"Our study confirmed that in an environment of loud noise, our sense of taste is compromised. Interestingly, this was specific to sweet and umami tastes, with sweet taste inhibited and umami taste significantly enhanced," Robin Dando, one of the study's authors, told the Cornell Chronicle after the study came out.
Zero Bond, the distinguished New York private members club founded by Scott Sartiano and Will Makris, is now officially open at Wynn Las Vegas (as of March 10). This new opening in Las Vegas marks the first major expansion of the membership community outside home base in NYC.
Solo dining is up 32% year-over-year among Gen Z diners, according to Tastewise's 2026 trend forecast. Consumer interest in solo dining is growing overall, according to industry trend reports from TouchBistro and Yum Brands. As interest in this type of dining increases, establishments are adapting their spaces and service to attract solo customers.
There's no shortage of discounted drinks and snacks (even on weekends) at these Cuban cafes' happy hours. Try a piña colada or daiquiri for $8. Snacks like goat-cheese croquetas and guava barbecue chicken sliders are $8, too.
For the past few years, we've been rounding up the best new restaurants in New York City as they open, with the sentiment being that anyone visiting the Big Apple can get a glimpse of our vast and diverse culinary scene by dining at a younger spot or two alongside the old-school institutions.
But then the playoffs arrive, and you and I are reminded of what makes twilight football-outdoors and on grass-special. You start off in broad daylight as both teams fuck around for a quarter or two. Then the sun slowly begins to bleed away, taking all distractions along with it as it sinks below the horizon. Now we're in primetime, when everyone is watching. Now every player on the field is in the spotlight, and you, the viewer at home, are dialed in.
Used to strain ice and other ingredients out of shaken cocktails, a Hawthorne strainer is a small, flat, spoon-like gadget with holes plus a coiled spring around the edge. You simply fit it over the rim of a glass or shaker tin before pouring liquids through. It's essential for cleanly separating the cocktail from the ice without spilling or creating a mess during the pour.
This spectacle of a drink-which comes in a swiveling glass on a bed of moss under a smoke-filled cloche-is part of a new lineup of "multisensory" cocktails created by Jeremy Le Blanche, known for avant-garde creations at Fantom in New York. But the earthy and bright combination of tequila, amaro, matcha, cardamom, lemongrass, and lime is stunning even without the theatrics.
Since 2018, Punch has been on a mission to elevate and amplify rising talent through our Best New Bartenders program. Over the years, we've grown a network of nearly 100 alumni who have gone on to open their own bars, advocate for a more inclusive industry and move drink culture forward, all while making some of our favorite cocktails.
It can sometimes feel a bit of a bombardment with regards to new drinks products - there is a LOT being advertised on socials. So to cut through the noise, we always look at who's behind the products before anything else as it's a great way to determine what's not style over substance. The trend that's exciting us the most at the moment is a modern, solid quality approach; simple messaging, great packaging, and complex flavour.
The latest crop of bars are doing all of the above and then some, putting an emphasis on zero waste, housemade distillates, off beat wines, and immersive vibes. What's also clear is the geography of drinking culture: its clear epicenter is Lower Manhattan, with a few exciting entries in Brooklyn and one in Long Island City, Queens.
Whether you're patronizing a swanky cocktail bar, a classic dive, or somewhere in between, there are a few ways to let the bartender know you're the kind of customer worth giving special treatment to. Sure, tipping well and being polite will get you far enough - along with a few other do's and don'ts of ordering at the bar, but getting the type of service that the bartender's favorite regular receives is not that simple, especially on your first visit.
While one of the bartenders at the legendary Connaught Bar in London mixes your martini tableside, you're invited to choose your bitters to complete the drink. Lavender, perhaps? Or would tonka, coriander, or cardamom please you? Oh, what about the house-developed Dr. Ago's? Whatever your choice, you feel special for having collaborated on your order. But in truth, the selection process is so carefully planned by the Connaught that they're still behind the wheel. It's customization and control in perfect balance.
just before we collectively stumbled into this shitty timeline marred by "fake news" and idiot fascism, a journalist did that thing that journalism used to do: hold power to account. In this case, the power was Big Bay Leaf, and the reporter was Kelly Conaboy, writing for the Awl on a "vast bay leaf conspiracy" that-then as now-cons well-meaning home cooks into buying weird leaves that taste and smell like "nothing."