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Drink This Cocktail: The Panda Poacher

A pretty pink drink from the bartender at Macao Trading Co.

By Danielle Gibson

Igor, co-owner and bartender

Macao Trading Company
311 Church Street

You're a co-owner of Macao Trading Co. and Employees Only. Which one do you like better?
Macao is a newer child, so it needs more pampering and media exposure. Asking any parent which child they like better is tough, but Macao is the favorite child of the moment.

Fair enough. Tell me about this drink.
This is the Panda Poacher #2, it has lemon juice, yellow chartreuse, and Zubrowka, which is a Polish bison-grass vodka. It's also garnished with Bison grass. 

Grass! So useful to have around the house! Why is this the one drink everyone should be drinking this weekend?
It's a perfect summer cocktail. I'm a big fan of Zubrowka — it has an almost nutty flavor to it. It has sparkling cider, a little bubbles are nice to go with the fireworks. 

Well, this is delicious. If you saw a pretty girl at the bar, what would you send her?
This one! A hundred percent, without thinking. 

Because it's pink and fun?
Uh-huh. [laughs] It has girl written all over it. 

What if a woman saw a hot guy and wanted to send him a drink?
Probably a Manhattan. It's a classic. I wouldn't send this one over to a guy. I wouldn't send him a pink drink. 

What do people order on dates that you can tell are going really well?
Usually after the second round they order a tequila shot. 

Oh really! 
There's an electricity in the air — some kind of friction. 

If you're playing angel-bartender and you see a date doing really well, what drink would you send over to help close the deal?
Fernet Branca. It's an Italian digestif. It's pretty much every bartender's favorite. It's a Jagermeister for grown-ups. It has a bitter after-taste.

What about when things are going badly?
They ask for separate checks. That's the worst-case scenario.

Ouch. Do you see that happen a lot?
Yeah, sometimes. There's no going Dutch on a date. 

Has there been drink-throwing?
Oh shit! Yeah. Into a bartender's face. She was just drunk. She got the boot. 

What's the kind of drink that people should be embarrassed to order?
Long Island Iced Tea. 

Everybody says that! What's the best drink to order if you want to get laid?
Holy shit, to get laid? [laughs] A gin martini. It gets you in the zone right away, instantly. It gets you in the state of mind. It's like a highway to... the rooftops. 

What's the one drink someone can order that will really impress you?
A Hemingway daiquiri. It's my favorite, and used to be kind of hidden and unknown.  

Has anyone ever tried to pick you up?
Of course they have. It's a bar! 

What did they do?
They would buy me a shot, try to get me liquored up. Which is mission impossible, I'm sorry. I've built it up  — I've worked a long time for it. 

I have a truck driver's tolerance as well. 
You do?

Yep.
Too bad for your dates. They better take you somewhere cheap!


Panda Poacher #2

.5oz lemon juice
.5oz prickley pear puree
.5oz yellow chartreuse
1.5oz Zubrowka
1oz apple cider (non-alcoholic)
garnish with bison grass

Pour the lemon juice, pear puree, yellow chartreuse and Zubrowka over ice, and then shake. Top with apple cider and garnish with bison grass.

 

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Comments ( 23 )

Jul 29 11 at 3:06 am
Dee

What a fucking terrible name for a drink.

Jul 29 11 at 3:01 pm
Jeffrey

I've never seen such a strong reaction to the name of a cocktail. At 4:06 a.m., no less. Hats off.

Jul 29 11 at 3:17 pm
shush

is Dee a PETA member? Those people are rabid.

Jul 30 11 at 4:42 am
Dee

Good heavens no. I'm far too rational to be a member of PETA.

I just think it's a terrible name for a drink.

"Excuse me, can I get a panda poacher?" Come on. Tres garbage. Aviators, gimlets, manhattans; these are excellent cocktail names.

Aug 01 11 at 1:34 pm
GeeBee

My all time favorite cocktail name - Slippery Nipple.

Aug 14 11 at 1:41 pm
Alita

You all obviously don't know what the name "panda poacher" is referring to but I promise it has nothing to do with killing black and white fluffy bears.

Jul 29 11 at 8:11 am
harlempipeline

I love the pictures in this feature. That moustache is boss.

Jul 29 11 at 8:22 am
Frenchie

I would order that just to chew on some bison grass.

Jul 29 11 at 9:01 am
JCF

How about a drink with some ingredients I might actually have? :-)

Jul 29 11 at 1:31 pm
devo

what kind of pleeb doesn't keep freshly cut bison grass in his kitchen and an assortment of rare polish vodkas on the shelf?

Jul 29 11 at 3:04 pm
Jeffrey

Challenge accepted.

Jul 29 11 at 8:14 pm
JCF

Oh, and prickley pear puree is so versatile - who wouldn't have that?

Aug 01 11 at 1:36 pm
GeeBee

Well I could get some at a push, since they grow all over the place in SoCal, but I really don't think I want to bother donning leather garden gloves just to make a drink.

Jul 29 11 at 10:54 am
Bery

I like this feature so much, but it makes me crave exotic cocktails when the only thing that I can make at home is a spicy mango martini or a mojito (ok, lying, my husband does them).

Jul 29 11 at 1:20 pm
Pah.

Cute! Way better than the other girly drinks.

Jul 29 11 at 2:05 pm
Patrick

Looks yummy, I'd drink it! Great pics!

Jul 29 11 at 3:27 pm
Rodney

Can't wait to go to this place. Article makes it sound ...hmm, there's a bison out back, maybe he has some grass...but I digress, off to Church..Street.

Jul 29 11 at 3:28 pm
festubert

Why do all the bartenders despise Long Island Iced Tea?
What does the Panda Poacher #1 taste like?
How do we know that truck drivers have a high tolerance for alcohol? Have there been studies done?

Aug 14 11 at 1:44 pm
Alita

I think the distain for the LIT is that it shows no respect for the alcohol used in it and these guys are purists!

Jul 29 11 at 5:31 pm
kran-rf.ru

Thank you very much for that great article

Aug 03 11 at 9:55 pm
la famiglia

fools! the name of the cocktail is a homage to the tender's sexual proclivity.

Aug 31 11 at 11:05 am
Mattingly

This makes everything so completely pinaless.

Sep 07 11 at 6:17 am
kaufen generic Ciali

DpkT0z It's straight to the point! You could not tell in other words! :)))

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