February 2010 Archives

Here comes state budget time and that means you'll likely have to pay more for booze in New York State. The dysfunctional folks in Albany are once again trying to raise taxes on beer, wine and liquor. The Daily News reports that beer taxes may go up $.10 a bottle and wine $.50. These are the excise taxes on the alcohol itself, not to be confused with the sales tax you pay when you buy the booze, which basically means we are paying double tax. Double tax for poor representation, just another benefit of living in good ole New York.

At least they are still trying to get wine in liquor stores. That plan fizzled last year though Gov. Patterson wants to revive it. Perhaps he'll even bump up his approval ratings - Crain's reports that 58% of New Yorkers want the option to buy wine in grocery stores.

Here's a new sake term for you - Hatsushibori. These are fresh, unpasteurized sakes from the first pressing and they appear just as winter begins to wind down. They don't last long, roughly 3 to 4 weeks, so tomorrow from 4pm - 6pm is your chance to taste three of them at Sakaya (324 E. 9th Street).

Downtown wine emporium Pasanella & Son (115 South Street) is having a snow day special today only - 20% off any bottle. Discount applies only to walk-ins only (no delivery) so you'll have to trek over, but you already have your boots on, don't you? Peruse their selection here.

Few cocktail bars have the creative muscle and consistency that Death and Company (433 E. 6th Street) has had. It's often our weeknight 'go to' place - no we don't go out on Fridays and Saturdays - since it is large enough to get into as opposed to tiny PDT, which we also find less consistent. So when we are out carousing, we eagerly look forward to a few rounds of Death and Company cocktails. Unfortunately, on a recent visit, for the first time we were disappointed. Some really good cocktails were off the menu, and in their place, were some less successful newcomers.

First off, we have to have our Manhattan Transfer (Rittenhouse rye, Noilly Pratt dry vermouth, ramazotti, orange bitters) and it remains top notch. Unfortunately, other faves Myra Breckinridge and Grouse Rampant were off the menu. Our rather large party, momentarily derailed by a lack of obvious choices, decided to risk the My Oh My Ty, a wimpy version of the mai tai that was in no way memorable, and a Smoked Horchata (housemade horchata, Herradura silver, Crema de Mezcal), which was way too sweet. Another newcomer, La Vina, was just okay as was the intriguing Daisy Buchanan (chamomile-infused Old Overholt rye, Dolin Dry Vermouth, Aperol & Yellow Chartreuse), which was bone dry on the finish. And the further we delved into the list, the more disappointing it became.

Hopefully the cocktail issues were just a manifestation of the mid-winter blahs. But what did strike our fancy were the always surprisingly strong food choices. The pulled pork sliders were very good while the prosciutto and cheese flatbread was fantastic. So fantastic, that we ordered more.

Anyway, we recommend proceeding with a bit of caution right now, at least until D+C gets  some "spring" in its step.

We haven't been to Marc Forgione (134 Reade Street, Tribeca) but this might get us there - every Tuesday from 6pm - 9pm they will have a "Suckling Pig Happy Hour" with all you can eat piggy sliders ($16) and a 2 for 1 beer special. Beers will change weekly.

Today Astor Wines & Spirits (399 Lafayette) spotlights Argentina for its latest "Astor Tuesdays" promotion - get 15% off Argentinean wines today only. See the list of 45 wines here.