[FIPS Was There...] Whiskey Tango Foxtrot Pop-Up Cocktail Hour #16

We here at FIPS spend a hell of a lot of time out and about in Brooklyn, attending outdoor concerts, comedy shows and various other events. So [FIPS Was There...] is where we're gonna' talk about all this shit.

If there's one thing that I truly appreciate, it's booze. If there's something I appreciate even more than that, it's free booze. If said free booze happens to be of high quality, I LITERALLY ejaculate right in my pants. In fact, that's exactly what I did when I got the email asking me to head over to Carroll Gardens on Wednesday night to check out a Pop-Up Cocktail Hour (PUCH) from some entity called Whiskey Tango Foxtrot. I LITERALLY spooged all over the insides of my trousers.

Once I'd cleaned up a bit, my first thought was "Pop-up cocktail hour? They're doing pop-ups for alcohol now?" Including this past Wednesday's event, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot has done sixteen PUCHS (fifteen in Brooklyn & one in New Orleans), so I guess it's a thing or something. Basically, this San Fran native & Park Slope rez named Max Messier sets up shop in a space for the evening, brings his homemade vermouths & bitters & syrups and mixes cocktails for a small crowd of people who find out about it through emails & word of mouth & telepathy & shit.

WTF PUCH #16 was taking place at Brooklyn Bead Box, a jewelry store on Smith St. that fits maybe twenty-five people in it.

When I arrived, I was armed with the secret phrase for entry: "Gee Ricky, I'm sorry your mom blew up." Unfortunately, I didn't even get to use it, as they just had a cute girl at the door with a list with people's names on it. Since she was cute & nice & later showed off a talent for shoving things up her nose, I got over my disappointment rather quickly.

The rum tasting station helmed by a gal who was serving tastings of Zacapa right next to the door helped ease the pain as well.

Personally, while I drink enough beer to choke an elephant, I don't drink a whole lot of liquor, so I was excited about trying something new--two rums from Zacapa--the Zacapa 23 & the Zacapa XO. Zacapa's this Guatemalan rum maker that stores their whiskey 2300 meters above sea level so they can keep it at a nice, cool temperature.

The 23 had a shitload of different notes to it, but I most noticed hints of cinnamon, citrus & vanilla. As for the Zacapa XO, it's aged for twenty-five years in cognac barrels & was definitely the smoother of the two, with a slight toasted flavor & hints of orange & honey. From there, I had to step outside, have myself a smoke & get my bearings about me because, goddamn...I'd essentially just taken two shots of rum.

Back inside, I stepped up to the cocktail station, where Max was mixing up two drinks--the Midnight City & the Li'l Sebastian (R.I.P., li'l buddy).

I started with the Midnight City, a reddish drink made with Zacapa 23, African Rooibos Tea Concentrate, fresh lemon juice and Peychaud's Bitters. It had a sweet flavor that reminded me of fruit punch with a hint of alcohol in it. Then I had another smoke.

Then, about halfway through the night, Max announced that he'd brought by a bunch of crazy homemade stuff & was going to be making two SUPER SECRET off-the-menu drinks that we'll refer to as #1 & #2. I got to try #1, a yellowish beverage with a sweet, citrus flavor to it. Max actually told me all the crazy ingredients in it twice, but I had a respectable buzz going by that point & sort of forgot what they were...time for another smoke.

...& then it was time for the drink I came for--the Li'l Sebastian--a yellow beverage made with Bourbon, "Harvest Festival" Vermouth (Bosc Pear and Honeycrisp Apple) & Dutch's Colonial Cocktail Bitters.

I sampled the "Harvest Festival" Vermouth both solo & in the beverage & that shizz is amazeballs. I'm thinking I could probably drink a bottle of it solo during a half-hour episode of Parks & Rec.

I finished off the night by attempting to sample the #2 but learning that the ingredients for it were all gone. Instead, Max got all experimental & whipped up a drink on the spot for me. Unfortunately, this was my fourth drink of the night, so I don't remember shit about what was in it. I do, however, remember that Max exclaimed "DIY, man!" when I later tried to get him to recall the ingredients, so I don't feel all that bad about forgetting what was in it. It was damn good though. In fact, the drinks were damn tasty all night long.

When I awoke the next morning, my body felt the impact but not as much as it should have with that much alcohol...no real hangover to speak of. I'm going to attribute that to the quality of the stuff I was drinking.

So yeah, If this homemade cocktail stuff sounds like your cup of tea, the next Whiskey Tango Foxtrot event's in February in DUMBO & from there, in winter 2012, Max plans to open a restaurant & bar in a space that he's already secured in Gowanus next to Four and Twenty Blackbirds. It'll be the "first market driven & handcrafted cocktail emporium" & will have iPads & iPod Touches that, using an app Max designed, will help bartenders make drinks for you based on your likes & your mood. That's right...your MOOD. The future is now, people!

Read way more from Shawn at eatdrinksnack.com.