Food & Drink Double Pleasure: Enjoy The Macallan No. 4 Whisky at Grand Central tastings - & Rockefeller Center Farmer's Market

Macallan Through the Ages

Following the flawless, special press preview event on Monday, at The Weylin - a former bank in Brooklyn that is now an extraordinary event space because of the building’s architectural designs and quality craftsmanship.

 

The location fit oh-so appropriately with The MacAllan brand’s dedication to quality craftsmanship. We were invited to Monday to celebrate Macallan’s new distillery - in Speyside, Scotland. There was a bit of confusion, er mystery, surrounding this announcement. One could’ve been forgiven for reading the invitation to suggest the venerable Scottish whiskey maker was opening a distillery in Brooklyn. Why not?






The event was top-tier/top-shelf from start to finish.  Kudos to the entire MACALLAN team.

The event was a tribute to the past, present, and future of The Macallan. And as the evening unfolded, I came to understand the scope…

Walking in, I felt like I stepped through the looking glass. It was a speakeasy from a bygone era - or being in Brooklyn - everyone - especially the men - looked like everyday hipsters who inhabit this borough.



There was the piano player- right out of central casting and Tin Pan Alley




There were also lots of perfectly appointed cocktail culture accessories - from bar carts and crystal decanters and glasses to openers and more. Great decorating ideas for a home bar and speakeasy like I have.




The ambience was transporting. Plus, I was sipping a kind of whisky and ginger ale drink - refreshing but muscular. Plenty of food trays were passed. Loved the Scottish eggs.



The bar and bartenders were all in tune, too. Loved the Speyside Sazerac - concocted from The Macallan Sherry Oak 12, a spritz of Absinthe, Bitters, and a lemon twist garnish and mixed by Aaron.

 

The 1824 Bamboo (The Macallan Sherry Oak 12, Dry Oloroso Sherry, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters, and a twist of orange for the garnish) was very good too - although I only had a sip of that before it was time to enter the Cube!

But first, our group was tasting a dram of The Macallan No 4 Whisky before entering the Cube. 

Then, it was time.  To enter this Cube. 

As a former tech exec - I loved the use of technology to transport us to other worlds - other places -- all with the flip of a hand. 

We were in Scotland.  Or was that The Macallan whispering?!  Ha. 

The 4D technology is really incredible. Here we experienced the new Macallan Distillery located in Speyside Scotland with sight, sound, the vibration of air -- the tinkling of brooks. Very transporting. 

As a garden and landscape designer, I was further impressed with the distillery’s design -- located essentially underground! So as not to disturb the pristine land there. It’s a true green roof, undulating across the rolling hills of Speyside.

Next, it was on to the Future of the Macallan.

We we ushered into a grand hall -- all open space and airy bar, dotted with lounge seating and VR technology. Oh - and food and drink.



I tried The Ruby Queen - a super blend of The Macallan Double Cask 12, Fresh Beet Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice, Honey, and a garnish of fresh tarragon. Loved it and the garden to glass garnish. Lovely finishing touch.

The Macallan team will replicate a wee bit of the immersive Distillery and Visitor Experience we had on Monday at Grand Central Station’s Vanderbilt Hall. Please see dates and times below.

Here are some details on the experience:

• Created using 360-degree video (using technologies such as drones and a remote-controlled robot) “The Macallan Distillery Experience” will make the user feel like they have been fully transported to the whisky mecca. 
• The 15x15x15 cube-like structure allows for a group VR experience for groups of 15 at a time.
• The experience includes cutting-edge wind and scent diffusion technology matched to the footage and fully interactive leap motion controls allow guests to guide the experience with a mid-air gesture of their hand.

Outside of the NYC events, whisky enthusiasts around the globe will be able to view “The Macallan Distillery Experience” on their mobile phones or desktops, through social media, or at select wine and liquor retail stores, bars and restaurants using a VR headset.

Here’s one of the videos that will be shown in the 4D cube: The 4D really makes it extraordinary, though.



Here are the exact timings for the Grand Central activation:

Date(s): Wednesday, July 25, Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27 (half day only), and culminating on Friday, July 27 -- which is: National Scotch Day - naturally!

Time: 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM (12:00 PM to 3:30 PM on Friday)

You’ll be able to sample The Macallan’s new Edition No.4 whisky.

Cheers!



And this being New York - there’s more than one big event launching today. The Rockefeller Center® Farmers Market Returns for the Summer

Organized by The GrowNYC Greenmarket, the summer farmer’s market in the heart of Gotham, offers specialty products from local, regional farms.

That there is a farmer’s market in the heart of midtown makes perfect sense. Did you know that the country's First Botanic Garden was on 20 wooded acres at today's Rockefeller Center?

It’s true!

