Writers, Bar Behaviorists, Whisky Connoisseurs

2007-11-09T09:29:00.001-08:00

Time and book promotion marches on!

First of all, keeping up with Tracey and me, especially in our promotion of Cocktail Therapy, is like a game of “Where’s Waldo”? Simon & Schuster flew us to Chicago in September, where we appeared on the show “In the Loop” with iVillage Live. Live being the operative word: no screwing up allowed. I was characteristically a nervous wreck, but we had a blast and everyone LOVED our segment. Then we did two amazing events with a non-profit called Fertile Hope (www.fertilehope.org), which we both heartily support, first in San Francisco and the next one in the cool city of Austin, TX, where we drank beer, listened to music and watched football. Austin is, according to one t-shirt, “a small little drinking town with a live music problem.” Just our style.

Speaking of drinking, last night, Tracey and I were enjoying (read: slugging back) some wine at a little place called Turks and Frogs with our friends Dale, Vida, and Katie. We started talking about how we’re getting older. It’s weird—we’re all in the vicinity of thirty (I turn the big 3-0 in February)—but instead of getting freaked out and Botoxed and sharpening our cougar claws, we all agreed that there’s a certain confidence and contentment that settles in around this age, when a person really knows who she is and what makes her happy.

“Would you ever want to be twenty-one again?” Vida asked.

“No!” we all answered in unison.

But then again, just because I’m almost thirty doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy dancing on the occasional table. I’m not saying I did or did not do that last night, but it’s a distinct possibility.

2007-09-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!

Where does the summer go? Amidst all of the exciting things that have been going on (more on that in a minute!), Tracey and I spent the last couple of weekends (since my return from my Parisian sojourn) out in the Hamptons. We always have the best time when we’re on the east end – and this weekend was no exception: barbecues, beach, water-skiing on Montauk Lake...

It’s funny, though—back in the day, we would have raged every night until 4am, been up bright and early and on the beach all day (perhaps even knocking back a few Bud Lights in between sets of frisbee, football and Kadima) until we had to had to go to work at the Star Room, Resort, and/or the Talkhouse. Now, our weekends are admittedly a little more staid—cooking huge, delicious dinners and drinking lots of wine with our significant others and another couple or two, and then playing Trivial Pursuit.

My, how we’ve grown!

But now back to the really exciting stuff. Cocktail Therapy (www.givemecocktailtherapy.com) is flying off the shelves, and we are over the moon! There’s been a huge media response: check out http://www.nydailynews.com/lifestyle/food/2007/08/10/2007-08-10_sips_and_the_city-2.html and http://www.foodandwine.com/blogs/mouthing-off/Cocktails?startRow=11 for starters. We also have a few events on tap, which promise to be amazing.

First, on September 20th, Simon & Schuster is flying us off to Chicago, where we’ll appear on the TV/online hybrid talk show “In the Loop” with iVillage Live (http://intheloop.ivillage.com/). If Tracey and I have our way, we will fit a little Q.T. with Oprah—keep your fingers crossed!

Then, we partnered up with Saks Fifth Avenue and an amazing non-profit called Fertile Hope (www.fertilehope.org), which was started by our friend Lindsay, to do two events in San Francisco and Austin (Oct. 19th and 20th, respectively). Basically, it’s a great shopping event where Saks donates a percentage of proceeds from sales to Fertile Hope. Then, in addition to the thrilling appearance/reading/signing by your two favorite authors, there will be DJ’s, food, and of course, cocktails. We will post more information on these events in the next couple of weeks.

Next, save the date: October 11 is our official launch party for Cocktail Therapy here in Manhattan. If you don’t receive the email invite in the next week or so, check back here—we will update with the party details.

Also, we have been guests on several Sirius radio shows. We had a great time drinking sangria with Candace Bushnell, while dishing about the book. And Maxim radio and Cosmo radio were both tremendous experiences – we are now campaigning for our own call-in radio show!

That’s all for now. Now that Tracey and I are back in business (and in the same city again), our updates will be much more frequent. Thanks for your support!!

2007-07-05T15:04:00.000-07:00

It’s a Love/Hate Thing

I’ve been coming to the Hamptons since I was a kid. My parents used to drive us out on lazy Sundays in the fall and we’d get black-and-white ice cream sodas at the Bridgehampton Candy Kitchen, play on the beach, and come home with bushels of locally grown apples. My dad always hated the traffic, but it was so beautiful out there – the harmonious combination of lush woods, expansive farms, and long stretches of pristine white beaches – that I never seemed to mind sitting squished in the backseat between my brother and sister for the long car ride.

For the last five summers, I’ve gotten share houses with friends and have continued to enjoy the East End. But lately (especially on busy holiday weekends), I’ve been feeling a little turned off by the “Hampton-ness” of it all. I may be over a hundred miles away from bustling Manhattan, but Main Street in East Hampton during a holiday weekend is more congested and obnoxious than any intersection in New York City.

Yesterday, on my way to East Hampton Gym, it took me forty minutes to find parking and once I was inside (after paying the hefty $25 daily fee), the gym was so packed that all of the equipment was taken. Eventually an older woman with an insanely in-shape body, vacated a stair-master and I climbed on. I was about three minutes into my workout when I looked up and realized I was exercising right next to Karolina Kurkova. Trust me, there is nothing like being in the presence of a Victoria’s Secret model to make you go that “extra mile” so to speak. Plus, all the women in the gym were decked out in designer workout clothes, and I felt like a real rag-a-muffin in my decades-old t-shirt and Old Navy shorts.

Then on my journey back to my car I watched an older man (at least seventy-years-old) trying to back out of his coveted parking space near Citarella. A thirty-something man in a flashy Maserati pulled right up behind him to make sure he got the spot, but he was so close that the old man couldn’t back out. “Can you please back up a few feet so I can get out?” The old man asked.

The guy in the Maserati shouted back, “Go fuck yourself!”

