For the Love of Pimm’s!

You’ve probably seen it on a menu, bleary eyed and barely clinging to life at a NOLA bachelorette party the morning after. We’re talking Pimm’s and it was introduced to England in the mid 19th century when James Pimm, who owned an oyster bar in London, released a tipple called "No. 1 Cup," which he claimed was a tonic to aid digestion. His cocktail, which showcased this gin-based liqueur, was dubbed "Pimm's Cup," and rang of all things quininey, herbaceous and fruity.  By 1851, Pimm began large-scale production on his drink. Since its original creation and evolution into other cup blends, the drink has traveled across Britain, crossed into other European countries and been exported across the world.  For reasons unknown, at some point in the 20th century New Orleans took a cue from London and adopted the Pimm’s Cup as a low ABV favorite. Combining Pimm’s with lemonade and 7-Up, the drink is served in a highball glass and garnished with cucumber, strawberrys, mint, rosemary… basically whatever is in your fridge that you were planning on turning into a salad. Subtly sweet, tangy, and refreshing, it’s the kind of guilty pleasure anyone can enjoy on a hot summer night.

where are we even?

if you had told us in January that in a few months we’d be required to wear a mask at work for the entire shift, that our favorite cocktail bars in nyc would close their doors forever, that the stock market would plummet very shortly, or that on long island, we would only be allowed to seat half of our dining room, we would have cut you off and closed out your tab. sent you on your merry way.

but here we are!

since the pandemic hit home ariana has been managing a farm to table restaurant that is offering indoor and outdoor seating and adhering to all of nys covid guidelines. rich has decided to grow his photography business (shouts out to kahnscious media) and has left the bar which he had managed pre-covid.

as of today neither of us has had a sip of alcohol in 11 days. aiming for 30.

being in this industry is tough, it always was. obviously now it’s harder. the easiest thing was to drink it off and go to bed to wake up and do it again. which is what went on for a few years.

but we have the opportunity here to rebuild ourselves. we’ve seen a lot of our friends take covid by the balls and challenge themselves to be better. patrick cap and ryan morimando channeled the energy into making their bodies stronger. tracy johanna started a to go cocktail business. frank antonetti is putting in WERK at rust and gold, which has an undeniable ripple through the entire community.

so what happens when a global pandemic hits long island you ask? we keep our heads down and we keep going. because when you’re in the weeds, you don’t just sit down and let the service tickets consume you. you grab a machete and come out the other end a better person.

looking forward to the new next normal, and seeing how we can be a part of it.

New Orleans 2021 Saint Patrick’s Day in NOLA

We were so, so so, sososo sad when we had to cancel our 2020 Halloween Pilot trip to New Orleans. But the only thing that matters more to us than everyone having a good time, is everyone’s well being.

So we went ahead and postponed.

We have done a ton of research and decided to reschedule our pilot to New Orleans for 2021. We have researched insurance policies and read really long and boring fine print on airplane refund policies.

We will be traveling to New Orleans March 12th-19th, 2021.

Our 7 day, 6 night excursion will be 100% refundable in the case of a national pandemic, natural disaster, or end of the world scenario.

You will get your money back if the world stops again. Which hopefully it won’t because this is going to be A LOT OF FUN.

The trip will cost $1,300. That will include flight from New York to MSY, travelers insurance, accommodations, daily seminars, stocked house fridge, and transportation to and from the airport in New Orleans.

We have a payment plan in place for those who sign up from June-August 2020. Your payments will be equally distributed until the March, 2021. Deadline for sign up will be November 30, 2020. All payments for those signing up after August 30, 2020 will be due by December 30, 2020.

To sign up, click here!

We are excited. In these really hard times, we look forward to having something to look forward to. Please contact us via email if you any questions!

Nonna Said “Non toccare!”

Amaro Averna. The love we have built for you started in our Nonna’s liquor cabinet, but your history goes all the way back to 19th century Sicily, and likely was in the works for some time before that. Much like another beloved spirit, Chartreuse, Averna was assembled from a secret recipe given to the Benedictine monks of Abbazia Di Santo Spirito. In 1868 the recipe was gifted by the monk Frá Girolamo to a textile merchant named Salvatore Averna as a gift. Salvatore Averna was very active in the local community, and the gift was that of gratitude for everything he had done. 

He started out making it for his guests, and eventually the recipe was passed down to his son, Francesco, who spread the word at fairs in Italy and then beyond. 

In 1895 King Umberto I gave the gift of the golden brooch with the Savoy House emblem to Francesco. In 1912 Vittorio Emmanuele III gave Averna the right to print the royal coat of arms. Inscripted upon it: “Royal Household Patent.”

Between both world wars, Anna Marie Averna (Francesco’s Wifey) along with her children beat the pavement in order to continue expanding the brand, and eventually hitting American soil. 1958 marks the incorporation of Fratelli Averna S.p.a.

