Earlier this week, we got together at Double Crown for the Clear Liquor Tweet-Up, here's the evidence:

BELMONT BREEZE
Dale’s original signature drink of the Belmont Stakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 ounces Bourbon
• 1/2 ounce Dry Sack Sherry
• 1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 simple syrup
• Splash fresh orange juice
• Splash cranberry juice
• 5 mint leaves
• 1 mint sprig
• 1 orange zest

Preparation:

Assemble the first six ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and shake well. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with orange peel and mint sprig.

-From Dale DeGroff author of The Essential Cocktail.

^{From Dale DeGroff the author of "The Essential Cocktail"}

MINT JULEP
signature drink of the Kentucky Derby

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. simple syrup or one teaspoon sugar
• 4 mint leaves and a sprig of Mint (Use tender, young sprigs)
• 2 1/2 ounces Bourbon.

Preparation:

Prepare some very cold very dry powdered ice with large cubes of Kold Draft ice and a canvas ice bag. Bruise the mint leaves in the bottom of a julep cup with sugar or sugar syrup and then remove the muddled leaves. Add ice to the three quarter mark and half of the bourbon. Stir to chill the julep cup. Top off with more powdered ice and the remaining bourbon and continue to stir until the outside of the cup begins to freeze. Garnish with the mint sprig and set aside to rest while the julep cup freezes over on the outside. Pick up carefully and imbibe. Photos by Leo Borovskiy

Ok, so they weren't egg yolks, but Chris Lee's molecular take on the Pina Colada definitely felt more like a Prairie Oyster than a blended poolside drink. The renown Aureole chef (who apparently kicked some Top Chef ass on the new masters series) certainly has a deft hand with texture- taking a beach bar basic and turning into a molecular masterpiece. How does he keep all of that pineapple, coconut and Don Q flavor together? I'm still not sure, but I could definitely use another one of those shots.

Last night, we caught up with Jeff McInnis the chef over at Dildo Dilido Beach Club-  who was taking the blood out of his Bloody Marys at a Don Q Rum event.

Even though he wouldn't share his exact recipe with the camera (what, do you think we're Top Chef?), he gave up enough info for us to try out the method. So far, we haven't perfected it, but we've had fun trying.

Already, the buzz for Phil Ward's new tequila themed mixology den has exceeded any healthy level. So, as your eyes and ears, we couldn't turn an opportunity to give you the first look at their full cocktail menu (click through the gallery below).

The cocktails were all as amazing as they sound and the decor downstairs matches the vibe perfectly. We were fortunate enough to score Jim as our bartender last night, and he was as personable as he was skilled behind the bar.

He mixed up an Italian Inquisition for my first cocktail, and I was impressed with how complex and light something that dark and seemingly syrupy tasted. We moved onto El Jimador Shifty next, which featured Mezcal and Negro Modelo.  It was spicy, it was flavorful. In short, it was great. Over the next hour we sampled half of the menu, and were impressed with each drink Jim slid our way.

We spent the bulk of the evening in the downstairs bar, which you can check out over on Urban Daddy, if you're so inclined. Jim suggested we take the trip upstairs to check out the "baby maker" (his term not mine), and the upstairs might be the only part of Mayahuel that underwhelmed me.  The vibe upstairs was definitely very loungey with plush velvet and extreme red lighting.  Somehow, it didn't quite fit with the tiles and veladors downstairs. 

Upstairs be damned, this is a great spot, and certainly a destination for any tequila lover.

Mayahuel
304 E. 6th St
(at 2nd Ave)
East Village
New York, NY 10003
   

Hanging out at Fatty Crab Uptown has its perks. Not only can you snack on fatty goodness and drink cocktails crafted by our favorite mixologist, Allan Katz, but you can also spend quality time with your favorite rock stars.  Last night, Tad Kubler (guitar god from The Hold Steady) dropped in, and told us about his new band.

They're called Roadside Prophets and the band breaks down something like this:
Tad Kubler (THS) on Guitars
Galen Polivka (THS) on Drums
Dave Hause (The Loved Ones) on Lead Vocals
Pete Steinkopf (Bouncing Souls) on Guitars
Bryan Kienlen (Bouncing Souls) on Bass

As Allan put it, "it's every adolescent girl's wet dream...and mine too."

With the news of Eric Hara's resignation from David Burke's empire ringing through the blogosphere, I felt compelled to dig up one of the lost clips from the BubbleQ.  When speaking with John Tesar (formerly of the Mansion at Turtle Creek in Dallas), he mentioned two new projects with David Burke.  Could he be Hara's replacement?
 

Eric Hara's Resignation [via Eater]