After reading an entry in Jordan Mackay’s Buzzed blog, I stopped in at the Clock Bar which recently opened in the Westin St. Francis. And, in fact, sat right in front of Marco (so, if that reference is meaningless to you then you need to click on the link above and read Jordan’s blog) which meant not only was I served by him but I got to watch his handiwork and chat him up a bit on cocktails. He’s a fount of information about various recipes and their sources, but it was particularly impressive to watch him operate.

I chose a Wibble, which was refreshing and excellent. I then asked Marco to make me something. He said “is there anything you don’t like?”  My answer was “Rum. I don’t like rum. So make me something with rum in it.” And now I’m embarrassed because I don’t remember the name and can’t point to an even approximate recipe. But it was rum and fruit juice (pineapple) and my favorite part was the grated nutmeg on top. It wasn’t half bad and the last sips, which contained the nutmeg, were especially yummy. It was too fruity for what I was in the mood for late at night, but would have been perfect on a sunny day.

Wait.  Marco just left the following comment, making up for my faulty memory:

The Rum cocktail you refer to was a Calypso, which I took from Anthony Dias Blue’s Complete Book of Mixed Drinks. Oddly, the book was published in 1993, when falernum was nearly, if not completely, impossible to find. The drink was prepared with Appleton rum, Velvet Falernum, pineapple, fresh lime, and Angostura bitters.

The bar itself is gorgeous…very upscale and sleek and befitting the relationship with Michael Mina (if you haven’t eaten there you should simply take out that 2nd mortgage and go). I did notice that it wasn’t designed by a bartender. There was far too little space for glassware and not much work surface for Marco and the other bartenders. Still, highly recommended. There was a long list of cocktails I want to try and it isn’t often you get such a good choice at a hotel bar. But bring a fat wallet, because I think they were $14 each.  At least it was dollars and not euros or pounds….