This Thursday: Cooling Cocktails and a Touch of Jazz

Posted in Programs and Events on June 26 2013, by Matt Newman

Don’t let your sweltering New York City apartment define your summer experience—even if you love a good sit in a banya, spending every night in one is probably pushing the boundaries of good sense. Instead, I’ve got a few words that might distract you from your wheezy air conditioner and all the half moments lingering in front of the open freezer: gin, cucumber, violet liqueur.

Cocktail Evenings & Summer Concerts are back, swinging, and set to take the edge off the city’s muggy summer nights—and we’re not skimping on the “cocktail” bit. This Thursday, June 27, from 6 – 9 p.m., we slip into our latest after-dark series with the help of a liqueur appropriate to the quiet viewing of Wild Medicine you’ll get with your ticket. Crème Yvette blends mûre, framboise, cassis, and fraise sauvage berries with the dried violet petals of Provence, leaving no question as to its plant pedigree. And our first featured cocktail, the Yvette Cup, doesn’t waste the flavor, mixing gin, cucumber, lime, ginger, and mint for a bracing sip that’ll put the drawbacks of summer in your rear view.

Pair the complimentary drink and cash bar with the Italian jazz stylings of Simona Premazzi and Irene Jalenti, and you’re all set for the perfect date night out, or just a relaxing outing with friends. And since this season’s musical performances take place in our outdoor pavilion tent, you’re welcome to bring a blanket and a picnic dinner to set up on the nearby lawn (seating here is limited, so find your spot early), or purchase dinner and other refreshments here. We’ll also have the famed Mike’s Deli from Little Italy in the Bronx on hand offering authentic Italian food samplings, along with The Bronx Beer Hall supplying a selection of samples from our borough’s own Jonas Bronck’s Beer Company. Of course, you can always wait until afterwards to head over to the famed Arthur Avenue, where we’ve teamed with some of our favorite Italian restaurants to offer dinner discounts for Cocktail Evening ticket holders. Check them out on our official page.

For MasterCard holders, we also offer a champagne pre-party beginning in the Shop in the Garden and moving on to Wild Medicine. Because why wouldn’t you make a full night of it?

With less than a day until the first Cocktail Evening of summer, and tickets dwindling, you may want to think about registering as soon as possible. There’s only one per month through August!