A Message from Manami York

GUEST EDITOR MANAMI YORK

After a few months of unemployment and still in the middle of the pandemic, I remember finally returning to work at Con Alma. We decided to put my Shades of Tjader, Chilled Magazine’s Toast to the Service Industry virtual cocktail competition winner, on the menu. Then I recall making the first one and serving it in a plastic takeout cup. I looked at the completed cocktail in that sealed recyclable vessel and it made me realize how the ultimate alteration of service didn’t exactly do justice to the drink or the whole experience.

Working in a craft cocktail bar, a big part of the appeal is the bar experience’s luxury elements. During these uncertain times, that has been a challenge. Most successful bartenders are socially comfortable individuals that thrive when guests are sitting at their bar. While we may still be slinging drinks, this lost step of social interaction in hospitality has oddly left our roles incomplete. Bartenders now play the lonelier role of a service bartender, making drinks to-go or for the few tables that we can maximally serve out of an empty bar.

So, the next time you have the chance actually to sit at a bar, remember the small luxuries that will be yours on order, allowing a bartender to curate your experience, watching and listening to the process of your cocktail’s creation, and taking that first little sip of an exquisite liquid from a proper glass. Trust me, the appreciation will go both ways. Manami York

Manami York is a member of the Chilled100 and the recent winner of Chilled Magazine’s Toast to the Service Industry competition. She is currently the bar manager at Con Alma, a Latin-American inspired jazz club located in Shadyside, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

AN EXPRESSION OF LUXURY

ILEGAL MEZCAL AÑEJO Rounded, full, and rich, this gorgeous spirit holds its own against the world’s finest scotches and cognacs. After being aged in new American oak barrels, this golden mezcal picks up maple, clove, and bitter orange aroma notes. The unique bottle plays at the brand’s rebellious spirit with a faux-aged effect and a dramatic, wax-dripped cork. When the brand was first started, the owner smuggled bottles into Guatemala, making the pirates-treasure map feel highly appropriate.

THE DALMORE 18 YEAR With bolder notes, this evolution of The Dalmore is a unique expression. Packaged in a deep-blue box with matching banner and cap cover, the newest expression has a luxurious feel. As always, the bottle features the silver Royal Stag, a proud reminder of the distillery’s rich history and promise of quality. Initially matured in American white oak ex-bourbon casks, the spirit takes on honey and soft vanilla notes. The whisky is transferred into casks during the final maturation period that have held 30-Year-Old Matusalem Oloroso Sherry.

RÉMY HERITAGE LIMITED-EDITION VSOP Featuring notes of ripe apricot, baked apple, and vanilla, this limited-edition VSOP is a spin on an archived bottle from the 80s and 90s that pays tribute to music culture. The label is inspired by the heritage bottle that featured dramatic gold. This refreshed design has a timeless elegance that is worthy of adding to any collection.

NEW ANGOSTURA® COCOA BITTERS

A LITTLE DASH, A TOTAL TRANSFORMATION.

Made with Trinitario cocoa, our newest bitters innovation adds tempting notes of rich, bitter cocoa and aromatic botanicals to totally transform aged spirits like rum, cognac or sweet vermouth.

VIEUX CARRÉ

THE VINTNER’S JOURNEY FROM GRAPE TO GLASS

CHÂTEAU LAUDUC L’INVINCIBLE This sulfite-free red from Bordeaux showcases the drama and complexity of the “New Reds” trend. The unique label was designed by a Danish architect and is meant to be a departure from traditional labeling. The name, L’Invincible, is a play on words as it combines vin (wine) and cible (target) that pairs with the label art.

8 YEARS IN THE DESERT BY DAVE PHINNEY This round Zinfandel blend features bright notes of ripe fruit with a savory finish of allspice and clove. This bottle from Dave Phinney offers a mixed-media label featuring desert imagery and an emphasis on the number three. 8 Years in the Desert is a multi-year project that started in 2017 and will continue with an annual bottle launch for the next eight years. The 2019 bottling is the third in the series.

SOMNIUM 2018 CABERNET SAUVIGNON BY DANICA PATRICK AND JULIAN FAYARD The two top-of-their-game winemakers teamed up to create this fresh and aromatic expression with intense notes of blueberry, black currant, and blackberry. This Cabernet Sauvignon is made at Howell Mountain in Napa Valley with a label that features a jagged line meant to symbolize the racetrack of life’s journey. The poleposition dot above the "i" in the name marks, “You are here.”