With garden dreams of yore floating through your seasonal, homegrown menus, be sure to visit Rockefeller Center’s annual farmers market that returns this summer with a wide variety of specialty products from regional farms spanning New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Vermont.

The market will be open Wednesday, July 25 through Friday, August 31, Wednesday-Friday of each week from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., at Rockefeller Center Plaza, located between 49th and 50th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues, Manhattan.

You’ll find fresh produce, meat, eggs, flowers, baked goods, cheeses, wine, spirits, and more. The farmers market is free and open to the public.

For more information visit rockefellercenter.com.

For news and updates follow @RockCenterNYC on Twitter and Instagram and Like Rockefeller Center on Facebook. Join the conversation by using #RockCenter

DATE: Wednesday, July 25 – Friday, August / Wednesday through Friday, weekly

TIME: 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

LOCATION: Rockefeller Plaza - Between 49th and 50th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues

Metro Hort’s Chelsea Cove Garden Tour with Lynden Miller and Peter Kelly

It was a blistering hot day in Gotham, the thermostat pushing triple digits. 

But garden lovers are intrepid. Besides, Chelsea Cove in Hudson River Park hugs the waterway, offering cooling breezes that kiss the sinuous walkways and magnificent gardens.  

Perfect for a tour with fellow garden enthusiasts despite the equatorial inferno just beyond 23^rd Street and the West Side Highway.  

Wearing sun-shielding hats and tank tops, wielding parasols and umbrellas, nearly 50 Metro Hort members gathered like exotic birds gliding back to the flock, in pairs or solo, pockets of conversation floating like languid bubbles until eventually, a large group formed where Lynden and Metro Hort’s super-organized Sabine Stezenbach and her associate the pretty as a rare orchid and gardening presence, Hanna Packer, were seated under one of several umbrellas.  

There, members signed in, drank some much needed water, shared garden chat while eagerly waiting for the start of the discussion prior to the tour.  So many said they’d never been to the Park; it was such a nice surprise.  All agreed an added benefit of Metro Hort is it gets one out into new, undiscovered neighborhoods!  

Chelsea Cove is Pier 62 and along with Piers 63 and 64, forms the largest contiguous green space in Hudson River Park.  The piers here extend out into the water. The public gardens are located adjacent to the popular Chelsea Piers Sports and Entertainment complex to the south.  

The gardens were constructed in 2009, given a year-long soft opening allowing the plants and grounds to be monitored, officially opening in 2010.  The display gardens are still so new and our hosts generously shared the tribulations experienced by all gardens exposed to extreme weather, high visitation and lack of resources for horticultural maintenance.

Before too long, Sabine welcomed Metro Hort members as “true gardeners,” introduced Lynden Miller, landscape designer extraordinaire commenting, “New York horticulture without Lynden is unthinkable” and Peter Kelly, Project Manager in Design and Construction for the Hudson River Park Trust before handing the portable microphone over to the Peter.   

(I must add that Lynden has long been my landscape design idol. She is a cultural icon and a garden treasure.  There should be a park and a Lynden Miller award added to the Mayor’s annual Cultural Awards.)

Me & my idol, Lynden

Lynden (L) introducing Madeline

Metro Hort attendees benefited from an extended overview and discussion while “waiting” for Madeline Wils, president of the Hudson River Park Trust 

and Mark Boddewyn, landscape architect and vice president of design and construction at his own firm, who first worked with Lynden at Wagner Park in Battery Park City.

We learned so many interesting factoids, historical notes, and inside horticulture scoops! 

Did you know Pier 62 has the biggest piles along the Hudson?  The piles are 300 feet deep to reach bedrock vs. “just” 100 feet in TriBeCa?  Or now that Riverkeeper has cleaned up the Hudson, wildlife has returned, of course, but that means the worms have come back making the case for concrete piers?   At great expense. 

photo rendering of styrofoam base

Most curious is construction of the berms and the skateboard park.  They were carved into different shapes from a Styrofoam base – to aid in strength and drainage -- and then covered with a very sandy, lightweight soil depth of merely two and half feet.  

The Park practices Green Watering – the irrigation and storm water recycles and drains to the Hudson River.

Lynden explained she designed section 5, which extends from 26^th Street to Gansevoort, Pier 54, from where the Lusitania sailed.  They plan to keep the heritage ironwork and historical significance there.  Thoughtful design.

Lynden and Peter shared a key design element at Chelsea Cove was the concept of gardens as “pass through” – a gateway to the water and great lawns that punctuate the park.   

Lynden worked with award-winning landscape architect, Michael Van Valkenburgh, www.mvvainc.com hoping to “bleed” some of the design bed plantings into his native, Capability Brown-styled landscape.  Van Valkenburgh’s firm used Kentucky Coffee, black locust, crabapple and cherry trees, and green grass to achieve a woody, natural look.  

