Sunday Night Spectacular

The closing gala of the Manhattan Cocktail Classic promised to be a, “Sunday Night Spectacular,” and it certainly lived up to the hype. Hosted at the landmark New York City Library, the lavish event featured 12 dedicated bars staffed with the city’s top mixologists shaking up original cocktails and over 60 premium liquor sponsors, who were cheekily named the night’s, drinking buddies.

Created by former Astor Center director Lesley Townsend and an advisory board that reads as the who’s-who of the cocktail industry including Sasha Petraske, Dale DeGroff, Allen Katz, Julie Reiner, Charlotte Voisey among others, the Manhattan Cocktail Classic is best described as, “part festival, part fete, part conference, part cocktail party.”

“It all started with a naive question,” recalled Townsend with a laugh. “If New Orleans and San Francisco have cocktail events, how come New York doesn’t have one?”  Little did she know that the accidental idea posed to a few of her industry contacts (who later became the Advisory Board), would initiate so much interest so quickly that Townsend was (enthusiastically) pressured to leave her job and spearhead the event.

Highlights of the Fall Preview gala included a feast of classic food, loosely inspired by pre-Prohibition time, such as Cheeses from Stinky Bklyn; Smoked Salmon from Russ & Daughters; Roasted Game Birds from Allen & Delancey; Cheese Fondue from The Jake Walk; and even a few whole suckling pigs.

Top cocktails of the night were the Delmonico (Hendrick’s Gin, Solerno Liqueur, Lillet Blanc and Lillet Rouge) and, of course, the Manhattan, (Michter’s Rye, Martini & Rossi Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters).

The guests, many of whom arrived in full 1920’s costume, danced to the iconic New York jazz band, Vince Giordano & The Nighthawks.

According to Townsend, there will be a lot more drinking to come with the upcoming multi-day Manhattan Cocktail Classic which is scheduled for May 14 to 18, 2010.

For more information on the event, visit their web site or follow them on Twitter for news and updates.

PHOTO CREDIT:  Trina Albus and Live the Lush Life