One of the things that I love about going to a restaurant that has a great bartender is the creativity she may have.  If I have a certain flavor in mind but don’t see anything that matches it on the menu, I quite frequently ask the bartender to create something in that vein.  For about 90% of the time, it has been a positive experience.  Recently, I was introduced to a bar that has built part of their menu off of a concept that is perfect for my drink ordering.

Ward III, located in the Tribeca area of Manhattan, was a creation of three bartenders: Michael Neff, Kenneth McCoy, and Abdul Tabini. All three men have worked in the Tribeca area as bartenders and have known each other for about a decade.  They decided to combine their talents and opened Ward III a  year ago.

I had the opportunity to speak with Michael Neff on a recent afternoon.  As a bartender who has worked in many establishment and personally opened a dozen, he has a good understanding of the world of bars. With a team of three I was curious as to how the cocktail menu was created.  The answer was simple: the three co-owners had equal input on the cocktail list, each creating three to provide a menu of nine recipes.

While these cocktails vary in ingredients and flavor, even more intriguing to me was their Bespoke menu.  As Michael noted, “If I have time, I can talk with you and determine what you want.  My job is to figure it out, but when there are 150 people here, this list will help.”

What list is he referencing?  Well, that’s the special part of the Bespoke menu.  Rather than just telling a bartender you want a fruity drink, this list gives you five categories to help guide your bartender:  spirit, texture, spice, flavor, fruit.  Within each of these categories there are anywhere from seven to twelve options.  In addition to these regular options, there may be other choices as the season allows, such as fresh melon.  All you need to do is identify what you want in each category, and the bartender will create the perfect, custom drink for you.

In addition to these drinks being made based on the needs of the patron ordering, they also have other handcrafting.  For example, rather than keeping vanilla-infused vodka, they create their own using vanilla beans.  As Michael explained, “Ward III is a noisy bar.”  There’s a lot of muddling happening to infuse a variety of herbs, fruits, and veggies into drinks using a muddler, which also happens to be made by Michael.  (Yes, so that means you will get a handcrafted cocktail filled with fresh ingredients that were muddled with a handcrafted muddler!)

I wondered how the Bespoke menu would work if a customer weren’t seated at the bar.  How does one effectively communicate a drink via a member of the waitstaff?  The answer is through good communication and training.  The waitstaff listens carefully to what the patron wants and delivers that message to the bartender, no differently than placing an order for a gin and tonic.  Of course, if there is any uncertainty, the bartender will go and speak with the patron.  However, Michael found that typically the waitstaff know exactly what their customers want.

In addition to offering great cocktails, Ward III also has a food menu that is available almost all day long. The kitchen opens at 11:30 am (Monday through Friday) and keeps serving food until 4:00 am.  With items ranging from Bacon-Wrapped Dates to Curried Quinoa and Mango Salad to Mini Pulled Duck Sandwiches, the menu is quite impressive.

As Michael stated, “The mark of a bar is a good bartender or mixologist who can create with what everyone has.”  Having toured their bar, it is obvious that there is no need for outlandish tools or trendy ingredients.  They simply make excellent cocktail using basic ingredients that are available to everyone.  And that makes Ward III a success.

Some people go on a weekend trip to forget about work. Not me.  Whenever I travel, I always have my eyes open for local brewers or beers that you can’t find in high distribution.  As long as I can find a local winery in the area, I usually can bribe my travel companion to check out a brewery; you have to keep everyone happy.

On this trip north we were recommended to scout out Moat Mountain for their beer selection.  After a day of walking around the outlets and Main Street, it was time to unwind with a beer and pizza.  If you follow the main drag far enough, you’ll notice a building that looks like a ski lodge and a great view of the mountains.  Pull in and get a table on the screened-in porch.  We ordered the barbecue chicken pizza, and I got The Taster.  I’d love to talk about the food, which was great, but let’s be honest; you’re here for the beer.

The Taster is eight, 5-ounce glasses of beer from their lightest to darkest.

Hoffman Weiss – Lightest, a Belgium along the lines of Tripel, a good way to start.

Violet B’s Blueberry – Not a strong blueberry aroma or flavor, it was all right.

Czech Pilsner – Better pilsner taste than any Miller Lite, slightly bitter, smooth overall.

Cathedral Ledge Lager – Standard lager, very smooth and not too bitter.

Iron Mike Pale Ale – Bitter and a great pale taste, almost an IPA.

Matilda’s Red Rage – Great color, slightly bitter, average red ale.

Bear Peak Brown – Smooth, lighter flavor than the red, easy to drink.

Square Tail Stout – The winner, great smoky chocolate flavor, bitter aftertaste, best of the bunch.

I enjoyed the food and, most importantly, the beer.  If you find yourself stranded at the outlet malls, don’t think you’ll be parched for very long.

When the thermometer reaches 40 in New England in February, you take advantage of the warmth.  My husband and I did so this past weekend.  With no kids at home, the sun shining, and the warmth of a 40 degree day ahead of us, we decided to head to the Massachusetts coast.

We had no set agenda, just got in the car and started driving toward the ocean.  After stopping at an antiques shop and a butcher shop, we decided to spend our afternoon in Newburyport.  We had been here once before and remembered that there were a number of interesting shops and restaurants.

After several hours of browsing, we asked for a recommendation for a restaurant at which we could find a good cocktail and possibly a snack.  Thankfully, we asked at the right shop and were directed to Ten Center.

