the speakeasy

in new york we went to a little bar dan and kathy knew about called the dutch kills. this was one of the coolest bars i've seen. the atmosphere was really interesting, and the decor and theme was pretty much an underground prohibition era bar. the bartender was a bearded, suspender and tie wearing gaius baltar. they would be able to serve you a drink based on preference of alcohol. and they also have hand chipped ice so that highball drinks had a long solid ice rod, and rocks drinks had a large cube. there was sawdust on the ground and an old piano, unfortunately not being played, in the corner.

i've become a little bit obsessed about ice cubes. i think it kind of fits in with my idea of self expression through saturday night parties. an establishment that serves alcohol can also be a place of creativity, and bartending itself is an art form if one chooses to go beyond just serving drinks. i've always understood garnishing but we never talked about ice techniques, and now i'm fascinated.

here's an amazing article about ice sculpting in new york's B flat bar.