General Manager Eamon Rockey | Betony - Find. Eat. Drink.
Eamon Rockey, Beverage Manager, General Manager, Betony, Two-Star, NY Times, Where to eat in New York, Midtown West, Best Restaurants in Midtown, American, New American, Contemporary American, Recommendations, Where to drink, Where to shop, Restaurants, Bars, Shops, Cocktail Recipe, The Midas Touch, Cocktail Recipe, Galliano, Bourbon, Lemon Juice, Pineapple Juice, Gomme Arabic Syrup, Whole Egg
The beverage and general manager of Betony previously worked at Eleven Madison Park and opened Compose, Atera and Aska. He is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America.
Eamon shares his thoughts on the cocktail program at Betony, what he’s excited about making in-house and where he’s eating, drinking and shopping around New York City.
Eamon Rockey | Betony’s Beverage + General Manager
October 15, 2013
Midtown West - New York, NY
General Information
Betony
Midtown West
New American
41 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
T: 212.465.2400 (make a reservation)
Website
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Midas Touch Recipe
Recipe courtesy of General Manager Eamon Rockey
Yield
Serves 1
Glass: Highball
Ingredients
- 1.5 oz Galliano
- 1 oz Bourbon
- 1 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
- 3/4 oz Fresh Pineapple Juice
- 1/4 oz Gomme Arabic Syrup
- 1 Whole Egg
Directions
1) Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker and whip with 1 cube of ice until ingredients are integrated.
2) Add ice and shake.
3) Strain into a chilled highball primed with 1 ounce of chilled soda.
4) Fill the glass with soda as needed and serve.
Photographs courtesy of Betony | Photo Credit: Francesco Tonelli
The Cocktails
The philosophy behind the cocktails is relevance, simplicity, and balance. It’s the core of what we do at Betony. When we start to think of a new cocktail, we always ask the question: “What story am I trying to tell?” Once we've established that, we determine how we will accomplish that goal. For example, let's say we want to riff on a classic shandy using a fun technique. We'll find a beer (such as a local IPA that will hold its own among the other ingredients), replace citrus soda with fresh citrus juice (Meyer lemons if they're in season), and select a technique, like a milk clarification that would add the dimension of another spirit and have a crystal clear final product.
My greatest sense of accomplishment comes from capturing the essence of something and sharing it with others. Betony's Irish Cream is just three ingredients: Irish whiskey, heavy cream and demerara sugar. The cream comes from a small dairy not far from here and the finished liqueur expresses the cream's incredible texture and richness. Keeping the Irish Cream stable is difficult, but the challenge is fun. Serving it at the right moment during a person's visit and at the perfect temperature, too (i.e. in a piece of chilled stoneware) and seeing guests’ reactions is immensely satisfying.
Root Beer
My favorite “new” spirit is a house brewed root beer. We make our wort from local sassafras, birch, licorice, star anise, nutmeg, cinnamon, etc. and ferment it with a very aggressive saison yeast, then bottle condition it for a few months. It’s pretty strong and really tasty in a root beer float.
Ingredients
Oleo saccharum still blows my mind. You take the peels of any citrus fruit and then combine them with sugar in an airtight bag. After a week or two at cellar temperature and a whole lot of daily massaging, all of the moisture and oil from the peels is coaxed out to dissolve the sugar into this amazing nectar that is as bitter as it is sweet. Oleo saccharum adds great depth of complexity to cocktails where fresh citrus is desired, but without the sour side that often comes from using citrus.
Cocktail recipe
NYC Guide
Chambers Street Wines
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Find | Wine Stores
Chambers Street Wines
They consistently offer some of NYC's highest quality wines and spirits as well as the most incredible values with consistently terrific customer service.
148 Chambers Street, New York, NY 10007
T: 212.227.1434 | chambersstwines.com
Cocktail tools and books at Cocktail Kingdom
Photograph courtesy of Cocktail Kingdom
Find | Cocktail Tools & Books
Cocktail Kingdom
I know of no greater resource for bar supplies and books in the world.
36 West 25th Street, New York, NY 10010
T: 212.647.9166 | cocktailkingdom.com
Estela
Photograph courtesy of Estela
Eat | Restaurants
Estela
Visiting bartenders should definitely head to Estela on Houston Street. The affable Michael Klein is whipping up some mighty fine cocktails that represent themselves very well alongside chef Ignacio’s inspiring cuisine.
47 East Houston Street, New York, NY 10012
T: 212.219.7693 | estelanyc.com
Thai Food at Zabb Elee
Photograph courtesy of Zabb Elee
Zabb Elee
Not enough people dine here. Serving authentic Isan Thai food on 2nd Avenue. The menu is full of chilis, garlic, fish sauce and soul. Get ready to consume your weight in beer and riesling to keep the burn at a manageable level when you dine there.
75 2nd Avenue, New York, 10003
T: 212.505.9533 | zabbelee.com
Coffee at Toby’s Estate
Photograph courtesy of Toby’s Estate
Drink | Coffee
Toby’s Estate
I'm a huge fan of starting Sunday mornings with coffee at Toby's Estate in Williamsburg.
125 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11249
T: 347.457.6160 | www.tobysestate.com
Bartender Joaquin Simo at Pouring Ribbons
Photo Credit: Troy House
Drink | Cocktails
Pouring Ribbons
I like Pouring Ribbons, first and foremost, because of the intensely collaborative team; Joaquin is certainly one of my favorite bartenders to pull up a chair in front of. They also produce a better product by just being a little bit smarter than everyone else, from the way their equipment is arranged, to how their spirits are selected, how the ice is frozen, etc. They just do things more thoughtfully and it shows.
225 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009
T: 917.656.6788 | www.pouringribbons.com
Swift Hibernian Lounge
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.
Drink | Beer
Swift Hibernian Lounge
I'm strongly partial to drinking Guinness with oysters at Swift downtown. It’s a classic, low-key spot whose staff is incredibly hospitable.
34 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003
T: 212.227.9438 | www.swiftnycbar.com
Betony Chef
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