seelbach redux

1 oz. Bulliet bourbon
1/2 oz. Cointreau
3ish dashes Angostura bitters
3ish dashes Peychaud's bitters
top off with a few oz. Cava (PDT uses Moët)

On Monday, Fred had a DJing gig at An Tua Nua (the front room of which was filled with enthusiastic and polite, but ultimately disappointed, Philadelphia Eagles fans). So afterwards, we hit Eastern Standard to experience courteous service done the NYC way. As Fred has already written, Mr. Daniel Eun from Please Don't Tell was participating in a bartender exchange, and we were eager to try some new flavors in our cocktails. But first, I decided to see how Mr. Eun did with an old favorite.

PDT's take on the Seelbach is definitely on the lighter side, though still flavorful. This one was also the driest of the Seelbachs I've tried. Mr. Eun let the ice melt for quite a while (I wondered if they have slower ice cubes at PDT - our drinks that night were much more heavily watered than those to which I've become accustomed) ; combined with the much lighter hand with the bitters, it certainly made for a less challenging drink than a standard Seelbach. Still, quite enjoyable.

On a note having nothing to do with cocktails (directly) - I definitely felt transported back in time a bit during my visit. Mr. Eun wore a gorgeous victorian-inspired shawl-collared wool waistcoat. He looked perfect with ES's old fashioned bar as a backdrop. Alas, I didn't even think to take any pictures.