole skit is a seamless exercise in the absurd, from the look of concern that the coworkers have on their faces when they hear a blender in the broom closet, to Dave Foley scrambling around on the floor of a supply closet looking for a little paper umbrella.

The last drink of the evening was a Bramble made by Charles. It came in a tall glass with lots of crushed ice so I've renamed it in my head as "The Neverending Drink." It was tasty but I'd sip and sip and there'd still be liquid from the melting ice and it was a tall glass that seemed to go on forever. As I was sipping away, Phil Ward walked in.

"Hey, we met in Vail," he said.

"Yes we did," I smiled and answered in kind. I don't know if the straw was still in my mouth at that point.

I even got to see Mr. Alex Day again, who arrived right as I was about to leave, and if I stuck around longer I probably would've seen Mr. Jim Meehan as well, but it was late, and I needed to be up early the next day.

Though Phil previously told me Charles would be at Death & Co. until the 30th, Charles said the 29th would be his last night at Death & Co. before he heads off to Kentucky and elsewhere. So definitely try to get in on the 29th in case it really is his last night, but give a call on the 30th to see if he decided to pop in for one last shift. Oh, and do see if you can catch Charles doing a long pour. It's hypnotic watching the stream of liquid, though I wouldn't advise anybody with a small bladder to watch (or listen) too intently.

The Palm's new cocktails

April 21

After my meeting with Dita Von Teese, I took a jaunt down to West 50th to attend the launch party of The Palm's new Hand Crafted Cocktails menu created by Aisha Sharpe and Willy Shine.

I found Leo DeGroff outside The Palm and he introduced me to his fellow bartender for the evening, Tim Cooper. I talked about the interview I just concluded and we got into a bit of a discussion about alcohol brands and famous face attached to them. Somehow, the conversation ended up talking quite a bit about Mr. P. Diddy's promotion of Ciroc; and call it coincidence, but once inside I ran into someone who was planning on attending a Ciroc event that P. Diddy was supposed to be at. Shirea L. Carroll, a blogger for Vibe magazine and executive assistant to Vibe's editor in chief, told me she was going to be there to blog about the event. I asked her what her blog was about and she said it was a blog that gave readers a glimpse into what insider parties and events usually are like. I said that was a pretty interesting blog considering how industry events probably aren't the wild party centrals that some people would like to think they are. As I put it, "Yea, a lot of times it's a lot of suits."

The crowd hung out at the front bar for a while as Willy and Aisha mixed the new cocktails. Then the party moved to the back room to continue enjoying cocktails as well as some pretty tasty bite-sized foods. Though the roast beef slider was NOT bite-sized at all and I sort of had to gulp it down like a pelican or a penguin or something downing a large fish. As unappetizing an image as that is, I mean it when I say it was delicious. Also, I could eat Kobe beef frank pigs in a blanket all day.

The new hand-crafted cocktail menu was something that The Palm's executive vice president Bruce Bozzi Jr. wanted as part of his spearheading efforts to better the beverage selection for the steakhouse chain.

The menu features five new drinks, all created by Willy and Aisha, and are a call back to old-fashioned drinks in an homage to The Palm's history.

I saw Mr. Dale DeGroff again (I don't know why, but I have to add a "Mr." and refer to him by his full name). I also got to speak with Andy Seymour (check out his bio at www.akawinegeek.com). I'd seen him onstage during a demonstration he did with Leo during the seminar at Grand Marnier's Mixology Summit in Vail, Colo., but I didn't really get a chance to meet him there, so it was great getting to finally talk to him.

Willy said that new cocktails would be seasonally added to the menu, but it hasn't been decided yet which of the hand-crafted cocktails currently on the menu will stay or go.

The Palm's Hand Crafted Cocktails

The Cat's Meow
Absolut Citron Vodka and St. Germaine muddled with lemon juice and fresh mint. Served on the rocks with a splash of soda.

The Vixen
Belvedere Pomarancza Vodka and Mathilde Peches Peach Liqueur shaken with a blend of fresh orange, lemon juice and apricot preserves. Topped with a flamed orange peel.

