brandy library

• duvarlari bir kutuphanenin kitaplarla dolu oldugu gibi brendi^*, viski^*, rom^* ve benzeri damitik ickilerle bezenmis, web sayfasindan ( http://brandylibrary.com/ ) goruldugu kadariyla dekoru da harika (bakir imbik varmis yahu daha ne olsun!) bir bar. new york sehrinin tribeca mahallesinde, ickiyi fanatiklik duzeyinde ciddiye alan, kokteyllerini taze malzemelerle yapan, kurslar ve tatma toplantilari ^* duzenleyen, musterilerinin ickilerini onlar icin saklayan, gidip gormediysem de hakkinda okuduklarimdan sonra asik oldugum isletme.
  
  new york'ta yasamadigima beni bin pisman ettin brendi kutuphanesi!
• the new yorker dergisinde hakkinda soyle bir makale cikmis:
  
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  brandy library
  25 north moore st. (212-226-5545)—no prizes for guessing what brandy library is about. floor-to-ceiling shelves all around the room display nearly a thousand bottles—not just brandy (though there are more than four hundred of those) but also scotch, bourbon, rum, calvados, vodka, and others. an enormous copper alembic stands just inside the door, and the bathrooms are lined with woodcuts depicting distillation throughout history. the décor is masculine and clubby, with low lighting, tawny walnut finishes, tawny leather sofas, and pretty waitresses (known as librarians) swishing back and forth in tawny satin dresses. the visual effect is roughly like being inside a bottle of whiskey.
  
  though the underlying idea of brandy library seems a little on the tacky side, the execution is excellent. the owner, flavien desoblin, and his spirit sommelier, ethan kelly, have amassed a serious collection of vintages stretching back to the beginning of the last century, and their employees display a commitment to the cause of spirits that borders on the fanatical. one evening in august, a librarian hobbled in on crutches, having been hit by a cab while on a trip to irish distilleries. the staff might demur at the value of macallan’s stratospherically priced “replica” of an 1861 vintage, instead pointing out the virtues of recherché independent bottlings from the seventies. they are equally enthusiastic if you just ask for jack on the rocks.
  
  obviously, no one comes here to eat, but brandy library has a nice line of upscale finger food. the menu has wall street scrawled all over it—foie-gras this, caviar that—but it also has innovative takes on old favorites, such as bite-size burgers or “lambs in a blanket,” merguez swaddled in puff pastry and harissa. the fine cheese selection comes from artisanal and is served with fruit compotes, which are house made, as are the desserts. the clientele is a heterogeneous bunch of financial-district people, some tribeca strays, and a few awkward dates, but the place is at its best on a quiet night, when the librarians pour themselves shots, striving to educate themselves further, and the barman discourses on the great barmen of history and their fanciful creations. (open daily from 4 p.m. to 4 a.m. dishes $8-$72.)
  
  — leo carey
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