Author Archives: Payman Bahmani


September 28, 2012

The PDT Project: Bee’s Sip

by Payman Bahmani

Infusions are pretty common at PDT, since they’re a great way to add a particular flavor to a cocktail without having to add more volume to a drink, which is what would happen if you added the flavor by way of say, a flavored syrup. This is because the particular flavor that you’re trying to […]

September 21, 2012

The PDT Project: Bee’s Knees

by Payman Bahmani

About a century ago, to call something “the bee’s knees” meant you considered it to be of top notch quality. It’s an apt name for this week’s cocktail, a simple combination of gin, honey, and lemon juice that proves sophistication doesn’t demand complexity. The historic origins of the Bee’s Knees are murky, although the consensus […]

September 14, 2012

The PDT Project: Beer Cassis

by Payman Bahmani

A simple blend of Byrrh (a fortified aromatized wine similar to a sweet vermouth with quinine), Crème de Cassis (a black currant liqueur), and soda water, the Byrrh Cassis was among a number of light aperitif style cocktails that were in vogue in Europe during the early 20th century, especially during the spring and summer […]

September 7, 2012

The PDT Project: Beer and a Smoke

by Payman Bahmani

After a long hard day of work, sometimes all you want is a beer and a smoke. Unfortunately it’s no longer possible to enjoy those two pleasures simultaneously if you’re in a bar (at least in most American cities), so Jim Meehan of PDT devised a clever way of joining them together in a drink […]

August 31, 2012

The PDT Project: Beachbum

by Payman Bahmani

Although summer doesn’t technically end until the autumn equinox on September 21, New Yorkers generally regard Labor Day as the unofficial end of summer. This week’s cocktail, the Beachbum, is thus quite appropriate because I can’t think of a better way to bid adieu to beach season than with this tikified tipple. John Deragon, who […]

August 24, 2012

The PDT Project: Aviation

by Payman Bahmani

The Aviation is one of the last great cocktails created before Prohibition, having been invented just a few years before the passage of the Eighteenth Amendment. It made its first appearance in print in 1916 in Recipes for Mixed Drinks by Hugo Ensslin, who bartended at the Hotel Wallick gin Times Square near 43rd and […]

August 17, 2012

The PDT Project: Astoria Bianco

by Payman Bahmani

Before Jim Meehan opened PDT, he honed his craft behind the bar at a few different bars and restaurants in New York City. One of those places was Gramercy Tavern, and the Astoria Bianco was among the notable cocktails he created while tending bar there. It is a variation of an old classic called the […]

August 10, 2012

The PDT Project: Archangel

by Payman Bahmani

The Archangel cocktail was created in 2006, and is the collaborative effort of bartenders Michael McIlroy and Richard Boccato of Milk & Honey fame. After an enthusiastic discussion about soccer legend Gabriel Batistuta, the two bartenders came up with the name Archangel, for the Archangel Gabriel. Archangel 2.25 oz. Plymouth Gin 0.75 oz. Aperol 2 […]

August 3, 2012

The PDT Project: Apricot Flip

by Payman Bahmani

For the uninitiated, the term “flip” refers to a category of alcoholic drinks that involve a whole raw egg as an ingredient. So the Egg Nog is essentially a flip. Flips used to refer to hot beverages that had beer in them, whereby a hot poker was taken straight from the fire and dunked into […]

July 27, 2012

The PDT Project: Apple Malt Toddy

by Payman Bahmani

The PDT Project rolls on with the Apple Malt Toddy, a delicious drink that you’ll want to bookmark for the colder months, unless you’re one of our readers from the Southern Hemisphere. Or maybe you really enjoy hot drinks in hot ass weather.  Apple Malt Toddy 2 oz Red Jacket Orchards Apple Cider 1.5 oz […]