"The Maison Premiere Almanac"
"Quand je me tourne vers mes souvenirs, je revois la maison où j'ai grandi."
The Maison Premiere Almanac
Founded by Joshua Boissy and Krystof Zizka, Maison Premiere opened on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, in February 2011. Their vision of a bar equally inspired by late-19th-century New York, New Orleans, and Paris continues to draw a devoted cast of regulars, neighborhood locals, and visitors from around the world, and was nominated for the James Beard Award for Outstanding Bar Program in 2014 and 2015 (taking home the prize in 2016).
Tomorrow, Clarkson Potter will publish The Maison Premiere Almanac: Cocktails, Oysters, Absinthe, and Other Essential Nutrients for the Sensualist, Aesthete, and Flaneur written by Joshua Boissy, Krystof Zizka, Jordan Mackay, and William Elliott.
The Maison Premiere Almanac is a stylish resource that hits that sweet spot of appealing to both seasoned bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts, featuring 90 signature MP cocktails—beautifully photographed by Eric Medsker—that capture the the bar’s distinctive aesthetic. In addition there are deep dives into oysters and absinthe; the art of tableside service; bar tools, glassware, and techniques; playlists; a taxonomy of the plants in their back garden; and maps, legends, illustrations, and other curiosities.
Maison Premiere’s Executive Bar Director William Elliott was among the opening team at the bar and was also one of the featured profiles in my book Last Call. I had the chance to check in with Will on the occasion of the publication of The Maison Premiere Almanac to talk about the behind-the-scenes process of bringing the book together, curating the bar’s distinctive aesthetic, some of the defining MP drinks, along with some stylish sartorial notes, his favorite way to drink absinthe, oyster talk, and more.
Stop by your favorite local bookstore to pick up a copy The Maison Premiere Almanac, or order online.