Dive Bar Jukebox with Casey Elsass
Interview, Playlist, and a Cocktail Recipe from the Author of "What Can I Bring?"
Welcome to Dive Bar Jukebox, a LAST CALL paid subscriber exclusive where bartenders, writers, chefs, musicians, and a cast of cool characters answer the question: If we were hanging out together at a bar and I put ten credits on the jukebox, what songs would you punch in and why? Their responses reveal thoughts on their favorite dive bars along with a curated, annotated playlist for your weekend listening pleasure. Today’s featured DBJ is free to all readers!
Please welcome today’s special guest…
Casey Elsass
When I first met Casey Elsass (naturally, over drinks in a booth at The Long Island Bar) the Brooklyn-based food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer quickly offered his official title as “cookbook doula,” an honorific earned for helping bring to life over twenty books (including Second Generation by Jeremy Salamon, Dolci! by Renato Poliafito, and Let’s Eat! by Dan Pelosi) in his multi-hyphenate role as coauthor, ghostwriter, and (as he must legally clarify) unlicensed therapist.
Casey’s recipes have been featured on Bon Appétit, Food Network Kitchen, Delish, Epicurious, and Food52, among others, and next week marks the publication of his debut solo cookbook, What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life.
"Casey has solved the what-to-bring problem delightfully and deliciously. All that's left to us is the fun of turning up at someone's door with dishes they'll love."
--Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking with Dorie
"This book is utterly brilliant! Casey makes being a good guest an art with transportable, doable, and (unapologetically) scene-stealing recipes for everything worth bringing."
--Deb Perelman, author of Smitten Kitchen Keepers
"Casey packs up all of his secrets in Tupperware, tosses them in his tote, and serves everything you need to be the guest who always gets asked back!"
--Dan “Grossy” Pelosi, author of Let's Eat
In What Can I Bring?: Recipes to Help You Live Your Guest Life, veteran food and cookbook writer and go-to guest extraordinaire Casey Elsass takes the stress out of the partygoer’s eternal dilemma with 75 easy (and portable) recipes that will make you the talk of the party—for the right reasons.
The “Double Dippers” chapter is worth the price of admission alone with its Golden Ratio Guac and Salt + Vinegar Salsa Verde that are certain to elevate any humble bag of chips; “Raise the Bar” serves up scalable Pitcher-Perfect Margaritas and Amaro Hot Chocolate; “Change of Greenery” showcases the cover girl Pickled Potato Salad and Bagel Panzanella; “Thanks a Brunch” sets the table with Orange Cantaloupe Aqua Fresca and Cream Soaked Cinnamon Rolls; “On the Rise” bakes up Potato Parker House Rolls and Scrunchy Bread; “Lil Sweeties” presents a stunning Mosaic Jell-O and Buttermilk Brownies; and “Caked Up” closes things out with a Peach + Ginger Upside-Down Cake and a Birthday Suit Cake for that special someone.
In addition, you’ll find a pantry’s wroth of giftable treats like Seasoned Oyster Crackers or Homemade Hot Fudge as well as plenty of options and adaptations for special diets and allergies, including vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free recipes, and detailed instructions for packing and serving for minimal stress on-site. What Can I Bring? is your road map for crowd-pleasing party fare that promises to elevate your status to Most Valuable Partygoer.
Pre-order Your Copy of What Can I Bring?—Available Tuesday, May 20!
If you’re in NYC, catch Casey on Wednesday, May 21 at 7:00 p.m. at The Strand in conversation with Sohla El-Waylly. (Tickets)
Read on as Casey shares a handful of his favorite surviving dive bars including Julius’, the oldest gay bar in Greenwich Village; why you won’t find (or hear) him taking his turn at karaoke anytime soon; the Park Slope bar with the best jukebox; and a dive bar-soaked, of the era “cinema score” of a playlist that includes a cameo from a Mexican Pixies cover band and the very first DBJ appearance of the late, great Whitney Houston.
Plus, Casey shares a recipe from What Can I Bring? for the Surfer on Acid, an under-the-radar, warm-weather tropical number from the ‘90s starring Jägermeister that Casey has been drinking in dive bars since he was a teenager (ssshh!)
Read. Listen. Subscribe. And be sure to pick up your copy of What Can I Bring?
Talking Dives with Casey Elsass
What is your favorite dive bar and why do you love it?
Casey: When I first moved to New York in the early 2000s, it felt like there was a dive bar on every corner. Now it feels like they’re all chain stores and banks. There are still a few great ones holding on, like Brooklyn Ice House, Jimmy's Corner, Sharlene's, and Nancy Whiskey Pub. But I think my absolute favorite is Julius’. It’s no-frills, the burger is weirdly good, and all generations of gay men can gossip, flirt, and fight for a back table.