I couldn’t believe it. How disgustingly rude, inappropriate and uncalled for. I was finally understanding why so many people say they hate the Hamptons (one good friend of mine actually owns a t-shirt that says “FUCK THE HAMPTONS!”)

That evening, a group of my friends and I boarded the ferry bound for Shelter Island so we could check out Andre Balaz’s hotel bar, Sunset Beach. The place was a mob scene. We had to park literally a mile away and when I asked the hostess if I could put my name in for a table she said, stone-faced, “Reservation?”

“No,” I said.

“Hotel guest?”

Again I said, “No.”

“Not in this lifetime.” Was her reply.

I called my husband to tell him that I, too, am starting to hate the Hamptons and never want to spend another summer out there again. “Why do we come here?” I implored. “We should just stay in Manhattan. It’s crowded and the people here are so rude and entitled and I HATE IT!”

He calmed me down, saying that it’s only because it’s a holiday weekend and that it will clear out soon enough. He also helped me to realize how ridiculous I was being, and urged me to gain some perspective. If my biggest problem is that I have trouble finding parking when I go to the gym on my weekend in the Hamptons, than I am a very lucky person indeed.

That night, some friends and I got a bottle of Pinot Noir, some cheese and bread and tiny grape tomatoes from the farmer’s market and had a picnic on the beach. The sun was setting, the sky was lavender, and the beach was surprisingly empty. As I sprawled out on the sand, staring out at the ocean, I got it. This is why we all come here. The trick is to avoid East Hampton town and Sunset Beach at all costs!

2007-06-13T05:58:00.000-07:00

BONJOUR FROM PARIS!

I am spending a couple of months, all alone, in this tres magnifique city, doing some writing and research for my NYU thesis, and Tracey and I thought it would be fun if I did a couple of dispatches about life—and the world of food and drink—from across the pond. Right now, I am sitting upstairs at a café on the Rue Vieille du Temple in the hip Marais district (sort of a mix between New York’s west and east villages, with old-world European architectural grandeur and narrow, windy, cobblestone streets thrown in!), sipping tea, enjoying the light breeze wafting in through the French doors I am sitting in front of.

Speaking of cafes, the very first thing I noticed about Paris was that no one here walks around with a disposable cup of coffee. And I mean no one—I haven’t seen a single soul carrying one in the week I’ve been here. In New York it’s de rigeur for every other person I see on the street (including me, admittedly) to be carrying a cup from Starbucks or their local coffee shop, but not here. Why? A slower pace of life (c’est possible, even in a big, cosmopolitan city!), less of an inclination for disposability, but most importantly, the preponderance of a serious café culture.

In Paris, cafes are as ubiquitous as Wal-marts are at home. Actually, probably way more so, but you get my point. And it gets better: once you sit down in a café, you never, ever have to rush—it’s commonplace for a person to savor a café au lait or an espresso for an hour or more. That happens so rarely in New York and the rest of our country. People in big U.S. cities seem to be in so much more of a hurry, and there’s also the factor that servers in America rely upon tips for their income, so it’s in their best interest to turn tables over as fast as possible, after, of course, inflating checks as much as possible (“What before dinner cocktails/bottle of wine/after dinner drinks/dessert would you like?”). In Paris, there is a service charge included in every check (although much to the chagrin of my French friends, I always tip more!), and people in the service industry here make a set salary, which is even higher than the French minimum wage (which in turn, suffice it to say, is much higher than the appallingly low U.S. minimum wage). All of this makes for happier, more relaxed servers, and more importantly, gives Le Parisienne license to linger.

At home in New York, I only have one place downtown where I feel the freedom to sit for hours, drinking only tea, bothered by no one, and before I left, it became my daily breakfast and lounging go-to. Of course it’s called Les Deux Gamin!

Each café in Paris has a slew of as many chairs as possible squeezed into one area, most of them facing out toward the street, and people sit in them all day along; Everyone has equal access to the energy of passersby, of which there are what seem like hundreds, even on tiny, quiet side streets. And yet another great thing about Paris I've noticed, too, by the way, is that when you sit at cafes and have a coffee, tea or glass of wine, they always bring you a little bowl of something delectable to snack on. Forget peanuts or chips or pretzels. Last night it was little squares of home-made spinach and cheese quiche, and the other night at another cafe it was warm olives and little potatoes with toothpicks in them. Yum! It makes the wine taste so much better.

Also, here, wine and champagne are cheap and damn good: a kir is the same price as a Coca-Cola (3.50 euros), and a glass of vin rouge is the same price as a Lipton the vert (4 euros). Even the cheapest wine in a dive bar is inexplicably good. I wouldn’t walk into Spring Street Lounge or the Hog Pit in Manhattan and order a Cotes du Rhone or a Rose, but here, I do, and it’s delicious. Whether that’s me or the wine, I don’t know, but does it matter? I am happy.

Maybe that’s the reason for the café culture: it’s affordable for everyone to drink wine for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Yet, I regularly walk by plenty of people happily sipping on just cokes and coffees amidst the wine drinkers. I think part of this, too, is that Parisians certainly like their vin et bierre—I can bear witness to the fact that they drink it all day long—but the café culture supersedes day drinking or over-the-top imbibing. It is about socializing, sitting around comfortably, and lapping up life. So the reason I have yet to see a person carrying a to-go cup of coffee is simply that a staple of life here is having every beverage out somewhere, preferably with friends, even if it’s when you don’t have tons of time; in other words, taking (at least) a few minutes to enjoy something. Living in Paris, I am starting to understand the meaning of joie de vivre. And I am drinking it up!

