This summer, OC got you Tipsy and Tan. Now, we're just getting you tipsy. Meet Fridays at Five, our cocktail series where mixologists at New York City’s white-hot new restaurants create OC-exclusive drinks for our readers. Drinking on the job? Don't mind if we do...
This week, champagne is pretty much obligatory. So leave it to Birds & Bubbles to come up with the perfect cocktail to ring in the new year. With a 26-bottle champers list and a killer menu of Southern comfort food (fried chicken, pimento cheese, shrimp and grits), owner Sarah Simmons has created the perfect place to celebrate... casually. To start 2015 off with a bang, beverage director Ariel Arce fixed up something easy and impressive for our readers. Toss juniper and rosemary in gin, make a little quince syrup, and grab a bottle of champagne. Do it right, i.e. with plenty of fried chicken, and hangovers will be a thing of the past.
Name: Ariel Arce
If this drink had a soundtrack, what would it be? “Tell It Like It Is” by Aaron Neville
Drink of choice: Gin and tonic. For tonic I like Fever-Tree, for gin I go classic with Plymouth. Definitely a pinch of lime.
Hangover cure: I only drink when I know I can stay in bed all day. Then I get a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger. I’m a big fan of delivery.
Best date advice: Go somewhere and eat something that isn’t flattering, so you know they’ll be comfortable with the person you really are.
Recommendation: Fried chicken. Or pizza.
Worst pick-up: There was a place I once worked where people would come in and spend a lot of money on champagne. Once there was a gentleman who was really trying to throw his weight around, and he went up to two young women and asked how much they might be for the evening. Of course, the girls were incredibly offended. We did our best to diffuse it, and as his apology he sent over a bottle of Dom Pérignon Rose ’03.
What not to do to your bartender: Don’t forget—you’re not the only person at the bar. Be patient and your patience will be rewarded.
Best New Year’s Eve ever: I grew up on Sister Act II. One year, we were at a party and having a great time, and the countdown happens. By happenstance, at 12 on the dot, “Oh Happy Day” from Sister Act II started playing. Every person in the room started dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. It was a great, joyous moment, like, let’s have a great new year. I remember dancing so hard.
Exclusive Recipe: Quince and the Pauper OC
Alcohol Scale*: 5
“It’s watch-out boozy. There’s some bubbles, some gin, and some fun.”
1 oz gin infused with rosemary and juniper
1 oz quince syrup
H. Blin Champagne
To infuse the gin, grab a bottle of gin and add juniper berries and rosemary. Grab a bottle of quince jelly, not membrillo, and thin it out with some water to create a syrup. Strain. Then garnish a wine glass with a sprig of rosemary and fill with crushed ice. Pour gin and quince syrup over ice; top with champagne.
*OC's Alcohol Scale ranges from 1 ("like sippin' from a juice box") to 10 ("tak
This week, champagne is pretty much obligatory. So leave it to Birds & Bubbles to come up with the perfect cocktail to ring in the new year. With a 26-bottle champers list and a killer menu of Southern comfort food (fried chicken, pimento cheese, shrimp and grits), owner Sarah Simmons has created the perfect place to celebrate... casually. To start 2015 off with a bang, beverage director Ariel Arce fixed up something easy and impressive for our readers. Toss juniper and rosemary in gin, make a little quince syrup, and grab a bottle of champagne. Do it right, i.e. with plenty of fried chicken, and hangovers will be a thing of the past.
Name: Ariel Arce
If this drink had a soundtrack, what would it be? “Tell It Like It Is” by Aaron Neville
Drink of choice: Gin and tonic. For tonic I like Fever-Tree, for gin I go classic with Plymouth. Definitely a pinch of lime.
Hangover cure: I only drink when I know I can stay in bed all day. Then I get a slice of pizza or a cheeseburger. I’m a big fan of delivery.
Best date advice: Go somewhere and eat something that isn’t flattering, so you know they’ll be comfortable with the person you really are.
Recommendation: Fried chicken. Or pizza.
Worst pick-up: There was a place I once worked where people would come in and spend a lot of money on champagne. Once there was a gentleman who was really trying to throw his weight around, and he went up to two young women and asked how much they might be for the evening. Of course, the girls were incredibly offended. We did our best to diffuse it, and as his apology he sent over a bottle of Dom Pérignon Rose ’03.
What not to do to your bartender: Don’t forget—you’re not the only person at the bar. Be patient and your patience will be rewarded.
Best New Year’s Eve ever: I grew up on Sister Act II. One year, we were at a party and having a great time, and the countdown happens. By happenstance, at 12 on the dot, “Oh Happy Day” from Sister Act II started playing. Every person in the room started dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. It was a great, joyous moment, like, let’s have a great new year. I remember dancing so hard.
Exclusive Recipe: Quince and the Pauper OC
Alcohol Scale*: 5
“It’s watch-out boozy. There’s some bubbles, some gin, and some fun.”
1 oz gin infused with rosemary and juniper
1 oz quince syrup
H. Blin Champagne
To infuse the gin, grab a bottle of gin and add juniper berries and rosemary. Grab a bottle of quince jelly, not membrillo, and thin it out with some water to create a syrup. Strain. Then garnish a wine glass with a sprig of rosemary and fill with crushed ice. Pour gin and quince syrup over ice; top with champagne.
*OC's Alcohol Scale ranges from 1 ("like sippin' from a juice box") to 10 ("tak