What was in Pouring Ribbons before Pouring Ribbons? The legendary Uncle Ming’s.
Tap the link in bio to hear the full story of what made Pouring Ribbons special, what led Joaquin Simo to close its doors, and why he’s uncertain if he’ll open another bar.
Today on The Buildout, Adam sits down with acclaimed bartender Joaquin Simo (@simojoaquin ) to tell the full story of Pouring Ribbons—from the early buildout days and opening buzz to the hard realities of running a modern cocktail bar.
Tap the link in bio to listen.
For those sad few who judge people solely on their physical stature, Francine Cohen was easy to overlook. But if you gauge people on their unimpeachable character, ludicrously high (but also very fair <sigh>) hospitality standards, and their unapologetically sheer badassery, then tiny lil Francine starts to look at a LOT more like Andre the Giant. And so, yet again, we have sadly lost another giant of our industry too soon.
One that we will miss not because she was our biggest cheerleader (which she could be, but only when we deserved it), but because she held us to account when we needed to be. She never suffered a fool gladly, but she gladly suffered her friends acting foolishly from time to time. She told you when your pitch was good but your juice was crap and you loved her for it. I know I did. Wherever you go next Francine, we all know you will forever be useful. Thank you for everything you did with and for all of us. We are far better for having known and loved you
When you think about the very best parts of our industry, there are those precious few who exemplified those attributes best- those of mentorship and celebration of excellence. And our industry today is literally unrecognizable without their contributions. Thank you Turtle, for everything.
If you’re not feeling terribly thirsty tonight, I’ll be behind the stick at Mother’s Ruin along with some other fun fossils. Don’t worry- I’m “working” alongside Eryn Reece and Candace Coy from 7:30-8:30, so the odds of you actually getting a drink are vastly improved. Having said that, I definitely still know how to make a daiquiri. Rum, lime and…. <brain struggling > sugar! I totally got this. See you tonight!
I apologize if I haven’t been around or responsive over the last week. Rhea and I said goodbye to our beloved pup last Monday, and to say we’ve been shattered since is an understatement. We’re still dealing with how massive a hole a 15-lb dog can leave in the universe, which is apparently measured exponentially. So in lieu of rueful remembrance, here are some pics of our handsome lil guy, along with a list of his many (largely embarrassing) nicknames.
Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonderdog (gov’t name). Esteban Maravilloso. Monkey Dog. Monkey Butt. Bunny. Chicken. Muffin. Muffin Butt. Muffinito. Bitey McDickface (he was categorically unopposed to quite literally biting the hand that fed him). Pee-vie Wonder. The Mayor of Pee-Town. Stevie Mummers. Seaweed. Corn Chip Head. Furry Weirdo. YOUR dog (as in “Guess what YOUR dog did!). Stevland Wonder. Lil Face. Cute Face. Puppy Face. Crusty Face.
I miss him so damn much.
It took until our fouth day of reopening PR before I got sufficient sleep to be coherent enough for a rare social media post. We've brought back some beloved staffers and are thrilled to welcome some new blood behind our bar. But new faces aren't the only thing that's changed. We're now only open Wednesday through Saturday nights, from 6pm-2am. Our lease wraps up in April, so this is our final six month run. It sounds crazy to type that, but it's true. Just don't believe Google Maps, which keeps insisting we're closed. You know we live in strange times when I think Yelp is doing something well.
Our beloved Flavor Matrix is no more, as QR code menus will give us different opportunities to describe our cocktails. Also, no more themed menus! Instead, we're bringing back all your favorites from the past nine years for some delicious nostalgia hits over this final run.
But perhaps the biggest change is our door policy. It took us 18 months to reopen, out of an abundance of caution. The safety of our staff and patrons remains paramount, so we must limit entrance to those guests with a valid ID (as always), an ACTUAL vaccination card with the name matching your ID, an Excelsior Pass, or a CLEAR pass. We will NOT accept photos of vax cards and will NOT accept the NYC CovidSafe app until their verification standards improve dramatically. Its not that we wouldn't love your business, but not at the expense of the safety of our staff and other patrons. We hope you understand, and arrive to our door properly equipped.
We've missed our regulars, our industry friends, and our neighbors more than anything. Not being a covid casualty like so many beloved bars and restaurants is something we are extremely grateful for. We're not taking this opportunity to say a proper goodbye for granted, so please join us sometime soon!
