Beverages

Seasonal, Edi & the Wolf and Third Man Chef Wolfgang Ban Chats Wine

Food and wine are natural companions, so I'm polling some of New York's most illustrious chefs to find out what kind of wine they are drinking off and on the job. After establishing they actually drink wine (a surprising number prefer beer!), I'm asking a few questions to find out who's got a pencha ... More >>

Aussie Wine Got Good! Here's Where to Drink it in New York

If your last memory of Australian wine was an overripe Shiraz, erase it! The new breed of Aussie wine is leaner, more structured, and food-friendlier than before, and heading to New York thanks to a wave of young, dynamic winemakers and importers. Gordon Little and his fiancee Lauren Peacock of Lit ... More >>

Meet Carla Rzeszewski, New York's Queen of Sherry

What comes to mind when you hear sherry, besides the Four Seasons song that maddeningly loops in your head like scratched vinyl? If the answer is a sweet brown drink that grandma likes, allow me to introduce you to New York City's "Queen of Sherry," Carla Rzeszewski. Rzeszewski is a sherry fanatic ... More >>

Empire State of Wine: 10 Great Bottles from the Finger Lakes and Niagara Escarpment

As spring continued dragging her feet last week, New Yorkers traipsed through snow flurries to drink wine. Nothing new there, except that the second annual NY Drinks NY was in town, offering imbibers a taste of local wines. I focused my efforts on the Finger Lakes and Niagara Escarpment, two regions ... More >>

STRANGE BREW

Sample spring's best beers

The 10 Best Wine Stores in Manhattan

Declaring New York's top ten wine shops proved even harder than counting the city's finest bowls of ramen. The number of high-quality wine retailers at our disposal is an embarrassment of vinous riches, and the abundance of stellar shops forced me to draw up separate lists for Manhattan and Brooklyn ... More >>

Sam Lewontin of Everyman Espresso Won Big at the Northeast Barista Championships

Competitive barista-ing is a spectator sport. In addition to four judges seated at a high bar directly in front of the competing baristas, there was a boisterous, roaming audience at the 2013 Northeast Regional Barista Championship last week. Over three days at Attic Studios, an airy industrial loft ... More >>

Back Forty West Hosts a Cassoulet Festival Tonight, and More Great Events

Monday, February 25 Cassoulet Festival at Back Forty West Peter Hoffman will hold the annual Cassoulet Festival at Soho's Back Forty West starting at 6:30 p.m. Alex Raij of Txikito, Mike Laarhoven of Back Forty, Shanna Pacifico of Back Forty West, Nick Anderer or Maialino, and Tom Mylan of the Meat ... More >>

Big Reds with Barbecue and More Simple Wine Pairing Advice

Last week, I opened a bottle of Châteauneuf-du-Pape to drink with takeout from Fletcher's BBQ. I wasn't really thinking about the pairing, although perhaps "big red and big food" subliminally guided me to pair the Southern Rhône with charred hunks of meat. I'll leave the review of Fletcher's to ou ... More >>

Pressing Thai, Tahitian, and Balinese Grapes: 5 New Latitude Wines

Welcome to the doldrums of winter. Unless you spend your weekends driving to the mountains, you're probably dreaming of warm, exotic locales to escape to during these blustery months. But don't imagine bland lagers and coconut cocktails -- the old drinks of tropical travels -- because more tourists ... More >>

BEST OF NYC™ Readers' Poll

Your Guide to Brooklyn's Wine Country

Can't make it to Napa this week 'cause Jay-Z hitched a ride in your Gulfstream to his Barclays show? No worries, hit up Brooklyn, Hova's favorite borough, for an idyllic afternoon on the subway wine trail. Your chariots, the 5/G/L trains, let you have the drink without the drive -- can you name anot ... More >>

5 Great Sodas in NYC

Now that the days of dropping five bucks on a jumbo, movie theater Coke will be going the way of smoking in bars, New Yorkers might want to consider a carbonation contingency plan. Despite Mayor Bloomberg's approved soda ban, plenty of NYC restaurants are crafting their own sodas in-house. Although ... More >>

