A Shot And A Beer

Daniel Boulud Now Serves NYC’s Fanciest Boilermakers

One of each, bartender.
One of each, bartender. Photo: Paul Wagtouicz

This isn’t your typical shot-and-beer deal: At DBGB, Daniel Boulud and newly minted head bartender Sam Hernandez now offer a menu of boilermakers, the dive-bar classic. The downtown restaurant is actually known for its extensive and high-caliber beer selection, and Hernandez saw boilermakers as a smart way to spotlight that and move lingering bottles.

Given that Boulud is the chef who kicked off the gourmet-burger craze, and there’s also the prevailing fascination with lowbrow drinks that’s all the rage at serious cocktail bars these days, it makes sense that this is happening here. But DBGB is not the first establishment in New York to dress up the blue-collar special — Hernandez follows in the footsteps of downtown cocktail bars Boilermaker and Nitecap. Hernandez’s take on the boilermaker is, like Nitecap’s, decidedly upscale: There’s a basic intro-level Evan Williams Green Label and pilsner, but things get fancy real quick, as Spanish sipping rum and Serbian plum brandy are introduced into the mix. Here are all seven of the DBGB boilermakers:

Keeping it real: Evan Williams Green Label and Singlecut pilsner ($12).
Keeping it real: Evan Williams Green Label and Singlecut pilsner ($12). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
A shot of equal parts Cimarrón Tequila and Grand Marnier paired with Westbrook's White Thai ($18).
A shot of equal parts Cimarrón Tequila and Grand Marnier paired with Westbrook’s White Thai ($18). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
Bitter citrusy on bittersweet: Single Cut Half Stack IPA with Amaro Montenegro ($20).
Bitter citrusy on bittersweet: Single Cut Half Stack IPA with Amaro Montenegro ($20). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
Birra del Borgo's Maledetta with Del Maguey single-village Minero mezcal ($30).
Birra del Borgo’s Maledetta with Del Maguey single-village Minero mezcal ($30). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
Harviestoun Ola Dubh ale with Spanish sipping rum, aged in oloroso sherry barrels, from Nicolas Palazzi ($40).
Harviestoun Ola Dubh ale with Spanish sipping rum, aged in oloroso sherry barrels, from Nicolas Palazzi ($40). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
All about the tart fruit: a 750-milliliter bottle of Millstone Cherrykriek, a cider brewed with sour cherries, with Manastirka Slivovitz, a plum brandy ($44).
All about the tart fruit: a 750-milliliter bottle of Millstone Cherrykriek, a cider brewed with sour cherries, with Manastirka Slivovitz, a plum brandy ($44). Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
A 500-milliliter bottle of North Coast Brewing's Old Rasputin XVIII, a Russian imperial stout, with Ransom Distillery's the Emerald, an Irish-style whiskey. ($56.)
A 500-milliliter bottle of North Coast Brewing’s Old Rasputin XVIII, a Russian imperial stout, with Ransom Distillery’s the Emerald, an Irish-style whiskey. ($56.) Photo: Paul Wagtouicz
DBGB Introduces Fancy Boilermakers