Let me preface this post by declaring that I am exhausted! I have attended so many events, parties and dinners this summer.
New York winters can be brutal as you know, so I make sure to get out and enjoy what the city has to offer during the warm months. The sun has really played its part this year, New York has had so many beautiful days and warm breezy evenings, so it has been a pleasure to saunter around the city having a bite here and a drink there, shaking my hips to the beat over there and socializing with folks here and there.
The event I enjoyed the most this week was the Uptown Battle of the Bars which took place at Mist Harlem. I had so much fun.
The Uptown Battle of the Bars was a very nice event, really well thought out. There were approx. 12 bartenders from bars and restaurants in and around Harlem and the guests of the event were tasked with testing each and every cocktail, and once done, we had to vote on the cocktail we preferred. Each bartender created two cocktails, one Hendricks based and the other Hennessy based. I avoided the Hennessy cocktails, I didn’t think it wise to mix cognac with gin, not with my
constitution. So I only taste tested the Hendricks based cocktails and oh my they were good. My favorite was a cocktail called Scent-A-Mintal, created by Garrett Hendricks, bartender at 67 Orange Street:
- 2 oz Hendricks Gin
- 3-4 Slices Cucumber
- 2-3 Pieces of Pear
- 3/4 oz Lime Juice
- 3/4 oz Mint Simple Syrup
- Two Bar Spoons of Aperol
- Place in a Coup Glass
- Garnish with Mint
Here’s Garret at work.
The music in the background was provided by Stormin Norman, founder of Sundae Sermon. A DJ battle was also part of the entertainment. I wish I could remember who the DJs were as they were very entertaining, but my mind became muddled by gin cocktails, as you would expect.
The winner of Uptown Battle of the Bars was Naima Williams of Angel of Harlem. She won the title for the second time, previously in 2013, so congratulations to Naima.
Blog Life Week 35.
