The 5 Boroughs
Part 2
After posting The 5 Boroughs Part 1, I heard from several readers and friends who were not aware there are cocktails named after each borough of NY. I would love to hear from anyone if they were familiar with more than the Manhattan or Bronx Cocktails. Please hit me up in the chat and let me know.
These next three cocktails named after the other boroughs of NYC might be less well known and, well, less respected than The Manhattan or The Bronx…but dang they are delicious. Each in their own way represents the neighborhoods of their namesake.
The Brooklyn Cocktail
My cousin Joe and his wife Philipa are true foodies and cocktailians. We have enjoyed quite a few evenings together sampling wines in vineyards, decadent dinners, artisanal pizza and many a craft cocktail at many a cool bar. When I was consulting to and helped open a pizza restaurant and craft cocktail bar called Heartwood in the Soho neighborhood of New York, they popped in one day and had a Barrel Aged Brooklyn Cocktail while eating a pizza on our bar. Joe has been hooked forever! For the record, Joe’s brother Mark was the master baker and pizzaiola at Heartwood and is also a Manhattan and Brooklyn cocktail lover as well! Truthfully, I need to create a drink called SoHo after this super cool and iconic Manhattan Neighborhood. Stay tuned!
The Brooklyn often reads like an understudy to its more iconic cousins, the Manhattan and Bronx cocktails. For my money…it is just as elegant and delicious yet different from the Manhattan. Ingenious and innovative mixologists have even created several riffs named after the borough’s unique and interesting neighborhoods, including the Red Hook, Greenpoint and several more.
The classic recipe calls for Amer Picon a French Bitter/Apertif that is mostly unavailable in the US. So I substitute either of my two favorite amaros. Feel free to use your favorite. The classic recipe does not call for simple syrup but I have found that a mere dash of simple syrup or agave nectar seems to balance all the flavors.
Ingredients:
¾ oz Averno Amaro or Ramazotti Amaro or other Amaro
1 oz Bourbon or Rye
½ oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
½ oz Dolin Dry Vermouth or other Dry Vermouth
dash of Simple Syrup, Agave Nectar optional
GLASS: Classic martini or rocks glass with one ice cube
GARNISH: Flamed Orange Twist
Steps:
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shale vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into a martini glass and garnish.
The Queens Martini aka The Astoria
Recipe notes:
The Queens is a slightly “wet” slightly fruit-forward & herbaceous Version of a Martini. I am a regular Gibson drinker…that is a Martini garnished with cocktail onions…so the Queens fits the bill for me!
Experiment with the bitters here…orange bitters are awesome, but so are Cardamom Bitters, Lavender Bitters and so many other. Martini Bianco is a slightly sweet white vermouth. It has wonderfully vibrant aromatics and layers of complexity. Other Bianco’s include Carpano Antica Bianco and Dolin Blanc.
Ingredients:
2 oz gin
½ oz Martini Bianco
½ oz Dry Vermouth
3 dashes orange bitters
GLASS: Classic Martini GARNISH: Cippolini onion
Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker then add ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strain into glass and garnish.
The Staten Island Frappe
Recipe Notes:
Staten Island is the Borough of NY that is least well known nationally. Too bad! It has over 170 parks, amazing beaches, killer pizza (you must try 80-year-old Denino’s Pizza & Tavern), awesome seafood restaurants, great views, and was home to the Staten Island Yankees. The Staten Island Yankees were the Class A minor league affiliate of the Yanks. The team was shut down when the Class A division was shuttered by MLB in 2020.
I created this initial rendition of the drink at Gramercy Tavern in NYC back in 1996. My original recipe for The Staten Island Frappe was inspired by a drink called the Staten Island Ferry - named after the free ferry that connects Staten Island to Manhattan – and is a simple mix of Malibu rum and pineapple juice.
I used leftover pineapple sorbet as ice cubes that made a drink that changed in the glass over time. I settled on this recipe a few months later, after we no longer had pineapple sorbet to use! Inspired by the mantra “you live on an island…act like it!” This drink, drinks like a Tiki cocktail and is quite refreshing! Sarsaparilla Bitters taste like root beer and adds many layers of flavors and complexity to the drink. If you cannot find them, use Angostura or another classic bitter.
Ingredients:
2 oz Bacardi Spiced Rum or other spiced
¾ oz of Disaronno Amaretto
3 oz pineapple juice
1 lemon wedge
1 lime wedge
3 dashes Sarsaparilla bitters
GLASS: Highball GARNISH: generous grate of nutmeg and lime wheel
Steps:
Squeeze the lemon and lime wedges into a cocktail shaker and drop them in. Add the rest of the ingredients and ice. Shake vigorously until the outside of the shaker is frosted and beaded with sweat. Strin into a highball glass with ice and garnish