2007-05-14T11:16:00.000-07:00

Can't Keep My Mouth Shut
by Tracey Toomey

Everyone that knows me will tell you that I like to talk. A lot. Part of the reason why I enjoyed bartending was because I could interject my opinions into other people’s conversations. I always had a captive audience. Well, my bartending days are now a whiskey-soaked memory, but I still feel the urge to put my "two cents" in when I overhear a conversation. I realize this sounds obnoxious – not only am I eavesdropping, but I also think my opinions are so valid that I’m doing someone a disservice if I don’t share them. To avoid not coming off as an insufferable know-it-all, I’ve learned to keep my mouth shut, but sometimes it’s downright painful for me.

Case in point: this weekend I was on the North Fork with my husband, Matt, visiting some vineyards and doing a little wine tasting. It was a seventy-degree day filled with radiant sunshine, and the verdant farms of the north shore stretched as far as the eye could see. I was in an excellent mood – relaxed, glad to be out of the city, and (full disclosure) more than a little buzzed. After visiting several vineyards and (much to Matt’s chagrin) a goat farm where we tasted a variety of different goat cheeses and even goat fudge (yes, I realize this sounds gross), and purchased some over-priced handmade goat soaps and goat lip balm, we headed over to the North Fork Table and Inn where we had a reservation for dinner. Housed in a residence that dates all the way back to 1771, we settled in for some of the best food I’ve had in years (if you make it out there, don’t miss the duo of beef with truffled mashed potatoes – it’s amazing). Anyway, seated at the table right next to us was a young couple dining with an older couple (presumably the young man’s parents). They sat down after us, and when the waiter came over to take their drink order, the older man ordered a bourbon and ginger ale, and I heard the young man say rather authoritatively, "You know what makes bourbon, bourbon, right? It’s made in Kentucky."

I cringed. It took every iota of discipline in me to not shout back, "No, you’re wrong! While most bourbons are produced in Kentucky, bourbon can legally be made anywhere in the US. As long as whiskey is made with at least 51% corn and is distilled to no more than 160 proof and aged in new charred oak barrels for a minimum of two years, it can be called bourbon."

I shared these facts with my husband. Now it was his turn to cringe. "You’re just dying to go over there and set him straight, aren’t you?" Matt commented.

He knows me too well.

I turned back to my beef (which was so tender it was literally falling apart on my fork), and my big glass of Zinfandel, just as I heard the young man say, "And you know why some whiskey is called rye, right? Because it’s made in Canada."

Also wrong! I gritted my teeth and tried my best to ignore the misinformed man when I heard him tell the table that there really "is no difference between Johnny Walker and McCallan, because they are both scotch."

I restrained myself from loudly proclaiming the enormous differences between blended scotches and single malts. Matt, noticing my strained expression said, "So he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Why do you care?"

I took a generous sip of the velvety Zinfandel and responded, "If you were standing at a bar and the person next to you said that the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1775, wouldn’t you be dying to correct him?"

Matt just laughed and rolled his eyes. Apparently not everyone is as eager to share their knowledge as I am. I did my best to tune out the neighboring table’s conversation for the rest of the evening, which was easy to do once our waiter delivered a warm chocolate caramel tart and I had something far more worthy of my attention.

2007-04-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Before the onslaught of the monsoon last weekend, I, along with the boyfriend, went to visit some friends in the wilds of western Connecticut. At first it was downright shocking: my lungs had forgotten what it was like to breathe clean air, and my ears rang for the first few hours for the lack of cars, buses, sirens, and people screaming in them. And as I was getting out of the car, my feet landed on something besides concrete (grass!) and my poor, confused legs almost buckled. (But after I got over the astonishment of experiencing actual relaxation for the first time in many months, I really enjoyed myself!). Anyway, all this is to say that sometimes we New Yorkers at times hold the mistaken conception that the world revolves around the Big Apple: but once again, I was pleasantly surprised.

On the second day of my journey to Wonderland, I mean Washington, CT, we ventured out (after a rain-soaked hike!) to have a Bloody Marys and burgers at this beautiful little inn called the Mayflower. The bartender was warm and professional…and served us a little slice of heaven (see below), which immediately made me forget my waterlogged shoes and sopping jacket. I took a sip and felt like I was on the beach in Miami, where, incidentally, Tracey and I will be reposing together in one week!

The “Double AA”:
Combine about 1/3 can of cream of coconut with ice, and a few generous splashes of tropical juices (I loved the combination of papaya, pineapple, cranberry and tangerine). Don’t forget the Bacardi, blend, and serve.

Cheers: April showers bring Miami flowers!

2007-03-16T09:11:00.000-07:00

SAINT PATRICK'S DAY!

Saint Patrick’s Day is like Christmas for us. We get a chance to celebrate our Irish heritage, eat corned beef, and drink green beers to our heart’s content. The weather doesn’t seem like it’s going to be cooperating, but after a few Irish whiskies, no one seems to mind if a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain is pouring from the skies.

When it’s truly freezing and you need a remedy for the chill, we suggest an Irish coffee. They’re easy to make and so warm and delicious, it will immediately put you in the St. Patty’s spirit. After all, everyone is Irish on March 17th!

IRISH COFFEE
1 ½ ounces of Jameson Irish Whiskey
4 ounces of strong brewed coffee
½ cup of heavy whipping cream
1 ½ tsp of sugar (or to taste)
In a mug combine hot coffee and whiskey. In a cold shaker pour in heavy whipping cream and sugar and shake until cream becomes thick – don’t over-whip or you’ll end up with butter! Top the coffee mixture with the sweetened whipped cream. Enjoy!
ERIN GO BRAUGH!

2007-02-08T08:42:00.000-08:00

WIND IT UP!

I’m not sure why I wrote that as the headline to this blog, but I think it’s because Gwen Stefani was inspiring me at the gym this morning.

It’s fitting, though, because things are really winding up for us! First of all, we’re REALLY excited about a couple of potential deals we have in the works, and we promise to disclose all the details as soon as possible. Suffice it to say, there are lots of exciting opportunities on the horizon.