OktoberfestNYC: 6000 Square Foot Beer Garden 16 Day Festival

We may be thousands of miles away from Munich, but that won't stop us from celebrating Oktoberfest. The 16-day Oktoberfest festival will be held from September 22 to October 7. Located at 1 Penn Plaza, OktoberfestNYC will feature almost 10,000 square feet of total festival space, including tented be ... More >>

5 Best West Village Wine Bars

In theory, I should love wine bars -- I drink a lot of wine, and I often trade evenings in my dinky, NYC apartment for nights out. But I often cringe when I hear the term, since every restaurant proprietor takes poetic license to call their beverages a "wine list" and their establishment a "wine bar ... More >>

How Not to Order Espresso

As a barista in Brooklyn, I deal with all breeds of customers: the genuinely inquisitive, the indecisive, the stubborn. Then there are others, the worst, and they're much easier to spot. They always begin with a question: "What's the roast date of your beans?"

Budweiser: Why It's My "King"

Beer UP typically examines a craft beer from a small brewer somewhere in the United States. Among many others, I've written about the Left Hand Milk Stout, the Founders Red Rye, and the Troegs Troegenator, but before I continue forward on this quest to drink every brewer in the country, I decided th ... More >>

10 Tips for Wine Rookies

Welcome to Unscrewed, your weekly antidote to wine-related malaise. Allow me to introduce myself with a list: 10 of my best tips for revitalizing your personal wine program or becoming a better drinker. 1. Be curious. There is no shame in learning, only in pretending to know what you don't. 2. Or ... More >>

Q&A: The Chipped Cup's Karen Cantor and Andrew Ding on the Coffee House Scene in Harlem, Part 2

[See More Interviews: Bitchin' Kitchen's Nadia G | Runner and Stone's Peter Endriss] Yesterday, Fork in the Road ran the first installment of this interview with owners Karen Cantor and Andrew Ding of the Chipped Cup, a new coffee shop in Harlem. Today, we follow-up and chat about the neighborhood ... More >>

Wolaver's India Pale Ale: Hey, It Ain't Bad, But...

Our weekly examination of, well, beer.

13 Reasons Why Banning 'Pig Gulp' Sodas in NYC Isn't Such a Bad Idea

I'm not a fan of Mayor Bloomberg. In fact, I'm often heard railing against the mayor's real estate policies, which have seen ugly condo towers soaring around the city at random, granted huge subsidies and tax abatements, disfiguring historic neighborhoods. The same policies have driven homegrown ma- ... More >>

Taste Test: Kung Fu Bubble Tea

Fork in the Road headed to Kung Fu Tea in the East Village yesterday for a taste of their bubble milk tea ($3). Our verdict: compared to its East Village bubble tea counterparts, Kung Fu reigns superior. The shop is owned by Taiwanese management and unlike neighboring Taiwanese joints T-Kettle and ... More >>

Five Cinco De Mayo Booze & Dine Deals

Cinco De Mayo is just around the corner and that calls for some rounds of tequila and maybe a margarita or two. Here's a round-up of five places where you can get discounted booze on the Mexican independence day. 1) $5 bar at Tortoria. Tortaria's four Mexican-style beers on tap will all be $5 each ... More >>

What's Happening This Week: Wine Tastings, Cheese Party

Harold Dieterle is having a prix fixe dinner at Perilla, featuring dishes made with La Quercia products like prosciutto, guanciale, speck, and lardo. The dinner will be held on Tuesday, April 24 from 5:30 p.m. and will cost $70 per person, excluding tax and tip. The East Village's Spina is hosting ... More >>

Our 5 Best German Beer Halls

Both spring and soccer season are in full swing, which means that it's time to head to the city's German beer halls for some communal revelry, large-screen sports watching, liter steins of beer, and hearty snacks. Below you'll find our favorite German beer halls in the city.

