"ParfaitAmour" news and stories

Alabama-born LeNell Smothers defines herself first and foremost as a bartender, but she's been called many things -- most recently, the proprietress of LeNell's liquor store. She's owned her own whiskey label, called Red Hook Rye, and has been recognized by her home state as an honorary Colonel. Other interests include gin, sin and men.

When I had to shut down my liquor shop in Brooklyn due to a lost lease back in February of this year, I decided to hit the road the very next day after vacating the former LeNell's Ltd storefront. Guest bartending, teaching classes and learning from talented bartenders made the pain of losing my beloved business sting less.

I spent a month in Holland learning from the amazing men of Amsterdam's door 74, which is without a doubt Amsterdam's best classic cocktail bar. While there, I decided to reach out and see if I could finally meet a woman I had admired from across the Atlantic ocean.

Ms. Fenny van Wees, the distiller of A. van Wees Distillery de Ooievaar, runs the last authentic distillery left in Amsterdam. The distillery's heritage goes back as far as 1782. I was eager to meet this feisty woman, whose passion is to keep the old ways alive and not give into pressures to mass produce, which compromises quality. She uses only raw, natural products and hand-selects her herbs, flowers and spices. We spent a whole day together at the distillery, leaving me so elated I could barely get to sleep that night.