Volare’s Chef Josh Moore and bartender Isaac Fox
We’re all familiar with the Manhattan – but did you know there were cocktails named for all the New York boroughs? I didn’t until I attended The Bourbon Classic last Friday and sampled a Brooklyn mixed by Volare’s Isaac Fox, shown right with Chef Josh Moore. Where the Manhattan includes bourbon (or rye) and sweet vermouth, the Brooklyn calls for whiskey (Fox used Four Roses Single Barrel), dry vermouth and cherry liqueur (Fox used Luxardo). A lemon twist added brightness. The Bronx and Queens are gin-based cocktails and the Staten Island Ferry is equal parts rum and pineapple juice. All but the Manhattan became relatively obscure after Prohibition.
Fox’s Brooklyn and Chef Moore’s shrimp made up my favorite pairing in the Classic portion of the evening, but I also very much enjoyed Fox’s Gershwin, made with Four Roses, blueberry five spice, thyme, bitters and lemon. It won Best Contemporary Cocktail at the Bourbon Classic, an annual event produced by The Bourbon Review and FSA Management Group.
