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The weather outside is starting to get chilly, but luckily Apartment Bartender is out to warm us up, and make our hearts melt with some holiday cheer with Essentia Water.

The famed mixologist just partnered with the world’s best alkaline water to create a variety of fun, creative holiday cocktails that are incredibly easy to make at home.

The three unique drinks include a fancy Tom Collins called “The Essentia(l) Spritz,” a Vanilla Coffee Old Fashioned titled the “The Overachiever,” and a classic twist on 2020’s biggest winter trend, “The Supercharged Hot Toddy Bar.” Each drink features Essentia Water to keep you hydrated and the incredible Essentia’s Premium Ice, so that your cocktails don’t get watered down.

“Ice is the most underrated ingredient in a cocktail. When using poor quality ice (like cloudy, freezer ice), as it melts, it not only dilutes the drink at a faster pace, but it can also negatively affect the flavor profile of the cocktail. Why mix with premium booze if you’re not pairing it with premium ice? Essentia is my choice when making ‘premium ice.’ Its clean, smooth taste allows the true flavors of the cocktail to come through and be enjoyed” says Apartment Bartender, Elliott Clark.

Along with premium ice, premium water will also elevate the taste of your cocktail. Essentia Water will add an additional depth of flavor to your simple cocktail. So, get toasty at home with these fantastic recipes.

 Tom Collins aka The Essentia(l) Spritz

Ingredients

2 oz – clear spirit of choice, like gin or vodka

Brewed Green Tea as Non-Alcoholic option

1 oz – Lemon juice

3/4 oz – Spiced-cranberry syrup

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup Essentia water

1 cup sugar

2-3 Cinnamon sticks

2 whole clove (optional)

2 star anise (optional)

2 oz – soda water (or sparkling wine)

Spiced-cranberry Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except sugar to a light simmer until spices start to release aromas and cranberries start to split. Add sugar and stir to dissolve (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

Combine all ingredients, except for the soda water, into a cocktail shaker and shake with ice. Strain the drink into a Collins glass over ice, and top with soda water. Gently stir to combine and garnish with speared cranberries and a rosemary sprig.

Vanilla Coffee Old Fashioned aka The Overachiever

Ingredients

2 oz – Bourbon of choice

1/2 oz – Vanilla syrup 

(can sometimes find pre-made / pre-batched vanilla syrup from Monin)

2-3 Vanilla pods (vanilla extract as a last resort)

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Essentia water

1 oz fresh espresso (brewed with Essentia Water)

2 dashes of Angostura bitters

Vanilla Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a light simmer until vanilla starts to release aroma. Stir to dissolve sugar (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

Combine all ingredients into a mixing glass, and stir with ice. Strain the drink into a rocks glass over ice, and garnish with an orange twist.

The Supercharged Hot Toddy Bar

Ingredients

2 oz Aged spirit of choice (whiskey, aged rum, reposado tequila, cognac, etc.)

0.5 oz Honey for classic Hot Toddy OR Spiced-Cranberry Syrup for Cranberry Hot Toddy  OR Vanilla Syrup for Vanilla Hot Toddy

For spiced-cranberry syrup:

1 cup fresh cranberries

1 cup Essentia water

1 cup sugar

2-3 Cinnamon sticks

2 whole clove (optional)

2 star anise (optional)

For vanilla syrup:

(can sometimes find pre-made / pre-batched vanilla syrup from Monin)

2-3 Vanilla pods (vanilla extract as a last resort)

1 cup Sugar

1 cup Essentia water

3-4 oz Hot Water

0.5 oz Lemon Juice

Spice-cranberry Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients except sugar to a light simmer until spices start to release aromas and cranberries start to split. Add sugar and stir to dissolve (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Vanilla Syrup Instructions: In a medium saucepan, bring all ingredients to a light simmer until vanilla starts to release aroma. Stir to dissolve sugar (no need to bring to a boil). Set aside and let cool. Strain into a glass jar and save in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. 

Prep Steps:

On a stove, heat one cup of water (to a very light simmer is fine, you don’t want the water to be too hot). Once the water is hot, combine the aged spirit, syrup, and lemon juice into a glass mug. Top with 4-5 ounces of hot water, and stir to combine. Garnish with a lemon wheel, cinnamon stick, or speared cranberries.