Lynden noted several challenges: at present, there is no shade, so she requested the patio umbrellas. 

And in developing the color scheme, she had to recognize Chelsea Piers’ imposing influence of red, white and blue looming over the gardens.  (The Good To Go Organics red, red food truck is a welcome treat though J Jordon offered summertime lemonade that hit the spot.  www.goodtogoorganics.com  and @gtorganics) 

But she used it. 

Red Knockout Roses; 

Nepeta, backed by Knockout Roses with Natchez Crape Myrtle 

red Japanese Barberry Berberis thunbergii and box that appear to go over and under each other in ribbons of color,            

Ribbons of Color

Hibiscus 'Aphrodite' Deep Purple blossoms

Japanese Blood grasses Imperata cylindrica, white Natchez crepe myrtles, Lagerstroemia indica, deep purple Hibiscus ‘Aphrodite’  and waves of Amsonia hubrichtii Blue Star used as hedge; sedums, Nepeta/Catmint, “Walkers Low” and Salvia ‘Blue Hill’ she refers to as College because it blooms blue in time for graduation, and following a summer haircut, it blooms again in time for student orientation in the fall.  Lovely bright Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ smiles throughout the beds. 

Lynden positively rhapsodizes about her use of Oakleaf Hydrangea, Hydrangea quercifolia.  “I wouldn’t do a garden without them,” Lynden states with utmost fidelity.  “They make other plants look good” she adds.  

Oakleaf Hydrangea is a signature plant used in all her designs. 

As is Heuchera ‘Plum Pudding.’ She adores dark purple. But alas, the Heuchera is not doing well in this garden much to her distress due to a weevil. She is quick to point out the heuchera is doing marvelous up in Fort Tyron Park!

Not to be undone, Lynden solicited the hort group for replacement suggestions and there ensued a lively exchange of plant design ideas, with Lynden asking, “Is someone writing all this down?”

She also adores Euphorbia.  “As soon as you get to a good euphorbia – especially Euphorbia robbiae in a garden, you know that’s me,” she jokingly claims.

Known for her exuberant plantings and luscious garden beds that delight the senses with color, texture, movement and a keen eye for winter beauty. 

Her attention to decorative tree bark, winter color, evergreens in all colors especially the Montgomery Blue Spruce, picea pungens ‘Montgomery’ along with plant forms that hold the snow or form winter patterns all make her gardens a work of art that beckon and delight even in what I refer to as the ‘other” garden season.  There is so much beauty in the garden in winter if we just know what to look for and take the time to see.  (The beautiful book, “A Garden In Winter,” by author and gardener Suzy Bales, is a good place to start.)  

Lynden designed raised concrete beds, providing lots and lots of seating, allowing people to feel engaged with the garden and plants.  An added benefit of the raised beds prevents park goers from walking or trampling through the garden beds. 

The stone walkways – that need to be 40’ wide to allow for fire trucks -- are concrete pavers made by Hannover Designs. The Honey Locust trees are already providing a good screening between the beds and the skateboard area and fencing.

Lynden enthusiastically admits she always over-plants a garden, citing Russell Paige’s admonishment to “always plant a little too close, otherwise the plants will sulk.” 

How adorable is that?  Good advice too. I follow this rule but will now quote Lynden and Paige.  Good company to be in…

Some problems cited by both have been the Sky Pencils—dead after two plantings (replaced by guarantee), spider mite on the persacaris, but they are coming back after thinning out in some spots and dodgy watering, most likely caused by a combination of the height of the sprinkler heads and the size of the berms. 

We broke up into three groups to tour the garden beds.  Peter, Lynden and Mimi, a special gardener with the Hudson River Park Trust– who also was recruiting for Gardening help Volunteers.  If you are interested, please contact The Hudson River Park Trust.)

The three led the Metro Hort members throughout the gardens, pointing out the variety of plants, telling their stories.  Gardeners love to learn why the plant was included, how it is faring, and to see the plant combinations. 

It's Official! Photo captures Lynden's divine, enlightened garden magic!  Here she is pointing out great spot for the Lady's Mantle.

Indefatigable Sabine Stezenbach helping garden tour

The garden tour was a sensory delight.  

Don’t miss these gardens.  The combination of landscape design, water views and historical interest makes the exploration and discovery a fascinating experience that will change with every visit.  

Small group of friends working out to music in a "hidden" glen

To see the Park being enjoyed by so many citizens is sheer joy. 

Plants are transporting.  

Many of the Metro Hort members retreated to the nearby Frying Pan boat cum restaurant for refreshments and what else? More garden talk!

Want to learn more about joining Metro Hort?  It is a professional association.  Contact our wonderful organization: http://metrohort.org/

Me thanking Sabine before the group heads off for cool cocktails

 Be sure to have Lynden Miller's book on your book shelf or coffee table!