Hot dogs have never been hotter.
Indeed, these tube-iquitous treats certainly seem to be in everything in New York City nowadays from ice cream to churros and even streets — a so-called “toxically masculine” 65-foot wiener installment was erected in Times Square last month.
As folks begin to relish the frankfurter phenomenon, newly-opened Williamsburg rooftop bar LilliStar is offering its own spin on Gotham’s quintessential tube steak — a boutique hot dog “cocktail. Yes, you read that right.
Naturally, the idea of mock-meat-tail might sound like a bridge too far to some, but Christine Wiseman, the Global Beverage Director for parent company Bar Lab Hospitality, bills the drink, called “Hot Doggin’ It,” as a “very good, well-balanced, delicious cocktail.”
“I think it’s the perception at first is like, ‘Oh, is this going to be crazy?” the drink dynamo told The Post. “And it doesn’t taste like a hot dog, but it’s more [like] breaking it down into an avant-garde hot dog.”
Hair of the hot dog
The $18 Franken-wine is a boozy deconstruction of the ballpark brat featuring Vida tequila, Lustau Vermouth, tomato water (ketchup), mustard seed and other ingredients. This glass is topped with a petite gummy hot dog and swaddled with aluminum foil to complete the effect (a far more refined presentation than the odious hot dog beer straw this author subjected himself to several years back).
These oddball constituents are meant to convey the essence of the dog in form, like the alcoholic equivalent of Willy Wonka’s four-course meal gum.
“It has some tomato water in it, and that’s kind of like the ketchup,” described Wiseman, who was named the 2023 US Bartender Of The Year by Tales Of Cocktail.
It appears like LilliStar’s doing something right as these boutique beverages are alfresco venue’s “number one sellers right now,” per Wiseman.
“We’re flying through,” she declared. “I think the name is cute and fun, and then when people see it, it’s the fajita effect. When you see fajitas going out in the restaurant, you’re like, ‘What’s that?’ I have to have it.”
Dog years
“Hot Doggin’ It” couldn’t have come at a better time. Hot dogs have hit their halcyon age in New York City, appearing in just about every food like a protein-filled pumpkin spice.
The dog’s long popped in everything from churros to ice cream and chicken sandwiches, but recently made its way into rarified circles with the release of Midtown hotspot Mischa’s $29 hot dog — an 8-inch beef and pork torpedo with a natural sausage casing.
‘Hot dogs I feel like are making a kind of a comeback.’
Christine Wiseman, Tales Of Cocktail’s 2023 US Bartender Of The Year.
With some exceptions, the hotdog had until now largely taken a back seat to the more upwardly mobile hamburger, the go-to sandwich canvas for foie gras and other haute accouterments.
“Hot dogs I feel like are making a kind of a comeback of making ’em a little bit more artisanal,” said Wiseman. “And you see them at bars now, high-end bars that are serving a nice kind of version of a hot dog.”
Perhaps it’s no surprise that the wiener has penetrated popular culture as well. The most recent “Top Chef” episode featured hot dogs in a starring role — with both dog dishes being declared two of the best of the week. The brat also won an Oscar (and not the Meyer kind) after hot dogs were a pivotal plot point in 2023 winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Then there’s the meat monument itself; Times Square’s 65-foot hot dog sculpture, built earlier this year by artists Jen Catron and Paul Outlaw as an examination of “hyper-masculinity and showmanship often associated with American culture and patriotism.”
A fine Franken-wine
In fact, something very American was the catalyst for her cocktail creation, aptly inspired by a Williamsburg rooftop cookout in summer.
“One of my bosses and I were just riffing on some stuff and he was like, ‘Make a hot dog cocktail.’ And I was like, ‘What the f–k?’” she told The Post.
“Then I made a mustard-seed infused agave, and then I just added a little bit of mezcal and for the smokiness of the grilling, and then added in just some vermouth and sherry to kind of give it that saltiness and a little umami flavor.”
She even tosses in a couple of drops of vinegar to “give it some acidity.”
While there’s no actual meat in the margarita, hot dog lovers can supplement it with LilliStarr’s bonafide hot dog, which is bookended by a potato bun and topped with red cabbage and harissa aioli for $12.
Not a hot dog fan? No problem. LilliStarr also offers a “Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans”-esque array of other food-inspired drinks, including Nana Pudding” ($20), a literal dessert cocktail made from Zacapa, D’usse, banana black tea, coconut foam and a vanilla wafer.
There’s also a “Fried Pickles and Ranch” featuring Ilegal Mezcal, Aquavit, Fino, dill, coriander and lime oleo.
Those who who want to keep their food and beverages separate can enjoy their communal cocktails such as the $350 shareable “Fun in the Sun” with Don Julio Blanco, chinola, salers, passion fruit, citrus and Chinese 5 spice.
