Liguria. Ever heard if it? Google it and allow yourself to be transported to the Italian coastal paradise that dreams are made of. Bar Fiori takes you there through it’s regionally inspired wine list, refreshing cocktails, and with the top end food we all expect from a Michael White project. The bar and lounge inside Ai Fiori restaurant is ramping up their cocktail menu with head bartender Pete Stanton and incentivising the thirsty public with some new lunch, wine lover, and happy hour offerings.
About the Wine
Try a wine from the region the establishment was inspired by, especially because Bar Fiori is doing a new wine lovers special (25% of bottles Monday-Saturday after 9pm). To start I sampled a regional wine called LVNAE and paired it with the lobster toast. The wine had a refreshing minerally kind of taste that pretty much is everything you would hope for in a beach wine. The squid ink pasta also paired well with the wine and would probably go extremely well with anything else because it’s so darn good.
The Cocktails
Ai Fiori actually means “to the flowers” in Italian. My favorite of their drinks, the English Milk Punch. It pays homage to this with the laboriously created clarified milk base combined with a symphony of other ingredients (listed below) served simply with a large round ice cube and sprinkled with a couple edible wild flowers as garnish. Pete assured me that this will be staying on the menu through the fall.
English Milk Punch
Credit: Todd Strickman
Ingredients: Beefeater reserve gin, El Dorado Rum, Pernod, Ramazotti, pineapple, clarified milk.
On the happy hour menu Bar Fiori offers two cocktails; the Royal Blush and the Oro Bianco. The Royal Blush – Stolichnaya vodka, mint, lime, Morello cherry and sparkling wine. It is bubbly and the mint kicks up the razzing of flavor a notch. It also has Morello cherry liquor that balances the sweet and sour with a crowd pleasing flavor.
The Royal Bush
Credit: Evan Sung
The Oro Bianco is a play on a classic ‘elixir’ style cocktail. It is shaken together with Evan Williams bourbon, honey, ginger, lemon, and Angostura bitters. An egg white is also thrown in, to make the drink a bit more robust and allow for a seafoam top. This is a drink that will cure your cold and is a great if you’re looking for something more classic.
This swanky hotel bar aims to please and the drinks won’t disappoint. With the three current specials they are offering, there is basically never a bad time to go to Bar Fiori.
Bar Fiori Details
400 Fifth Ave (at Langham Place), second floor, 212-613-8660, www.aifiorinyc.com
Express Lunch: served Monday through Friday, for $29, which includes homemade pasta Ai Fiori’s famous White Label Burger
Happy Hour: Daily from 3-6PM
Late Night Wine Lovers offer of 25% off of bottles from its celebrated wine list, starting at 9 pm Monday through Saturday nights.
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