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...
Cajun food might get plenty of play, but Acadian? The precursor cuisine created by French colonists in Newfoundland finally gets its due at East Village restaurant King Bee, where poutine rapeé is served alongside cheeky-sounding cocktails (Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar, B Side Wins Again).
When we asked co-owner Eben Klemm to whip up a drink for Opening Ceremony, we got something both old and new: a twist on a classic winter warmer with a New York-centric name: Ford to City:. (Yes, the “:” is intentional.) Made with a deep, fruity fortified wine and a thick pat of spiced butter, this is the drink you sip indoors while watching the snow fall. And thanks to its low alcohol percentage, have more than one.
Name: Eben Klemm
If this drink had a soundtrack, what would it be? "“Marquee Moon” by Television
Drink of choice: A martini, a Manhattan, or a Negroni. I really like to see how a bar handles their basics.
Hangover cure: Drink a pint of whole milk.
Best date advice: Go someplace neither of you know, because then you’re exploring a place together, and nobody takes control.
Worst pick-up: “Come back to my apartment. I have a gun.” And it wasn’t a man saying it, either.
What not to do to your bartender: Don’t assume that your version of a drink is the one your bartender knows. If you want to be specific, ask, “How do you make yours?”
Exclusive Recipe: The Ford To City:
OC Alcohol Scale*: 5
"It’s just fortified wine, but you’re always going to feel a little boost because it’s warm."
2 oz. Pineaut de Charentes
½ oz Speierling apple cider
½ oz fresh cider
1 pat compound butter with salted caramel and dried fig seeds
Heat together Pineaut de Charentes, fresh cider, Speierling, and the star anise. Pour into glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and top with compound butter.
*OC's Alcohol Scale ranges from 1 ("like sippin' from a juice box") to 10 ("take me home—right now")![]()
The Ford To City: at King Bee ![]()
Our yummy ingredients. ![]()
Add your wine... ![]()
... then your cider...![]()
... then your pretty lil star anise and heat up the whole mixture.![]()
After yor drink is nice and warm, add it to your glass.![]()
Garnish with a lemon twist.![]()
Finally, add a healthy dose of compound butter and viola! You're done!
Cajun food might get plenty of play, but Acadian? The precursor cuisine created by French colonists in Newfoundland finally gets its due at East Village restaurant King Bee, where poutine rapeé is served alongside cheeky-sounding cocktails (Dan Smith Will Teach You Guitar, B Side Wins Again).
When we asked co-owner Eben Klemm to whip up a drink for Opening Ceremony, we got something both old and new: a twist on a classic winter warmer with a New York-centric name: Ford to City:. (Yes, the “:” is intentional.) Made with a deep, fruity fortified wine and a thick pat of spiced butter, this is the drink you sip indoors while watching the snow fall. And thanks to its low alcohol percentage, have more than one.
Name: Eben Klemm
If this drink had a soundtrack, what would it be? "“Marquee Moon” by Television
Drink of choice: A martini, a Manhattan, or a Negroni. I really like to see how a bar handles their basics.
Hangover cure: Drink a pint of whole milk.
Best date advice: Go someplace neither of you know, because then you’re exploring a place together, and nobody takes control.
Worst pick-up: “Come back to my apartment. I have a gun.” And it wasn’t a man saying it, either.
What not to do to your bartender: Don’t assume that your version of a drink is the one your bartender knows. If you want to be specific, ask, “How do you make yours?”
Exclusive Recipe: The Ford To City:
OC Alcohol Scale*: 5
"It’s just fortified wine, but you’re always going to feel a little boost because it’s warm."
2 oz. Pineaut de Charentes
½ oz Speierling apple cider
½ oz fresh cider
1 pat compound butter with salted caramel and dried fig seeds
Heat together Pineaut de Charentes, fresh cider, Speierling, and the star anise. Pour into glass, garnish with a lemon twist, and top with compound butter.
*OC's Alcohol Scale ranges from 1 ("like sippin' from a juice box") to 10 ("take me home—right now")
The Ford To City: at King Bee 
Our yummy ingredients. 
Add your wine... 
... then your cider...
... then your pretty lil star anise and heat up the whole mixture.
After yor drink is nice and warm, add it to your glass.
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Finally, add a healthy dose of compound butter and viola! You're done!