More concretely, It’s A Wonderful Lie, the anthology about life in your twenties to which we contributed an essay called “Girls Can Do Anything!” is launching as we speak! It’s so exciting. We’re having a big NYC launch/cocktail party sometime around Feb. 27 or 28th and of course we can invite all of our friends. It’s going to be at 230 Fifth (http://national.citysearch.com/review/41918180), which has awesome views of the city, so as soon as the time and definite date is nailed down, we will let everyone know.

Also, we just found out that American Way magazine, the in-flight magazine of American Airlines, will highlight It’s A Wonderful Lie on their entertainment page in their March issue, available on flights beginning March 15, so if you’re flying that airline, definitely check it out. One thing we learned while promoting The Perfect Manhattan is that airline magazines are a big deal, obviously given the number of people flying on a daily basis. So that’s good news!

Anyway, we’re psyched. We will be in touch with more info soon!

2007-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

I don't want to sound cheap, but...

You go out to a bar. You order a glass of Pinot Noir. You drink it. Your glass is ¾ empty, but there are still a few good sips left at the bottom of the glass. Without ordering another round, your bartender comes over and fills you up. You didn’t order more wine, so you assume it is his little "gift" to you. But then the bill comes and he’s charged you for it. Do you complain?

A couple of nights ago, I met a friend for dinner and drinks at the Waverly Inn. The New York Times warns, "How can they call it a restaurant when the official phone number yields a recording that doesn’t take messages or even acknowledge that the place has opened? Of course, we’ve all been eating there since early November. It just isn’t open to anyone and everyone."

It sounds obnoxious, I know, but still, I had to check it out. I used to go there all the time with my dad when it was "Ye Waverly Inn" and they served chicken potpies for brunch. Needless to say, chicken potpies are no longer on the menu, but the food prepared by Graydon Carter’s staff is quite delicious nonetheless – we shared the tuna tartar, a dozen Kumomoto oysters, and the grilled vegetable salad. Very yummy indeed. But I digress. Back to the wine. When my friend and I sat down we each ordered a glass, and the bartender refilled us twice without us ordering more. Then, when the bill came, he charged us for six glasses of wine. Full disclosure: we probably would have ordered two more rounds anyway, but the fact is, we didn’t. He gave them to us, without us asking, and in my experience when a bartender pours you another drink and then yet another without you requesting it, he or she doesn’t charge you for it.

Leanne and I spent nearly five years together behind the bar, and in all that time, if I refilled a customer’s glass without said customer ordering another round, I "bought" it for them. Apparently that’s not how it works at The Waverly Inn. I guess they just assume that you of course want more Pinot Noir, and if you don’t have enough money to afford having several glasses, then what the hell are you doing at such an elite establishment!

One more thing: when the bar started to really fill up, our bartender asked us if we wanted anything else. We decided to split a glass of Viognier (this glass we actually ordered!). He sneered that a half a glass of wine each hardly warrants us taking up prime real estate at the bar – even though our bill at this point was over two hundred dollars (for appetizers and wine by the glass!).

Oh, but who am I kidding? I’ll probably be back there next week.

2007-01-19T11:13:00.000-08:00

THE BEST (OR WORST) BLOG

People are always asking us for bar/restaurant recommendations and about our favorite places in the city—especially when we go other places! So I tried to come up with a sampling of a few of my current best/worst spots in the city to eat and/or drink. This commentary is obviously sooooo subjective and completely prisoner to how I’m feeling right now at this exact moment, lolling on my couch in my pj’s, about to watch Grey’s Anatomy. Tomorrow this list could be totally different, and in fact probably will, mainly because a new bar or restaurant opens in New York approximately every thirty seconds.

FIVE BEST
The Hog Pit: When I first moved to New York almost seven years ago, the meatpacking district housed exactly three watering holes: Pastis (love that too—absolutely favorite standby for breakfast, lunch, dinner and/or brunch), Lotus and my beloved Hog Pit. The fact that the PBR’s were once $2 and now cost a whopping $4 is a testament to the encroachment of about a thousand new restaurants, clubs and B&T-ers that swarm the area every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night like cockroaches. But I stand true to the Hog Pit, where the BBQ is authentic and the bartenders always piss drunk (if now only on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights).

Waverly Inn (formerly Ye Old Waverly Inn): Just because my dream of dreams is to write for Vanity Fair doesn’t mean I frequent this place just because Graydon Carter (re)opened it. It’s a small “hot spot” restaurant that’s been open for months but only "soft," or unofficially. The food is amazing and so is the wine and so is the crowd. Dale and I went there for dinner one night and were thrilled to get the mac-n-cheese we’d been hearing so much about…until we realized it cost $55 because it was made from truffles, which, according to the very solemn bartender, “are very rare.” Aside from that and the $100 rack of lamb, it’s stellar!

Spotted Pig: There was an article in the Sunday Styles section of the Times recently that talked about how passé it was to go out on a Saturday night in New York, especially to places like the Spotted Pig because they’re overrun, by…whom, I don’t know. Well, I don’t care what the haters say—they can stay home! I love this little neighborhood joint: the bartenders tend to skew toward butch, mean women, and I inexplicably enjoy flirting with them. I always meet great people here, and I love the burgers and pumpkin app. The wine is okay, but if you drink enough of it, it tastes divine! Though come to think of it, I suppose avoiding the whole weekend thing is not the worst idea in the world. It’s not that the crowd is bad, it’s just that it does get PACKED.

I Tre Merli/Diablo Royale: I would be remiss in choosing one over the other. They are equidistant from my apartment (I step down my stoop and walk five feet to either the right or left) and are, as the bar term goes, my “locals.” They are both really the best. I Tre Merli is Italian and Diablo is Mexican, so whichever way the wind blows on my food preference (if I am in fact planning to dine at one of them) is in the direction I walk. A general rule of thumb is Diablo BEFORE I go out (although I have been known to make an appearance late night especially if a particular bartender is working) and I Tre Merli AFTER a night of heavy boozing. But these are only guidelines, one can never go wrong with my locals.

