Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/29638
NEW YORK CITY Pub Date I f you’re lucky enough to get into The Breslin Bar & Dining Room, the white-hot gastropub adjacent to the vibe-y Ace Hotel, sidle up to the bar and get ready to be charmed. But you’ll have to be sure Katipai is behind the bar. The New Zealand native and resident cutie-pie has a shy wit and a quiet charm, which doesn’t cave under the steady stream of cocktails coming across the bar. Her unusual name is an adaptation of the Maori phrase kei te pei, meaning “very good.” The mixologist, 34, whose full name is Katipai Richardson-Wilson, is currently serving up Jameson in a cocktail called Back in Black, a nod to the AC/DC album, and a drink that also keeps in the tradition of the English-style pub. “The atmosphere here is tuned in to whiskey,” she said. “You feel like you’re in a country lodge where you can relax after a long day, so you do want something that’s conducive to a working man’s image of Jameson.” This being the land of the New York deli, the working man here is likely to have a pickle with his potion, so The Breslin features a “Pickleback”—a shot of Jameson chased down with a homemade pickle. And even though the pub has a strong guy vibe, plenty of women nurse their drinks here. Richardson-Wilson says she’s seen an uptick in the number of women drinking whiskey—herself included. “As people are starting to experiment more with whiskey as a cocktail, women are starting to drink more masculine beverages,” she said. “They haven’t entirely quit Cosmopolitans, but we try to steer them away from that.” Her own drink philosophy? “Here we used what’s fresh and available and not what’s trendy,” she said, adding, “I appreciate a beautifully executed cocktail and the focus that the bartender has put back on the profession, but I’m the not person who will spend five minutes making that cocktail.” BACK IN BLACK ¾ oz. Jameson ■ ■ ■ ■ ¾ oz. Ramazzotti Amaro dash of bitters Guinness Mixologit Katipai ■ Mix all ingredients in a tall glass and top with Guinness from the tap. Richardson-Wilson builds the Back in Black cocktail using Jameson Irish whis- key, Guinness and bitters. april 201 1 / the tasting panel / 119 JAMESON IS A PERFECT MATCH FOR THE BRESLIN IN NEW YORK CITY by Lana Bortolot / photos by Doug Young