London based bartender Tony Conigliaro
At the recent annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic, spirits industry folk from around the globe convened in New York City for five days of boozing, learning about boozing, making said booze, and taste testing these liquid libations. With nearly one hundred festival events across the city, attendees had nary any downtime. One cocktail party in particular kicked off on a sunny afternoon upon the rooftop of the newly opened Euro-style NoMad Hotel – The” 2nd Annual British Invasion.” Check out the goings-on of this gin-soaked, British-themed celebration in my story below, originally published on TheImbiber.net.
A Gin-centric British Invasion at MCC
Wikipedia defines the British Invasion as “an American term used to describe the many rock, and pop performers from the United Kingdom who became popular in the United States during the mid-1960s.” This incomplete definition is yet another reason why I prefer to gather information the old fashioned way, through gossip and hearsay. How the hell can you talk about a British Invasion without mentioning England’s most precious export, gin? Crazy, silly amounts of gin. Fortunately, the good folks at Pernod Ricard are on top of things. They recently invaded the rooftop of the NoMad Hotel in New York City during the annual Manhattan Cocktail Classic, rocking craft cocktails featuring Beefeater 24 and Plymouth English Gin at the sun-soaked Second Annual British Invasion party.
Guests were among the first to peruse the newly opened NoMad Hotel’s rooftop, overlooking stunning views of the nearby Empire State Building. Famed London bartender Tony Conigliaro (69 Colebrooke Row) hopped the pond to flex his mixology muscles behind a bar set up inside the rooftop’s Parisian style dome. His cocktail, the “Reimagined Gibson” featured Beefeater 24, homemade pearl onion juice and dry vermouth. Once word spread about the drink’s interesting flavor profile and smooth finish, people were ten deep at his bar.
Una Bella Vita 