The Pebble, Egg & Cheese
Two NYC Icons Unite in a Breakfast Sandwich-Inspired Cocktail
Today’s LAST CALL dispatch is sponsored by Vital Farms.
Vital Farms is made up of mission-minded people working together to bring ethically produced food from family farms to families’ tables. As pasture-raising pioneers, they’ve grown from a single farm in Austin, Texas to a leading U.S. brand of pasture-raised eggs in the country.
The Pebble, Egg & Cheese
Pebble Bar, which occupies three floors of a historic four-story townhouse located at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 49th Street amidst the iconic Art Deco buildings comprising Rockefeller Center, opened in February 2022 in the former home of Hurley’s (1892-2000), a beloved NYC saloon known for drawing a cast of famous clientele. Hurley’s was a favorite destination for employees of the nearby broadcast networks, newspapers, and publishing houses, including notable regulars like David Letterman, Howard Hughes, John Belushi, decades of Saturday Night Live cast members, and Johnny Carson, who had his own private back entrance to the bar.
Pebble Bar—whose name was inspired by a stream-of-consciousness passage mentioning Hurley’s in writer Jack Kerouac's posthumously published novel, Visions of Cody—carries on the storied tradition of an urbane “everyday hometown bar,” and all month long has featured an inventive, one-of-a-kind cocktail inspired by the humble NYC bodega breakfast staple, the BEC (Bacon, Egg & Cheese).
Their spirited interpretation, the PEC (Pebble, Egg & Cheese), was created by Pebble Bar partner and head bartender Tim Sweeney. After months of R&D, he successfully channeled the familiar savory notes and restorative qualities of the BEC, transforming this utilitarian weekend breakfast staple into an elegant cocktail.
A key ingredient, a bagel-based eau de vie, was born from a collaboration between Black Seed Bagels, the New York artisanal bagel shop committed to sustainability and reducing food waste, and Greenport, New York’s Matchbook Distilling Co., known for their inventive portfolio of bespoke distillates. This laid the foundation for Sweeney to workshop a tasty cocktail inspired by Black Seed Bagels’ bestselling BEC, made with bacon, two pasture-raised fried eggs, and white cheddar on a bagel.
The Black Seed x Matchbook Bagel Eau de Vie started with 600 pounds of shredded and frozen surplus bagels Black Seed Bagels sent to Matchbook Distilling Co. where founder and distiller Leslie Merinoff mashed them with water, adding enzymes to break down the complex carbohydrates into simple fermentable sugars. Once cooled down, it’s then distilled to a high proof through a hybrid pot-column still resulting in a malty flavor with a lightly botanical quality. “Five pounds of day-old bagels go into each bottle,” says Merinoff, musing on whether the final result of this first iteration is best compared to a barley shochu or a savory unaged whiskey.
Sweeney marries a 1/4-ounce of the Bagel Eau de Vie with 1-3/4 ounces of Bacon-Infused Jefferson’s Bourbon as the base of his self-described “Bacon Whiskey Sour.” He then adds a dash of a housemade Black Pepper Tincture (composed of a blend of ground black pepper and Everything Bagel seasoning), a 1/2-ounce of simple syrup, and 3/4-ounce of fresh-squeezed lemon juice.
He then cracks a Vital Farms Pasture Raised Egg, separating out the yolk and adding the white to the mixing tin, first dry-shaking to incorporate the ingredients, followed by shaking with ice to chill and dilute. He pours out the aromatic mix into a chilled coupe glass with half of the rim coated in Cheddar Cheese Powder and allows the drink to rest a moment to allow the thick and frothy top layer to settle. The finishing touch is using a custom stencil to form a yellow “yolk” of Cheese Powder surrounded by a contrasting ring of black pepper and Everything Bagel seasoning to resemble a fried egg. The final result is best-looking breakfast you’ll ever drink!
More than 200 people showed up at a morning event earlier this month to celebrate the launch of the Pebble, Egg & Cheese at Pebble Bar to be among the first to try this creative drink, and it’s been going strong all month long.
But just like the nearby Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center, the Pebble, Egg & Cheese was intended as a temporary, seasonal attraction and set to bid adieu on New Year’s Eve during Pebble Bar’s celebration of icons past and present.
But due to popular demand, Pebble Bar is extending the PEC through January 15th! So if you’re in New York and eager to try this unique cocktail for yourself, stop by Pebble Bar through mid-January to raise a glass.
Watch Pebble Bar partner and head bartender Tim Sweeney make the Pebble, Egg & Cheese
Pebble Bar is located on 67 West 49th Street, New York, NY 10112, and is open Sunday through Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. to midnight, and Thursday through Saturday, 5:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Our thanks to Vital Farms for underwriting today’s LAST CALL dispatch.
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