Tuesdays can be a bit humdrum, especially during the long hibernation-prone winter months. Ovest Pizzoteca by Luzzo, located on a stretch of 27th street dotted with galleries and around the corner from Marquee, keeps Tuesday bright by sponsoring a weekly mixology affair. New Yorkers are constantly bombarded by events promoting liquor brands, 0ften submitting to sipping barely palatable cocktails purely because they are gratis.

This was not the case at Ovest, where guest bartender Nick van Tiel, a brand ambassador for Plymouth and Beefeater, created three seasonal cocktails that seduced me into enjoying gin, despite my longstanding gin trepidation. We sampled and enjoyed Nick’s creations, Gingerbread punch - Beefeater gin, pear, apple, bitters, xmas spices, lime; Spice trade - Plymouth gin, roasted rosemary syrup, ginger beer, ginger, fresh like juice and the Ghost of Christmas Past - Beefeater 24, honey, fresh lime juice, bitters and champagne.

Although I swore off gin at 16, Nick acknowledged this common fear and noted that he had developed cocktails that even gin-phobes like myself could enjoy. Beyond savoring the cocktails we got to nibble on a few of Ovest’s offerings, including coal fired thin crust pizza.

Socialight Entertainment is a co-sponsor of this weekly event, so be sure to sign up for their newsletter to find out what the featured liquor brand is each week. I will definitely be bringing more friends back to Ovest, both for the Tuesday Affair and to dine.

Tuesday Affair at Ovest Pizzoteca, 513 West 27th Street

Well, its that time of the year again. Tomorrow hundreds of New Yorkers will flee to Miami for the Art and Nightlife event of the season. Year after year, Art Basel becomes a bigger and bigger event – more people attend, more events pop up, things become more extravagant. Last year I was down there strictly for work but this year I am going down strictly to play. Super excited to check out SCOPE, PULSE, and FOUNTAIN Art Fairs, the Wynwood District , and of course the parties! Below is a guide by the flyer – you’ll notice a few familiar faces – Brandsway heading up the SCOPE Opening and Closing party at Set – FUNDAY Friday at Love and Hate, Day & Night Brunch at Vita, etc etc.

If you’re heading down there, be sure to follow me on Twitter! @downtowndiaries

We recently caught up with one of our favorite boys -Downtown Zak AKA Zak Perris – on the heals of his new single, ‘Clap Your Hands’ off of his new EP/ Mixtape “Downtown Delinquents” (produced by DJ Fresh Direct.)  As an up and comer in the hip hop world, Zak Downtown is already on top of his game – taking the stage with big names such as Lupe Fiasco, Chiddy Bang, Hoodie Allen, and even Swedish DJ duo Dada Life. Zak tells us a little bit about himself, his affinity for New York, and how social media is switching up the music industry. 

You were born and raised in NYC…clearly your from Downtown… what neighborhood are you from? Still live there?

Born and raised in the West Village-  just moved to SoHo but its a little too hectic over here- I’ll be heading back soon.

What’s been your favorite “Only In NY” Moment?

Since I’ve lived here my whole life all those moments are kind of just everyday life for me.

At what age did you start up your music career?

I started recording music probably when I was 15, didn’t get serious about it til I was 20.

How has growing up in the city shaped your music tastes and interests?

Being surrounded by so many cultures and people let me hear all types of music. But there was just something about the hip-hop culture when I was in middle school and highschool that I really loved. Being immersed in hip-hop with a mixture of all other types of music is probably why my music sounds the way it does.

You already have quite the Twitter and YouTube following – would you say social media has helped your career?

Of course, there’s so much independent artists can do today by themselves. When you can reach out to fans, and release music on your own it makes it that much easier. The music industry (especially hip-hop) is in the midst of a huge shift. Everyones still trying to figure it out. It will be interesting to see where that ends up, and artists who aren’t paying attention are only hurting themselves.

Clap your hands was filmed at Goldbar… is that one of your favorite spots in the city?

You know friends of mine have been djing there for years now and my friend Jonny Lennon has been throwing amazing parties there. Its just really aesthetically pleasing and as for going out they always play the best music.

What are some of your other top picks?

I’ve kind of fallen out of the loop on all the hot spots, but if I’m somewhere with a good dj and surrounded by good people that’s all that matters.

DJ Fresh Direct helped produce this album – How’d you get hooked up with him?

We both went to highschool in the city and had a ton of mutual friends. Someone finally realized… hey, this kid Zak is making cool rap music, but missing awesome production and engineering. So we linked up and have done some great stuff together. I’m sure well continue to do so , but be on the lookout for a lot of dope stuff Fresh Direct is doing on the djing side of things and production side.

What are currently listening to? Top 5 most played songs on your ipod?

1. Theophilus London- Accept The New
2. Troy Ave- Nino Brown
3. Ladyhawke- Paris is Burning (Cut copy Remix)
4. XV- All of this For Me
5. Kavinsky- Nightcall

Lastly, fill in the blank. I love downtown because It’s home.

