A chef never forgets a defining taste memory. While spending summer in France, a young Bourdain was whisked off to La Teste sur Mer, a tiny oyster village on the Bassin d’Arachon in the Gironde. A gentleman, Monsieur Saint-Jour took the family out on a boat and offered Bourdain a taste of his first freshly shucked oyster. He described it as “magic”. A twist of a classic martini and vesper, the cocktail is made with The Botanist Gin, Lillet Rosé, Fino Sherry, Mignonette Cordial and Orange Bitters. An olive wrapped in an oyster leaf is served on the side for salinity and the brininess one associates with the vast ocean and all its treasures.

Coffee and cigarettes – as much staples for supermodels as they are for hard-edged chefs. For Bourdain, this was breakfast on most mornings, so imagine his dismay when he had to sit through 22 courses at Thomas Keller’s French Laundry without a single cigarette break factored in. Ever the intuitive masterchef, Keller pulled off a course that blew Bourdain away: a tobacco leaf-infused coffee custard. In liquid form, this is a smoky Bowmore 12 Year Whisky cocktail with Luxardo Hazelnut & Espresso Liqueur, served in a coffee cup with an egg white “foam” and toasted coconut wrapped in edible paper.

When Bourdain did sit down to a proper meal, it was usually in the wee hours, after service and in the solitude of his kitchen brigade. He had a penchant for cheesy greasy foods and his go-to? A sinful truffle focaccia loaded with oozy cheese. Paying homage to his dietary preferences and the well-known chef trick of finishing a dish with a pat of glossy butter, the After Hours comprises Buttered Never Never Triple Juniper Gin, Cocchi Americano and Saler’s Gentian – topped with a fried cheddar crisp.

Yes, the Apollo was where it all began on November 21, 1934. But when Ella Fitzgerald took to the stage for Amateur Night, she wasn’t actually meant to sing, she had prepared to dance. Timing wasn’t in her favour. The popular local dance duo before her displayed such a phenomenal performance, she was left in awe and completely intimidated. Unprepared, she fumbled through the opening verses of Connie Boswell’s The Object of My Affection, but with a little help from master of ceremonies Ralph Cooper, she soon pulled herself together, forever altering the course of American popular music. As smooth as her tone, spirits like Matusalem 15 Year Rum, Lagavulin 16 Years, Cynar, Cacao and Absinthe are served in a glass with a vintage Apollo ticket attached to its stem.

Made in the style of a Gin and Tonic Spritz – the light easy-drinking refresher you’d be sipping on warm nights in Harlem, the heart of jazz renaissance. Think Widges Gin, Cocchi Americano, Rose Wine, Fresh Tomato, Berries, Mint and London Essence Indian Tonic.

A nod to Ella Fitzgerald’s alias, the First Lady of Song. Even in her hey-day – a time of racial prejudice – the enigmatic performer was shunned in certain clubs, the Mocambo in Los Angeles, for one. Hollywood starlet Marilyn Monroe, a huge fan of Fitzgerald’s, leveraged her star power by promising to sit at the front of house if the owner would just let the jazz singer perform. It turned Fitzgerald’s career around, but more importantly, it spoke volumes about a special friendship that defied the odds. Pol Roger was the house champagne at the Mocambo, and is used here to top an elegant coupe of Monkey 47 Dry & Sloe Gin, Violet Liqueur and Orange-Chamomile Oleo Saccharum.

It was Franklin Delano Roosevelt who served in the White House when the Great Depression hit. With a heart for the people, the President tried to set an example of how to eat nutritiously but economically. With the help of his wife, they changed the White House menu to feature budget foods. To fortify these meals, Milkorno, a compound of powdered skimmed milk and ground corn, was sometimes added (cornflakes in porridge form, if you will). 70 years on, the cocktail form is decidedly more lush, with Del Maguey Vida Mezcal, Michter’s Straight Bourbon Whiskey, Corn and Smoked Pepper Milk Punch.

Eleanor Roosevelt was unequivocally dedicated to her husband, but Franklin Roosevelt did come second to one and only one thing: human rights. Shortly after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the President had forced 120,000 Japanese Americans to be relocated and incarcerated. The First Lady was vehemently opposed to the internment and worked hard to rescind the exclusion order. Soy sesame is a nod to Japanese influences in this cocktail, which is also fashioned after a classic highball.

It’s not every day that a dinner is interrupted by plans for an impromptu flight. Yet, that is exactly how an evening at the White House panned out when Eleanor Roosevelt, then First Lady, was swayed by her good friend and first woman aviator, Amelia Earhart to fly to Baltimore. Protocol dictated that two company pilots operate the aircraft but we all know who took matters in her own hands that night. It seemed only apt to put a twist on a classic Paper Plane cocktail as a tribute to these remarkable women. The cocktail features Maker’s Mark Private Select by Manhattan, Beetroot-infused Fernet Hunter, Lemon, Mandarin Napoleon and Tea.