Honeysuckle
Hendrick's Gin shaken with fresh lemon and grapefruit juice. Tonic, and honey, served on the rocks.

Screaming Mimi
Grey Goose Vodka and Cointreau Orange Liqueur blended with strawberry puree, lemon juice and served in a strawberry-topped flute with champagne.

The Gentle Palm
Muddled black berry and strawberry with Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, pomegranate juice and black tea, served on the rocks.

Monday afternoon with Dita Von Teese

Monday morning was a blur. I stumbled in early to work on the Weekly Newsletter after clapping and shouting the previous night away at the Tokyo Police Club show at the Bowery Ballroom. At some point I realized it was 3:40 p.m. and I had to get to the Ritz-Carlton to interview burlesque performer and fashion icon, Dita Von Teese at 4 p.m. about her newest position as brand ambassador for Cointreau.

As I hustled towards Central Park South I kept turning the questions I had over and over in my head. I basically had two or three core questions to ask her about her signing on with Cointreau with some possible extras, but I felt like I was missing something and polled colleagues before I left the office about whether or not there were any other questions they wanted to ask.

I'm not going to lie, I was nervous. This wasn't my turf. I could talk to a chef, restaurant operator or bartender all the livelong day, but this was something entirely different. I also pretty much knew going in that I was being squeezed in during a very busy day of interview cattle call and had to make any of the first couple of questions I had to ask good in case I got cut off and shuffled out of the room so Dita could talk to glossy fashion mags. This was hardly going to be a Barbara Walters tell-all session. I mean, if anything, what if my Cointreau-oriented line of questioning would bore her?

"You should get your picture taken with her!" my colleague Elizabeth Licata had excitedly suggested before I left.

"NO!" I practically shouted, horrified. "Are you insane? She's GORGEOUS. There's no way I'm going to stand in a picture next to her looking like I do. I have no right doing that."

I was worried about being late and missing my interview slot, but ended up sort of hanging out in the anteroom of the suite that was larger than my apartment as interviews and a fashion shoot were going on at the same time all day in the bedroom area. I got to chat a bit with Stéphanie Fasquell, Cointreau's international marketing director.

I mentioned that while I was aware with Cointreau's "Be Cointreauversial" campaign for a while now, it seemed like it was the first time I'd seen a famous face attached to it.

Stephanie said it was indeed the first time and the company wanted a spokesperson because there was feeling that the campaign had a lack of life to it. The process of deciding on who would represent Cointreau was a difficult one because they wanted someone with international appeal.

"Ninety-five percent of sales are from outside of France," Fasquell said. "We wanted someone very French, but who's not from France. Someone who had a sense of style."

The search was also difficult because "A lot of famous stars don't want to work for alcohol brands."

"Dita was very open from the beginning. She said she was interested in promoting as long as it was a good product...and she enjoyed the history of Cointreau."

Fasquell continued, "Dita has an international side to her that's not linked to any country. People in Europe think she's European. Anyone can see what they want in her."

So what about Dita appeals to Cointreau?

"She's very retro and very modern...she brought retro back to modernity and reinvents something from the past...people respond to that."

Makes sense for a brand with a 150-year history. And it doesn't hurt one of her famous acts involve a giant martini glass.

Dita signed a two-year contract with Cointreau. Fasquell said that there was a possibility that they might extend their contract with Dita, but it definitely is not part of the plan to have a long line of different brand ambassadors. In fact, when I asked her whether or not there were other brand ambassadors in mind, her exact response was, "Absolutely not."

"It is a good match, and we do not want to dilute the face of Cointreau," she stated.

As I continued to wait for my turn, I reordered, reworded and rehearsed my questions. Finally, I heard my name.

If I was nervous before, it certainly didn't help that Dita is as radiant in person as she is in photos. Sitting at the head of the bed, she was all glossy black hair, black eyeliner and red lipstick. She had on a light pink gossamer dress with a fitted bodice.

As I entered the room I was announced as if I was a dignitary visiting royalty.

