Borgias-Inspired Libations: Machiavelli Manhattan?

Is anyone else obsessed with The Borgias?

For cocktail fans like us, we fully realize it's all about Mad Men in terms of drinks slammed per prime-time episode. But frankly, people were throwing them back in Pope Alexander VI's time, too.

Now it's obvious Manhattans were not all the rage during the Renaissance, but we could totally see our hero (Machiavelli, duh!) drinking this variation of our favorite Bourbon-based cocktail: The Prince.

The Prince

3/4 ounce sweet vermouth
2 1/2 ounces Bourbon
Dash Angostura Bitters
1 orange twist, for garnish
Pinch of edible gold dust, add for dramatic effect

Elaborate velvet puffy sleeves are not a requirement to consume.

Goldfinger's Lair? Tzigan, New York

There seems to be enough gold in new MePa club Tzigan to potentially settle the national debt.

Tzigan, which is an obscure reference to a band of gypsies, is located on the lower level of Villa Pacri, below the Italian-bistro hybrid resto, La Gazzetta. And it is a room decked out in gold, gold and more gold. So much gold, in fact, that we're concerned it may be Goldfinger's underground lair. Only a villanous creature intent on world domination could dream up such a space!

Tzigan is the type of place where a certain supermodel might throw a diamond-encrusted cell phone at her foolhardy assistant--only to be blinded by the bling all around and awkwardly miss, shattering another celeb's Lalique-bottled, 25 year old Scotch. Not that we witnessed such a scandal at Tzigan. But we're just saying, it could happen at a place like Tzigan.

Here's more on Tzigan, courtesy of amNY.