In honor of Umami Mart’s sixth anniversary/ lease-signing and the Japan Week celebration in NYC, this month we spotlight the Japanese Cocktail for Happy Hour. We will review the cocktail’s origins, its ingredients, and offer an improved adaptation that...
One of my favorite places for a sunset cocktail in San Francisco is the historic Cliff House. First opened in 1863, it sits on the site of the Sutro Bath House ruins overlooking Ocean Beach. Go early for a walk around Lands...
A step-by-step recipe to making your own amazake, sweet sake, at home.
“Champagne for our real friends and real pains for our sham friends.” - A toast from Harry’s Bar in Paris circa 1920 This Valentine’s Day, make sure your pre or post-romantic dinner drink is the classic champagne cocktail. The French 75...
It's so cold in the woods these days -- cozy up with a warm cup of Chai-Nog! Just mix one part chai tea (loose leaf or from a tea bag) with one part egg nog, then sprinkle with nutmeg. Spike it...
In 2013, I am so excited to be devoting myself to the creation of my first cookbook, which seemed like a pipe dream last year at this time. I am so grateful to everyone who has inspired and supported me creatively...
Wishing you a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season. Cheers! Erin
Over the last decade the cocktail renaissance has spread across the country and helped turn bartending from a mere side-job for college students and aspiring actors into an honorable profession. It has also resurrected previously unknown names like Jerry...
Categorically speaking, a flip is a cocktail in which a whole egg is deployed, the reason being to impart a richness, body, and a silky texture to a drink. Because of how rich these drinks are, they are considered...
On a combined wedding/tour/family holiday in Sri Lanka in mid-November, I had two days in Colombo with my parents. One of the things I've been trying to do for the past few years was to visit Euphorium Tea Salon which supplies Ceylon...
The Blackbeard debuted on the PDT cocktail menu in the Summer of 2008. It's another creation by former PDT bartender Daniel Eun, who now attends law school full time but occasionally manages to squeeze a few shifts every now...
The Bizet cocktail was created by David Slape, a former PDT bartender. The drink is a Champagne-based riff on the classic Americano, and is named after 19th century composer Georges Bizet, who is most famous for his final operatic composition,
There was a bit of bad weather last week that stole my focus away from the PDT Project, but now that Sandy's been replaced by something more manageable for New Yorkers (a blizzard), I can refocus my attention and...
Here's a column idea that's been brewing for a while: asking bartenders in Japan about their techniques, methods and current cocktail trends. Our first bartender is Mr. Tomokazu Kai, winner of Suntory's 2011 Cocktail Award. Kai-san bartends at Heuga Bar in Gifu prefecture,...
The Betula cocktail first appeared on the PDT menu in the Fall of 2007, and a great cocktail for the Fall it is. The name Betula comes from the Latin word for birch, which is infused into the base spirit of...
If you grew up in America, then chances are you're familiar with the story of Elizabeth Griscom Ross, better known as Betsy Ross. If you didn't, or if you had ADD during elementary school, the story basically goes like this:...
When creating cocktails, bartenders draw inspiration from a wide array of sources. The most common of those sources are other bartenders and other classic cocktails of the past. Today's cocktail, the Berlioni, draws inspiration from both another bartender and a...
If there's one drink on the menu that PDT is perhaps most famous for, it is the Benton's Old-Fashioned. Although PDT's menu is ever-changing and some would say hyper-seasonal, there are a few drinks that are mainstays. The Benton's Old-Fashioned...
I used to live in Azabujuban for four years during my 20s. Sadly I don’t get to go there that often anymore as I live farther away. I love Azabujuban so much because there are so many great restaurants and cool shops there...
A new cocktail bar opened in Copenhagen in the spring of 2012. The creation of the bar had been in the making for years. The owner is a friend of mine, who is an impressively ambitious and creative entrepeneur building bars around...
