While delicious, gin is far more than martinis and gin and tonics. Curious to learn more, I visited Chin Up Bar in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, where the entire beverage menu is centered on this misunderstood spirit. “We felt that gin was underserved in our market in terms of bars that really highlighted the spirit and explored the full spectrum of cocktails possible with it,” explains co-founder Blake Walker. “Whiskey, rum, and agave bars are well-represented, but for some reason, gin, which is produced in every corner of the world and features a dizzying array of peculiarities, was not, until now!”
What makes gin unique
Gin has a pine-like, herbaceous, and sometimes citrus-forward flavor profile. Naturally, for bartenders and mixologists, this lends itself to some unique cocktails. “In our Louder East Side cocktail,” explains Walker. “I started with a fairly traditional structure of an Eastside, which is a modern classic with gin, lime, cucumber, and mint. We replaced the cucumber with winter melon, an Asian vegetable that we buy from sidewalk veggie markets in Chinatown. But then I reached for Bayab Distillery’s unique Palm and Pineapple gin, which is made in South Africa and has these layers of juicy, tropical fruit on top of a delicate juniper base. It took the drink to a new level and, oddly enough, made it taste exactly like a ripe kiwi fruit.”
Being a former recording engineer, Walker relies on those honed instincts of trial and error when creating gin drinks. One technique Walkers describes translating from music is “to turn an isolated instrument way too loud in the mix, polish it, then gradually sink it down into the rest of the arrangement until it settles into the rest of the ensemble and feels like a part of the whole.” This process was used during the creation of the curry-infused gin, which took several attempts to figure out the perfect timing so the infusion was not overwhelming.
The menu at Chin Up Bar NYC
All of the cocktails at Chin Up Bar are gin-centered, but the flavor combinations of each are distinct. One of my favorites was an excellent rendition of a classic martini. The aforementioned Louder East Side is a refreshing, not-too-sweet cocktail that went well with the fried clams. And despite being a cocktail bar, the food, helmed by Chef Michael Lankowski, should not be missed. Instead of typical American bar food, the small bites here are seafood-forward (also 100% gluten-free), with presentation more at home at a fine-dining establishment than a cocktail bar.
“Obviously, there is an illustrious tradition of gin and seafood pairings: think of an ice-cold martini with oysters, or a gin and tonic with shrimp cocktail,” explains Walker. “But we also wanted to introduce our guests to an ingredient- and chef-driven menu that you don’t often see in cocktail bars with a fairly casual atmosphere like ours. Our food is deceptively simple – it’s a lot of fresh vegetables from the market and carefully-sourced seafood; you’re not going to find dollops of caviar on everything or wagyu sliders.”
