#92 – SEVEN SPICE SOUR at MÁ PÊCHE

Once again Time Out New York released their Top 100 Dishes of the year and once again, I’m going to eat my way through every one. And no price point or subway delay will stop me. In no particular order, here’s my take on their Top 100.

The Seven Spice Sour has been raved about since Momofuku Má Pêche opened last year. Besides being on TONY’s list, it was one of 3 cocktails featured in a memorable NY Times column. Needless to say, it was the hot cocktail of last year. Well, you know how fickle New Yorkers are. And I should have anticipated this. But by the time we finlly got around to making reservations for another TONY list item, the Beef Seven Ways feast (read that review here), I checked the online menu to make sure the cocktail was still listed and to my horror, it had been taken off the menu. What was I to do?

I could only hope that the bartenders would still make it or that they would be bringing it back sometime soon. But knowing how labor intensive certain cocktails are and the desire of NY restaurants to continually re-invent themselves, I wasn’t feeling terribly confident. So I peeked my head in to the Má Pêche bar one evening (a few weeks prior to my reservation) on my way to dinner somewhere else in the neighborhood just to find out my fate. I’d either put myself at ease knowing I’d be one step closer to completing the list or I’d hang my head in failure.

I literally was jumping for joy when I walked out of the bar. The bartender assured me while it had been removed from the menu, the recipe had remained in his memory. He may have thought it strange that I just asked if the drink was available and then left without ordering one, but I didn’t care. Success was approaching.

The night of our reservation, we made our way to the swanky bar above the dining room and waited for our other guests to arrive (we were the first to arrive for a party of seven). While I did peruse the other cocktails on the bar menu, I confidently ordered the Seven Spice Sour. The bartender smiled, either recognizing me from a few weeks earlier or because I was one of those patrons who was “in the know” by ordering a special off-the-menu item.

The bartender filled us in on what went into the cocktail. The most impressive component is a sake which has been infused with togarashi. Togarashi is where this cocktail gets the first part of its name. It’s a special Japanese blend of (you guessed it) seven spices. According to Wikipedia, you’ll find red chili pepper, sansho pepper, orange peel, black and white sesame seeds, hemp seed, ground ginger and nori seaweed bits in a little container of togarashi. I’ve encountered it mostly at Japanese noodle shops as a substitute for salt and pepper shakers. I really love it because it has a bit of a kick, but is incredibly well-rounded and won’t overwhelm a dish.

The second part of the cocktail’s name is “sour.” Of course, this is no ordinary sour mix either. Lime juice, simple syrup, and yuzu juice make up the rest of the libation.

It’s quite a blend of flavors. The first few sips really woke up my tastebuds. The alcohol was strong, but the spice lingered on my tongue. It was quickly washed down with the sweet tartness from the citrus. It was well-balanced, clean, and I was amazingly able to nurse it through the first part of our meal.

I’m relieved to know they’ll still make it for patrons. Not just because I was able to check off another list item, but because know I can go back and try it again.

Would Má Pêche’s Seven Spice Sour make my Top 100 of the year? It’s a little drink with a lot of kick and huge amounts of flavor so that wins no less than an 8 out of 10 in my book.