Shaken and Stirred

Friends of Sylvia’s

THE barroom at Sylvia’s in Harlem has pictures of Sylvia and all the people she knows, Sylvia and Smokin’ Joe Frazier, Sylvia and Regina Belle, teenage Sylvia unaccompanied and pulchritudinous, hands tucked into her hair.

Waiting to Exhale, a mix of punch and alcohol, is a specialty of the house at Sylvia’s.

From a back room the other night you could hear the singing for her 80th birthday, the familiar melody elongated, tempo tripped to a spirited adagio and all hands clapping.

On a television screen above the bar, people named Tia Carrere and Maksim Chmerkovskiy whirled in "Dancing With the Stars." They smiled like idiots in pain. The regulars speculated on who would win and whether Ms. Carrere’s costume would come off. They smiled like newfound friends, and they mentioned specialties of the house.

"Try the Long Island Iced Tea," Kim Birkett proposed. "That’s how we got here."

"Here" was a place called pleasantly drunk. Jallow Wow, a Gambian barman, poured sneak attack drinks, sickly sweet salmagundis, the Waiting to Exhale and the Kiss Me to start.

"It’s strong," Mr. Wow said, "so whenever a woman drinks it —— "

A world traveler across the bar finished the thought, "Just say, ‘Kiss me,’ and she won’t be able to resist it?"

Correct.

The world traveler told stories of airplane rides and faraway lands and of Harlem, too.

By and by Ms. Carrere and Mr. Chmerkovskiy left the screen, and the critique at the bar was not kind.

"When you go ballroom dancing, you don’t dress like you came out of a strip club," said Gloria Dulan-Wilson. "This is not ballroom dancing. This is hype. You used to be able to come to New York, go out dancing, really enjoy yourself. You can’t do that anymore. Somewhere along the line, we’ve got to bring back a modicum of what made New York New York."

In the back room the party ended, and Sylvia Woods emerged. She who found a husband in a Carolina bean field. Who built a Harlem institution and an empire of soul food. Ms. Woods glanced sidelong at her teenage equal on the wall and did declare: "I feel good. I truly feel as a woman should."

A daughter asked Ms. Woods did she want to go home or to carry on, the daughter chanting a birthday chant and swaying her hips left, right, left.

"Stop dancing, Momma," a granddaughter called. "You’re going to make me embarrassed."

WAITING TO EXHALE

Adapted from Sylvia’s
1 ounce Disaronno
1 ounce Grand Marnier
1 ounce Grey Goose Vodka
1 ounce Alize
3 ounces Hawaiian punch.

1. For the punch, mix equal parts cranberry, pineapple and orange juice, grenadine and sour mix.

2. Pour liquors over ice, fill cocktail glass with punch. Shake. Garnish with maraschino cherry and lemon slice.

Source: NY Times Sunday Styles