"This is Sonya Moore, she's with Nation's Restaurant News," said Cointreau's marketing assistant Karlyn Monroe, "She's here to ask you more about the technical side of things, not about your lipstick."

I smiled sheepishly at the last part as I walked over to Dita's side of the bed and shook her hand and introduced myself.

Then I realized there wasn't a chair for me to sit in. I looked around the room a few awkward moments to try and figure out where to place myself. I thought the windowsill would be a good bet, but ended up almost sitting in a plate of lemon wedges. Dita smiled and said I could sit on the bed across from her. I was nonplussed for a few seconds, but then slowly lowered myself onto the bed. I didn't want her to think I didn't want to be too close to her and apologetically said, "Sorry I just wasn't sure what was proper."

She answered, "Oh, don't worry about being proper."

I asked her what made her decide to lend her name and image to Cointreau.

"It was their approach, and in learning about the history of the brand," Dita said.
"As I am interested in the history of what I do, I also was interested in the history of Cointreau...it's such a glamorous French brand."

The company's storied brand appealed to her. She said she was drawn to how the brand seemed very committed to the "elegance of cocktail hour" as well as its presence in the ingredients for many sophisticated cocktails.

In addition to having her be the face of Cointreau, the company also created a cocktail, the Cointreau Teese (Cointreau, apple juice, lemon juice, and violet syrup). The process of creating a Dita Von Teese cocktail involved finding out Dita's likes and preferences.

"They asked about fragrances, what perfumes I used and things like spices or flowers that I like," Dita explained.

One of the flowers and scents she specified was violet, and it makes its appearance in the cocktail with violet syrup. The drink is also garnished with an violet. Miss Von Teese also added that she likes violet liqueur admitting, "I'd bring it back with me from Paris in my suitcase."

Dita said, "I really wanted to have a very unique and very European cocktail."

She also described herself as "a big fan of ginger," so the Cointreau Teese is rimmed with fresh ginger.

"There were other cocktails using spices like chili and those didn't appeal to me as much," Dita said.

She said it wasn't the first time she was approached by a liquor company to promote their product and Dita certainly isn't new to being a spokesperson, having been involved with a variety of products in the fashion industry from make up to lingerie (MAC Cosmetics, Wonderbra and Frederick's of Hollywood to name a few). As much as she is a famous face, it would be naive to not see that companies come to her in part because of her meticulous attention to detail about her image. An image that is in itself a brand. It comes packaged with qualities and characteristics advertisers can highlight. She walks a tightrope of portraying both the beauty, glamour and femininity, but also a sexuality and provocativeness.

If anything, she's definitely different, and advertisers are picking up on personalities and strong images even if it means having a less "conventional" spokesperson. As long as the qualities are there and the person is well known, any controversy that comes with it is part and parcel of the image. Let's not forget that Cointreau's tagline for the past five years has been, "Be Cointreauversial." Cointreau fully embracing this idea with Dita is pretty apparent and as part of her ambassadorship, Dita even developed a "Be Cointreauversial Show," burlesque act.

So how does an image maven keep her own image from being diluted? Does she have any hard fast rules for picking and choosing brands to represent?

Dita answered that it was important that the product mean something to her, whether she likes it or uses it.

"It's easy for me to talk about things I believe in. The brands have to be something that is special to me whether it's lipstick like MAC's Viva Glam or lingerie," Dita said. "I can't talk about it unless it's something I believe in with every fiber of my being."

Her choice in brands certainly show she's aware of that. No Dita Von Teese spaghetti sauce or Von Teese brand car wax.

She went on to say that she's started drinking Cointreau on the rocks, having tried it while helping with the cocktail development.

"I've been telling all my friends they have to try it...I'm sure I'm driving them nuts going on about Cointreau. I can't help but start saying something like, 'Well, did you know...'"

I asked if she had any other cocktails or drinks that she enjoyed.

Champagne cocktails, she said. "I love champagne and the whole celebration aspect of it...life's too short, you should celebrate."

She said she doesn't know how to mix cocktails, but learned to make the Cointreau Teese and has taken to mixing it for herself and friends.

