Beer & Icecream & Liquor- Absolutely!
Over one thousand people packed Manhattan's Grand Hyatt to eat, drink, and stomp the terra like emperors and empresses.  The April 25 event was put on by American Express, sponsored by Evian, and supported by a slew of local alcohol distributors, and restaurants.  The grande affaire benefited Share Our Strength, a charity dedicated toward ending hunger in the U.S. and abroad.
The food was terrific, and we got to taste some great cocktails being mixed by King Cocktail himself, Dale DeGroff, and the internationally reknown and beloved Audrey Saunders of Beacon Restaurant.

BOURBON SMASH
Original Recipe by Dale DeGroff
2 oz. American whiskey, bourbon, or rye 4 mint leaves and one sprig of mint Half a lemon qartered 3/4 oz. Simple syrup Muddle all ingredients except whiskey in a bar glass. Add whiskey and shake with ice. Strain into an ice filled rocks glass and garnish with a sprig of mint.

APPLE A DAY
Original Recipe by Audrey Saunders
1 1/2 oz. Apple Pucker 1 oz. Vodka 1/2 oz. Maraschino Liqueur 1/2 oz. Fresh Lime Juice 1/2 oz. Simple Syrup 1 oz. Grapefruit Juice Shake well with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a slice of Apple.

At the other end of the room, women were literally cooing over Rob Miketa's Raspberry Lambic Float. Miketa, Executive Chef at Tribeca Grand Hotel, poured about 6 ounces of Lindeman's Framboise in a glass, plopped in four 1 ounce scoops of Candied Ginger icecream, fresh raspberries, a dollop of whipcream, and a butter-vanilla cookie. It was wonderful and anyone in their right mind will make it a point to swing by the Church Lounge in the Tribeca Grand and try it or one of their other beer floats

Those who want a first-person account of the evening are cautiously urged to read F. Sot Fitzgerald's A Night in Heaven: Cookies, Gin & Wild Women.