Events

Happy Birthday, Grand Central!

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Today, Wednesday, February 2nd, is Grand Central Terminal’s 109th birthday, and the shops are helping them celebrate. Visit the below stores and eateries in Grand Central to take advantage of one-day-only deals* that either celebrate Grand Central’s age (109 years) or our birthday (1913)!

Café Grumpy: 8oz drip coffee is $1.09
Central Cellars: bottle of Banshee Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2019 or O.P.P. Other People Pinot Noir is $19.13 each
Doughnut Plant: Grand Central–exclusive GCT mini doughnuts are $1.09 each
Grand Central Watch: 18mm nylon straps (in various colors) are $1.09 each
Li-Lac Chocolates: a 9-piece truffle box is $19.13, and caramel squares are $1.09 each
Pescatore Seafood Company: jumbo lump crab cakes are $19.13 for 2 pieces
Spices and Tease: Indian spice trio – 1 pouch of Madras curry, 1 pouch of turmeric, and 1 pouch of Garam Masala – is $10.90

Grand Central Terminal’s construction lasted for ten years (from 1903 – 1913). The building was designed by a Francophile architect named Whitney Warren, who wanted to bring a whole lot of Parisian flair to New York City with his Beaux-Arts style.

Did you know 750,000 people pass through the station every day. That’s almost half the current population of Manhattan. The space occupies 48 acres.

The station has very few stairs, relying on a network of ramps. There are 2,500 stars painted on the ceiling; roughly sixty electric bulbs add to the twinkling effect of the stars. The constellations, with the exception of Orion, are painted backwards. The star-spangled ceiling  is 125 feet high.

During the filming of a scene in The Fisher King (1991), 400 extras waltzed around the main concourse from the evening until the first trains arrived at 5:30 the following morning.

Grand Central is the setting for the opening scenes of Gossip Girl.

In Alfred Hitchcock’s classic North by Northwest, Cary Grant makes an amazing escape through the terminal. Like The Fisher King, this scene was filmed at night to prevent disruptions to train service.

In Superman (1978), Clark Kent battles Lex Luthor, whose hideout is located under the terminal.

At the very end of Francis Ford Coppola’s Cotton Club, Richard Gere and Diane Lane escape their mobster lives through Grand Central.

Fire Power, starring Sophia Loren, was also filmed in Grand Central.

 

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Featured

Happy Chanukah or is it Hanukkah? Day 1

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Tonight Chanukah starts at sundown. The word Hanukkah means ‘rededication’ and commemorates the Jews’ struggle for religious freedom when, according to legend, the leaders of a Jewish rebel army called the Maccabees rose up against their Greek-Syrian oppressors in the Maccabean Revolt of 167 BC (BCE).King Antiochus had taken over the Second Temple in Jerusalem and soon after ordered an altar to Zeus to be erected. Judaism was prohibited, circumcision was banned and pigs were ordered to be sacrificed at the altar.The Jewish rebellion that followed was led by Judah Maccabee, (or Y’hudhah HaMakabi, meaning “Judah the Hammer”).The uprising spanned three years until the Maccabees gained control of Jerusalem.They wanted to rededicate the desecrated temple, but could find only one container of the sacred oil they needed which had the seal of the high priest still intact.Judaism’s central text the Talmud, dictates only pure olive oil with the seal of the high priest can be used for the Hanukkah. The candelabrum is required to burn throughout the night every night but although there was only enough oil for one day, the candles miraculously stayed alight for eight days – the time needed to prepare a fresh supply of kosher oil for the menorah. This event became known as ‘the miracle of the oil’ and is now marked  with an eight-day festiva

l.

Is it Chanukah or Hanukkah? In Hebrew, Hanukkah is pronounced with the letter ‘chet’. The letter “H” makes the closest sound. So both names work.

We here at T2C wish you a holiday of lights, hope and health.

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Events

Get Ready for NYC Hotel Week & Fourth Annual NYC Winter Outing

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Get ready for something big in the Big Apple!