Maison Premiere's Pontarlier Julep

The drink: Pontarlier Julep The bar: Maison Premiere The price: $13 The ingredients: La Clandestine absinthe, Plymouth gin, Aperol, sweet vermouth, orange flower water

My 5 Favorite NYC Margaritas

The house margarita at Empellón Cocina By legend, the margarita was invented around 1940 in an Italian restaurant in Ensenada, Mexico, to commemorate the visit of the daughter of the German ambassador, who happened to be named Margarita. Now, you can get a margarita -- often, a sweetish mix ... More >>

Hella Bitter's Benjamin Ahr Harrison on Artisanal Bitters

Hella Bitter, a Brooklyn-based startup, sells artisanal bitters that are quickly becoming the product of choice at some of our favorite bars and restaurants like Noorman's Kil, the Spotted Pig, and the Mermaid Inn. So we decided to ask one of the company's owners, Benjamin Ahr Harrison to explain ho ... More >>

A Handheld Espresso Machine for Your Car?

According to an anecdotal survey conducted by the Times' Oliver Strand, Americans don't really drink straight espresso anymore. Most of owners of his favorite NYC coffee shops say that straight espresso accounts for about five percent of the coffee they sell, he wrote in the Times last week. If you ... More >>

The Wayland's Brian Hawthorne on Spring Drinks and Impromptu Bar Concerts

Brian Hawthorne is one of the owners of the Wayland (700 East 9th Street, 212-777-7022), where he tends bar and sometimes performs late-night impromptu concerts for his customers. We asked him about one of our favorite drinks on the menu -- a margarita made with kale juice -- spring cocktails, and h ... More >>

Kaia: Please Boer Me

Happily, New York gets some more South African food

Maharlika's Pacquiao's Punch

The drink: Pacquiao's Punch The bar: Maharlika (111 1st Ave., 646-392-7880) The price: $10 The ingredients: Santa Teresa Gran Reserva rum, homemade ginger syrup, lemon, pineapple, absinthe

Billy Deal on Noorman's Kil's Collection of 326 Types of Whiskey

Noorman's Kil, a Williamsburg grilled cheese joint and bar, prides itself on its massive collection of whiskey--the bottle count is currently at 326. The bartenders there help customers navigate this intimidating selection by holding free whiskey tastings every Wednesday and being ready to share eve ... More >>

Happy Absinthe Day!

Today is National Absinthe Day, another booze holiday that kicks off a month known for combining drinking with the color green.

Blue Bottle, Part Two

​Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! Yesterday, I wrote about my first experience at West 15th Street's new Blue Bottle Coffee. I apologize for having been so interested in the pour-overs that I missed the espresso machine. The other observations and criticisms still stand, including my belie ... More >>

Tea Room's Kombucha Party in Williamsburg

Tea Room, a kombucha bar (yes, you read right, a bar dedicated almost exclusively to serving kombucha), just opened in Williamsburg last week, according to Grub Street. It sells six types of kombucha, all prettily named: Sunset Peach, Jasmine Pearl, Gingerly Love, Chocolate Tart, Silver Needle Jasmi ... More >>

Takeout Your Valentine's Meal Part Deux: Pairings

FlackJacket2010 / FlckrHave a few drinks to loosen up, but go at your own pace. Don't want to end up like this guy.​You have a plan for Tuesday and now you're ready to stick with it. Ready for your next assignment? Beverage pairings!No romantic meal is complete without a little (or a lot) of booze ... More >>

Lincoln Ristorante's Aaron Von Rock on Negronis and Child Labor

Aaron Von Rock​Aaron Von Rock works as wine director of Lincoln Ristorante (142 West 56th Street), where he has also unveiled popular Negroni and Prosecco bars. Von Rock took the time to chat about the challenges of running single-beverage establishments -- and how a childhood of labor prepped ... More >>

