Straight Up: Talking Cocktails with Danny Meyer

Whenever I'm in New York, the trip doesn't seem complete unless I've hit a Danny Meyer restaurant. Whether it's a glass of bourbon and Texas beef ribs at Blue Smoke, a black-and-white shake and a Double Shack Burger at Shake Shack, or the chef's tasting menu at Gramercy Tavern, I've never been disappointed. As the owner of some of New York's most acclaimed restaurants (with 19 James Beard Awards between them), restaurateur Danny Meyer has been raising the bar on hospitality for a generation of diners. In Mix Shake Stir, a gorgeous collection of creative cocktails, mixology tips, and gourmet nibbles, Meyer extends his legendary level of service behind the bar, offering readers the ultimate resource for elegant entertaining at home. I recently checked in with Meyer over e-mail to talk about cocktail culture, signature drinks and spirits, the popularity of food trucks, summer at CitiField, and Meyer's new restaurant, Maialino. (Stick around 'til the end for the recipe for one of Meyer's favorite drinks, the Dirty Pete.)

--BTP

Amazon.com: So I imagine you and your staff had a grand time testing the recipes for Mix Shake Stir. What are some of your favorite drinks in the book?

Danny Meyer: I'm fond of anything that does not include Tequila or Gin. There. Now you know the two spirits I just can't stomach. Seriously, one of my top favorites is the Dirty Pete [recipe follows]--so named because it's a dirty martini juiced up with Texas Pete hot sauce. There's a fun story behind its creation. It fits perfectly at Blue Smoke.

Amazon.com: In the introduction to the book you ruminate on the "ritual of cocktail hour" your parents and their friends observed when you were growing up in St. Louis. There's even a drink in the book, the Mortoni, in honor of your father. Do you think the at-home cocktail hour will ever regain its Mad Men-era popularity?

Meyer: Every now and then, one or two--or more--people find themselves tempted by the idea of a cocktail--even though it had been the furthest thing from their mind when they arrived. When entertaining at home I sometimes begin by saying, "I'm having a cocktail--but we also have wine and beer if you'd prefer." Cocktails will probably not regain their early dominance--mostly because there weren't as many really good wines back in the Mad Men era. But they'll always have a place at the table.

Amazon.com: What are some of your tips, regarding cocktails, for successful entertaining at home?

Meyer: Always have plenty of ice on hand, and make sure to have a bottle of each major spirit--vodka, gin, white and dark rum, scotch, and bourbon. It helps to have vermouth in case someone might want a martini, and it can't hurt to have lemon, lime, and green olives.

Amazon.com: I'm a firm believer that every man should have a go-to drink at the ready when he steps up to order at the bar. What's yours?

Meyer: The Mortoni.Equal parts Campari, vodka, and tonic; over lots of ice and garnished with a lime. I named it for my late father, Morton Meyer, whose go-to drink was a Negroni (which is classically gin or vodka mixed with Campari and vermouth). I'd drink a Mortoni over a Negroni any day.

Amazon.com: Do you have a favorite signature drink at each of your restaurants?

Meyer: I love the Dark and Stormy at Blue Smoke. And the Martini at Eleven Madison Park (have it mixed tableside!) is peerless. At Tabla, I'd order the Tablatini, and at Union Square Cafe, I tend to drink wine.

Amazon.com: I would think that, after the reservationist and the host or hostess, the bartender plays a pivotal customer-service role in your organization. What special touches do the bartenders working for your Union Square Hospitality Group bring to your bars?

Meyer: They are hosts, listeners, and guides--long before they're mixologists! They need to understand our food, our service style, and important details about our guests.

Amazon.com: Whether I'm alone or even with a friend, I often prefer sitting and eating at the bar rather than a table. What's your take on dining at the bar? Should it be reserved for drinking?

Meyer: No! Going all the way back to 1985 when Union Square Cafe first opened, we've never even contemplated building a bar without imagining it full of diners as well as drinkers.

Amazon.com: With a return to vintage recipes like fizzes, smashes, swizzles, and slings and housemade infusions, syrups, sodas, and bitters, many bars and restaurants are displaying a renewed interest the pre-Prohibition Golden Age of the American cocktail. Do you think this is a trend that's here to stay?

Meyer: I think for a number of years, peoples' interest in wine leapfrogged their passion for cocktails. But now cocktails are enjoying a renaissance in terms of the interest they're generating among inquisitive hedonists. There will always be adventuresome and aspirational types who seek what's new, and what is good. For that reason, there's no going back!

Amazon.com: You also touch upon the importance of ice in the book, an increasingly popular topic among drink aficionados. Have you installed Kold-Draft ice machines (the ones that crank out those slow-melting, perfect 1.25 x 1.25 cubes of nearly impurity-free ice) in any of your restaurants?

Meyer: Yes. Eleven Madison Park and Gramercy Tavern take their ice especially seriously. And regardless of the ice machine at our places, we filter the water before it becomes ice.

Amazon.com: Mix Shake Stir features many drinks inspired by greenmarkets, and more bartenders seem to be taking cues from kitchen (and vice versa) when creating their cocktails. Your Heirloom Bloody Mary is a great example. How have your bartenders surprised you with their renewed attention to using seasonal ingredients?