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and NYC & Company has officially launched NYC Hotel Week with the start of reservations available at nycgo.com/hotelweek.

“I am thrilled to announce the return of NYC Hotel Week, offering deals of a lifetime to an array of hotels across the City,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. “NYC Hotel Week kicks off the start of NYC & Company’s NYC Winter Outing Program, combining NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week, NYC Must-See Week, and NYC Hotel Week. Whether you want to catch one of our world-class attractions, dine at the finest restaurants or unwind at our luxurious hotels, New York City has it all right here in our backyard, across all five boroughs. Our city is open for reservations, so book yours today!”

Returning for its second year, NYC Hotel Week will run from January 3 through February 12, 2023, offering 23% savings off standard room rates at more than 140 hotels across all five boroughs, with additional properties expected to join.

Presented by preferred payment partner Mastercard, NYC Hotel Week 2023 participating hotels include Hard Rock Hotel New York; Lotte New York Palace; The Beekman, A Thompson Hotel; The Hoxton, Williamsburg; The Langham, New York, Fifth Avenue; New York Marriott Marquis; The William Vale; Radio Hotel; The Opera House Hotel, The Rockaway Hotel; Hilton Garden Inn New York/Staten Island and more.

“NYC Hotel Week offers the best values of the year for travelers looking to visit the five boroughs or for New Yorkers treating themselves to staycations,” said Fred Dixon, President and CEO of NYC & Company.”

Hard Rock Hotel New York

The start of NYC Hotel Week reservations marks the countdown to the return of NYC Winter Outing, NYC & Company’s annual citywide value program. NYC Winter Outing, now in its fourth year, celebrates the City’s winter season with offers from NYC & Company’s signature programs: NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week, NYC Must-See Week, and for the second year, NYC Hotel Week. NYC Winter Outing, which will run from January 17 through February 12, 2023, will combine deals across all five boroughs on dining, Broadway shows, attractions, museums, tours, performing arts and hotels. Bookings for NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week will open to the general public on January 10 at nycgo.com/winterouting.

New York City – there is simply no where better to be in the world!

 

 

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Featured

Sex Hotel Up For Sale

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“I used to have this girlfriend known as Elsie
With whom I shared for sordid rooms in Chelsea
She wasn’t what you’d call a blushing flower
As a matter of fact she rented by the hour”

They advertise that “For more than 40 years, Liberty Inn has been the destination for New York City couples seeking an intimate yet vibrant setting where they can lose themselves in love. You won’t find any resemblance here to the traditional image of by-the-hour hotels. Even more important – you won’t find that boring sameness of standard hotel rooms. Instead you’ll find modern, lively, colorful rooms filled with lots of features that are tailor-made for romance. Whether it’s for a few hours or an overnight stay, our rooms are unique, with an romantic atmosphere that leads to those moments of playfulness, tenderness and passion.

Liberty Inn, located at 51 10th Ave., (between 13th and 14th streets) is now for sale, ofr more than $20 million according to The New York Times.

Expect lip-shaped headboards, fancy sex chairs, and rates for two and six-hour stays ($95 and $155).

An overnight stay costs  $200-$250, depending on the room.

The owner told the NYT it was harder to keep a place like an hourly hotel in a neighborhood that has become more and more expensive.

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Art

Looking For Artists To Be A Part of a New Book on Child Abuse

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32 years ago I wrote a book on child abuse called “A Child’s Heart.” The purpose was to raise funding to make and give teaching tapes to judges and change laws. Did you know in 98% of cases, the person who reports the abuse loses their child to the abuser. It’s true!
I forgot about the book until my friend told me about her friend who reported the abuse of her child to the courts, lost her child to the husband, who then killed the child.
Did you know the national statistics are are 1 in 3 females and 1 in 4 males have been abused? Imagine the voices to be heard if they were not silenced.
I am looking for 23 to 28 artists to participate. The criteria is you must have been abused. Age, sex, gender is unimportant. I am especially looking for 4 children to participate. Each person will illustrate a line in the story and have a chance to tell their story. I had all the artists, but it has been a long time and sadly we lost track of each other.
If you would like to become a part of this project message me at suzkismet@gmail.com and I will get back to you ASAP.
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