What's Happening This Week: Gingerbread Decoration at Eleni's New York

Wine Tasting on a Boat As part of an ongoing series about world wines, Classic Harbor Line will host a sampling tonight, from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. Meet at Chelsea Piers' slot no. 62. Sign up for the $85 event here. Gingerbread Decoration at Eleni's New York Want to build the house of your dreams ... More >>

5 Great Wines Under $15: Reds

​Mas de Gourgonniere, Le Baux-de-Provence (2009) T'is the time of the year when oenophiles (as distinguished from onanists) give each other gifts of wine, and dinner hosts impress their friends by decanting bottles that drink much better than the price paid for them. In other words, the gr ... More >>

What's Happening This Week: Charity Wine Tasting

Maslow 6's Charity Tasting At this Tribeca wine shop (211B West Broadway), a tasting will help fund a music education non-profit -- the Harmony Foundation. Starting at 6 p.m. Monday, attendees can sample wines, meats, cheeses, and live music. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated to the group ... More >>

PKNY's Natalie Jacob on Cats and Lady Gaga

Natalie Jacob​ Natalie Jacob never knew that cocktails would become such a big part of her life. The New Jersey native studied interior design at Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, she moved to South Florida, where she tended bar in nightclubs. There, the menu mainly consisted ... More >>

What's Happening This Week: Cupcake Party

Cupcakes Take the Cake Anniversary Party The go-to blog for these frosting-topped pastries will host its 7-year anniversary party tonight, at the Soho Gallery for Digital Art (138 Sullivan St.) The shindig starts at 7 p.m. Tickets can still be purchased online for $7.

Black Market's Reynolds on Rocking Chairs

Reynolds, who tends bar at Black Market and Lovers of Today, has had a long journey to New York. The Nebraska native worked in low-profile Vancouver watering holes for years, building furniture as a side job. But he got tired of mixing G&Ts, and moved to the city two years ago. Reynolds, who only go ... More >>

Ritual Coffee Invades NYC -- Via Murray's Cheese

​Eschewing the brown paper bag of Blue Bottle and Stumptown, Ritual beans come in thick foil. I'm sitting here drinking a cup of coffee made from Ritual Coffee Roasters beans. Specifically, made from Ethiopian Koke coffee plants. It really is kind of like coke: full bodied, slightly tart, w ... More >>

Aquavit: Let's Cocktail Like the Scandinavians

Flickr/KimtaroLemon aquavit in the making​ The Danish food trend has been brewing for some time (see: Pellegrino's Best Restaurant Noma, the forthcoming Tribeca sandwich shop Aaman's), so it's only natural that aquavit is popping up on cocktail menus around the city, and on a micro-level...in ... More >>

Our 10 Best Cocktails to Drink Now

Keith WagstaffNice shot​ For the past couple of years, The Daily Shot, FitR's inappropriately named weekly cocktail feature, has scoured the city for the tastiest cocktails it could find. Straight up, on the rocks, with a twist, rimmed, and even on fire. You name it: We've knocked it back. Now ... More >>

Five New York Beers You Need to Try, According to Joshua M. Bernstein, Author of Brewed Awakening

Sterling PublicationsA beer a day will keep the doctor away, right?​While the craft-beer movement might have had its start out West, there's now no shortage of quality breweries here in New York. Just ask Joshua M. Bernstein, author of Brewed Awakening, a new book all about the origins of the ... More >>

La Colombe Torrefaction Opening on Lafayette Street on Monday

Lauren ShockeyLa Colombe Torrefaction, now even closer to The Village Voice!​ Coffee fans regularly flock to lower Lafayette Street to get their java fix at La Colombe Torrefaction (270 Lafayette Street, 212-625-1717), the Philadelphia-based coffee roaster that puts out a great cup of joe. Now ... More >>

Our 10 Best Beer Bars

​ The craft beer movement, once the province of homebrewers and so-called "beer nerds," has become so mainstream that you'd be hard-pressed to find a bar in New York City that doesn't have at least Brooklyn Lager on tap. But where do you go when you want to find the absolute best brews in the ... More >>