Magdalena, A Maryland Bistro Debuts Preakness Cocktail Menu Takeover

Magdalena, a Maryland Bistro at The Ivy Hotel will debut a Preakness-inspired cocktail takeover next week to run through the Preakness 148 Stakes. Celebrating the Maryland-trained horse, War Admiral, and his 1937 Triple Crown Victory, Magdalena is taking the menu back to that year’s most popular cocktails.  

The menu will be available to locals and guests of The Ivy Hotel dining at Magdalena from Saturday, May 6 through the Preakness weekend. Whether enjoying at the bar or in one of the restaurant’s five dining areas including the blooming courtyard, Magdalena’s seasoned team can suggest dishes to pair with the Preakness cocktails to take the dining experience up a notch. Following the two-week Preakness cocktail takeover, Magdalena’s menu will transition to a new list of spring libations.  

“We’re all about sipping and storytelling with Magdalena’s cocktail program,” says Dane Wilfong, Director of Food & Beverage, The Ivy Hotel. “Preakness presents a delightful opportunity for our guests to experience a taste of history and pay homage to the great legacy of War Admiral and Maryland's rich horse racing tradition.”

Preakness Cocktail Menu + Method 

She Loves Me Still

·Uncle Nearest 1884

·Clarified bitter orange juice

·Magdalena white vermouth

·Lime

·Simple

·Amaro and Maurin syrup

·Coupe Glass with syrup layer resembling Black Eyed Susan

A Magdalena flagship cocktail created of all things Baltimore. Crafted with premium whiskey brand Uncle Nearest, this cocktail pays homage to the often forgotten history of Black jockeys in horseracing and the grit and charm of Baltimore. A play on the famous Black Eyed Susan Cocktail, it takes influence from farmers market botanicals and flowers under I-83. And many don’t know that Nathan ‘Nearest’ Green, the namesake of Uncle Nearest was born in Maryland before moving to Tennessee. 

Classic Aviation

·1.5 oz Scapegrace gin

·.75 Crème De Violet

·.5 lemon

·.5 maraschino liquor

·Coupe glass

The aviation was created by Hugo Ensslin, head bartender at the Hotel Wallick in New York, in the early twentieth century as a riff on the Gin Sour. The alluring color resembles that of the bluest sky.

Bolero

·1 oz Bentwing Brandy

·.05 oz Doctor Bird rum

·.05 oz Denizen 8 year rum

·.5 oz Clarified Bitter Orange

·.5 fermented lime

·.5 Demerara simple

·Vintage Martini Glass

Named after Cuban bolero, a popular style of dance music in the 3/4 time signature, this throwback cocktail is sweet, tart and packs a punch. Ours features brandy and two exciting rums. 

Blue Moon

·1.5 oz Neft vodka

·.5 oz butterfly pea curaçao

·.5 oz Almond & Oat Orgeat

·.5 Magdala orange liquor

·Layered in a rocks glass with crushed ice

Created in 1937 by Oscar of the Waldorf Astoria New York as a play on the ever-loved Aviation, this colorful and floral old fashioned cocktail gets its purpley hue from butterfly pea curaçao.  

Clover Club

·2 oz sagamore rye

·.5 Meyer lemon juice

·Lime

·Raspberry and chamomile syrup

·Raspberry bitters

·Egg white

·Coupe glass with bitters in foam garnish

The Clover Club emerged from a Philadelphia men’s group called - you guessed it- the Clover Club. The members were menu in legal, literary or business professions who regularly imbibed the drink regularly at the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel from the 1880s to the 1920s. Our version features locally-distilled Sagamore Rye whiskey and housemade raspberry and chamomile syrup. 

When: Saturday, May 6th through Saturday, May 20th 

Where: Magdalena, a Maryland Bistro 205 E Biddle St, Baltimore, MD 21202