Zagat: Artisanal Drink Lovers Can Flock To JBird
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Zagat Editor James Mulcahy takes a first look at a new restaurant and creative cocktail bar called JBird on the Upper East Side. JBird, is a new Upper East Side lounge serving artisanal cocktails, which are rare in this neighborhood. Co-owner Josh Kaiser and mixologist Jason Littrell spoke with Zagat about the concept.
Josh Kaiser: We started in Times Square. This is the second location and our flagship store. We have a full menu and a selection of 29 artisanal cocktail creations. It's new American fare, all of the ingredients are local, much of it is organic. Pork sliders are a favorite. They are made with Flying Pigs Farms pork, braised in apple cider and served atop a brioche button with cabbage apple slaw. An artisanal cocktail is when our mixology bartenders take the classics and refresh them.
Jason Littrell: Along with my partner Marshall Altier, I built a cocktail program for the JBird restaurants. We carry a lot of different ice here, because they all serve a unique purpose. Sometimes we have crystal-clear block ice, we've got cold draft ice, we've got ice molds and sometime we don't use ice at all. Let's get weird. One of my favorite drinks is called the "Hudson Breeze Fizz." It's gin, apple brandy, Hudson Valley apple extract bitters that's actually locally made, some lemon juice, some lime juice and some house made grenadine. It also has some egg white, it's got some lemon peels in it, so it's a really cool, frothy cocktail and very seasonal. We also have another cocktail called the "Sadie Hawkins Sling," which is served in a pineapple. The idea behind that one was we wanted to make a punch for two. Basically the idea is that a young lady would order it and choose who she enjoys it with. It's a cool cocktail, we're really proud of that one.
Kaiser: We're most excited about creating something truly original in this neighborhood. Our concept was to give people a respite from spending $20 on a cab to have to go all the way downtown for a quality cocktail and a decent meal.
For more information about JBird and other new restaurants, visit blog.zagat.com.