Stanton Social: Mini Kobe burgers, French Onion soup dumplings, the raw bar, and the fact that for some reason every single time Tracey and I go there, some group of guys or another buys us dinner.

Shopsin’s: but it closed a few weeks ago! Ugh. Best breakfast ever!

Re-reading this list, I realize I am a total cliché, so I will indeed make every effort to change it up tomorrow. A new Tapas place called Tasca just opened on W. 10th and 7th Avenue so maybe I will make it beyond I Tre Merli for once and check it out.

THE WORST
Generally, anything associated with a midtown happy hour crowd. Playwright Tavern comes to mind.

Most places in the Meatpacking district (they closed Mark’t because they could no longer afford the ridiculous rent—tragedy!), especially, as previously mentioned, on the weekends.

I am kind of over Marquee, mainly because I am over the club scene, but in all truthfulness, it can still be fun there. Oh and also, I like the music they play at Stereo and Retox Rock Bar.

2007-01-08T12:26:00.000-08:00

THE CULINARY COCKTAIL

Forget about ordering a tired Jack and coke or a humdrum vodka tonic. These days, the more innovative and inspired cocktails are, the better. Crafting a delicious cocktail is now considered by many to be a culinary art form – famous chefs everywhere from Bobby Flay to Giada de Laurentiis are adding “mixologist” to their resumes as they concoct delicious and original libations on their cooking shows. Here in New York City, trendy spots like Employees Only, Little Branch, and Milk and Honey as well as restaurants like Dylan Prime and Cookshop (along with countless others) are crafting delectable drinks bursting with the flavors of muddled mint, spicy Serrano chilies, freshly torn basil, and pomegranate puree. Leanne and I may no longer be behind the bar, but being the classic-cocktail-aficionados that we are, we still know how to appreciate a drink made with a twist of style and sophistication!

I was out to dinner recently at Mercadito, and I had the best margarita I have ever had in my entire life. It was called the margarita de pepino and it’s made with fresh cucumber juice and chile de arbol. The refreshing taste of cucumber is immediately followed by a fiery blast of heat from the chilies. A friend of mine ordered the strawberry mojito, which was made with freshly hulled strawberries and believe it or not – tequila! It was delicious!

I love the idea of cocktails as liquid culinary works of art – made with freshly squeezed juices, fruit purees and fresh herbs. Gone are the days of syrupy hangover-inducing sour mixes and lime juice out of the bottle! If you’d like to try your hand at a fresh, inspired drink, try this recipe from Bobby Flay (courtesy of the Food Network):

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
5 cups watermelon, seeds removed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/4 cups vodka
2 ounces melon liqueur, optional
8 lemon twists, for garnish

Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan and cook until the sugar has completely dissolved. Let cool.

In a food processor, puree the watermelon flesh. Add a little of the sugar syrup to sweeten, to taste. Pour the pureed watermelon into 2 empty ice cube trays and freeze for at least 4 hours.

In a blender combine the frozen watermelon cubes, more simple syrup, to taste, lemon juice and vodka, melon liqueur and blend until smooth. Pour into eight frozen martini glasses and garnish with a twist of lemon.

YUM!!!

2007-01-02T09:03:00.000-08:00

IT'S A WONDERFUL LIE

...Or, as George Bailey says, it’s a wonderful LIFE!

We’re getting really excited for the release this month of the anthology 'It’s A Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths About Life In Your Twenties,' in which we contributed an essay called “Girls Can Do Anything!” The book (which has actually been available on Amazon for quite a while, so buy it now!) is chock-full of funny and wise words from amazing women, including our girl Jill Kargman (who is co-author of 'The Right Address' and 'Wolves in Chic Clothing' and whose first solo venture—the hilarious and incisive 'Momzillas'—is coming out this spring), Anna Jane Grossman, Rebecca Traister, and many, many others.

This is the press we’re getting so far, with lots more to come:

NATIONAL PRINT:
People magazine - review, may be in the 1/22 issue, but the date isn’t confirmed
Jane magazine - review in Dec/Jan issue
Chicago magazine - mention in February issue
ElleCanada - review in January issue

NATIONAL TV:
Current TV - review with cover art on their "Current Bestseller" segment, where they highlight new books.

ONLINE:
Elle.com - Book Club Pick, January - online beginning 12/29

EVENTS:
Boston - Harvard COOP, February 6 at 7pm - with Emily Franklin and contributors Melissa Senate, Jennifer O'Connell and Donna Freitas
New York - offsite venue co-hosted by Urbis & Overtime (http://weblog.urbis.com/) in early Feb for Valentine's Day - details to come…
Los Angeles - women's boutique Matrushka (http://www.matrushka.com/contact.html) will host LA launch party early Feb - details to come…

So we’re focusing on that and finishing up our forthcoming non-fiction book 'Cocktail Therapy' right now. Oh and finding any excuse to get together and “brainstorm” over a bottle of Pinot Noir. Stay tuned for more adventures and HAPPY NEW YEAR!

P.S., I am still firmly entrenched in the holiday spirit, just getting home from ten family-party-packed days in Buffalo, of course (otherwise, how would Santa have been able to find me?!?!). Cole’s is a restaurant/bar and a Buffalo staple, known for their chicken wings (we say they’re better than the Anchor Bar’s!), and their Tom and Jerry drinks, of which my sister Molly and I regularly imbibe. I went to Buffalorising.com and copied the recipe below. Although it’s time-consuming to make, it is SO WORTH IT! Enjoy.

Buffalo Rising Tom & Jerry serves 10

5 eggs, separated 
1/2 cup powdered sugar 
1 cup lukewarm brandy 
2 cups lukewarm rum 
1 tsp. vanilla extract 
1 tsp. cinnamon 
1/2 tsp. allspice
 1/4 tsp. nutmeg 
warm whole milk or coffee (or both!)

