The posh Bowery Hotel boasts one of the most unique indoor/outdoor spaces in all of New York City, whether grabbing drinks inside at the lobby bar or spotting celebrities dining on the patio at ground floor restaurant Gemma. On Friday evening, the modernized venue would utilize its rooftop space to welcome the return of the LUCKYRICE Festival to town for their 7th Annual Cocktail Feast. Dubbed the ‘NY Moon Festival,’ hundreds of revelers would swarm the space where talented mixologists from around Manhattan would gather to sling distinctive and Asian-inspired libations amid a dimly-lit party atmosphere.

Any frequent attendees of LUCKYRICE events can attest that there are two certainties when the traveling food-and-drink road show comes into town: 1) the setting is always classy and festive and 2) if you’re leaving the evening sober, you’re doing something wrong.  The ‘NY Moon Festival’ is tailored to lovers of inventively crafted drinks-  a bit of a change of pace from the typical gorging that we do at LUCKYRICE events.  But the vibe was both relaxed and refined on the rooftop, where colorful green ivy adorned some of the walls overhead and the clear sky made for an ideal late-summer evening in downtown Manhattan.

With some of New York City’s most renowned and innovative mixologists on hand, there was no shortage of delicious drinks- and unique ingredients from which to choose.  Bar B Flat Tribeca may be situated inside of a subtle little space downtown, but their offerings, created by Takaaki Hashimoto, were anything but under-the-radar.   Appropriately titled “Good Karma,” the deliciously sweet drink pairs a helping of Bacardi rum with some lime, pineapple and orange blossom water and the key- some fine green tea powder or matcha which gives the cocktail a definitively rich, Asian flavor.  Though it was refreshing, the “Ringo” was perhaps even moreso- replete with Bombay Sapphire East Gin, honey-ginger syrup and some fresh fuji apples and cider for the perfect autumn beverage.  Ice cold and crisp to the taste.

Our other favorite drinks came from Mother of Pearl, where the trio of concoctionists – Jane Danger, Alla Lapushchik and Fernando Flores- whipped up a drink called “The Fix,” whose name appropriately suited its purpose.  With a touch of kiwi and lemon, the main ingredient of St-Germain invigorated the slightly tart cocktail, which we preferred to the “Indus Valley,” served with a smattering of toasted sesame seeds and cane syrup.  ’Just a little heavy on the sesame’ remarked a passerby- though certainly tasty nonetheless.  After double-fisting some additional drinks from the likes of Macao Trading Co., Grand Army Bar and Donna, we joined the evening’s lengthiest line and waited our turn for some ice cold “Thai Ice Cream Rolls” courtesy of the Lower East Side’s Juicy Spot Cafe.  For roughly thirty minutes, guests patiently waited for the hard working staff to scrape together flavors ranging from cookie butter and Nutella to dragon fruit and mango, whipped together with topping choices like crushed wafers, Oreo cookies and speculoos.  Somehow, the wait was entirely worth it as we dug our spoons into the cool, creamy cup- a perfect capper to a night filled with memorable tastes.

Just as soon as the party began, the witching hour of midnight had come- and after three fun-filled hours, the ‘NY Moon Festival’ had reached its conclusion.  Once again the LUCKYRICE team had put together an affair that blended a chic ambiance with some of New York City’s finest flavors.  Although the 7th Annual Cocktail Feast is now in the books, there’s still time to grab your tickets to the LUCKYRICE ‘Slurpfest’ happening on October 20th as some of the country’s finest purveyors of ramen will gather together at the Astor Center.  Tickets are available here!

- Dave Gendelson