Every week, I document another dish that impressed and satiated me during my food adventures around New York City
SADLY, PEGU CLUB IS NOW CLOSED.
Pegu Club is to the cocktail world as Lombardi’s is to the pizza world. Lombardi’s was the launch pad for pizza legends behind places like Totonno’s, John’s, and Patsy’s. If you’ve gone to any cool craft cocktail bar in the city in the last 20 years, odds are you have tasted the drinks by the previous employees of Pegu Club.
PDT, Bar Goto, Mayahuel, Death & Co, Attaboy, Fort Defiance. These places are all owned or created by amazing bartenders who flexed their muscles at Pegu Club. It truly is a legend and so is the owner Audrey Saunders.
I have been many times in the past, but have recently started spending more time there for research on our Craft Cocktail tour. Something I didn’t realize is that they have an incredible Happy Hour (Monday-Friday, 5-7pm) where many of their signature cocktails are only $10!
That’s where I discovered the Madeira Martinez, which sounds like a glamorous Latin American movie star of the 1940’s. Instead it is a riff on the classic Martinez cocktail (basically a Manhattan made with Old tom gin) utilizing one of my absolute favorite fortified wines: madeira.
This smooth boozy sipper is comprised of a nutty Madeira (with hints of graham cracker) stirred with gin, honey, pomegranate syrup, and bitters. The garnish is not an orange twist or an olive, but rather an herbal bay leaf. This is my favorite kind of cocktail loaded with layers of complex flavors and a sweet strong finish.
When you taste a cocktail like this, you realize why Pegu Club has the history it does and why it’s still very relevant today. Price: $16 ($10 at Happy Hour)
| PEGU CLUB |
| 77 West Houston Street (between Wooster Street and West Broadway) Soho (212) 473-7348 |
| peguclub.com |