Beat the egg whites, adding the powdered sugar gradually, until they form stiff peaks. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks, vanilla, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg until combined. Carefully fold the yolk mixture into the egg whites.  Serve drinks by placing half a shot of brandy, one shot of rum, and as much warm milk or coffee into the mug as you like. Top liberally with they yummy, frothy egg mixture and enjoy!

Variations on this recipe are everywhere. Some to consider- use Kahlua or Bailey’s in place of the brandy and rum. Extra delicious is substituting vanilla ice cream for the milk or coffee- the warm liquor causes it to melt, making the drink extra sweet and creamy.

2006-12-22T12:28:00.000-08:00

FYI, we're now starting to post our blogs simultaneously on both this site (theperfectmanhattan.com) and our Whisky Chicks site. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

HOLIDAZE!

Everyone is crazy busy at holiday time, and we are no exception! We are in the process of finishing up the manuscript for our next book, “Cocktail Therapy,” which will hit stores in May of 2007. It’s a really fun, nonfiction book filled with entertaining anecdotes and delicious cocktail recipes.

We were lucky enough to celebrate the holiday season with one of our favorite regulars from our days behind the bar, Bernie McSherry. We had dinner at the Little Owl in the West Village. The food was delectable, but the best part of the evening was the after-dinner cocktail at Maremma, a Tuscan restaurant on West Tenth Street. The drink is a delicious Italian variation of the mojito. We’ve been trying to recreate the recipe, and think we may have just perfected it. So here it is:

The Italian Mojito

Handful of torn basil leaves

Handful of torn mint leaves

1 ½ oz. of premium rum

Simple syrup

Proseco (Italian sparkling wine)

Muddle mint and basil and add rum and simple syrup. Shake vigorously with ice and top with a splash of the Proseco.

We wish you all happy and healthy holidays with great food and delicious cocktails!

2006-10-27T12:04:00.000-07:00

So much to write about! Things have been very exciting.

First of all, WE LOVE ALABAMA. The awesome Tonya Terry invited us down to Montgomery to be a part of her book club on 'Today in Alabama', so we flew down last week and had pretty much the best time ever. We ate our body weights in grits, and then after our book event, the incomparable John Heckman and his friend Patrick took us out to dinner and out on the town, and our night ended well past 3am, just the way we like it! There are so many hilarious stories we probably couldn't begin to write them all. Suffice it to say, we learned we're the first non-prostitutes to venture down Troy highway on foot in search of a grocery store or place to get some salads for lunch (hey, you can take the girls out of NYC...!)

The bottom line is, we can't wait to go back to talk about our next book.

Speaking of that, we're proud to officially annnounce the publication late next spring of the tenatively titled "Cocktail Therapy" by Simon and Schuster's Spotlight division. It's going to be a really funny (non-fiction) look at various crises we women deal with...with a nice cocktail to help get through each one. Lots of anecdotes, so it will be really entertaining. Our editor at S&S, Emily Westlake, is awesome--we had a drink (ok, a few drinks) to celebrate the deal, and basically didn't stop talking for hours.

Finally, Leanne has to give a big Thank You to her friends and family in Buffalo, NY. She kicked off her high school Nardin Academy's Alumni Association Distinguished Speakers Series with a speech on Oct. 26 in Ani Difranco's event space The Church. It was an absolutely incredible event and she was honored to be asked to do it. Lucy from Talking Leaves, Buffalo's incredible indie bookstore on Elmwood Avenue, came to sell books. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

More soon, we're really excited about everything....

2006-09-08T09:58:00.000-07:00

QUICK DATE CORRECTION! We will be in Alabama on Thursday, Ocotber 19th--NOT, as previously and erroneously written, the following week.

2006-09-07T12:28:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone!

We’ve been doing some really fun things lately and thought we’d fill you in.

On Friday, August 26, we appeared on the Bower show on the Maxim Lounge on Maxim Radio, which is on Sirius channel 108 (God, is that enough of a mouthful or what?!). We both love Sirius now and are planning to get our own radio show—such a fun venue (and not shameless brand promotion, we promise!). We had a great time on the show— talking shop, mixing some of our special “perfect” Manhattans and generally having a blast with the crew over there. In fact, we made some new friends and are planning on drinking some more whisky with them in the near future. We'll be posting an audio clip of the interview shortly.

Also, some more media news: we wrote an article about dating dos and don’ts for the October issue of Glamour magazine (with Jessica Simpson on the cover). We’re thrilled to share our gems of wisdom about the minefields of romance with lonely singles everywhere.

Other than that, we’re off to the races! Book #2 (nonfiction) is well in the works, as is Book #3 (second novel). The Perfect Manhattan is still burning up the shelves (out in paperback since June), and the TV version is coming along very well. Our next trip is to Montgomery, AL on October 26th to take part in TV station WSFA 12 News’ on-air book club. We’ll also be out on the town there too and can’t wait to check out the deep south!

Stay tuned: more news to come soon!

2006-07-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

If you have a question for the whisky chicks, email us at: info@theperfectmanhattan.com!

2006-07-26T10:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Everybody!

It’s Leanne and Tracey, the Whisky Chicks! We’re thrilled to launch our newly revamped website, www.whiskychicks.com. You’ll find tons of wild bar stories, recipes, advice, our blog, and photos of the two of us out and about.

The Perfect Manhattan just came out in paperback and is flying off the shelves! Head to amazon.com or your local bookstore and pick up your copy today. We recently sold the television rights to the book and will be working with our fabulous production company, Rigberg Entertainment, to develop content and show ideas. Stay tuned to our radio spots on your local Radio America stations for a contest where YOU can help us think of great show ideas too!

A final fun note: we contributed to an anthology called It’s A Wonderful Lie: The Truth About Life In Your Twenties. It comes out in January (though it can be pre-ordered now on amazon.com), and we’ll keep you posted about tour dates, etc.

