Why L’Avenue at Saks is the Go To Destination for Fireplace Cocktails

Cozy fireplace. Photo credit Tom Mathé

Climate change weirdness aside, we’re in the thick of fireplace season, when we get in touch with our inner cavepeople and look for burning logs (along with hearths and mantles and that sort of more civilized stuff) to provide comfort and warmth. Primitive? Absolutely. But far sexier than a space heater. And as delightful as staring into the flickering flames on a blustery, cold night that began with a 4:30 PM sunset can be, it’s made even better when there’s a cocktail within arm’s reach.

Fireplace Cocktail Bartender

Bartender photo credit Tom Mathé

But what makes a cocktail a fireplace cocktail? Fortunately, I knew who to ask. Tourists and educated shoppers know L’Avenue at Saks Fifth Avenue as one of New York City’s great ladies-who-lunch spots. But head down a flight of stairs from the main dining room and you’ll be transported to Le Chalet, one of the most appealing places in Manhattan to while away a couple of hours with a cocktail or several. It’s a cozy (though roomy) wood-paneled ski lodge smack in the middle of the Big Apple, with comfy chairs, intimate nooks, and plush couches, complete with a view of Rockefeller Center’s ice skating rink… and multiple fireplaces perfect for gazing into while savoring a drink. 

It’s also home to one of the city’s most talented and creative bartenders. Thomas Máthé has been at L’Avenue since 2019, first working under the tutelage of the famed Nico de Soto, and now as head bartender in charge of the cocktail program. He creates inventive, sometimes oddball cocktails, inspired by the space and its clientele, but which work on their own merits as well. And whether by instinct or necessity, the man knows his fireplace cocktails. 

Fireplace Cocktails

Bar interior photo credit Tom Mathé

Máthé says there are two directions in which he can take a fireplace cocktail — by complementing the fire or by contrasting it. “Warmth, smoke, spice, and coffee accent the experience of being next to a fireplace,” he says, while “rich, creamy, and decadent sweet drinks one consumes under the guise of trying to get warm [think egg nog] are a conceptual opposite to charred, burning embers and poking at sooty logs with a pointy tool.” And of course, there’s the ideal middle ground: “Hot, sweet, but spiced and acidic drinks like mulled wine or cider thread the needle, creating the cocktail-maker’s most cherished thing: balance.”

Making Warm Weather Drinks into Cold Weather Drinks

Most of us equate fireplace cocktails with warm drinks, whether it’s a Tom & Jerry or a hot toddy or a mulled wine. But Máthé’s seasonal cocktails at Le Chalet run the gamut and include plenty of chilled and iced drinks. “It isn’t hard to modify what one typically considers warm weather cocktails into cold weather cocktails,” he observes. “Upping the ABV or using an aged spirit when a drink typically calls for a clear spirit can make a big difference. The vanilla notes from barrel aging will provide the spice you need, to the point that having a barrel-aged high-ABV rum in a daiquiri can be just as enjoyable as a fireplace drink as a classic daiquiri is in the height of summer. Besides,” he adds, “everybody could use a little winter citrus to keep their vitamin C levels up.”

3 Great Fireplace Cocktails  

1. Whiskey Coke Old Fashioned 

With that in mind, Máthé’s own fireplace cocktail of choice on the menu at L’Avenue is his Whiskey Coke Old Fashioned, an innovative and delicious take on the classic whiskey-and-Coke. It doesn’t actually use cola but captures its vibe by employing citrus and a mix of spices, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and even coriander atop a bourbon base. It’s served on the rocks, but Máthé notes that “all of the spice notes really work well for the season, and the spirit-forward aspect of it seems just right for cozying up to one of the three fireplaces in Le Chalet.” That said, I’ve had it in warm weather too, and I totally agree with Máthé’s take: “I think that drink transcends seasonality, if I may be so bold as to say so about my own drink.”

2. Blueberry Pancake

Blueberry pancake cocktail. Photo credit Tom Mathé.

One of the odder and more compelling seasonal cocktails on the L’Avenue/Le Chalet menu is the Blueberry Pancake, which does indeed taste like boozy blueberry pancake batter, but in the best possible way. The inspiration for it, Máthé says, came from a now-closed bakery in his former home of Beverly, Massachusetts (he now lives with his wife and infant son in Brooklyn). “I got this blueberry cake doughnut with a maple glaze that they called ‘Blueberry Pancake’ and it was perfect. Of course it was…. so I figured I’d try to make a blueberry pancake cocktail. I’ve made my fair share of pancakes from scratch, so I knew what would need to go into the drink for it to hit the notes I wanted it to. Let me tell you, since I’ve figured out how to put brown butter in a cocktail and not have the drink break on me, I have had a hard time stopping.”

3. Saks’presso Martini

Espresso martini mania has hit saturation, but L’Avenue’s version — called the Saks’presso Martini on the menu — must be mentioned, because it’s neck and neck with the one at Fine & Rare for the best in Manhattan. For the base spirit, Máthé infuses vodka with the Equator Coffee Jaguar Espresso Blend. He also uses the blend in the house-made espresso liqueur, which has a cane spirit base featuring a blend of rum, cachaça, and rhum agricole. Add in Lucca Caffe amaro and Valrhona cocoa and the result is rich, creamy, decadent, and absolutely fireplace-worthy, although it’s delicious no matter the season.

Le Chalet isn’t considered a speakeasy, but it’s closer to the definition than the “secret” bars which have go to great lengths to make sure you know just which unmarked door is the right one. It can only be accessed by a winding staircase from L’Avenue’s main dining room (which also has a nifty bar, sans fireplace), and since it’s in a store, it’s more for post-work drinks than a late night out. But the end of a grueling day at the office (or wherever you find yourself doing the 9-5 grind) is really the most necessary time for a good cocktail and a roaring fire.