What’s Tony Drinking? Cocktails with a Side of Celebrity All Month Long

Happy Birthday, Suntory (Or: A Hangover A Century in the Making)

House Of Suntory Keanu Reeves

The House of Suntory, the mighty colossus that bestrides the Japanese whisky universe (and a good chunk of the rest of the spirits world as well, having aligned with Jim Beam in recent years), celebrated its 100th anniversary in New York City. And as you can imagine, they pulled out all the stops. Make a short film about the brand’s history featuring Keanu Reeves and directed by Sofia Coppola… both of whom showed up to the shindig? Why the heck not! Fly in brand ambassadors from all over the world (including my new pal Andrew Pang from Singapore) to guide us through each pairing of the multi-course food/whisky extravaganza? You betcha!

Create bottles of sparkling Hibiki “champagne” to toast the occasion? Oh heck yes. And of course there was some mighty rare and delicious whisky on hand, like a Mizunara cask-aged 18 year old Yamazaki and a peated 18 year old Hakushu… to say nothing of the stuff we went home with. I got to try Kansha 2023, a blend including whiskies aged upward of 30 years in Mizunara and Spanish oak, straight from the bottle (we didn’t have a glass on hand) of the legendary Beam Suntory ambassador Gardner Dunn. “It’s like butter!” he exclaimed, and it really was — minus the greasy feeling on your lips, and plus delicate floral and citrus notes and maybe a wisp of smoke.

We wound up, against my better judgement, at the afterparty at the venerable Little Branch in downtown Manhattan. I continued to sip various cocktails and highballs with fellow boozy scribes, all considerably younger than I, until I felt the first pangs of an oncoming hangover and hightailed it home. You see, I have the unusual ability to develop a hangover while I’m still drinking. What can I say, it’s a gift. I woke up the next morning feeling horrible — as did many of my cohorts, I later confirmed, which left me feeling weirdly relieved. But the wonderful and somewhat hazy memories of the night will far outlast the pain and misery of the next morning.

Santo tequila Guy Fieri

The House Tequila in Flavortown

I have approximately zero interest in celebrity tequila brands. No, make that exactly zero interest. But one of my favorite booze publicists invited me to an event at Dos Caminos with the one and only Guy Fieri, who was launching the añejo expression of Santo, the brand he owns with o.g. tequila nerd/vocalist extraordinaire Sammy Hagar. And when my daughter, who could give two hoots about any of the spirits/cocktail legends I usually encounter, said, “Daddy, you have to go meet him,” I was in. I figured I’d take advantage of the photo op with the man himself and disregard the tequila. But much to my surprise, all four expressions, including the “Mezquila” that’s a blend of, you guessed it, mezcal and tequila, were quite tasty.

Santo tequila Guy Fieri tasting

And Guy and Sammy are the rare celebs that actually know how tequila should be made, so Santo is additive and diffuser-free. As Guy said to me during the brief meet n’ greet, “It’s not a celebrity tequila brand. We’re celebrities who own a tequila brand.” Good on ‘em! Oh, and yes, I got my photo. My daughter was impressed. A good night all around.

Dale DeGroff

“You’re A Bartender. Come At 8.”

Impostor syndrome and I are old, familiar friends, so whenever I bump into the brighter stars in the galaxy of booze, I’m always astonished that they actually seem to not mind my presence in their orbit. So when Dale DeGroff, known deservedly as “King Cocktail,” invited me to the launch party for his new aperitivo and amaro (created with the also-brilliant Ted Breaux) at bitters mecca Amor y Amargo, I was thinking “I’m not worthy!” even as I told him of course I’d be there. But then he went one better: “The event starts at 6:00 but the bartenders show up at 8:00, so get there at 8.” Impostor syndrome or no, I am certifiably not a bartender, and mentioned this fact to him. “You’ve got enough booze in your apartment,” he responded. “You’re a bartender.” Which, to me, is like Frank Sinatra saying, “You’ve got enough records at home, you’re a singer.” But really, who was I to say no? Although I did split the difference and showed up at 7:30. It was a hell of a night, with Dale actually behind the stick and whipping up cocktails for much of the time. Like Sinatra getting onstage and grabbing the mic, if you want to continue with that analogy.

Dale DeGroff’s amaro aperitivo

Both aperitivo and amaro, released under the DeGroff Spirits banner, are excellent, but the wild, intense amaro is a must-try. No less an authority than the dean of spirits writers, Paul Pacult, said of it, “It had me talking in Swahili… and I don’t speak Swahili.” All I can say is thank goodness it’s so delicious, because the flavor lingers on the palate for about three days.

We Were Here Before You Were Born

I don’t drink beer too often — what can I say, I prefer the hard stuff. But if I’m going to go for a beer, I might as well go to a place that only serves beer — and has been doing so since 1854. That’s right, I’m talking about McSorley’s Old Ale House, the downtown NYC institution that’s a welcome constant in the ever-changing Big Apple. My best pal and I went on a beautiful springtime Friday afternoon, on the early side before the frat boy crowd clogged up the place. You have two choices for liquid refreshments there — light or dark beer — and each order is two small mugs, so of course Besty and I ordered a light and a dark to split. Now, I know that the stuff is currently made by Pabst, so really, how good can it be (I may not drink beer, but that doesn’t stop me from being a beer snob)? But drinking anything at such a historic institution as McSorley’s, which has remained remarkably unchanged for decades, makes it taste better, and their suds are no exception. I prefer the dark, with its lightly sweet burnt caramel flavor, but both brews pair well with the burger, a simple, no-nonsense affair that, at $10.50 with fries, is one of the best bargains in town. Even more iconic is the cheese-and-cracker plate, a sleeve of saltines served with nondescript cheddar, raw onion, and sinus-clearing horseradish mustard. Just writing this is making my mouth water, so if you’ll excuse me, there’s a beer (or two) with my name on it. Remember, it’s cash only, so hit the ATM before you hit the bar!