Try the 'Nyack Gentleman' at Prohibition River during Hudson Valley Restaurant Week

With Spring Hudson Valley Restaurant Week its last four days, The Valley Table magazine has compiled a ‘notable’ list of cocktails crafted by some of the top mixologists in the Hudson Valley.

Spanning 114 miles across seven New York State counties, and involving more than 220 restaurants, the wildly popular food and drink experience runs through March 22.

HVRW participating restaurants are encouraged to include local product on their prix fixe menus. Many HVRW restaurants, such as the Clock Tower Grill in Brewster, are also offering cocktails using local spirits.

“We’re seeing cocktails made with spirits from local distilleries such as Dutch’s Spirits, Orange County Distillery, Warwick Valley Winery and Distillery, Hillrock Estate Distillery and others,” says Janet Crawshaw, Publisher of The Valley Table and founder of Hudson Valley Restaurant Week. “Some of the restaurants are using ultra-seasonal, ultra-local product, such as Valley at the Garrison’s ‘Fahnestock Maple Sap’ cocktail that uses maple water and a maple reduction from the neighboring Clarence Fahnestock State Park.”

Here’s a sampling of what’s hot to drink during Spring HVRW, including a few recipes for you to try on your own:

1. Birdsall House - 970 Main St, Peekskill, NY 10566

Garry Leavy’s ‘Pickled Peekskill”

4 to 5 Chef March Walker’s pickles (to drop in)

1 ½ oz Mexcal Tequila

1/3 oz Lime Juice

1/3 oz Agave Syrup

-Smoked Salt Rim around glass as garnish.

-Stir together. Serve in a margarita glass and enjoy!

2. Café of Love – 38 Main St, Mt Kisco, NY 10549
Justin Poltrack’s ‘Café of Love Bourbon-Blood Orange Thaw’

2 oz bourbon

2 oz fresh-squeezed blood orange juice

3 mint leaves

½ oz fresh lemon juice

Splash simple syrup

Dash aromatic bitters

Splash club soda

-Muddle mint in simple syrup. Add bourbon and juices. Add ice and shake once. Add dash of bitters and splash of club soda. Pour into highball glass.
-Garnish with slice of blood orange and spring of mint.

3. Chophouse Grille – 957 US-6, Mahopac, NY 10541
Jay Shenkman’s ‘Succulent Pear Martini’

2oz part pear puree
.5 oz simple syrup
dash cinnamon
4 oz Grey Goose La Poire Vodka

4 oz St Germain Elderflower liqueur

-Homemade pear purée with simple syrup and a dash of cinnamon.
-shaken strained – served straight-up in martini glass.

4. Crave Restaurant & Lounge - 129 Washington Street, Poughkeepsie, NY

Abby Dubois’ ‘HVRW Signature Cocktail’
Ingredients:
Millbrook Distillery Private Reserve Bourbon
kumquat shrub
gran gala
bitters
lemon

5. Harpers – 92 Main St, Dobbs Ferry, NY 10522
Clark Moore’s ‘Turkish Delight’

1 ½ oz Cardamom

1 oz Pistachio milk

½ oz pear liqueur

½ oz Vanilla Syrup

¼ oz Jasmine liqueur

3 drops of Rose Water

Absinth rinse

-Shake all together and serve on the rocks in an old fashioned glass with crushed pistachio garnish.

6. Joseph’s Steakhouse – 728 Violet Avenue, Hyde Park, NY
Espresso Martini

It’s a secret what’s in it!

7. Millhouse Brewing Co – 289 Mill St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 -
Rob Romanillos and Kyle Kelley’s ‘The MHBC Dark & Stormy Hop’

1.5oz cascade hop-infused goslings rum

1oz house made ginger syrup

.75oz oloroso sherry

.75oz fresh lime juice

.5oz st. Elizabeth allspice dram

1oz MHBC velvet panda stout

-Combine all ingredients in shaker tin.
-Shake thoroughly with ice.
-Fine strain into a coupe glass.
-Garnish with grated nutmeg.

8. Prohibition River - 82 Main St, Nyack, NY 10960
Scott Sanchez’s ‘Nyack Gentleman’
2 oz Maker’s Mark Bourbon

Fresh Mint

Fresh Blackberry

Splash Lemon Juice
-Mint and blackberries are muddled together.
-Shaken and poured over fresh ice served on the rocks.
-Mint to garnish.

9. Queen City Bistro – 206 Main St, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Shannon Reidy’s ‘Chocolate Smoke”

2 oz Double smoked cherry-infused bourbon

.5 oz Sweet vermouth

2oz chocolate ganosh

Torched cap of wood underneath the drink and place the drink on top (the vessel is a globe shape with the drink on top and the globe fills with smoke).
-All ingredients shaken together over ice – served straight up.
-Garnished with a cherry.

10. Ralph and Dave’s – 7 Riverview Ave, Verplanck, NY 10596
Dave Tuttle’s Classic Manhattan

3 oz Hillrock Rye (or Bourbon to substitute)

1 oz Antica Formula Sweet Vermouth

Luxardo Cherries

Two drops of Luxardo Cherry Syrup

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

-Shaken and poured into a martini glass.

11. Restaurant North - 386 Main St, Armonk, NY 10504
Kelly Verardo ‘s ‘Old New York’

1.5 ounces bourbon
1 ounce Bittermans grapefruit bitter liqueur
1 ounce homemade grenadine
orange twist
-In a mixing glass gilled with ice, combine the bourbon, bitter and grenadine. Stir and strain into a martini glass.
-Garnish with an orange twist.

12. Tuthill House– 20 Gristmill Ln, Gardiner, NY

Darrin Joseph’s “The Cordial”

2 dashes aged citrus bitters

½ oz fresh blood orange

½ oz Pomm syrup

½ oz Pur Likor Spiced Blood Orange

½ oz Indigenous Apple Vodka

Top off with CAVA (or other dry bubbly)

-In a shaker filled with ice, combine and shake well.
-Pour into a chilled Collins glass filled with fresh ice.
-Garnish with orange zest and oils (discard garnish when drinking).

13. Valley at the Garrison – 2015 U.S. 9, Garrison, NY

James Brown’s “Fahnestock Maple Sap”
Ingredients:
Black Dirt Apple Jack
Fahnestock maple water
Fahnestock maple syrup reduction
fresh orange

Bitter Truth Orange Bitters

14. The Village Tea Room Restaurant & Bake Shop – 10 Plattekill Avenue, New Paltz, NY

Agnes Devereux’s “Escape Brooklyn”
Ingredients:
Widow Jane
Hudson Standard pear ginger shrub
-Served in a local-honey lined glass on the rocks with a fresh pear slice.

15. Wildfire Grill - 74 Clinton St, Montgomery, NY

Bill Sherry’s “Serious Beets by Bill”
Ingredients:
Orange County Distillery Vodka
house-made beet syrup
fresh squeezed lemon
-Served on the rocks.