"I just know how to pour champagne and make the Cointreau Teese," she said with a laugh.

Gin in teacups

April 15

I didn't drink any gin out of teacups, instead I drank my neat sloe gin out of a highball glass, but there were plenty of teacups available if people were inclined to drink out of them. Why the teacups? Well, it's quite natural that there was tippling out of teacups since Plymouth Gin was holding its Sloe Gin launch party at the Lower East Side speakeasy, The Back Room.

While it was described as a launch party, it's already available in the United Kingdom. Oh, and it won't be available in the United States until May. And by "available," not retail. So only bars and restaurants. At least for now that is, that might change.

Plymouth's sloe gin is made with just sloe berries, water, sugar and gin. Sounds simple enough, but talking to Sean Harrison, Plymouth's master distiller as well as one of the people who determines whether or not a batch of sloe gin is indeed sloe gin, he explained that using fruits makes can make the product's flavor and taste vary from bottle to bottle. And say the weather isn't all that sloe berry friendly one year? Look forward to a very small supply of sloe gin. It even goes through taste testing to make sure a batch is good enough to unleash upon the market.

Mr. Harrison said, that even in UK sloe gin isn't something that's ordered on it's own a lot out in bars. Some of the reason has to do with a lot of artificially flavored varieties of sloe gin souring people's opinion of it. Also as a traditionally homemade liqueur, it sort of had the image of something your mom would sneak a sip of, or it was something you had in the winter around the holidays. To the average drinker out on a night on the town? Not sexy at all.

So the people who want to purchase Plymouth's sloe gin are those who know what they're doing with it, or at least those willing to serve it. Bartender demand is also a large part in why its finally making its way here to the United States.

At the same time it's not like Plymouth's sloe gin is something easy to produce on a very large scale. The sloe berries are ordered from sources in Europe. And these aren't large farms dedicated to cultivating sloe berries with a dedicated contract with Plymouth. Harrison said it's more subsistence, where if Plymouth does not put in the order for sloe berries, the berries wouldn't even be picked by the suppliers.

While this limited availability might help with maintaining a sort of exclusive image for Plymouth's sloe gin, the production truly is limited by the availability of sloe berries and quality.

A pretty good crowd had gathered for the event. I couldn't help but joke that it was taking me ten minutes to leave the place because I kept finding people I recognized. Not that I'm complaining though. I remember it used to scare me to go to events because it'd freak me out to be there on my own just, sort of out there and totally new to everything. I don't have that much anxiety about that anymore...well, maybe a little still, but it's nice to be able to say "Hi" to folks.

I finally got to meet Dale DeGroff, whom I've only spoken to on the phone or through email before. I'm just going to say it: It was so cool to finally meet him. He told me that The Museum of the American Cocktail was gearing up to reopen, so I was pretty excited to hear that. I waved to Don Lee of PDT early in the evening, and spotted Jim Meehan later when I was about to head out. Willy Shine and Aisha Sharpe were also there, both whom I hadn't seen since the summit at Vail. Talking to the always (or at least the times I've seen him) well put together Alex Day, I learned that he's though he's still at Death and Co., he's no longer behind the bar at Tailor, but is now at and Milk and Honey. I even saw Marshall Altier and we both kind of reminded each other that we needed to talk about the drinks at Terroir. I had missed out talking to him about it because I was in Vail at the time. He's not behind the bar at Terroir, and the last time I talked to him he said he was at Insieme, but hearing about Alex's shift in venues also reminds me that I should double check with him about where he's behind the bar, since its been a little while since I've talked to him.

Drinks from the launch party:

Sloe Gin Fizz
Plymouth Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, egg whites, simple syrup, club soda

Sloe Gin Genie
(created by Wayne Collins)
Plymouth Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, mint leaves

Gin Wibble
Plymouth Gin, Plymouth Sloe Gin, freshly squeezed grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, wild blackberry liqueur

Aviation
Plymouth gin, freshly squeezed lemon juice, simple syrup, Maraschino liqueur