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Hot dogs are having a bit of a moment—there’s an enormous frankfurter smack-dab in the middle of Times Square right now, in case you’ve somehow missed it. And while we’ve seen hot dog ice cream, churro hot dogs and hot dog fried chicken sandwich throughout the city’s frank-loving history, New York is now getting a hot dog cocktail. Yes, really.
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LilliStar, the celestial Brooklyn rooftop bar from the creators behind Broken Shaker, reopened for the warm-weather season atop The Moxy Williamsburg on Monday, April 15, and they’re officially cheers-ing to summertime with a whimsical new cocktail creation: the “Hot Doggin’ It” ($18), a savory beverage meant to evoke the nostalgic flavors of one of New York’s most quintessential eats.
Don’t worry, you won’t find any actual dirty water in this drink—instead, it merely gives off the essence of the American classic via Vida, Lustau Vermut, tomato water and mustard seed agave. (There is a hot dog over on the food menu, served on a potato bun with red cabbage and harissa aioli for $12, in case you want the real thing.)
Keeping to theme, the “Hot Doggin’ It” cocktail is festively wrapped in an aluminum hot-dog wrapper and topped with a twee cocktail weenie.
It’s not the only food-themed drink on the menu. There’s also the “’Nana Pudding” ($20), a clarified cocktail reminiscent of the comforting dessert with notes of vanilla and coconut (crafted with Zacapa, D’usse, banana black tea, coconut foam, and vanilla wafer). There’s a “Fried Pickles and Ranch” bev ($18) made with Ilegal Mezcal, Aquavit, Fino, dill, coriander and lime oleo; as well as an “Elote Twisted Tea” (cotija-washed Abasolo, Nixta, black tea, lemon oleo and smoked paprika salt for $19)
If you want your drinks to, you know, not taste like food, the bar program also includes large-format cocktails like the shareable “Fun in the Sun” (Don Julio Blanco, chinola, salers, passionfruit, citrus, Chinese 5 spice) for $350. Check out that one, as well as the LilliStar space, below:
