November 11, 2014
Hey, lucky people! It’s your turn to browse a few fine pieces I wrote recently for the fine Seattle magazine. If you happened to miss them the first time around, well, now’s your chance for a fun first read. If you read them once already, well, the second time is usually even better. And don’t let me get started about the third.
• 5 Horrifically Tasty Halloween Drinks
• 5 Cocktails to Drink While Playing Video Games
• Local Spirit Spotlight: Sidetrack Blueberry Liqueur
• 4 Appleicious Drinks for Fall
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
September 16, 2014
Washington State is awesome! There are so many fantastic distillers here now, I sometimes feel like the luckiest drinker in the world. And there are a couple even in my neighborhood, including the small-in-size, giant-in-taste Old Ballard Liquor Co., which is focused on making traditional aquavits, lovely forgotten products like Cherry Bounce, and more. Recently, I was doubly-lucky, in that I got to write an article about the Old Ballard Liquor Co. for the smashing Seattle magazine. And then, I got to put up a bit more of my interview with Lexi, the super knowledgeable distiller owner, on the Seattle magazine blog. Read the article and the blog to learn more.
*See all Seattle magazine articles by me
August 2, 2013
The Alexander, if for some insane reason you don’t know it already, is the emperor of sweet cocktails, dessert drinks, and the year 1914. If you pretend you don’t like sweeter drinks, cause it makes you feel macho, or what-have-you, then A: I feel sorry for you, B: get off your high horse, C: try this anyway, cause you’ll love it. If you aren’t afraid to admit you like pie, as well as a dessert-y drink, then you will already love the Alexander, naturally. But dig this – it’s now even better, thanks to the fine folks at Sound Spirits here in Seattle. Because they recently came out with a new crème de cacao that knocks the socks off most commercially available varieties. It’s under their “Depth” line of liqueurs, and that moniker sums it up nicely: pure chocolate aroma, deep chocolate taste, some sweetness, but not too much. It’s also made with chocolate nibs that are added in the distilling process, and said nibs are from local Theo’s Chocolates. All great things! But even better is how great the classic Alexander tastes when made with Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao and Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin. But don’t take my word for it. Try it why dontcha (using this recipe from Good Spirits).
The Alexander
Ice cubes
1 ounce Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin
1 ounce Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao
1 ounce cream
Strawberry slices for garnish
1. Fill a cocktail shaker half way with ice cubes. Add the gin, cream de cacao, and cream. Shake well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a strawberry slice, or two if you’re still waiting on dessert.
Tags: cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Sound Spirits, Sound Spirits Depth Crème de Cacao, Sound Spirits Ebb + Flow gin, The Alexander, What I'm Drinking
Posted in: Cocktail News, Cocktail Recipes, Distillery, Gin, Liqueurs, Recipes, What I'm Drinking
January 11, 2013
Sometimes, I’m a bit lucky (now, I’m not like tootin’ my own horn here or anything. I’m unlucky lots of times, too), and when I come home from the coal mine I work days at I find a package on my doorstep, and sometimes, sometimes that package is filled with bottles from which flow delicious elixirs. Meaning: booze. Recently, in one box that was on the doorstep was a bottle of Hoodoo chicory liqueur. Made in Mississippi at the Cathead distillery (where they also make the mighty fine Cathead vodka, Cathead honeysuckle vodka, and Bristow gin), Hoodoo is a rich mix, not too sweet, and with herbal and coffee notes jumping all around just the tiniest bitter whispers. I’ve always thought of chicory tied up with coffee (and probably remember hearing of it first the first time I went to New Orleans and visited Café Du Monde years and years ago), and so when I started playing around with this liqueur in drinks – which is what I do with a new liqueur, after I taste it – my first thought was to mix it with coffee. But then I started thinking back to when I was growing up in Kansas, and when I’d see farmers in the doughnut shop get coffee then add a splash of bourbon or rye to it. To sort-of invert the ratio (hey, I’m not in Kansas anymore), I decide to try adding a splash of the Hoodoo to a large bit of the brown. To round things out, and to add a few more herbal touches, I added a smaller splash of Carpano Antica. And the Mississippi Morning was born. While it is a dandy drink for the a-m, it also shines at night. And after you’ve gotten up from a nap.
The Mississippi Morning
Cracked ice
2 ounces rye
3/4 ounces Hoodoo liqueur
1/4 ounce Carpano Antica
1. Fill a mixing glass or cocktail shaker halfway full with cracked ice. Add everything. Stir well.
2. Strain into a cocktail glass. Drink up.
A Note: Here’s a funny thing: I used Woodinville Whiskey Company rye, which I love. But, currently (but hopefully not forever) Hoodoo isn’t available in Washington State, where I live. So track down some Hoodoo and use the rye of your choice – unless you can track down some Woodinville rye as well. But if that’s the case, you’re some sort-of jetsetter. And lucky yourself.
Tags: Carpano Antica, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, Friday Night Cocktail, Hoodoo liqueur, What I'm Drinking, Woodinville Whiskey Company rye
Posted in: Cocktail Recipes, Distillery, Liqueurs, Recipes, Rye, vermouth, What I'm Drinking
December 4, 2012
Hello hello. I’ve been lucky enough to do some fantastic blogs and articles for Seattle Magazine recently (like I’ve mentioned in past Seattle Magazine blog posts here on Spiked Punch), and in case you somehow missed them, now’s your chance to catch up on your reading. Cause you can’t get enough of me, right? Right? Here is a selection of the goods, in bulleted fashion:
• Holiday Spirit: Strega Italian Liqueur
• Holiday Gift Guide: Cocktail Equipment
• Cocktails to Brighten a Winter’s Eve
• Glass Distillery: Best New Distillery in Seattle 2012
• Canon: Best New Bar in Seattle 2012
• 5 Cocktails to Help You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse
• 20 Things Local Bartenders Want You to Know
• Now Available Locally: Five Spirits and Liqueurs You Must Try
PS: Want to see every single Seattle Magazine piece I’ve done? Check out the Seattle Magazine A.J. Rathbun page.
Tags: a drink for every occasion, Bars, Canon, cocktail recipe, Cocktail Recipes, cocktails, Glass Distillery, Seattle Magazine, Strega
Posted in: Bars, Cocktail News, Distillery, Recipes, Seattle Magazine
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
