Mario Batali's Del Posto Launches New Cocktail Menu
Yesterday, Del Posto, launched a new bar menu that is bound to please every lover of classic and cutting edge cocktails. The restaurant is owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali, along with best-selling cookbook author and restaurateur Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, and her son Joe Bastianich, winner of the James Beard Foundation's "Outstanding Restaurateur" Award in 2008 (along with Batali).
So while Del Posto was recently awarded a coveted four star rating from the New York Times, it won't just be foodies who will be flocking to the Chelsea restaurant. Its cocktails are so delicious, that the bar at Del Posto is bound to be a destination of its own.
Bartender, Fabio Raffaelli, who hails from Milan, Italy, and Bar Manager, Matthew Silverstein, created the recipes that took the cocktail menu from seven to 27 different libations. The cocktails are not just delicious, but are also gorgeous to look at. Many of the cocktails are made with ultra premium rum, exotic liquers, fresh fruit juices and unique ingredients such as fresh rose water and Bitters that are imported from Germany.
"As with cooking, the ingredients are critical as well as using them in the correct balances," says Silverstein. "This is what creates great cocktails."
Joining the Bellini and other old standards that have long been on the menu, are such new cocktails as the Vesper Martini and the XO Champagne Cocktail, both of which are bound to be favorites among Del Posto guests.
"We picked some classic cocktails and rebuilt the recipes with our own ideas," explains Raffaelli.
Take for example Del Posto's new rum punch. It is made with Rhum Agricole Clement XO (which is manufactured in Martinique), JM Syrup, Peychaud's & Jerry Thomas' Bitters (from Germany), lime and organic rose water. The cocktail is served in a chilled rocks glass. It is priced at $34, largely because the Rhum is so expensive (at roughly $200 a bottle). The Clement XO Rum Ti' Punch will thrill any lover of super premium rum drinks, as you taste (and smell) hints of vanilla, orange peel and other spices that balance perfectly with the rose water.
The Carpano Cocktail is simply devine. Made with Carpano Antica Formula, Bulleit Bourbon, Campari, fresh orange juice, fresh lemon juice and fresh lime juice, it is garnished with an orange twist. Served over ice in a rocks glass, it is priced at $16. This cocktail is both sweet and sour. The combination of fresh fruit juices that are used work extremely well with the Carpano, which is an Italian sweet vermouth. This citrusy cocktail is an interplay of sweet and bitter which is beautifully balanced.
The Vesper Martini will be a conversation piece. Made with Gordon's Gin, Jean Marc XO Vodka (a French premium vodka), Lillet Blanc and Lemon Essence, it is topped with a gold leaf. Shaken, fine strained and served up in a chilled coupe glass, it is priced at $34.
The XO Champagne Cocktail is made with Hennessy Extra Old Fine Champagne Cognac, a sugar cube, Angostura Bitters, and Doyard Champagne. Garnished with a brandied cherry and an orange twist, it is served in a chilled champagne glass. Priced at $28 (due to the expense of the cognac) it is a great example of what a Champagne Cocktail is supposed to taste like, when made extremely well.
The Caipirinha, which is priced at a more moderate $16, is made with Leblon Cachaca, brown sugar and fresh lime. It is garnished with lime zest and is served over crushed ice in a chilled rocks glass.
Del Posto is located at 85 10th Avenue at 15th Street. Reservations to dine at the restaurant can be made online or by calling (212) 497-8090.
