May 18, 2012
If you drink wine, like charming ladies, enjoy reading jolly and informative writing about drinking and drinks (and really, why would you be here if not?), live in the mid-west, want to learn about wine while feeling like you’re hanging out with the rad-est wine teacher ever, or all of the above, then I strongly suggest you visit the Savvy Lush. But who (or what, I suppose), you might ask, is the Savvy Lush? Well, she’s a woman with an incredible knowledge about wine. And it’s knowledge picked up the right way: by drinking a lot of wine, starting with a trip in her youth to Italy (which is the finest way to start, of course). On her site she details reds and whites, skanks and snobs, and more in convivial and bubbly style. She also has a “Guest Swiller” section that she’s kicking off, and right now there’s a bit of wine cocktails talk from me. But don’t let that keep you from her blog–bookmark it and read it regular. With a glass of wine in hand of course.
PS: Naturally, as the cool kids do, you should follow her on the Twitter, too. And the Facebooker.
May 14, 2012
Hey whiskey lovers, this little announcement is for you (and for anyone around the W-A who liked to support local distillers. And really, who in the whole state doesn’t? Only the bad people, that’s who). On the 19th of May, those fine folks at the Woodinville Whiskey Company are releasing their “Mash Bill No.9” bourbon at noon on the old fashioned dot. They’re gonna have sandwiches, good cheer, and hopefully some whiskey songs sung in the round. But most of the all, it’s bourbon on a “get it while you can” availability, so, well, get it while you can. If you need more to grab you, you’re probably a bit daffy. But I’m here to help all, so as one final enticement, a quote from owner Brett Carlile (who owns along with Orlin Sorensen): “As we narrowed down our final selection, one had just the right combination of corn, rye and malted barley — and that’s how ‘Mash Bill No. 9’ was born; it was our ninth recipe.” Yeah, boy.
April 27, 2012
Gather round Seattlities (and anyone who might want to have a Seattle summer vacation–which isn’t a bad idea, as summer in Seattle is mighty fine, with stretches of blue sky and temperate weather that’s almost unbeatable in my mind, and which leads to those living here being even more friendly than normal, as well as leading to an overall oh yeah atmosphere). I’m teaching up another cocktail class (on the 20th and 21st of July, same class twice) at the effervescent and ebullient Pantry at Delancey, where the drinks are delicious, the snacks are snacktastic, and the staff is stellar. The class this summer is, perhaps, even more special than previous, because I’m coining a new term for it: Locatails. No, wait, that’s not why the class is going to be so un-missable. Though it is the next term that will go from person to person like a spirited plague, and it means having drinks made with local spirits and liqueurs and mixers. Which is a wonderful thing. A wonderful thing. And that’s why the class is going to be unmissable.
Specifically, in this cocktail soirée we’ll make four cocktails that both match up with a dinner menu (appetizer, first course, second course, dessert) and that utilize a host of Seattle area spirits and liqueurs, including ones created with love by Sound Spirits, Side Track Distillery, Woodinville Whiskey Company, Bainbridge Organic Distillery, and Pacific Distillery, and also include other local products such as Deluxe Foods Cocktail Syrup. The four drinks include two classics, the Oriental and the Alexander, and two newer models, the Rebecca and the Earl of 15th Avenue, mixes assured to transform a stale everyday occasion into a celebratory drink-a-rific wingding. But beyond just making this four-course imbibable banquet, we’ll talk about the individual distilleries involved and what makes each stand out from the crowd, some spirited histories that translate into smashing cocktail talk, and a variety of home-bartending skills, including shaking, stirring, straining, and garnishing. So, sign up today! Cause it’ll probably sell out by tomorrow.
April 26, 2012
Hello young cocktail lovers. I’ve detailed in posts below and then farther below some Seattle Magazine articles that I’ve written. But I’ve not mentioned a number of blog posts I’ve recently being doing as well. And darnit, they need your attention (if you’ve already seen all of them, then of course ignore this and go read your copy of The Essential Doctor Strange Volume 1. While having a drink. Cause the Doc isn’t a teetotaler. Oh no, not at all. He may drink mostly mystical mixes, but he likes to unwind with a cocktail after whipping up Dormammu or Shuma-Gorath. That’s how the Doc rolls people). So, here’s a nice list of recent posts from the Seattle Mag blog, posts that just may change your life:
Spring Cocktails: 4 Aperitifs to Enjoy Before Dinner
5 Sophisticated Spring Break Cocktails
Toast National Poetry Month with Five Cocktail and Poem Pairings
Four Divine After-Dinner Cocktails
Three New Locally-made Spirits
April 13, 2012
Seattle is stocked like a good bar with good bartenders and mixologists and shake-em-up-ers, and ice-crackers, and sturdy stirrers, and bottle-top-twisters, and cocktail cuties, and powerful punchers, and ear-twisting-tipsy-story-telling tippler pourers. Lots of ‘em. I hate to even make a grouping, but if I have to pick a list, let it be one favoring those who both make great drinks and also make the whole bar happier by their presence and person. Which is what I did in my happiest happy hour bartender list (from the new issue of the Seattle Magazine). Because spending a happy hour or six with these five jolly drink slingers is sure to make the day better.
April 11, 2012
In the below post, I talk more about the recent Seattle Magazine Best Restaurant issue and the top happy hours I picked and more to make you thirsty and hungry. But, in the same issue, I also have an happy hour essay about their history, what makes a memorable one, and why they’re so crucial to the social construct. Well, not so much on the latter, but it is a fizzy piece to read while having a cocktail at a great bar. If I can say so without sounding too self-centered (or at least not so much so that you won’t buy me a drink). So, happy hour it up.
April 9, 2012
The scrumptious Seattle Magazine has made a recent mistake: they had a few cocktails and let me pick the current round of top happy hour cocktail hotspots for the recent Best Restaurant Issue. Also in the Best Restaurants issue the editors talk it up about their fav eateries, foodie playahs, and top hits for happy hour eats. The whole thing is smart and helpful cause these ladies know their eats. I’m not saying I know it all about cocktails in the same manner, but I have had a drink here and there and do have a bit of an opinion on what makes an ideal happy hour (I also wrote an essay on it, but more on that soon), but here I am going on and on about myself. What I really want to say is: go read the happy hour picks and then get in the car and go have a drink. You deserve it.
March 7, 2012
If you missed it in my earlier Sun Liquor Distillery post, those tipsy ladies at Seattle Magazine have me writing a monthly Bar Hop column, and a new one has just hit the energetic e-airwaves and will soon be on newstands. It’s focusing on new-ish Cap Hill spot Chino’s, which has not only a small host of healthy (and healthily tasty) tiki-ish drinks whipped up by bartendress supreme Veronika Groth but also an array of intriguing snacks. But hey, don’t stop at this summary, go read the Bar Hop.