That scene in Avengers Endgame that shattered all our hearts when Iron Man’s daughter proclaims the highest declaration of love was in actual fact, an encounter between Robert Downey Jr and his real-life daughter. Moving and poignant, the phrase “I love you 3000” was incorporated into the movie. His favourite flavour of Neapolitan ice cream bears a similar child-likeness and is reinvented here with Flor de Cana 12 Year Rum, Chocolate, Vanilla Cream and Strawberry Dust that takes the form of Iron Man’s arc reactor.

Son to an actor, director, producer and cinematographer, Robert Downey Jr. grew up experiencing the wonders of film first-hand – through a black and white analogue television set. He’d go on to make his acting debut in his father’s film Pound at the very tender age of five. The components in this tipple are as myriad as the roles he has taken on. Arquitecto Tequila combines with Banana, Clarified Coconut Milk and Pandan. A bite of the blue-cheese stuffed olive before taking a sip is de rigueur.

Long before Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr. was already receiving huge acclaim for his role as Charlie Chaplin in the 1992 film, Chaplin. He threw himself into the role, even scoring an Academy Award nomination for his brilliant portrayal of the British silent film comedian. He read historical narratives, mastered a British accent, learned tennis and played violin. “I know that somehow he and I are connected,”” Downey said. “You don’t do something like this where his spirit doesn’t check in.” The Charlie Chaplin cocktail was revived from the classic playbook and turned on its head with Persimmon-infused Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, House Lime Cordial, Absinthe, Peychaud Bitters and Sujeonggwa, a Korean cinnamon punch.

Not that leather jackets ever went out of fashion but The Ramones certainly had more people coveting their signature punk look when they donned Schott jackets with effortless panache and pizzazz. Clad in a sheen of jet-black wax to emulate the go-to fashion choice for rebels and rockers alike, this big, bold drink is all theatre as it pours Woodfood Reserve Bourbon Whiskey, Flor de Cana 7 Year Rum, Amaro Montenegro, Mancino Rosso Vermouth, Strega and Bitters with dancing curls of smoke. Very spirit forward.

The band’s biggest hit Blitzkrieg Bop opens with this high-energy rallying cry of Hey! Ho! Let’s Go, making it a popular song that is often played at sporting events or places to generate hype. Sometimes, we need just as much of a pick-me-up from our drinks. Boozy and beer-based, this drink brings to mind a Michelada (a spicy Mexican Beer and Lime cocktail), only it has Del Maguey Vida Mezcal added to the mix. Pre-bottled and capped, it is served with salt-rimmed glasses and only cracked open at the table.

Touted to be the greatest rock band of all time, The Ramones required just an epic of a cocktail that held up to the allegory. Possibly the greatest alcoholic drink of all time, the sour is any moreish mix of liquor, citrus, sugar and egg white. This checks off the list but blazes its own trail with Disaronno Amaretto, Encanto Pisco, Pandan, Lemon, Egg White and Angostura Bitters. What really makes it special is the Shio-Koji syrup, a fermented mixture of rice, salt and water.

It’s almost impossible to talk about wedding gowns without mention of Vera Wang in the same conversation. The fashion designer has grown from a single bridal boutique into an eponymous brand sealed in every bride’s lexicon. Alluding to the magical time of the day, where for 60 precious minutes, the setting sun casts a magical glow thus making for beautiful wedding photos, the Golden Hour is akin to a creamy white textured gown with its own bouquet of Rock melon Osmanthus, Belvedere Smogóry Forest Vodka, Lavender Bitters, and Bitter Orange and Elderflower Tonic.

More than a convenient halfway point between China and the United States, Hawaii has become Wang’s preferred transit point for another reason. She was proposed to there, in a small plantation town on the Hamakua Coast called Kukuihaele. She even has a suite named after her at the Halekulani hotel in Honolulu. The premise was apt then, to encompass facets of the tropical island in a cocktail brimming with Westland American Oak Single Malt Whisky, Plantation Pineapple Rum, Italicus Bergamot and Raspberry - infused Cocchi Americano.

Two rejections led Wang to the career path she eventually made an empire of. Since she was young, she was trained to become a figure skater and set her sights on the Olympics, but failed to qualify. In the ice skating rink, the Kiss and Cry is the holding area where skaters wait for their marks to be announced after their performances. Named literally for the reactions that eventually follow, the cocktail of Arc Gin, Campari, Mandarin Napoleon, Grapefruit, Lemon, Egg White and Pol Roger Champagne represents the bittersweet emotions throughout life’s ebbs and flows.

Rested in custom oak barrels to develop flavor and character, we offer a sophisticated mix of reconstructed classics.

Our industry stands as one, and as such, we are privileged to welcome our friends from around the globe to gift us with their Rickhouse cocktail creations.

Continued stories of our New York Personified, these zero proof cocktails are for the mindful drinkers, and those who have the stoic urge to abstain.

Communal punches mixed and served tableside from our trolley. Designed for groups of four or more, each bowl is topped with a full bottle of champagne, fresh fruits and a hand-cut block of crystal clear ice.