What They Do: Created in July 2006, Cuff & Buttons is a cocktail catering company founded by Christy Pope and Chad Solomon, former bartenders at Milk & Honey, the insiders-only Lower East Side nightspot popular for its meticulously researched and prepared cocktails. After hearing requests from Milk & Honey patrons to serve drinks at private parties, the two teamed up with bar owner Sasha Petraske to provide the same quality drinks and service for events. They come equipped with everything from the bar to glassware—and, of course, plenty of alcohol. Catering packages typically include a red and a white wine, two kinds of beer, and four specialty cocktails. Recent gigs include a Lexus and Food & Wine event and a private party for video production company Leroy & Clarkson.
Their Background: Pope and Solomon have mixed drinks at some of the city’s most cocktail-conscious bars, including Little Branch, the Pegu Club, and Flatiron Lounge. Lovers of cocktail ephemera as much as the concoctions themselves (the company’s name is taken from an obscure peach-flavored bourbon drink created in the late 1800’s), the couple is also coproducing a documentary on the history of the cocktail, and they’ve given seminars at the annual New Orleans-based Tales of the Cocktail conference. “Chad and I are total scavengers,” Pope says. “We love scouring flea markets and garage sales for old bar equipment or vintage bartending books. We really fell in love with the amazing history that goes along with the cocktail and want to bring that to people as well.”
Their Specialties: “We put a lot of research into everything we serve,” Pope says.
“All juices are squeezed fresh the day of the event, we never use premade mixes or artificial ingredients, and we only use carefully selected spirits.” Before an event, Pope and Solomon will arrange a tasting with clients at Milk & Honey, mixing both classic and little-known drinks such as the Hemingway daiquiri (rum, grapefruit and lime juice, and maraschino liqueur) and the apple blow fizz (applejack, lemon juice, simple syrup, egg whites, and soda). They also craft signature cocktails to suit specific tastes or a special occasion.