Meyer: It's really not a surprise, because many of our bartenders were once either waiters or even cooks. They're around good food and ingredients all day, and they want to use those same quality ingredients they see elsewhere in the restaurant behind their bars.

Amazon.com: I really admired the use of spirits like Aperol, Chartreuse, Punte e Mes, and Cherry Heering in the book. What do you think is an underrated spirit that more people need to pay more attention to?

Meyer: The one you like the best! Not that it is underrated, but I am an avowed nut for Campari.

Amazon.com: I like to see a bartender dip a cocktail straw into a mixed drink to sample it to make sure it's achieved its proper balance. You mention in the book it's like a chef tasting a dish before sending out. Do you think enough bartenders are doing this?

Meyer: It's important that bar patrons understand what's going on with that straw dip... I can imagine that for many people it's like, "get your straw out of my cocktail!" In any case, we owe it to our guests to make sure that food and drinks taste as good as they’re supposed to. Tasting helps.

Amazon.com: You even include many nibbles and bar snacks to complement the drinks in Mix Shake Stir but I have to ask how Blue Smoke's BBQ potato chips and blue cheese dip didn't make the final cut? If I ask really nicely could you share the recipe?

Meyer: I'm sorry that I haven’t been able to get Chef Kenny Callaghan to share it. It is mighty good, though!

Amazon.com: It's been a tough time for many restaurants, but here in Seattle, with every restaurant that closes there's another big-buzz debut in the works and many downtown joints are seem to have a "what recession?" vibe as they're SRO at 9PM on a weeknight. Hospitality seems more important than ever. What are some keys for a restaurateur to attract and maintain loyal customers in this economic time?

Meyer: The same as always: good food, deft service, and a warm, genuine welcome. The recession has been humbling for everyone. But it's not hard to show humility when you know that it is harder than ever for people to part with hard-earned dollars in your restaurant. Extra appreciation goes a long way. I will say that our hospitality industry never ceases to amaze with can-do entrepreneurs. Behind every fallen leaf lies a fresh, green bud.

Amazon.com: What's your take on mobile dining? Food trucks are all over New York and have been the talk of Seattle this summer. Are food trucks this year's cupcake?

Meyer: To a degree. And it's no surprise. Until landlords come back down to earth with the rents they're asking, people with something to sell will seek less expensive places and ways to proffer their goods.

Amazon.com: With Shake Shack, Blue Smoke, El Verano Taqueria, Box Frites, and the Delta Sky360 Club you're a big part of the much buzzed-about culinary scene at Citi Field, the Mets' new ballpark. How has the experience been so far?

Meyer: We have learned an enormous amount. The team we've fielded there has been remarkable, and I'd reckon they've created as much fan pleasure with their food and hospitality as the Mets have on the field! None of us can wait until next year to apply all we’ve learned to keep improving even further.

Amazon.com: And speaking of Shake Shack, how does the new Upper West Side outpost compare to the original Madison Park location?

Meyer: Our Upper West Side Shake Shack--unbelievably--is just as busy as the original in Madison Square Park. But because we had more space to work with, we were able to increase the size of our kitchen, and so the line moves quickly. What I'm proudest of is the incredible level of consistency both in terms of the food and our team's service and hospitality.

Amazon.com: Can you share any upcoming news? You're working on the restaurant at the newly refurbished Gramercy Park Hotel, right?

Meyer: In November we'll be opening Maialino--our first new (non-Shake Shack) restaurant since The Modern. Maialino will be our homage to the Roman trattoria--with a spirited coffee and wine bar up front. Having lived in Rome for some of my formative adult years, this one is coming straight from the heart.

Amazon.com: Are there any new fall cookbooks you're particularly excited about checking out?

Meyer: I just got a copy of the new Hot and Hot Fish Club Cookbook by Chris and Idie Hastings. I haven't cooked from it yet, but it is gorgeous and there are lots of wonderful sounding recipes that got my mouth watering. And I'm loving My New Orleans--from Dorothy Kalins and John Besh!

The Dirty Pete
(Makes 1 drink)
2-1/2 oz vodka, preferably Ketel One
1-1/2 oz Spanish Queen olive brine
5 or 6 dashes of hot-pepper sauce, preferably Texas Pete
2 pitted Spanish Queen olives
1 pickled jalapeño

Fill a cocktail shaker and a rocks glass with ice. Add the vodka, olive brine, and hot-pepper sauce to the shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into the glass, garnish with the olives and pickled jalapeño, and serve

Comments

[Matt on October 08, 2009 at 04:42 PM]

I have a gripe about dirty martinis. If you're shelling out $8, $9, or even thirteen bucks for a drink w/ call liquor, why would you mask it with pickle juice?

[MikeD on October 08, 2009 at 04:59 PM]

Matt;
What you said! Just a bunch of pretentious people who don't like real liquor.

[moogrogue on October 08, 2009 at 05:44 PM]

Funny that the interviewer brings up Mad Men. The star of Mad Men, Jon Hamm, attended the same small private high school in St. Louis as Danny Meyer: John Burroughs School.