manhattan-cocktail-classic

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is a five-day celebration of the global spirits industry — running from May 17-21 this year. Part trade show, part bacchanalia, MCC organizers host intimate workshops and large-scale throwdowns throughout the entire city. Nearly 100 events are spread across five days and four boroughs, with a multi-day trade conference to boot.…

Before the heavens opened early Sunday morning and New York City was soaked in a way that only farmers dream and outdoor festival organizers fear, I spent roughly 18 hours covering two of the city’s largest (and loudest) food and drink events — that mercilessly fall over the same weekend. The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is…

There's been a lot of talk back and forth lately about cocktail contests — whether they suck or whether they are awesome. We will be the first (and not last) to say that the It's a Rematch!!!! Beeyatch!!!!! event that went down in New York City on May 14, to close out the Manhattan Cocktail…

When it comes to cocktails, Simon Ford is the guy to know. After earning a Wine and Spirits Education Certificate in the UK, he went on to work for Seagrams and now holds the heady title of Global Spirits & Cocktail Brand Expert for Pernod Ricard USA. For real, it's on his business card. In…

Can a cocktail be Fair Trade–certified? Jean-François Daniel, founder of FAIR Spirits, says yes and he’s fighting to make spirits a major Fair Trade player like counterparts in the coffee and tea industries. As the Manhattan Cocktail Classic came to a close yesterday, Daniel hosted a panel about sustainability in spirits. He and his fellow…

Call it the cocktailing world’s New York Fashion Week. The Manhattan Cocktail Classic kicks off tonight: five days of boozy events, many of which will highlight the hottest drinking trends of the season. To get a jump on what cocktails are cool this spring, we tapped some of our favorite bartenders for the trending tipples…

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is not just about drinking, there was cocktail appropriate food served throughout the five day fest as well. But it wasn't all mini quiches and tiny hot dogs. For a Campari event at the Lower East Side bar/performance space the Box, both bartender and chef were presented with both a challenge…

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic was not just about cocktails. For a Campari event at the Lower East Side bar/performance space The Box, both bartender and chef were presented with both a challenge and a muse. The muse? Ms. Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef hostess, star of sultry TV commercials and author of the cookbook Tangy, Tart,…

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is not just about drinks, it's also about the things that you eat when you drink. While these pakoras are a little fancier than chips and dip, these spicy hot bites were designed to pair perfectly with the Marco Polo Negroni.

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic is not just about crazy drinks, it's about awesome food to be consumed with drinks. For a Campari event at the Lower East Side bar/performance space The Box, both bartender and chef were presented with both a challenge and a muse. The muse? Ms. Padma Lakshmi, Top Chef hostess, star of…

What: Dia de los Muertos-inspired party in an actual, un-living cemetery in New York’s East Village. Where: New York City Marble Cemetery When: May 16, 2011 Food: Carne asada, chicken and vegetarian tacos. We were there mostly for the drinks. Drink: Five cocktails were served, mixed by Giuseppe Gonzalez of NYC’s Painkiller and Aaron Smith…

During the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, you cannot live by drink alone. If you do, things will get very messy very quickly. There were artisanal pickles and popsicles galore at the opening night gala, but at a Campari event at the Lower East Side bar/performance space The Box, the food was a more substantial part of…

Another day of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic, another cocktail. This one is from Parisian barman Nicolas de Soto. He infuses cognac with liquorice root and mixes it with absinthe for a uniquely bittersweet drink.

Yes, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic continues, and with it our coverage of some of the best cocktails being served this week. Dev Johnson of NYC drinks den Employees Only offered up this mysterious concoction with an appropriate name. Mata Hari was the prototypical femme fatale, a Dutch exotic dancer who adopted an Indonesian persona and…

Last night the Manhattan Cocktail Classic kicked off in high style with an adult-beverage filled extravaganza at the New York Public Library. A sold-out crowd of 3,000 came dressed to the nines to nibble on artisanal pickles, popsicles and mac-n-cheese while downing their drinks. According to the events organizers over 100 top tier bartenders served…

At the opening gala of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic tonight, bartender extrarordinaire Ryan McGrail, who can normally be found at NYC cocktail hotspot Flatiron Lounge, will be mixing up some Spicy French Pear cocktails. This drink blends Pierre Ferrand Cognac Ambre (which has vanilla notes) and Mathilde Liqueur Poire (which is redolent of ripe pears),…

The Manhattan Cocktail Classic will be featuring a number of variations on the classic Negroni. This spice-inflected version is the creation of Christy Pope and Chad Solomon of the beverage consulting firm Cuff and Buttons, and uses Marco Polo Tincture to add exotic spice notes. To make the tincture, fill a small jar with some…

If punches seem hopelessly retro or like nothing more than grown-up Kool-Aid to you, you are partially right. A perfect punch has elements of sour, sweet, strong, and weak, and that balancing act of flavors made punches the precursors of the modern day cocktail. Punches were ubiquitous through the 18th century, but were replaced by…

Yes you read that correctly: This is a Marguerite cocktail, not a Margarita. One is made with gin, the other with tequila. Both are delicious. But very different. The Marguerite first appears in cocktail books in 1896 and was specifically designed to use Plymouth Gin, which was less sweet than the Old Tom gin that…

If you're in New York City this weekend and you see a lot of well-dressed people wobbling around the streets at night, well, there's a perfectly good explanation. The annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic kicks off tonight with a gala at the New York Public Library, and runs through Tuesday at bars, restaurants, and clubs throughout…

We've looked at the ultra classic Negroni, but the Manhattan Cocktail Classic will also be featuring some new takes on the traditional, like this East Indian Negroni from Jim Meehan of the speakeasy-inspired cocktail mecca PDT in NYC. Jim swaps out the gin for rum and a sweet sherry for the vermouth for an exotic…

Friday the 13th kicks off the 2nd annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic in NYC. Part festival, part fête, part conference—what the Classic really boils down to is 5 days of drinking. Though it is educational drinking, with over 100 seminars and events and some of the best mixologists and bartenders in our fair land. The opening…