COCKTAIL HOUR
HIGH-FLYING LIBATIONS AT THE COUNTY’S MOST LITERALLY RITZY PENTHOUSE RESTAURANT
When the Ritz Carlton Towers opened last year, it bumped downtown White Plains up several notches on the glam ladder, and it also upped the ante for the town as a culinary destination. The posh new hotel is home to two distinct fine dining hotspots, a branch of top Manhattan chef Laurent Tourondel’s BLT Steak chain and 42, the latter named for the high floor it’s perched on, which offers sweeping views down to Manhattan and clear into Connecticut. With a nightly themed cocktail program in its lobby bar, you can spend the evening doing a tony vertical bar crawl without ever leaving the Ritz complex.
One recent evening, after exploring the lobby lounge and the ground-floor BLT, I rode the glass elevator all the way to the top. The 42nd-floor penthouse restaurant and bar is the perfect spot to take in the sunset. I pulled up a stool at the rectangular bar, set apart from the dining room, which felt like an eagle’s aerie with its view to west- and north-facing windows, and its enormous skylight for post-sunset stargazing. (It’s a glamorous aerie, to be sure, since 42 is also appointed with stunning crystal chandeliers.)
As the sky turned tangerine, I sipped the bar’s signature Violette cocktail, a beguiling purple libation with a floral aroma and a rich flavor that reminded me, oddly enough, of Beaujolais wine. The complex cocktail unfolded in sensual layers. First came flowers on the nose, then the subtle, more specific taste of violets on the tongue, followed finally by a smooth and citrusy finish. It’s a cerebral drink you’ll want to dissect.
Mixologist Junior Merino, consultant to top Manhattan nightspots—and a maestro when it comes to using obscure ingredients—is the adventurous palate behind 42’s wonderful cocktails. For the Violette, he combined Crème de Violette (a hard-to-find French violet liqueur) with G’Vine (an obscure small-batch French gin made from grapevine flowers picked just before they turn into grapes). Unlike most gins, which are made from a grain-based spirit with juniper as the dominant botanical, G’Vine has only a faint juniper accent.
With its clean finish, the Violette is the ideal appetite stimulant before sitting down to chef Anthony Goncalves’ dynamic cuisine. His early winter menu includes rib-sticking fare such as acorn squash risotto, rack of lamb with pumpkin, and ravioli filled with chestnuts and mascarpone cheese.
After the sky faded to black, I continued my Ritz Carlton bar hop, zipping downstairs to BLT, where I gazed onto Renaissance Square through imposing 22-foot windows while sipping the unusual Acai Mojito. The cocktail is made from Veev Acai Spirit, an intriguing new product infused with acai berries from the Brazilian rainforest, which are said to be the world’s most powerful antioxidant. The healthy mojito packed a big flavor punch with its combination of citrus and pear.
I topped off the evening with a final nightcap martini in the hotel’s still-bustling lobby bar. Luckily, it just happened to be a Wednesday, when the bar hosts its weekly Martini Madness (every night is a different cocktail theme). By the time I’d drained my martini, already in a purple Violette haze, I was ready to call it a night and check into a room.
The Violette
* 21/2 oz. G’Vine gin
* 11/2 oz. Crème de Violette
* 3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
* 3/4 oz. simple syrup
* Edible flowers or lime wedge
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the gin, Crème de Violette, lime juice and simple syrup. Shake well and strain into a chilled highball glass. Garnish with edible flowers when in season. Otherwise, garnish with a lime wedge.
