Rouge Tomate, the Belgium imported restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, had a booth in the tents during Mercedes–Benz Fashion Week where they handed-out delectable fresh and seasonal mocktails prepared by Rouge Tomate’s mixologist, Rainlove Lampariello. Guests were lining-up to try the concoctions — two were served at a time and nearly everyone I saw came back for seconds.

The restaurant is located in the heart of Manhattan at 10 East 60th St. between Madison and Fifth Avenue and features modern American dishes under the direction of Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman. Born in Belgium, Rouge Tomate is the first American restaurant to follow a specific, proprietary nutritional guideline called SPE (Sourcing, Preparing, Enhancing). The restaurant houses a registered dietitian on staff, Natalia Rusin who works hand-in-hand with the culinary team. Learn more on Rouge Tomate’s website!

Premium Asian Wine & Spirits Company, TY KU, has just launched a Junmai Ginjo sake (less than 10% of all sakes) that has been specially brewed with no additives or preservatives. Like all of TY KU’s products their sake is calorie-conscious with packaging that simply can’t be beat.

Their sake works well on its owned (chilled) or in cocktails and utilizes –
- 60% polished specialty sake rice, milled on-site
-Pristine, iron-free, naturally filtered water
-Koji made by hand in the only cedar-lined koji room in the U.S.

The result is a smooth sake with a flavor profile described as “peach on the nose and a subtle hint of spice underneath. Soft and creamy with deep viscosity that coats the palate resulting in a long finish which ended delightfully crisp. Depth and body pairs well with lighter Western fare (grilled white meats and cooed fish), yet is delicate enough to complement Asian cuisine.”

Just take 2 oz. PAMA Pomegranate Liqueur (17% alcohol), and 2 oz. Champagne. Pour PAMA into a champagne flute and top with Champagne. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and voila! Alternatively 1.5 oz. of PAMA, 3/4 oz. Sour Apple Schnapps, and 1/2 oz Cranberry juice make for a great PAMA Kiss!

PAMA is the world’s first true pomegranate liqueur and it’s made with all-natural pomegranate juice, vodka, and a touch of tequila so it can easily be enjoyed straight up. There’s a light sweet and tart-ness to it that makes it a very  versatile liqueur. To boot, I’m loving the long slender bottle — great for showing off the crimson red color of the liqueur!

Strawberry & Lavender Sapphire Collins
Created by Sapphire – Bombay Sapphire

• 1 ½ oz. Bombay Sapphire gin
• ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz. lavender syrup
• 3 fresh strawberries muddled
• 3 oz. club soda

Squeeze half a lemon into a Collins glass, add lavender syrup and Bombay Sapphire. Stir and fill with ice. Top with club soda and garnish with a lemon wedge and strawberry slice.

Flor de Caña Papa Doble
Created by Ben Scorah of Beekman Bar and Books (NYC)

• 2 oz flor de cana 4 yr rum
• ¼ oz fresh lime juice
• ¼ oz Maraschino liqueur
• ½ oz. Grapefruit juice
• ¼ oz simple syrup

Shake all ingredients and serve in a chilled cocktail glass.

Lucid Wormwood Flip
Created by Ben Scorah of Beekman Bar and Books (NYC)

• 1 ½ oz. Lucid
• ½ oz. Agave Nectar/ Honey
• 1 small egg white
• 1 dash rose water
• 2 oz. heavy cream

Add all ingredients to a Boston Shaker, Dry Shake (i.e. with no ice). Fill with ice and Shake rigorously for 25 Seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a rose petal.

For the food, Morales paired up consulting chef Ricardo Cardona (also of Mama Juana and Hudson River), and with the young and talented Andres Ortega.

We started our meal with a plate of mixed appetizers that included flaky, crunchy Empanadas filled with ground beef, fried savory plantains topped with octopus, and crispy fried shrimp and calamari. The standouts were the plantains which were cooked to perfection. The bread that was served when you first sit down is also worth noting – a garlic, challah-esque delight!

The appetizer was paired with Sofrito’s signature Mojito which is a blend of Rum, Malibu Passion, Passion Fruit Juice, Lime and Mint topped garnished with sugar cane. Though Sofrito’s wine list is comprehensive and affordable, with many bottles under $40, it’s their cocktails that are truely the most noteworthy. Besides their
Mojito, they’ve also got some sangria which Morales claims is the “best you’ve ever tasted,” thanks to some punchy additions, which include brandy, peach schnapps, melon liqueur, rum, and triple sec. It’s listed alongside other drinks including the Cocotini, a Puerto Rican favorite that blends Malibu Rum, Coconut Milk, and Pineapple Juice.

For the main course we had a baked red snapper which was served with rice and beans, along with as flank steak paired with garlic shrimp and rice. The stands out were the rice and beans and the shrimp. The rice had a wonderful nuttiness do it and the beans were perfectly cooked, while the shrimp were delectably large and perfectly seasoned – a must try at Sofrito.

As for desserts they range from tropical to decadent. Empanaditas de Guayaba y Queso de Crema consist of guava paste and cream cheese stuffed inside piping hot crescents of sweet dough. Tres Leches is only mildly sweet but heavenly in its soft, spongy texture, while a Pudin de Pan de Chocolate, or Chocolate Bread Pudding, is rich, gooey, and irresistibly topped with caramel and vanilla ice cream – this delicious option is the one we opted for. At $5 it’s arguably one of the best dessert deals in all of NYC and the hearty portion is more than enough for two.