Fast forward 36 years, in 2014 Gruppo Campari bought out Fratelli Averna, which strengthened its worldwide presence.

So what does it taste like? The mediteranian herbs provide a beautiful sweet and bitter contrast. Anyone with an affinity for liquorice will be an automatic candidate for fandom of Averna. The amari also embodies notes of juniper berries, sage, rosemary, and orange. 

A Little Bit About Chartreuse

Walk into any true craft cocktail bar on Long Island and ask the bartender for Chartreuse. If their eyes don’t light up or if their gag reflex isn’t slightly triggered, then you’ve met a bartender you cannot trust.

Why, you may ask, is this odd bottle such an integral indicator in the area? Because whether you love Chartreuse or hate Chartreuse, a good bartender respects history.

The green liqueur’s story begins near Paris in 1605 with the Chartreuse order of monks, who received a gift of an ancient manuscript describing a secret elixir with curative powers. Fast-forward more than a century and the monks finally decipher the recipe: a digestif dubbed the Elixir of Long Life. They began distilling it as a drink in 1764, and it wasn’t until the mid 1800’s that it became a liqueur. The elixir has 130 herbs and botanicals BUT the actual recipe for Chartreuse to this day is a mystery to anyone who sits in a barstool, as well as the people that distribute it. The recipe is only known by three monks, and its production and sale are what allows their order to survive.

“The order partners with a company of laypeople who assist with distillation and handle production and marketing. Bottles of premium green and gold Chartreuse sell for $50 and up, the aged iterations for well north of $100. The spirit and its story are cherished by bartenders around the world. Some have even tattooed tributes to the alcohol on their bodies.” - M. Carrie Allan. The Washington Post. Nov, 2019

Our friend Patrick Capellini’s Tattoo @rebelioussophistication

Before the lockdown, when you went into a craft cocktail bar and watched the bartender build a drink, chances were that once in a while you were mystified by the selection of unlabeled bottles and jars of what seemed to be endless garnishes. We hope when things start to return to normal, and you take up your spot at the bar once more, that you ask to try Chartreuse. Because it is a part of our culture, and because it is damn delicious.

Oh The Places We’ve Been and Will (Eventually) Go

Hello and welcome to Migrating Mixologists first ever blog post! Ariana here. MM has been navigating the weird waters of starting a travel company at precisely the same time as a global pandemic broke out. Talk about startup problems, amiright?

Jokes aside, I think it is important that the people who will one day travel with me know a bit about what makes me someone you’d a) want to go on vacation with, b) would trust with your traveling arrangements and safety, and c) want to continue your craft exploration with.

I have been bartending in New York for almost 10 years now, 12 years in the service industry total. I have managed 3 bars, created and executed 7 successful cocktail menus, help to manage a $3.4 million a year restaurant, hired and trained 8 individuals who have become respected industry professionals in the area, and have had the opportunity to be featured in a magazine.

ALSO

I traveled. Sometimes by myself, sometimes with a companion. Travels that I have coordinated flight, accommodations and activities for include Martinique, Israel two times, the Philippines, New Orleans three times, Dallas, Colorado, Philly and Boston.

THINGS HAVE GONE WONKY

In the Philippines the connecting flight from Beijing to Manila LEFT BEFORE WE TOUCHED DOWN. It was 3 am and we’d been awake for 14 hours. We ended up having to fly to Singapore, then transferring there to go to Manila.

Oslob, Cebu, Phillipines

In Tel Aviv, Israel our second AirBnb was canceled last minute. We decided to hop a bus and get an AirBnb in Jerusalem instead and it was an incredible experience. Probably the highlight of the trip.

Ein Gedi Reserve, Israel

In Martinique, almost no one spoke English. I was solo and the second AirBnb I had booked didn’t make me feel safe, so I made a call to leave. The thing about this AirBnb is that it was literally a boat… in the middle of the water. Sounds cool right? Not so much when the people you’re with are quarreling as soon as you arrive. Took that as a red flag, asked to be brought back to land, and booked another AirBnb on the spot. My things were brought to me the next day by my host, who had bruises on her arm that were not there the day before.

Macouba, Martinique

Dad if you’re reading this, I’m sorry.

So why am I sharing all of these things that have gone wrong?

The thing I love about travel is the same thing I love about being behind the bar. It teaches you to be adventurous and roll with life, but it also teaches you to trust your instincts.

The experiences that I’ve had, the times that things have gone haywire, the quick thinking, have been the greatest opportunities of my life. Because you wanna know what? I still enjoyed all of those trips. I still learned what I went there to learn and then some. And I’m still here.

I look forward to sharing more on this blog, on Instagram, and especially in real life.

Also I promise not to book any AirBnbs on boats.