[nuxvomica]

but you've heard, i assume (see: Eater, Urban Daddy, Thrillist, etc., etc.)

i'm going to ignore this whole public secret silliness because cocktails are good and the place, although small, very comfortable. entering from inside crif dogs (door on the left - not really a phone booth but don't ask the crif staff, i hear they are getting mightily annoyed by andy PDT related questions), you'll find yourself in a cozy den. exposed brick, black tufted leather banquettes, long lit-from-underneath bar, taxidermy.

cocktail menu by the very talented and supernice Jim Meehan (what can I say, i hate bitchy bartenders) of Pegu and Gramercy Tavern. I'd say he's my favorite bartender in the city (i'm hardly alone on this one), but i digress. i had the good luck to get a sneak peek last night during friends & family - it opens on Thursday.

the rye cocktail with manzanila and grand marnier is very, very good (although could use a better name), el diablo (tequila, cassis, ginger beer) was very popular and deservedly so. a mean mint julep. i loved the pimm's rangoon but not the too-sweet pisco sour. the east india cocktail was also on the sweeter side but i could see enjoying it when it gets colder - the first sip just warms you up. The trident was all caraway aquavit with cynar, manzanilla and peach bitters. I'm intrigued by the use of manzanilla in drinks.

btw, if you go to Pegu regularly, you may recognize some of the staff. you'll feel at home it's small so go early.

[Wilfrid1]

I was sworn to secrecy on that one.

[nuxvomica]

oh, and Sam Mason (Tailor) was there. doing "research," i bet, heh heh

[Wilfrid1]

Swish, dark space, nicely decorated. Beautiful soft leather bar stools. Certainly has a secluded feel - no chance of any natural daylight, unless you count the dim glow from the smoking yard out back.

Entrance is amusing. You have to squeeze into the telephone booth inside Crif Dogs, as hot dog-munching patrons studiously ignore you, press a button (instructions are posted) and then tolerate a look up and down from the doorman who insists on asking "Yes, can I help you?"

The food menu is basically hot dogs, which appear wittily through a little hatchway from next door. I can't review the cocktails, because luck dictated we were served by someone being trained. Everyone needs to learn, but I wonder if customers should be charged full price ($11) while acting as guinea pigs?

If you are going, go before the crowds pack it. It was mentioned in Dining Panties yesterday, so word is getting out.

[Wilfrid1]

I managed to find this thread by searching for Crif.

A better experience at PDT this time around, as our drinks were mixed by an experienced bar-tender. I liked the Rye Witch - a variation on the Sazerac. Oh, I can't remember the ingredients. This was followed by a classic Brooklyn, which is like a Manhattan led down the wrong path with Amer Picon.

A nice touch: a tequila-based cocktail from the specialty list was judged slightly bitter by its recipient. After pondering, the bar-tender added a splash of Agave nectar, which adjusted the mix perfectly.

Early evening (around 7pm), we snagged the last stools at the bar.

[cdh]

It seems that we must have been occupying seats at the bar at the same time. The Rye Witch was very tasty indeed, as was the Frankfort Rose. Jim was a very personable fellow, but spent more time working the room than behind the bar, so I didn't have anything personally shaken by him. Excellent tater tots too.

[nuxvomica]

oh, sounds like new drinks on the menu, must investigate...

[Sneakeater]

So last night, after an 8 o'clock dinner at Ssam Bar, my friend and I walked over to PDT.

45-minute wait.

Then over to Death & Co.

20-minute wait.

Maybe I'm a stodge, but I can't bring myself to wait to get into a bar.

(I also can't bring myself to schlepp over to the East Village for cocktails if I'm not sure I can get into a bar.)

I think the New York Cocktail Revival has passed me by.

[nuxvomica]

nah, it's just the East Village cocktail revival - there is always Pegu, Flatiron Lounge, etc. and the east village also Blue Owl - although i don't know if the drinks are still any good

i refuse to wait as well so i go early but i'm crazy like that.

[Shrike]

I agree. Timing is everything, but I won't wait for drinks.

[Wilfrid1]

As I said above, we took the last two bar-stools at 7pm the other night. I think a table might have been free. Pegu Club has such a long bar that it's a safe bet a little later, toward 8pm say. Flatiron too, I'd say.

None of this is a problem for me, as the cocktail hour is over by 8pm, and you should be doing (and drinking) something else.

[Shrike]

We also usually arrive early enough to get seated in most places except perhaps trips to Little Branch where I confess I have waited for a table at times.

[nuxvomica]

more new drinks: Benton's something - bacon infused whiskey - delicious. the staggerac good too. and i have to say i love the chang dog

[Wilfrid1]

Just looking at the list which has been posted over at eGullet. Confirms my impression that the mixers here have a sweet tooth.

As I mentioned on another thread, I re-visited the other night and had two cocktails about as sweet as they need to be. The Table 8, I think it was called, involved Barenjager Honey Liqueur. I also had a kind of tequila-based Old Fashioned with, I think, agave nectar. Almost every cocktail on the list features concentrated fruit syrups and purees, and/or sweet liqueurs. I am reminded that I've also had the Dewey D before, sweetened with sherry.

Nothing wrong with it; I'm just puzzled in the context of old-style cocktails being dismissed as sweet.

[Nathan]

Just looking at the list which has been posted over at eGullet. Confirms my impression that the mixers here have a sweet tooth.

As I mentioned on another thread, I re-visited the other night and had two cocktails about as sweet as they need to be. The Table 8, I think it was called, involved Barenjager Honey Liqueur. I also had a kind of tequila-based Old Fashioned with, I think, agave nectar. Almost every cocktail on the list features concentrated fruit syrups and purees, and/or sweet liqueurs. I am reminded that I've also had the Dewey D before, sweetened with sherry.

Nothing wrong with it; I'm just puzzled in the context of old-style cocktails being dismissed as sweet.

some do, some don't.

but many/most of the fall/winter cocktails were in the vieux carre family...and not sweet at all...spring/summer does tend to get you more into a fruit zone...though as always, balance is key.

fwiw, I definitely think Audrey Saunders over at Pegu has a touch of a sweet tooth.

with that said, I virtually always go off-menu at PDT so it's hard for me to gauge the actual tenor of the menu.

I'd further add that PDT, like most SCB's, emphasizes gateway drinks due to the nature of most of their clientele. just tell the bartenders you're not a neophyte and want a boozier drink. you'll get it.