On June 17, Brooklyn Peltz Beckham was spotted raising a glass of Jefferson’s Rye with founder Trey Zoeller, marking the debut of their collaborative cocktail, the Brooklyn23. The event, set in one of Dumbo’s tucked-away corners, brought together a tight-knit circle of New York’s food scene insiders—Mark Iacono of Lucali, PJ Monte of Monte’s Sauce, and a curated list of cocktail connoisseurs ready to embrace something unexpected.

The star of the evening? A reimagined classic. The Brooklyn23 takes the foundation of a traditional Manhattan—deep, smooth Jefferson’s Rye—and tilts it ever so slightly off its axis. The twist? A fiery edge courtesy of Cloud23’s Hot Habanero, the small-batch hot sauce brand founded by Beckham himself.

Behind the bar, Beckham shook things up—literally—preparing cocktails for guests with the kind of hands-on enthusiasm that’s become a signature of his entrepreneurial endeavors. With Zoeller by his side, the pair toasted to creativity, craftsmanship, and a spirit that doesn’t play by the rules.

The guest list felt as curated as the cocktails. With Mark Iacono, the pizza savant behind Lucali, and PJ Monte, heir to a red sauce legacy, the evening pulled together a table of Brooklyn food royalty. Each guest had the chance to sip their way through Jefferson’s latest rye-based cocktails, including reinventions of the Manhattan and other whiskey-forward classics.

For those not lucky enough to snag an invite, the Brooklyn23 lives on beyond Dumbo. The cocktail is available as part of a Jefferson’s Rye Manhattan to Brooklyn kit, available via Cocktail Courier. With all the essentials shipped directly, including Jefferson’s Rye and Cloud23’s hot sauce, the kit invites home bartenders to channel the energy of that night—no mixology degree required.

It’s a Manhattan reimagined: smooth, spicy, and just rebellious enough to feel like a New York original.