WHISKY CHICKS DRINK OF THE MONTH: Summer is in full swing, so why not try our new favorite cocktail, “Just Peachy”?Ingredients:
1 oz Maker’s Mark
3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
4 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 orange slice
Fill Maker’s Mark cocktail shaker 3/4 full of ice; add 1 oz Maker’s Mark, 3/4 oz Peach Schnapps, and 4 oz orange juice. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into stemmed glass (small goblet or brandy snifter). Garnish with orange slice.

WHISKY FACT: You might have heard the old wives’ tale about rubbing a tiny bit of whisky on a teething baby’s gums (your grandparents or parents probably might have even done this to you at some point!), but in reality, "Cough medicine" is actually commonly used as a euphemism for whisky and other strong alcoholic beverages that are believed to have medicinal qualities. Even actual cough medicines such as NyQuil often have a high alcohol content. Unfortunately, alcohol never cured anyone of cholera, but in large doses it would numb pain and help people sleep.

CRAZY BAR ANCEDOTE OF THE MONTH:
“Bartending where everyone is totally naked is distracting at first, but then you kind of get used to it.” –our friend and fellow bartender Kevin. Many bartenders travel to different resorts to work during “high” seasons (think Miami in February or Aspen during the holidays). Kevin spends his winters bartending at an upscale NUDIST resort in the Virgin Islands. He is required to wear clothes because of health department rules, but everybody else is stark naked. He told us one story about a karaoke and dance party with the vacationers. “One hot girl got up and sang her heart out to Michael Jackson, wearing nothing but a big, floppy sun hat,” he told us. We bet that wasn’t the only thing flopping in that room!!

BLOG: To satisfy more of your blog fix, head to theperfectmanhattan.com for the blog archive.

If you have a question for the whisky chicks, email us at: info@theperfectmanhattan.com.

Cheers!
The Whisky Chicks

2006-07-26T10:00:00.000-07:00

BLOG: THE PERFECT MANHATTAN

We met behind the bar five years ago and after discovering our mutual love of flip-flops, 1969 Corvette convertibles, Garth Brooks, Dostoevsky, and, of course, whisky, we swiftly became the best of friends. Last summer, we published our first novel together, The Perfect Manhattan. While on our nation-wide book tour, the question on everyone’s lips – from Louisville to Los Angeles – has been the same: what are the ingredients in our perfect Manhattan?

The answer is simple: a townhouse overlooking Central Park, a sprawling estate in the Hamptons, a G-4, and a chauffeur-driven hybrid (to compensate for the private jet)! But if it’s a delicious drink recipe you’re after, we’ve got you covered. Back when we first started slinging drinks, we found ourselves drowning in a sea of Cosmopolitans and other sticky, pink, sickeningly sweet, so-called “girly drinks.” Avid whisky drinkers, we set out to prove that not all girls like their drinks served with a tiny paper umbrella.

We decided to help initiate a cocktail renaissance and give some old-fashioned cocktails a delicious makeover. Since we were tending bar in New York City and our spirit of choice is whisky, our first challenge was a no-brainer: we set out to perfect the Manhattan and give it a modern twist. A tasty Manhattan MUST start with a quality whisky, and in this case our bourbon of choice is Maker’s Mark, because it’s smooth and very mixable (on one leg of the book tour we made it down to the Maker’s Mark distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, and had a ball tasting moonshine and dipping our own bottles in red wax). Next, we add only a dash of sweet vermouth – no more! This isn’t your grandpa’s Manhattan, and we find the majority of our generation has a low tolerance for vermouth. After lots of taste tests, we decided to skip the bitters altogether. And now for the secret ingredient – a liberal splash of maraschino cherry juice, which softens the bourbon and gives the cocktail a warm, reddish-brown color. We stir over ice and serve on the rocks. Finally, we garnish with a plump maraschino cherry. And there you have it, our “perfect” Manhattan. Now if only someone would give us a couple of penthouses on Fifth Avenue…

2006-07-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

TIPS FROM THE WHISKY CHICKS

HOW TO AVOID THE PERILS OF DRUNK-DIALING
• The geniuses at Virgin Mobile now offer a booty-call-proof service. You just call a Virgin hotline, enter the number(s) you want to make sure you don't call that night, and then you're automatically blocked from making calls to those numbers until 6am, by which point you'll hopefully be passed out next to an empty pizza box.
• If you’re not a “Virgin,” write down the “dangerous” numbers programmed into your phone, give the piece of paper to your best friend, then erase them from your phone.
• Don’t drink. (Ha!)

HOW TO PREVENT/CURE A RAGING HANGOVER

AT NIGHT:
• As soon as you get home, before you go to bed, guzzle as much water as humanly possible. (Make sure you avoid club soda, or other fizzy drinks. Carbonation will speed up the amount of alcohol going into your blood and worsen the affects of the booze.
• Eat something. Preferably toast or crackers, which will stabilize your blood sugar (ameliorating that horrible, wobbly feeling) without upsetting your stomach.
• Some people believe that taking aspirin or Tylenol at night will somehow help relieve the next day’s pain. Not so—aspirin will upset your stomach and make a hangover that much more painful. Acetaminophen (Tylenol), is even worse—when it mixes with the booze in your blood, it could cause some serious liver damage. And your liver’s been through enough grief for one night, don’t you think?
• Take a multivitamin. Alcohol has flushed away all the vitamins that naturally stimulate your body’s defense systems – leaving you completely unprotected. A vitamin helps by replenishing some of the vitamins you've pissed away during the course of the evening.
• If you can handle the acidity without throwing up, drink some orange juice. Vitamin C is essential, because it speeds up the metabolism of the alcohol by the liver.
• More water (but make sure to use the bathroom a few times before passing out to avoid any “accidents!”)

