Mar 18th, 2013 by David Flaherty
I was fortunate, and very flattered, to be featured in the 2013 Edible Manhattan “Alcohol Issue.” Huge thanks to the Edible team for including me, and especially to Joshua David Stein, who wrote such a great piece.
(And, yes, I really was slapped by Liev Schreiber every night on stage for a summer…but JDS left that part out…thankfully)
Click “Continue Reading” to see the individual pages,
and then click to enlarge each page
Mar 10th, 2013 by David Flaherty
My father, Larry Paul Flaherty, turned 70 years old today. This 20 year old dram is for you, Dad.
Mar 5th, 2013 by David Flaherty
Mar 2nd, 2013 by David Flaherty
Odells, Great Divide, Funkwerks, Crooked Stave, Renegade Brewing, and Dancing Pines Distillery. Thank you, Highland Wine & Spirits.
Feb 28th, 2013 by David Flaherty
The Uinta Anniversary Barley Wine goes in the glass, and, so, a few days of vacation begin.
Feb 18th, 2013 by David Flaherty
Ask an Insider is an interview series that talks to the people that make, serve, shake, sip, pump, pour, crush, distill, and bring life to this industry. (For other interviews in the series, click the Ask an Insider tag at the bottom)
Sother Teague, Beverage Director
Amor Y Amargo
Sother Teague
Where are you currently working and how long have you been there?
Currently I’m the Beverage Director at Amor Y Amargo on 6th street at A in NYC’s East Village. It’s the most unique bar I’ve ever been a part of. It’s intimately small, only 13 seats. We’re a bitters tasting room with over 30 tincture bitters (think Angostura and Peychaud’s, as well as several more modern flavors like Chocolate Mole, Sriracha or celery) and we have close to 90 potable bitters (AKA amaro’s like Campari, Cio Charo, and a host of Fernets). We don’t use any juice so none of the drinks are shaken. All of our drinks are basically “brown, bitter and stirred”. There are only 2 ingredients on my bar that are non-alcoholic, water and bubbly water. So the drinks are pretty stiff. Additionally, we’re a “General Store” of sorts. We sell bitters, bar ware and cocktail books. We also teach classes about bitters, amaros and vermouth. It’s amazing.
What is it about bitters that capture your attention?
Bitters have long been a key ingredient in cocktail preparation. The original cocktail, the Old Fashioned, was cited simply as “Sugar, Water, Spirit and Bitters.” Now that bitters are undergoing a renaissance, there are literally hundreds of choices on the market. If we use that “recipe” as a template, there is no limit to the number of Old Fashioneds that we can make. Classically, Rye, Angostura, a sugar cube and a splash of water can become Rum, Demerrara sugar syrup and Tiki bitters (Island spices like nutmeg and mace). A rum Old Fashioned is not to be beat. The combinations are limitless. The enormity of flexibility that bitters have is what captures my attention.
Tell me about the concept of Amor y Amargo, specifically how you’re not using citrus or syrups?
We remain true to the spirits: amari, vermouth and bitters, by not adulterating them with juice or syrups. We pay close attention to the ABV% of each product and do our best to blend drinks that are balanced and palatable (obviously with a slant toward bitter). Also, by only using ingredients that come from a bottle, it means that we can make any drink that we’ve ever made at any time. It also means that our guests have a great chance at making our drinks at home. We’ll gladly write you the spec and you can pick up the bitters at AyA and grab everything else you need at the liquor store. Win, win.
Feb 16th, 2013 by David Flaherty
Feb 13th, 2013 by David Flaherty
I’ll be writing a monthly column for Nation’s Restaurant News
called “Raising the Bar.”
A pic of my first print piece:
Jan 29th, 2013 by David Flaherty
Strub Riesling Spätlese Niersteiner Paterberg 2009 w/ Shrimp, Leek, & Garlic.
Jan 26th, 2013 by David Flaherty
Cadel got me some birthday beers. Not bad choices for an 11-month old.
Jan 23rd, 2013 by David Flaherty
Wine vs Beer: The United States Battle
Tuesday, January 29th, 7:00 pm
(menu below)
Wine vs Beer: The International Throw-Down
Tuesday, February 12th, 7:00 pm
(menu below)
Scholars and historians tell us that ales are the oldest alcoholic beverages produced by man (although some Mead fanatics may dispute that….but who cares about those Viking-loving heathens). It is also believed that the Egyptians paid the workers of the Great Pyramids with daily beer rations. And while we have been making beer for nearly 7,000 years, mankind’s fascination with fermented grape juice (read: “wine”) has an equally long history. The oldest known winery was discovered in a mountainous region of Armenia, and appears to date from 3,000 B.C.
And somewhere along the way, some intrepid soul thought, “Huh, this wine really pairs lovely with this roast mastodon,” to which his wife replied, “Oh, I completely disagree. The charred skin is really accentuated by the malt profile of this beer.” And there, on some remote, barren hilltop, the first Wine vs Beer Dinner ensued.
We, at Hearth, have taken this age-old challenge by the mastodon horns. In one corner, General Manager Paul Grieco will lay his axe on the battlefield in the name of the great grape, while in the other, Beer Director David Flaherty will stake his pike in the ground in the name of the holy barley grain.
Dec 28th, 2012 by David Flaherty
Last night in Texas. Figured I’d introduce my brother to the tart, smoky delights of the Freigeist Abraxxxas. His reaction? Well, it’s the quote above…
Certainly one of the strangest, most beguiling beers I’ve ever tried, the Abraxxxas is technically a Smoked Lichtenhainer Weisse. Inspired by an Eastern German tart wheat beer, it’s a bit like unleashing a smoky, Sweet Tart that’s been wrapped in a horse blanket, that also carried your unfiltered Lucky Strike cigarettes.
Saddle up, lil doggies. Shit be getting real in smoky town, and there ain’t no way out of this gunfight. Giddy up.
Dec 25th, 2012 by David Flaherty
Dec 18th, 2012 by David Flaherty
Route du Van Dolcetto Shiraz, 2010, Victoria. This is damn tasty. I need to get back on some Australian wines.
Dec 12th, 2012 by David Flaherty
The beer I ain’t drinking today…Westvleteren XII
Today was a day for the history books. Westvleteren XII, the beer that many evangelists have touted as the “best beer in the world” on various websites, books, and stone tablets, saw its first (and possibly only) release today in the United States.
But it was a one-shot deal, and if you’re not sipping on it now or staring longingly at your unopened bottle like I did my first pair of Air Jordans in junior high, then you ain’t getting it.
The most famous of the eight Trappist Monasteries in the world of beer, Westvleteren has gone to incredible lengths to protect their prized brew, and the only way to get it is to go to the Abbey, itself, or the tasting room across the street. Sales are limited to one order every 60 days per person, per license plate, and phone number.
But the monks needed money for some new construction, and made a limited deal to have it brought into the US today. And I got none. But I do have a picture of me drinking it when we visited the brewery last year, so I’ll have to stare at this and remember its sweet nectars.
And, come to think of it, does anyone know where I can buy some early 90s era Air Jordans?