The bar scene, which carries on late into the night, is accompanied by live Latin music five days a week. The Sofrito House Band, a five-piece group that plays musica sabrosa—merengue, salsa, bachata—plays live every Friday and Saturday, while Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays see a rotating cast of characters. Regulars are known to break into improvisational performance—and sometimes these impromptu performances feature the likes of Jaime Foxx, Marc Anothy, and Jennifer Lopez, who are all known to frequent Sofrito when in town.

Sofrito is located at 400 E 57 St. at First Avenue, and is open for dinner from 5:00 PM – 12:00 AM on weeknights and from 4:00 PM – 2:00 AM on weekends, with late night music on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturday. For more information on private parties and reservations, please call 212-754-5999 or visit www.sofritony.com.

]]> http://cocktails.ibeverageblogs.com/2009/07/29/sofrito/feed/ http://cocktails.ibeverageblogs.com/2009/07/13/rouge-tomate-cocktail-recipes/ http://cocktails.ibeverageblogs.com/2009/07/13/rouge-tomate-cocktail-recipes/#comments Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:00:22 +0000 Beverage Blogger http://cocktails.ibeverageblogs.com/?p=394

Rouge Tomate’s mixologist Rainlove Lampariello was kind enough to share two of his fave cucumber cocktail recipes available at the Upper East Side restaurant. Check them out below! Rouge Tomate is a fabulously sleek new American  restaurant that follows the principles of S.P.E. (sourcing, preparing, enhancing). The dishes are said to be light, but filling and all are health-conscious. The restaurant also has over 200 domestic and international wines.

Cucumber Cooler:

• Pinch Dill
• 3 Slices Cucumber
• 2 oz Lemonade
• 2 oz Cucumber Juice
• 2 oz Club soda

Add all ingredients except and mandolin slices soda in mixing glass. Shake and pour into highball with cucumbers and soda. Garnish with cucumber slice.

Spiked Cucumber Cooler:

• Pinch Dill
• 2 oz Vodka
• 2 oz Cucumber juice
• 2 oz Lemonade

Add all ingredients except and mandolin slices soda in mixing glass. Shake and pour into highball with cucumbers and soda. Garnish with cucumber slice.

Los Angeles-based TRU Organic Spirits is an eco-minded spirits company founded by a husband and wife team. Using only the finest natural products available on the market (often sourced from local growers), Tru is completely organic, packaged in 100% recyclable packaging, and made in small batches so as to maintain its high flavor profile and quality. To boot, for every bottle sold a tree is planted!

I was able to sample two of Tru’s offerings– Tru Organic Vodka and Tru2 Gin. Tru Vodka is made from 100% organic American wheat and only the highest grade certified organic ingredients were used (alcohol: 40%). The vodka has a wonderfully smooth, pure texture and can easily be enjoyed straight-up. As for the small batch artisanal gin, it is made with 14 whole aromatics (alcohol: 42%). The botanicals are macerated in layers forming an organic wheat base spirit. Among the ingredients used in the maceration process are juniper berries and chamomile which is why the gin isn’t clear, but rather it has a light amber hue. Tru2 Gin is not re-distilled after the maceration process which helps add balance to the resulting gin.

Sonoma Syrup Co., a maker of pure and natural classic American infused simple syrups – though there is certainly  nothing simple about the complex taste of their balanced varieties — are handcrafted in small batches. All their products are made without artificial colors or flavors and they come packaged in beautiful glass bottles. The syrups can be used to sweeten a variety of beverages — including wine. I recently taste-tested their No. 24 Acai Black Currant with Champagne and it not only was a great complement it enhanced the flavor of the bubbly goodness (in this case a bottle of Pommery Blue POP, NV — though I would recommend using a Cava or Prosecco over Champagne). The Acai Black Currant syrup is full of antioxidants and though it adds palpable sweetness it is relatively low in sugar (it is lightly sweetened with pure cane sugar). This particular syrup was, in fact, selected as a Silver Finalist for Outstanding New Product in the 2009 sofi Awards from the National Association for the Specialty Food Trace, Inc. For sweeter notes their No. 3 Lavender is relatively high in sugar and while it would work with sparkling wine, it would make a much better complement to an iced tea, margarits, or a marmalade.

Sonoma Syrup Co., also makes premium artisan extracts including lemon, vanilla, almond, and organic vanilla extract that make a great addition to a variety of culinary treats including creme brulee, custards, tarts, muffins, curries, stews, cupcakes and weddings cakes — all of which would bear wonderfully with a variety of wines and cocktails.

Simple syrup is the most universal bar mixer and this particular range with its versatility and depth of flavor  makes for a particularly good choice (love that their are no artificial flavors!). To boot, they’re especially useful for making cocktails with a limited amount of time and steps. Learn more on Sonoma Syrup Co. website!

BondSt is located at 6 Bond St between Broadway and Lafayette Streets.

The pineapple infusion was developed as an alternative to heavy rums and is created through a proprietary process where real fruit is infused into Skyy Vodka.

“As the first Pineapple vodka infused with real fruit, Skyy Infusions Pineapple showcases the sweet, refreshing flavor of one of the most popular and versatile fruits on earth,” said Jason Daniel, Senior Brand Manager for Skyy Vodka. “Our All Natural Skyy Infusions capture the taste of succulent real Pineapple like no ordinary flavored vodka ever could. It is the perfect base for a wide range of tropically inspired cocktails that can be enjoyed anywhere, anytime.”

Skyy Infusions Pineapple is available nationwide in a 50ml ($1.99), 750ml ($18.49), and 1L ($26.49) size bottle.