IN THE MORNING:
• Drink more water. We find slurping directly from the tap is effective and soothing.
• Pop some Alka Seltzer (for curing a sick stomach)
• Drink Gatorade (for rehydrating through electrolytes)
• Avoid caffeine at all costs. While some people swear by a strong cup of coffee in the morning, it’s important to remember that caffeine dehydrates. Alcohol is extremely dehydrating and the reason why your head is pounding is because you’re dried out. Drinking coffee will only make this worse. It’s also a diuretic and will further upset your stomach.
• Try to eat as many fruits and veggies as you can throughout the day—grease, contrary to popular opinion, is only going to bloat you up and slow down the detox process.
• Beware of the “Hair of the Dog.” It’s a band-aid that will only provide short-term relief. By drinking a Bloody Mary with brunch, you’re just prolonging the inevitable and compounding an already bad problem.
• Remember, you’ve just had a mild overdose of a depressant drug. So if you’re feeling hypersensitive and wildly anxious, that’s normal. Call in sick to work and try to sleep it off.
• One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana
milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system. If this is too much work, just eat the banana – it’ll work wonders!

BASIC ETIQUETTE
“The customer is always right” does not apply in a bar where alcohol is being served.

• Don't order a drink unless you have your money (or credit card) at the ready.

• Do not scream “Yo,” “Hey honey,” etc. You will only wait longer.

• Have your order ready by the time the bartender gets to you. Picture this: you’ve squeezed your way up through the crowds to the bar, and finally get the (very busy) bartender’s attention. But then when she asks you what you’d like, you have no idea, so you turn around and ask all of your friends what they want – wasting everyone’s time in the process!

• If a bartender takes care of you, take care of her. No bartender forgets a cheap person’s face.

• Just because you like Neil Young doesn't mean everyone else does. Is it necessary to pump $5 in the juke box and play two WHOLE Neil young CD's? The only time anyone wants to hear that is at the end of the night when they’re winding down and ready for bed, not at prime drinking times.

• Would you walk into Banana Republic and expect a free pair of pants, just because you’ve shopped there in the past? No, so why do so many people expect free drinks and buy-backs? The bartender is under NO obligation to give away alcohol. Ever.

• If a bartender does buy you a drink, you should (a) make sure you tip generously and (b) not expect another freebie every time you come back.

• If it’s not cool for nineteen-year-olds to "bar neck" why would it be any better if you’re over 40? PDA is gross.

HOW TO SCORE A FREE DRINK

Nothing is better than a freebie, but in the bar world, there are certain rules of engagement that must be followed in order to attain a complimentary cocktail.

• The cardinal rule for getting a free drink at a bar is ironically, never ask for one! Just like in the laws of physics we learned in high school, there will be an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, you’ll be charged for every single thing you order.

• Read your audience, like bartenders are trained to do: if the person slinging drinks is really busy, don’t bug him or her. But if you have a moment to chat, be witty, fun and engaging (again, without being a pest!)—we love to forge connections to great customers and more often than not, that means a free drink or two.

• Tip generously. Mark our words: bartenders have memories like elephants and simply never forget the biggest (and smallest!) tips. If you take care of us, we’ll take care of you.

• If all else fails, you might need to just cut your losses and pay for your cocktails. After all, you wouldn’t expect to get a free pair of pants at Banana Republic just because you’ve shopped there before, would you?

2006-07-26T09:57:00.000-07:00

RECIPES

BAR TO BARBEQUE...
-Maker’s Mark Grilled Steak Marinade
For each steak –
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. sage
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. Maker's Mark (1/2 oz.)
Place steak in deep dish and rub with olive oil. Crush sage and rub on both sides. Then sprinkle the bourbon and lemon juice on both sides. Dust with garlic powder and put steaks aside to marinate for about 2 hours. Turn them several times.
Cook steaks over a hot grill to medium or medium rare.

-Bourbon Beef Tenderloin
(Recipe courtesy Paula Deen and the Food Network)
1 cup bourbon
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup soy sauce
1 bunch cilantro, leaves chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups water
3 to 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
1 (5-pound) beef tenderloin, silver connective tissue removed
Oil, to brush grill
Preheat grill
Prepare marinade by combining the bourbon, brown sugar, soy sauce, cilantro, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, water, and thyme in a bowl. Make sure the tenderloin has been cleaned. Fold the tail end of the beef back underneath itself so that it is of uniform thickness and secure with butcher's string. Place meat in a dish and pour marinade over meat, cover, and refrigerate for approximately 8 to 12 hours turning meat over several times.
When grill is ready, place meat on oiled surface and reserve the liquid from the marinade. Cook over high heat with lid closed, turning meat often and occasionally basting with the marinade. The tenderloin will cook to rare in approximately 30 to 45 minutes.

-Bourbon Honey Salmon
8 oz. salmon steaks 1 in. thick
3/4 cup Bourbon, 1/2 cup packed brown sugar, 2 tablespoons honey, 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
Combine all ingredients (except salmon). Marinate salmon in sauce for 1 hour turning occasionally. Grill 10-12 minutes, brush once halfway thru grilling time.

-DRINK RECIPES-
Kentucky Lemonade
1 1/2 shots of Bourbon
1/2 shot of triple sec
2 oz of sour mix or 4 oz of lemonaid
2 oz 7-up
Shake and pour over crushed ice!

Makers Mint Tea
Boil 1/4 gallon of water.
Add 25- 35 mint leaves.
Let steep for 1/2 hour.
Add 1 heaping cup of sugar. Then chill.
Add one part Makers Mark per three parts of Tea. Enjoy!

“Just Peachy"
Ingredients:
1 oz Maker’s Mark
3/4 oz Peach Schnapps
4 oz freshly squeezed orange juice
1 orange slice
Fill Maker’s Mark cocktail shaker 3/4 full of ice; add 1 oz Maker’s Mark, 3/4 oz Peach Schnapps, and 4 oz orange juice. Shake for 30 seconds. Strain into stemmed glass (small goblet or brandy snifter). Garnish with orange slice.