Drinking:
Strawberry and Thai Basil Mimosa at ABCv
Root Renewal Freshly Squeezed Juice at ABCv
French New Yorker, David Victor Rose is one of those people that knows lots of New York’s hidden secrets. From living on the water in Bushwick in a Burning Manesque community, (yes there’s a canal there!), to now venturing out to the Hamptons three nights a week to make cocktails at Jean-Georges Topping Rose House, you get the sense that he’s worn many different hats in this city.
Isabel took some time to speak with Rose about what keeps him inspired in New York and his passion for cocktail collaboration.
Tell us about where you’re currently working. What do you like about each place?
I am really into sailing, fishing, and surfing and so working at Jean-Georges Topping Rose House in the Hamptons allows me to indulge in these hobbies when I have time off as well as just having some time to think and write. At Topping Rose House, I love the fact that all the ingredients such as the juices and garnishes are all seasonal and mostly come from the farm on the property. If I need something like a herb garnish, I just walk before my shift to do my “shopping” in the garden. It’s fun and meditative. I’m so grateful to work there and I am lucky to taste and experience Jean-Georges genius!
I also work at Bar Belly in the Lower East Side. It s like a Montauk bar in Manhattan. Tommy (the owner) shows up on his Vespa, opens the door and it’s on for cocktail-making and listening to good music all night. It’s a true gem with a great vibe and it’s very classic. I’m really so lucky to work part-time between these two places.
What do you love about New York’s bar scene?
Where else can you find a place like the Nomad with an amazing menu and beautiful bar? I also love old school places with older bartenders that are still so chic and cool like Balthazar, or secret places like the Marie Antoinette inspired bar orchestrated by legendary New York bartender Franky Marshall called Le Boudoir. To enter you have to push a bookshelf at Chez Moi in Brooklyn Heights. where you have to push a bookshelf at Chez Moi to enter in Brooklyn Heights.
You mention that you’re really into collaboration. Who is doing this really well in New York?
Jean-Georges and Paulette Cole who I used to work for. They married their respective geniuses and opened three successful restaurants together. Among the most extreme and risky of them is ABCv which is entirely vegan, but they made it work!
Also the Caravan Gitane x Bar Belly pop up bar over the summer. It was an amazing curatorial collaboration between DJs and cocktails.
Who in the industry really inspires you?
I would really like to meet Franky Marshall from Le Boudoir; she’s not a legend for no reason. Also I am also inspired by the beverage videographer Tess Mix who I know from my Bushwick days, and Leo Robitschek from Nomad – his story is very inspiring.
Another inspiration is the young and talented chef, Jesse Lombardo. We became friends recently and he is very into collaboration. He once said to me, ‘if you see a rabbit and a tomato on a coffee table and you are hungry, what are you as a human going to eat? Not the rabbit, but the tomato – a good reminder of what simplicity means and who we truly are’.
Finally my coworker Andres at Bar Belly, he’s so chill and welcoming with great style and vibe as a bartender.
What are you working on at the moment? What can you tell us about your mix and mix concept?
It’s a mix as in DJ mix, and mix from mixology. It’s a concept that marries events and mixing from both worlds!
What’s a drink that you’re really into at the moment?
A White Negroni – it’s a real classic with a twist. I just recently discovered it and the story behind it. I can’t wait to make one myself!
Where do you see the beverage industry going in 2018? Any trends that you see emerging that you think Taste Talks readers should know about?
Definitely more seasonal ingredients like you find in fine dining. Similar to farm to table, I see more what I call garden to bar; they are doing this a lot at Jean-Georges Topping Rose House. Drinks with less alcohol are coming back and of course I really see collaboration as being the future of hospitality. I think you’ll start to see cocktails created by two or more mixologists pretty soon.
