Ask a Bartender: Entwine's Mixologist Makes Us a Drink

Image from Eater.com

We were blown away by the herbal cocktails at Entwine, the antiquey yet brand-spanking-new, bi-level boite in the Village (765 Washington Street, near W 12th; 212.727.8765), and wondered how we might try to mix those drinks at home. (Though it was awfully nice to sip drinks in their quaint, backyard garden).

Enter Duane Fernandez Jr, the bar's bubbly mixologist (below).

You may recognize Duane from the 5th annual 42Below Cocktail World Cup (at the Bowery Hotel last July), where he represented the Soho Grand, competing against NYC cocktail giants, like Sammy Ross and Lisa Hare.

This guy really knows how to mix it up!

So we asked him to score us one of Entwine's secret, herbalicious recipes, the Rosemary Fresca. Here's how to make it:

Rosemary Fresca:

2 oz silver tequila

1oz elderflower

Rosemary syrup

Fresh lime juice

Topped with proseco

Garnished with an rosemary stem

Not sure how to concoct a rosemary syrup in your own kitchen? Here's a simple recipe from Food & Wine: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/rosemary-syrup.

If you're looking for a few good drinks, contact DFJ at Duaneandcocktails@yahoo.com.

Free Pizza Movie - Tonight

Image by FreeNYC.com

Has it been too long since you've attended a pizza party? FreeNYC tipped us off to a free pizza fete (with RSVP) at Brooklyn's 3rd Ward (195 Morgan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237 (718) 715-4961) tonight--and it includes a pizza-tastic movie.

The festivities will include a free screening of "Pizza: The Movie", a film that documents the heartfelt journey of the US Pizza Team to the intimidating World Pizza Championship in Italy. There will be sausage, sauce, and sabotage.

You'll have to head out to brooklyn to get a slice of the action! For more info: http://www.freenyc.net/archives/2009/05/pizza_the_movie.php

Metromix Article: An Inside Look at S2 Beer Garden

Ahhh, beer gardens.

LIC's newest beerhaus is going to give that other, er, German beer garden in Queens a run for their money with an $8 food menu and affordable pitchers--not to mention sangria on tap for the ladies.

Metromix had me profile the gigantic (read: 30,000 sq ft) space (above). Click on the image for the full article, or here at: http://newyork.metromix.com/bars-and-clubs/essay_photo_gallery/inside-studio-square/1173183/photo/1173182

Canadian Cuisine Reigns Supreme: Taste of Quebec Food Week

Never heard of Canadian cuisine, eh?

Well, Canadians do a lot more than promote peace, shiver in the cold, and play hockey, of course, Especially in the fertile province of Quebec.

Our neighbor to the North is being celebrated this week at Food Emporium's "Taste of Quebec Week". The upscale grocery chain will be offering a variety of Canadian products, including meats and poultry, artisanal cheeses, seafood and baked goods.

Starting May 28th, these gourmet Canadian food products can be found right here at home. We've got the skinny on what brands you can sample:

• Du Breton – Family owned and operated, this company offers a variety of pork products
• Montpak International – Well known for its humanely raised veal products, and one of the largest veal producers in North America
• Brome Lake – For over 100 years, the Brome Lake Duck Farm has been offering fresh, all natural ducks, and is well recognized for providing consumers with a flavorful, less fatty duck product
• Atkins & Frères – This family owned business is dedicated to creating high-quality smoked fish, and is known for their Atlantic salmon pavé
• Cheeses: Quebec boasts 300 varities of artisinal cheese, all produced with hormone-free milk. Producers featured at the event include the Damafro and Alexis de Portneuf brands
• Maple Syrup: We could hardly picture a Canadian food week without our fave maple syrup! “Taste of Québec” is offering two premium brands, including Möpure and La Ferme Martinette--made with 100% maple sap, of course.

Thanks, Canada! Happy eating!

amNY story: Summer Bar Preview

Ahh...nothing beats summer time partying...especially in the great outdoors.