Amazing photo by @tararouxcreative@pouring_ribbons@liquor@thirsty@vinepair@bonappetitmag@punch_drink@timeoutnewyork@theworlds50bestcocktails@thirsty_magazine@imbibe@halffulldrinkandfood@tales_of_the_cocktail@50bestbars@eater_ny@grubstreet@kkrader@newman_kara@robertosimonson@fwaychel@hannaleeny@hannaleepr@street_bottle
One thing that I truly loved doing in the Before Times was judging the Heaven Hill Bartender of the Year competition, and that's why I'm so happy that I get to do it again this year. But just like so many things, this year's BotY is going to be completely different than in years past, and I am loving how those changes reflect our new priorities and environment. The newly launched Craft Meets Community Initiative will include virtual seminars, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops all centered around community, advocacy and education. My fellow national judges Lynn House and Jeff Morganthaler will be there to lend their decades of experience and knowledge, along with new additions (but old friends) like Alex Jump, Lauren Paylor, Claire Sprouse and Jackie Summers. I can't wait to hear them speak frankly and openly about issues of sustainability, inclusion, diversity, local investment and what hospitality looks like in a post-pandemic world. There's also an Award Program where you can submit your idea for how to nurture your team or make an impact in your community for a chance to receive one-on-one mentoring and win $5,000 to put it into action. Jeff and I will be teaming up for the Education, Mentorship, and Development track of the @bartenderoftheyear Craft Meets Community Initiative with a seminar on July 6, followed by a workshop on July 13. As anyone who has worked alongside me (or worked for me) knows all too well, I take continued education and staff training incredibly seriously, so getting a chance to do this alongside the guy who literally wrote the Bar Book is a real treat. I hope you can join me live as @jeffmorgen and I discuss how to most effectively build your own knowledge and the knowledge of those around you. We’ll explore how to distill and share information, and how bar teams grow through communication. Be sure to sign up at bartenderoftheyear.liquor.com or click on the link in my bio!
@BartenderoftheYear@CraftMeetsCommunity@liquor
The enduring stereotype of a demure, obsequious, quiet little lotus blossom has never quite rung true in my experience. All the Asian ladies I know are brassy, ballsy and can’t wait to grab the reins to show the rest of us how it oughtta be done. Seeing as how my wife clearly has all of the latter attributes and none of the former, she has enlisted some seriously badass bartenders to back Yuh-Line Niou’s re-election campaign to remain the ONLY Asian-American representatives in New York’s State Assembly. So please show your support this Sat May 30 at 8:30pm EST to ensure that we have as many voices representing as many of us as possible in our government. Link to tickets in bio!
Staying at home has its challenges, but can quarantine actually be fun? Join me, @micaelamarinih and @AnnaGoldfarb as we share tips on maintaining a social life.
Tune in Friday 4/24 5pm ET. RSVP with @NYTLive : /joy0424
The last few days have been a bit of a whirlwind of highs and lows, though both of those were curiously bound by a sense of gratitude. On June 5, TOTC made a huge leap forward in their Spirited Awards process by opening up the candidates in a significantly expanded way, one which I cannot applaud more strongly. A huge THANK YOU to Charlotte Voisey, Jacob Briars, Caroline Nabors Rosen, Neal Bodenheimer & all the senior team there for this radical and long-overdue change.
No list or awards is perfect, that much is sure. There are always deserving candidates that are left out, and too often even great people, places and products don't get their just due until well after they may have qualified for such recognition. But by breaking things down by category and region the way they did this year, this committee has acknowledged hundreds of amazing bar programs from across nearly every continent. It was so refreshing to see that you can now get a wonderful craft cocktail served expertly to you in rural Canada, deep Patagonia, sub-Saharan Africa, and even in the northeast corner of the East Village. The mind positively boggles.
Another benefit to these expanded lists is that it gives us a way to acknowledge so many deserving establishments- from new/newish ones that are making a splash to established institutions that have seen generational shifts in their staffs and leadership over the years. It's a phenomenal way to highlight all those who are crushing it right from the start while also acknowledging those whose standards for service and execution have been kept high over 5 or 10 or more years. Both represent unique challenges (making a mark in a crowded field vs staying relevant in media landscape driven by what's new) and these lists did a great job of showcasing bars, hotels and restaurants who truly deserve to be visited (or revisited). Only a fraction of these places will get to the final top ten list that will be announced next week, even fewer to the final four list a couple weeks after that, and of course only one winner. But every place on these lists has worked their asses off to create great workplace cultures, cultivate passionate and loyal regulars, a
