Book signing of The Official Yellowstone Bar Book at Whiskey River by our very own Nate Gurr
Are you or someone you know a fan of the show Yellowstone and/or a fan of whiskey, if so, then on Thursday, December 19th from 5 to 6 p.m., Whiskey River has the perfect event for you. Whiskey extraordinaire, cocktail and spirits expert, woodworking expert, newly minted author and our neighborhood bartender, Nate Gurr, will be there signing his brand new book, The Official Yellowstone Bar Book. The book, co-authored with Lex Taylor is not just a book of “75 Cocktails to Enjoy After the Work’s Done,” but really, as Nate describes it, the book is a Peekskill story.
Nate has been in the whiskey business and bar scene for the better part of his life. He specializes in American whiskeys and cocktails, develops bar programs throughout the state, and his expertise is sought by both private and commercial clients. But in Peekskill, Nate is our neighborhood drink specialist and bartender. He slings beers and shakes and stirs up cocktails for the average everyday working person all day on Wednesdays, during the daytime of Thursdays, and occasionally on Saturdays. It keeps him grounded.
A few years ago, during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nate began working at Whiskey River. As he says, he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to work with fellow colleague and mixologist Ronin and owners Paddy and Cynthia. As fate would have it, one day a guy walked into Whiskey River and started talking with Ronin about an idea of writing a book with drinks based on the show Yellowstone. One thing led to another and Ronin said you have to talk with Nate. The guy’s name was Lex Taylor.
A few weeks later, Lex went back to Whiskey River and met up with Nate. As Lex pitched the idea to Nate, Nate thought he was having his leg pulled and this was a joke. It was his co-workers who said that this is the real thing. Nate contacted Lex and over the course of the next few months, the two worked together on crafting cocktail recipes, names of drinks, incorporating details of the show, characters and everything Dutton with drinks straight from and inspired by the series 1883, 1923, and the flagship show, Yellowstone.
Nate states that this is a Peekskill story because it is only something that would happen in Peekskill where a guy walks into a bar and a few months later they are talking with executives from Simon & Schuster and Paramount about a cocktail book based on the show Yellowstone. Nate says it is truly a Peekskill story and would not have happened or been possible without Paddy, Cynthia and Ronin.
When speaking with the Herald, Nate mentioned that he is a huge fan favorite of the Old Fashions which there are many in the book. Whether it be the Pioneer Old-Fashioned or the Classic Old-Fashioned there is a drink in the book for everyone. One of Nate’s favorites is the drink entitled, “Get Off My Plain.” Ask for it at Whiskey River and then ask Nate to tell you the story behind it. But you will only find out if you go and see him at the book signing on Thursday or any day he is working.
There will be a limited amount of books that will be available on Thursday, December 19th. Feel free to buy a copy from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Target, Simon & Schuster or elsewhere online and bring it along. Nate will be sure to sign a copy of it for you then or on any day he is working. It makes a great holiday gift. The story you can tell when you give the gift knowing one of our own Peekskill regular down-to-earth folk co-authored The Official Yellowstone Bar Book: 75 Cocktails to Enjoy after the Work’s Done will be a real treasure. It is also another tip of the hat and a cap in the feather in Peekskill’s story.
Sixty Miles Upriver Book Talk at the Bean Runner with author Richard Ocejo
Also on Thursday, December 19th from 6 to 7:30 p.m, less than two blocks away at the BeanRunner Cafe, is a book talk with Sixty Miles Upriver author Richard Ocejo led by Katharine Bloeser.
As New York City’s housing market becomes too expensive for even the middle class, many urbanites are bypassing the suburbs and moving to smaller cities like Newburgh, NY where housing is affordable and historic. Richard Ocejo takes readers into the lives of these newcomers, examining the different ways they navigate racial difference and inequality among Newburgh’s much less privileged local residents, and showing how stakeholders in the city’s revitalization reframe themselves and gentrification to cast the displacement they cause to minority groups in a positive light.
Sixty Miles Upriver tells the story of how Newburgh, NY started gentrifying. Ocejo describes what happens when white creative professionals seek out racially diverse and working-class communities. He takes readers on an intimate exploration of the moral dilemma at the heart of gentrification and reveals how gentrification is increasingly happening outside large city centers in places where it unfolds in new ways.
Sixty Miles Upriver explains how progressive white gentrifiers justify controversial urban changes as morally good, and how their actions carry profound and lasting consequences for vulnerable residents of color.
Richard Ocejo is a professor of sociology at John Jay College and the Graduate Center of the CUNY. This event is focused on his recent publication, “Sixty Miles Upriver: Gentrification and Race in a Small American City” and includes a reading and conversation, followed by a brief audience Q&A led by Katharine Bloeser.
Katharine Bloeser is a social worker, educator, and researcher who has called Peekskill home for the past 9 years. A native of upstate NY, Katharine is the Secretary of the Peekskill PTO and former member of the Peekskill Human Relations Commission. For most of her working career, Katharine has worked with the Veteran community both as a clinical social worker and researcher.
General admission is $5. General admission and a signed copy of Sixty Miles Upriver is $30. To purchase either or these two options, use this link.
Don’t forget to tell Nate, Cynthia and Paddy at Whiskey River and Richard, Katharine and everyone at the BeanRunner you read about these events in the Peekskill Herald.
December is the final month of the Peekskill Herald’s big annual fundraising campaign – where every dollar donated is matched, dollar for dollar, by major national funders through our partnership with NewsMatch. Please help by donating to keep this 501c3 news organization thriving.