We arrived at 3:50, which was the transition time for the restaurant.  Lunch ends and dinner begins at 4:00.  However, the hostesses assured us that the chef would be accommodating to whichever menu we chose.  (This was refreshing; we have been to several restaurants at which we have been told that we needed to order quickly off the lunch menu or we’d have to wait for dinner to start.)  To allow us freedom in choosing, we were given both menus.

We were served by Cory, who also was the bartender.  She provided excellent service:  giving us time to consider our drink choices, delivering the drinks in a timely manner, and checking on us at reasonable intervals.  We had plenty of time to talk without interruption but never needed anything.

As we were stopping for a late afternoon break, our order was small.  I chose the Strawberry Lemondrop, and my husband chose the Gin and Ginger.  My cocktail was a combination of house infused strawberry vodka, muddled strawberries, and limoncello served in a cocktail glass with a sugared rim. If you read my articles, you know that I have some preferences in my drinks: slightly sweet and not syrups; this cocktail was a perfect fit for me!  The sugared rim and strawberries provided a nice amount of sweetness, the limoncello added some tartness, and the ingredients were combined in such a fashion as to make the drink non-syrupy.

My husband enjoyed his drink; it was a cocktail not seen on many menus of restaurants that we visit.  Made with Tangueray Rangpur Gin, ginger beer, and lime, it had a definite ginger flavor.  Served in a highball glass over ice, it was refreshing and light.

We weren’t very hungry, so we only ordered an appetizer of Crispy Fried Calamari. They were delivered within minutes of placing the order and were delightfully hot.  Although fried there was no greasiness to the calamari.  They were served with two different sauces: a garlic aioli and a sweet and spicy pepper relish.  While the aioli was good, the relish was phenomenal.  Its flavor and texture complimented the calamari wonderfully.

Although we could have stayed and relaxed at Ten Center for longer, we wanted to do a little more shopping before driving home.  Our first dining experience at this restaurant was excellent.  I am sure we will return there on our next trip to Newburyport.

Back before I met Danny DeVito and even before I attended the Wicked Wine and Brewfest, I was in Vermont with friends on Labor Day.  Our normal tradition would be to visit the Woodstock Inn Brewery and enjoy food and beer, but this year we were in Vermont and decided to hit up Long Trail for something different.

I had been to Long Trail a few years earlier, and it was nice to return.  The ride up Route 4 to Bridgewater Corners was a scenic one, and the weather was great to boot.  We arrived at Long Trail and noticed a long wait. This was due to the fact that kitchen couldn’t handle the large crowds, so if you wanted a beer that was cool but if food was in your future you’d be waiting.  We waited.

I’m not going to critique the food, frankly, no one goes to these places for the food; they want the beer.  My friend opted to get a sampler while I enjoyed the Long Trail Ale then noticed that the Pollenator was on tap.  This is one of their hard-to-find beers that you need to take advantage of when the opportunity arises, and it arose.  This was a great ale with a smooth honey flavor blended in and went well with the bratwurst I ordered.

No matter what you get, try not to drop your ketchup cap in your pint glass, trust me it does nothing for the flavor, but if the waitress is cool she’ll bring you another beer to replace the tainted one.  Long Trail is in a great location and makes for a nice afternoon ride with some treasure at the end of your journey.  I picked up a 22-ounce Pollenator and a 22-ounce Imperial Porter for future sampling.  Happy trails, everyone.

Driving into Washington, DC on a Friday evening that was filled with downpours, it seemed dubious that the evening would lend itself to walking to dinner.  However, after settling into our hotel and dressing for an evening on the town, the showers diminished to a drizzle and with an umbrella in hand, we headed out.

With our hotel located literally steps from Dupont Circle, we knew we would find a great dining destination quickly.  Approximately halfway around the circle, we saw Circa, which was one of the restaurants recommended by our concierge.  It seemed quite popular, as it was standing room only.  However, the hostesses were pleasant and organized, which made the wait feel painless.  With not a bit of room at the bar, we waited in the foyer for a table and were seated in little time considering the crowd.

Given a table on the covered patio, we were able to enjoy the slight breeze and view of the circle.  Although we did enjoy dinner at this restaurant, the highlight for both my husband and me were our cocktails.  With a menu of Signature Cocktails that had many fruit-based drinks, it was a torturous  menu for me.  Torturous in that there were so many drinks that I wouldn’t be able to sample!

I had my husband order first, so that I could have 10 more seconds to decide.  Luckily he chose one of the drinks I was contemplating, which meant I’d get to sample at least two from their list.  The Berry Smash was made with vanilla vodka, homemade turbinado simple syrup and freshly muddled berries.  He loved the flavors in this drink, which were a nice combination of sweet vanilla and berries.  For me, it was a pinch sweeter than I like, but a fine summer cocktail nonetheless.

I still was debating the benefits of two drinks, so I asked our waitress for her preference between the Organic Pomegranate Martini and the Pear Martini.  She said that she liked the flavors in the latter option, and with that my order was placed.  This concoction of pear and cinnamon-infused Stoli vodka with pear purée was delicious.  Served warm, you might think you were consuming a liquid pear pie.  Although the  purée made the drink a little heavier than I typically enjoy, with its light flavors it was a wonderful libation.

Although it would be an eight to ten hour drive to return to Circa, it might be worth it.  There are quite a few cocktails on that menu that I still would love to sample.  Maybe it’s time to plan another road trip for my husband and me!