Lets be serious, real New Yorkers avoid Black Friday sales like the plague.  BUT Friday may be a good day to have brunch with friends, grab a coffee and stroll around the East Village.   New York City based menswear brand Reason Clothing has opened the doors to it’s newest retail venture, the Reason Outpost on 9th last week and will be holding a special sale this Friday –  50% off from 9 AM to 12 PM and 30% off for the rest of the day PLUS rumor has it there will be free coffee and donuts!  If you’re still out of town on Friday, dont fret – the sale continues Saturday and Sunday  with 20% off and Cyber Monday 50% off 9 AM to 12 PM and 30% off the rest of the week. (reasonclothing.com)

About Reason Outpost:

In addition to stocking the full core range of Reason clothing and accessories, the Outpost also carries an assortment of antique collectibles, rare housewares, vintage American clothing, and vinyl records from the collection of the late DJ AM. Co-founder Philip Bassis notes that, “Besides showcasing Reason, the Outpost gives us a chance to display and sell some of the items that inspire the brand and truly give the world a
peek into the lifestyle and aesthetic that defines us.” Jon-Price, the brands other Co-founder adds, “This shop is a culmination of over six years of research. We make amazing clothes to begin with… but coupled with vintage from Japan, Europe, and all across America, we created a well rounded boutique that caters to all types of customers.”

The design of the shop is modeled after that of a classic American general store. Champagne colored walls are offset by dark walnut wood floors, reclaimed antique farm fixtures, raw steel racks, hand painted signs, taxidermy, oddities, and rare collectibles. Customers at the Outpost can pour through six years worth of Reason Clothing offerings, pick through antique home furnishings, pour through the extensive collection of rare hunting and military jackets, or explore the many stacks of vintage tees to find the perfect old rock tour tee.  The shop also carries select items from other prestige clothing lines including the Vane x Sebago boot collection and Los Angeles based accessory brand GunsGermsSteel.

Prior to Norman Doray’s Cielo premier, I was able to sit down with him and chat about his rising star status in the US. He also was able to make me instill jealous in me about his time in Ibiza and the constant warmth of his adopted city, Barcelona. A true lover of his craft, Doray debuted his new Strictly Records album Strictly Ibiza to Amsterdam last night, despite the dreary rain, bringing an element of sunshine to our (occasionally fair) city. 

What have been your musical inspirations?

I was always influenced by disco and funk; I grew up with my parents listening to it so that was always my biggest inspiration. It was like, music just made something click for me; I knew that I wanted to do it. I can’t describe it, it just made sense and I went from there. I always knew that I wanted to work with music.

How did you get started in the scene?

I spent a lot of time playing in small clubs in Paris, where people don’t really care about the music you are playing. Then, I knew that I had to start producing my own music; that is the key. So I started to make my own stuff and that really brought things to the next level, where I was able to play for crowds who loved the music.

Did the French house scene also influence you?

Yes, of course! Daft Punk exploded onto the scene at that point, Europe was just exploding with music, even like Ace of Base and that sort of thing. There was a lot of inspiration.

How did your new album, Strictly Ibiza to Amsterdam.

Strictly [Records] asked me to do a compilation and they wanted me to do something a bit personal. Like I said, funk and disco have always been influences for me, so I did sort of two kinds of tracks, ones that you can vibe out to during the day, like a party in Ibiza, and big house tracks that you can play by night in a club.

Now that you’re touring so much, how do you balance production?

I used to be able to produce between shows, but now it’s more like, 3 months of touring and a month straight of producing. Of course I bring my laptop on the road for me, so I can tweak songs based upon how the crowd reacts to it. You sometimes see people not feeling a long intro, so I can go back and then cut it shorter and go straight to the middle. Also, I recently moved to Barcelona because I needed a change from the more dreary French weather; I am heavily influenced by weather and the sun has made it so I can produce like, three times as fast as I used to be able to.

Do you prefer small clubs vs. big clubs, or festivals?

To be honest, I prefer the smaller clubs, something like 500-1000 people, 2000 is also ok. Then you can really connect with the partiers, it’s a great thing.

Do you have any favorite venues?

This year, definitely my favorite party was at Ushuaia, with the Swedish House Mafia in Ibiza. The crowd there has changed in the past 10 years; 10 years ago it was something like 90% Spaniards. Now you see the best partiers from Tokyo, New York, Spain, Miami in Ibiza. It’s something special. It’s outside, under the stars, with beautiful women and men, all partying all night. I love it there. For a festival, Tommorowland as nuts; there are some crazy things going on there…

How do you feel about the recent popularity of house music in the US?

The U.S. is a great place now. I was here two years ago, and it was a little bit more difficult, people were way more into the top 40 sort of music so it was hard to get them engaged in the music. But now, it’s totally different, the crowds here are totally crazy. I love it here. Maybe I’ll have to move to the States soon, the main bulk of my touring is here now. Miami is great, but I think that San Diego is the best place. I recently played at Voyeur; it’s a lovely city, great weather, fun people. I really like it.

How do you like New York?

It’s a great city, I have been here 5 or 6 times, but it seems like every time I come here its bad weather! But last night I went to The Standard, it has the greatest view and I have to say, really awesome bathrooms (Eater agrees).

Check out Norman Doray

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/normandoray

Soundcloud: http://soundcloud.com/norman-doray

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/normandoray