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F R I D A Y ,   M A Y 2 3

Frank Caiafa of Peacock  Alle y 

"I like to go seasonal with seasonal ingredients, and fresh if I can

 without a doubt. The other thing is we have to take into

consideration is volume," said Frank Caifa, bar manager for the

 Waldorf=Astoria's Peacock Alley , when I interviewed him a little

 while back for this month's Featured Cocktail. "I try to shy away 

from muddled drinks because we get so busy. In the summer I’ll

have one or two. I like to mix it up. I like to have some savory,

classic, or my twists on the classics and some dessert style drinks

 because some of the guests that come here are the post-theater

crowd."

Besides hotel guests, other crowds that visit the legendarily 

swanky Peacock Alley include people who come for events or

 before and after events as well as other non-hotel guests.

"I think people look for a different experience," Caifa said, citing an

early lesson he learned in his almost three years of working with

Peacock Alley . The hotel has a lot of European and English guests

so Caifa decided to offer English beers, which didn't go over as well

as he'd planned.

"The stumble we had was, I wanted people to feel at home and they 

 wanted to try different stuff."

The result of that lesson is a mix of high-end spirits and

housemade fresh ingredients. The Raspberry Beret features house-

spiced Grand Havana Rum, Cointreau and raspberry puree. Other

drinks include the SE Sidecar made with Evan Williams bourbon,

Canton Ginger liqueur and fresh sour made by the staff. The Au

Pear is made with Grey Goose Pear vodka, pear puree, sweet

 vermouth and a house-infused white raisin and vanilla bean

grappa.

The menu also features luxury-priced cocktails. The Millionaire's

Martini, made with Jean-Marc XO Vodka, and an olive stuffed with

artisinal bleu cheese, is priced at $25, while the Grand Platinum

Margarita, made with Patron Platinum tequila, Grand Marnier 150(Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire), and fresh lime juice, goes

for $50.

 When asked if customers who come to the Peacoc k Alley are

looking for luxury drinks, Caiafa answered, "They do because I

think people are here for special events. They might think, 'Wow I

 wonder what it would be like to have a $50 margaritas.'"

P O S T E D B YS O N Y A M O O R EA T1 1 : 3 8 A ML A B E L S :C O C K T A I L S, F R A N K C A I A F A, L U X U R Y, P E A C O C K A, P R E M,W A L D O R F = A S T O R I A

1 C O M M E N T S :

 Anonymous said...

Caiafa says that he likes to keep his ingredients fresh, which is a big

deal now, especially as everyone is growing and buying local. In

an interview he did with Behind the Burner (link here if y ou'd like

 

Standards & Pours

A B O U T T

Sonya Moore

Sonya is the online associate editor

at Nation's Restaurant News. She is

a New York-based fan of 

consumable liquids and encounters

them in her life fairly frequently 

and will bravely taste whatever

drink is put in front of her.

S U B S C R I

F R O M M Y

I'm not too proud to admit that

today I wept like a baby as I

grated horseradish for a Bloody 

Mary mix. about 6 hours ago

follow me on Twitter

 

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Newer Post Older Post

to rea it:

http://www.behindtheburner.com/expert/frank_caiafa.html), he

talks about how it's very competitive with mixologists in New 

 York City and beyond; do you think that using fresher ingredients

and haute liquor is a big part of improving the cocktail? Or is it just

the quality that Waldorf Astoria is trying to put across (especially 

 with a $50 dollar margarita!)

Thanks!

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