BoozeMenus goes behind the bar at the recently opened SLIDE Restaurant for an exclusive interview with owners Alex Baskin and Rob Meller as well as head bartender Anna.
BOOZEMENUS: This is such a great idea! Basically any cocktail AND any burger you can imagine on the same menu? Tell me about the exciting new concept. How did it come about?
ALEX: The mixology movement is so big right now so we wanted to introduce the high-end cocktails to everyone at moderate prices. In both our cocktails and food we use only the freshest ingredients, many of them locally sourced. Everything is multi-dimensional as far as flavoring. We serve beef, duck, chicken, veal, and lamb burgers just to name a few. Even our shakes are multi-dimensional, some have beer, while others have Chambord or bourbon. Many of our cocktails are twists on classics so you can come in and order items you are familiar with but you’re getting gourmet burgers and signature cocktails.
BOOZEMENUS: Indian and Southeast Asian Spices seem to be a growing trend in cocktails, how have you incorporated this trend into your menu?
ANNA: We did a twist on the popular gin cocktail, the Tom Collins, in two of our cocktails. The Thai Chillins incorporates Indian and Southeast Asian spices using only fresh and house-made syrups and juices.
In the Thai Chillins we use the new Bombay Sapphire East which has the unique lemongrass flavor. In this cocktail we add fresh lemon juice and our house-made Thai chili simple syrup. The syrup, which we make here, is made with fresh organic pineapple boiled with water, sugar, a few jalapenos and some secret spices. Once it cools we add cilantro giving it a sweet and spicy flavor. This cocktail pairs nicely with the Cinco De Mayo slider because they’re both spicy. If you prefer mixing spicy and sweet, try pairing the Thai Chillins with the Smoked Duck burger which is prepared confit style using a blackberry chutney.
Our other Tom Collins cocktail is the Strawberry-Basil Collins. The ingredients are gin, fresh squeezed lemon juice, and instead of simple syrup we use our own Strawberry Basil simple syrup. It is topped with seltzer water and garnished with basil. It’s the perfect summer cocktail, as it is fresh, light and refreshing, but not too sweet.
BOOZEMENUS: All the spiked shakes sound so good. Which one should I order?
ROB: It’s hard to choose because they’re all so delicious but The Peanut Punch with Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum is probably the most popular. Bacon is the biggest trend in food and cocktails right now so if you’re feeling adventurous try the bacon and bourbon mmmmBACON shake.
BOOZEMENUS: Lastly, with summer right around the corner do you plan on making any seasonal changes to your cocktail menu?
ANNA: We plan to have a Pisco Punch on the summer menu. No one knows the original recipe of the Pisco Punch so we are making our own variation; keep an eye out for it on the summer menu. We’re currently serving the Sliderac, our version of the Sazerac finished with tarragon. With the focus on Rye, this is more of a cold weather cocktail so that won’t be on the summer menu but it will return in the winter.
Head to SLIDE in Greenwich Village this season and enjoy their signature cocktails, sliders, shakes, and cannolis. Snag a table in the beautiful outdoor garden lined by a stone waterfall.