Women Who Whiskey: East Village

Monday, February 18, 2013

The Best Manhattan in Manhattan

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a reached a new milestone in our search for the best Manhattan.

Elsa's Barrel-Aged Perfect Manhattan is hands down the best Manhattan I've had in New York to date.

They blend rye whiskey with sweet and dry vermouth, and age it for a month in wooden barrels. Every thirty days they uncask and bottle the Manhattan, which is then ready to be mixed with bitters, stirred with ice, and strained into a glass with a homemade brandied cherry and a twist.

Perfection.

Elsa itself is a delightful little cocktail bar with a Parisian atmosphere and beautiful decor.

Candles, vintage light bulbs, and roses give the bar and romantic feel.

The staff is hip, friendly, and easy on the eyes.

It was a great location for a hugely successful Women Who Whiskey evening with an impressive turnout! We were even joined by a few gentlemen for this 2013 inaugural event.

While the bitter cold wind whistled outside we kept warm with hot toddies, whiskey, and lively conversation. It was a splendid evening and I'll definitely be going back soon.

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Elsa

217 E 3rd St
(between Avenue B & Avenue C)
917.882.7395

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Friday, November 11, 2011

Blue & Gold

Our next Women Who Whiskey outing took us out of the West Side to the East Village, to a renown little dive bar called Blue & Gold.

Blue & Gold has been open for as long as anyone can remember, and despite being in the quickly gentrifying Lower East Side, it has maintained the lowest prices in Manhattan.

A generous pour of whiskey--anything from Canadian whiskey to Bourbon to Scotch--will run you between $3 and $6, depending on what you get. And they have quite a selection! Beers--even the imported variety--are also quite cheap.

There's no wait staff, just a busy bartender who does nothing more than pour beers and liquor. If you ask him nicely, he'll throw in a little mixer, but cocktail are not Blue & Gold's M.O.

The bar is dark, paneled in worn wood--the built in board game booths scarred with the marks of generations young people in search of a cheap drink. It has a pool table covered in bumper stickers and an old-fashioned juke box in the back, and on the wall a tiny chalk board for enforcing pool table etiquette.