How to Host an 'And Just Like That' Watch Party
How to Host an 'And Just Like That' Watch Party
The women of 'Sex and the City' return and you're gonna need a Cosmo
When “Sex and the City” premiered on June 6, 1998, the show managed to tap into the zeitgeist of women entering a new millennium.
Suddenly, women were self-identifying as a “Carrie” or a Miranda” as they sipped cocktails in expensive stilettos. “Sex and the City” did more than portray the women as fashionable consumers, as many critics proclaim: At the end of the day, it was about how we all thrive on the friendship of other strong women — and those friendships are often forged over food and drinks.
“And Just Like That” catches up with Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte on HBO Max. Here are the snacks and cocktails you’re going to need for your watch party.
Cosmopolitans
Some say the Cosmopolitan was invented in the 1970s at the Cork & Cleaver Steakhouse in Minneapolis, when a bartender added cranberry juice to a Kamikaze. Others say San Francisco’s gay club scene birthed the drink, but it’s safe to say that when Carrie and the girls sipped on those rose-hued cocktails, a craze was born.
Here’s a simple Cosmopolitan recipe:
1 1/2 oz. Absolut Citron (any vodka will do in a pinch)
3/4 oz. Cointreau or triple sec
1/2 oz. freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 oz. cranberry juice (more for a sweeter Cosmo)
Combine all ingredients into a shaker with ice. Shake until chilled. Strain into a martini glass and garnish with orange peel.
Effen also makes a ready-to-drink Cosmo, made with Effen vodka. a four-pack of bottles (each bottle makes four cocktails) costs $48 at reservebar.com.
Pizza
Carrie and Miranda stopped for a slice of pizza at New York’s Two Boots Pizzeria after an unsatisfying raw meal at the fictional restaurant, Raw. The pizzeria has locations throughout New York, along with a shop in New Jersey and two in Tennessee (find locations here). Miranda also allowed Steve to buy her a slice at Famous Original Ray’s. For your watch party, any pie from your favorite pizzeria will do — as long as it’s New York-style pizza.
Cupcakes
Magnolia Bakery was just a small West Village cupcake shop until Carrie and Miranda dished about Aidan Shaw while scarfing down pink cupcakes. Now, Magnolia Bakery has several locations throughout Manhattan, as well as in Chicago and Los Angeles. They also deliver their delicious buttercream-frosted cupcakes anywhere in the US. A dozen assorted cupcakes cost $50 via magnoliabakery.com.
Manhattans
When Miranda moves to Brooklyn, the girls send her off with a few rounds of Manhattans. This elegant, boozy drink may be a departure from the fruity Cosmo, but its sophistication lends itself to the newfound maturity that Carrie, Miranda, and Charlotte have as we revisit our favorite ladies on their new journeys.
To make a Manhattan:
2 oz. bourbon or rye
1 oz. sweet vermouth
a few dashes Angostura bitters
a dash orange or cherry bitters
Combine ingredients into a mixing glass with ice and stir until chilled. Strain into a martini glass. Garnish with a macerated cherry.
Cocktails in the Cellar
Drink up in the basement of a former Tribeca button factory
If you’re looking for something different than the usual rooftop bar with a sweeping panoramic view, now you can try your hand imbibing below ground.
Dubbed a “cocktail cellar,” Saint Tuesday is located in the basement of a former button factory in Tribeca, now the Walker Hotel.
Guests can enter through 24 Cortlandt Alley, a three-block-long alley that was first constructed in the early 1800s, in what’s known as the Tribeca Historic District. The street was named for Dutch landowner and former New York mayor, Jacobus Van Cortlandt, one of the Van Cortlandts that many New York City landmarks — including a mansion and park — were named after.
Walk down a flight of stairs to reach the intimate bar, which serves cocktails by general manager, Chris Covey. Covey and his team — all alumni of the now-shuttered Milk & Honey bar — offer cocktails like the Goldfinch (sherry, Cocchi Americano, fresh lemon, orange bitters, and soda) and takes on classics like the Corpse Reviver and the Dark & Stormy. Can’t make up your mind? Tell your barkeep your spirit preference and they’ll make you a bespoke cocktail ($18).
The bar also offers nightly music that highlights the building’s rich immigrant heritage. At any given evening, expect traditional Irish music, a Klezmer band, or Calypso.
Saint Tuesday is open nightly for walk-ins or reservations. Email sainttuesdaynyc@gmail.com for reservations.
