Today I am here to share a super delicious cocktail, a Pineapple Cinnamon Margarita, but first you will have to listen to my rambling story about how it was made and what it makes me think of when I drink it. Skip to the bottom for the recipe if that's how you roll.
Most of my friends couldn't believe I had never been to New York City. I finally had the chance to visit October 2013, with my brother, D, in a whirlwind, one day trip. We took the train from Philly, where he lives, and left late that evening. We walked the High Line, ate pizza in the Village, took the subway to Central Park and gawked at Times Square. We ended the night in a terrible/wonderful quintessential New York Italian restaurant. It was awesome.
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| November 2014, freezing at Battery Park. |
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| November 2014. |
Now that I had the taste of New York, I desperately wanted to go back with K. As my brother and I walked Central Park on an unseasonably warm October day, I saw all these couples walking together and felt an intense sadness. I was so happy to see this place with my brother, but I missed K and knew we had to come here together ASAP. As luck would have it, my parents wanted to spend Thanksgiving in Philadelphia, so in November of 2014, K and I spent the week before Thanksgiving exploring New York.
And we loved it. We walked the High Line, froze in Central Park, walked down Fifth Avenue and gawked at the Christmas decor. We went to dive bars in the Village and spotted Ethan Hawke (it was like a dream guys, seriously. Do you know how much I love the
Before trilogy? I saw Jesse!), ate at Momofuku and saw David Chang in the window, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on an unseasonably warm day.
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| February 2015, The Citizen M Lobby. |
But, I'm not here to talk about either of those times. Instead, I am here to share a cocktail with you we discovered on our last trip to New York in February. We were in town to see
Hedwig and the Angry Inch on Broadway (you can find my thoughts about that amazing night
here). When we visited last year, we expected cold weather and save for the first day, it was actually quite warm. Not so much in February. Central Park was frozen with snow and everyday we layered on our sweaters and coats and hats and gloves, etc. Our first trip, we stayed in Tribeca, in a tiny boutique hotel. This time, wanting to be close to the theatre for the big night, we stayed at the Citizen M close to Time Square. The Citizen M is an amazing hotel; super modern and Euro, with pod like rooms that are marvels of efficiency and design. The rooms have an extra large bed that is right next to the window, so you have to crawl over each other to get in and out. The shower and toilet are in a spaceship like capsule in the middle of the room with mood lighting. The whole room is controlled by a tablet, you can dim the lights and change the "mood lighting" of the bathroom capsule that lights up the whole room. It was probably the smallest room I have ever stayed in but it didn't feel cramped, in fact, the storage was great, our luggage was stowed away and there is a huge drawer under the bed for clothes as well as hanging storage. The lobby is a gorgeous, living room space with a bustling bar and an international crowd. The rooftop bar is for guests only and completely stunning.
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| More Citizen M, courtyard. |
Despite my begging, K and I didn't end up at the bar the first night of our trip. We went to dinner at Le Relais de Venise, a steak frites palace from France with outposts in New York and London. They didn't have medium rare, my preferred choice, so I had my steak bleu and discovered how much I love red meat. Also, I saw my first man bun, so that was exciting. Afterwards, K and I wandered into Grand Central Station and then found the Belasco Theatre, where we would see
Hedwig. The next day we wandered Central Park, ate pizza at Lombardi's and shopped in Soho. After dinner in the Village, we ended up in the worst bar in New York, truly. It was a gross pub that was horror themed, the only place in the Village on a Friday that was only packed, not completely packed. After the girl who sold jello shots came around, K and I, split (look, I love a dive bar too, but jello shots were too much, plus I needed my Big Gay Ice Cream fix, and what better time to go then on a freezing cold night at 10 p.m.). When K and I got back to the Citizen M, we wandered upstairs to the rooftop bar. It was bustling and the views were incredible. They had these delicious cheese crisps that I couldn't stop eating. And I ordered some unforgettable drink for my first round. But the second round, I got the Pineapple Cinnamon Margarita, and it was delicious.
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| The beloved Rooftop Bar. |
We returned to the bar every night for the next two nights, for a nightcap. Saturday was show day and so we didn't do much; wandered a frozen Central Park, ate at an incredibly crowded Shack Shack and returned to the hotel to primp. We ended up at the Rum Bar for before show drinks and were excited to discover it was featured in the movie
Birdman, a movie neither of us loved, but as cinephiles, its always a fun moment to realize something was filmed where you are. After the show, I wandered in a daze to The Hourglass Tavern, the carefully chosen restaurant for that night. Times Square is not known for great food, so I had debated heartily where to go on this very special night, that wasn't too expensive but also wasn't too far away. We went to a funny little house, where I was so excited I could barely eat. The table next to us was a fun party of, well their isn't any other way to describe it, old theatre queens. One of them immediately seized on K and I and proceeded to tease us all night, showing me a crazy picture of his wedding and trying to buy us more drinks. The food wasn't great, but the atmosphere, and company, was, and I couldn't eat anyway. Sunday, it snowed all day and after a walk around the Village in the snow, we decided to retreat to the crappy pub next to our hotel and day drink until our dinner reservation and the long awaited Rubirosa. I say long awaited because on our first trip to New York, I made a reservation for the wrong days and we couldn't get in. Luckily this time it exceeded expectations. Each night K and I debated trying a new bar, but each night, the freezing temperatures deterred us and we returned to our rooftop. Saturday it was crowded and Sunday it was dead, but each time K and I had fun laughing, eating cheese crisps and walking around the balcony, in the freezing cold. We sat on the big couches, and talked about our day and looked into the city. It was lovely, a great way to decompress each night and relax, plus K and I love having a "local" even if its only for a few days. And when we came home, I knew I had to recreate this drink.
Each time I drink it, it brings me back to the magic of New York. The pineapple is sweet and the cinnamon is warm and cozy, with the sharp hit of the tequila always in the background. It is actually a great year round drink, in the winter, the cinnamon has a cozy, holiday taste, in the summer, the pineapple brings out the tropical, Tiki spirit. This is a drink that requires preparation, but it is incredibly easy. Cinnamon Simple Syrup must be made in advance, but I do my regular one part sugar, two parts water formula and simply throw in a couple cinnamon sticks. By the time it is cool and ready to be jarred, the cinnamon has infused wonderfully. Everything else is a pretty typical margarita, with pineapple in addition to the ever important lime juice.
Pineapple Cinnamon Margarita
1.5 oz Tequila (I have used Blanco and Gold, either is fine
I think I slightly prefer the darker in this margarita)
.5 oz Orange Liqueur
1 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Cinnamon Simple Syrup
1 Lime, Juiced
Shake it and serve on the rocks! Garnish with pineapple.
Drink it and dream of New York.
Julie
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