Wondering where to sip drinks this summer? amNY had me profile 7 new hotspots for imbibing when the weather heats up. Click on the image to enlarge the article.

Cheers!

amNY Story: Free Foods

Looking for more free food in the city? I covered this topic for amNY today. The deals are legit!

Free BBQ and Alcoholic Milkshakes

nycdailydeals.com

Truly good deals are hard to come by, but Tasting Table (http://tastingtable.com/) revealed some pretty spectacular recession specials this week.

Specials so good, they won't cost you a dime.

Our favorite? Free BBQ and Maker's Mark Milkshakes at Bushwick Country Club on Sundays. Yes, that's in Brooklyn, but they do have a pretty awesome mini-golf course.

Have a reason to celebrate? The country club also offers free drinks when you bring in at least 15 people on your special day. Have 30 friends who will show up (c'mon, that's what facebook is for!) and they'll supply free hot dogs off the grill. That's alot of free!

Looking for more freebies? Visit http://www.examiner.com/x-2935-Manhattan-Food-Examiner~y2009m5d20-Free-BBQ-and-Makers-Mark-Milkshakes.

Ewe Should Be Excited: Taste of Tribeca Lamb Cook Off

This weekend, I covered the Taste of Tribeca's first-ever lamb cook off for AOL's food blog, www.slashfood.com, starring two ba-ad-ass chefs, Leah Cohen (of Top Chef fame) and Kurt Gutennbrunner (Wallse/Blaue Gans).

The teeny tent drew a terrific crowd of enthused foodies, who tried not to drool while watching the chefs grill American lamb sirloin over a gigantic grill. The chefs were given 30 minutes to wow the judges (including another Top Chef star, Gail Simmons) with 1 killer dish--using just the ingredients found in the pantry provided for them, plus one secret ingredient.

So who won the challenge? Find out at: http://www.slashfood.com/2009/05/18/taste-of-tribecas-lamb-cook-off-mutton-wrong-with-competition/

Expeditioner Story: Riviera Maya

We love Mexican imports: tinga tacos, margaritas, sopapillas, and telenovelas--but nothing beats a trip down to the Mayan Riviera.

Check out my expeditioner.com article on Eco Tripping--Mexico style. It'll make you want to cross the border, in a socially responsible fashion, of course.

Get your adventure on, after the jump:

http://www.theexpeditioner.com/2009/05/17/top-10-eco-adventures-in-the-mayan-riviera/

Scorpion Bowl Guide

We only learned one thing this weekend: that scorpion bowls = trouble.

But don't let that stop you from enjoying these campy, oversized drinks (and who doesn't love super long straws?). Here's where you can log some tiki time:

Zombie Hut

273 Smith St., Brooklyn, NY, 11231nr. DeGraw St. (718) 875-3433

This Carroll Gardens hotspot offers a large garden space (complete with South Pacific decorations and thatched palapas), board games, and cheeky mixed drinks like the frozen Zombie (three kinds of rum, yum!), the suffering bastard (don't ask what's in it), and the flaming Scorpion Bowl (pictured) for four is worth a $20. Most drinks cost just $5 a pop, however, late into the night.

Bamboo 52

344 West 52nd St (212) 315-2777
The happy hour here is killer ($5 drinks specials/half-priced drinks till 9pm), and the selection of sushi makes it a great place for an afterwork drink with your cubicle buddies. Furthering the corporate bonding are two flaming scorpion bowls, one for $18 (serves 2) and one for $28 (serves 6). Both feature a heady mixture of dark & light rums.

Otto's Shrunken Head

538 E 14th St New York, NY 10009 (212) 228-2240

This East Village standby has two rooms, live bands, and a grungy atmosphere--but their flaming, oversized Volcano bowl ($26) is a serious contender. For those hoping for tropical drinks in cheezy tiki glasses, a $5 deposit is required. But we may know of some imbibers who have walked away with a hula girl glass...