May 17, 2016
Seattle’s swell Italian spot Artusi is always worth a stop (especially if you’re missing Italy like I am), and recently I stopped in to chat with amiable bar manager Connor O’Brien and to taste up the Carreras Cocktail, which has a lovely taste and globe-trotting pedigree. And then I got to write about it for Seattle magazine. I’m lucky indeed – but you can read it and feel lucky, too.
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
May 10, 2016
I recently had a fun time learning about and drinking up Chinese spirit (and most consumed spirit in the world) Baijiu, at swell Seattle bar Lionhead – and got to write about it for Seattle magazine! I had it solo from a number of brands, and in a refreshingly layered drink called the Jade Pagoda, all courtesy of friendly bar manager Veronika Groth. Expand your baijiu knowledge by checking out the article.
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
Tags: Baijiu, Bar Hop, Bars, Jade Pagoda Cocktail, Lionhead, Seattle Bars, Seattle Magazine, Veronika Groth
Posted in: Bar Hop, Bars, Cocktail News, Seattle Magazine
April 12, 2016
I recently received the book Miss Darkness: The Great Short Crime Fiction of Fredric Brown. I hadn’t had any experience with Mr. Brown before, which is a shame as he’s pretty darn good – smart, funny, able to write both super short stories and longer pieces, obsessed a bit with chess and Shakespeare and a few other choices things, like drinks. He also made a name for himself as a sci-fi writer (maybe even moreso) and I believe had a few movies made from his work. This collection is a monster of sorts, just in that it’s 726 pages, so hard to read on the bus (but not impossible!). A worthy monster to attack though, as it’s jam-packed with crime-noir-y goodness. And if you like circus sideshows, well, don’t miss it. I’m going to run a couple Cocktail Talk quotes from it, because Mr. Brown also enjoyed the tipples, as I’ve said. This one’s from the story “Good Night, Good Knight,” and has cocktail and bartending and acting and blackmail fun.
He got the haircut, which he needed, and the shave, which he didn’t really need — he’d shaved this morning. He bought a new white shirt and had his shoes shined and his suit pressed. He had his soul lifted with three Manhattans in a respectable bar — three, sipped slowly, and no more. And he ate — the three cherries from the Manhattans.
The back-bar mirror wasn’t smeary. It was blue glass, though, and it made him look sinister. He smiled a sinister smile at his reflection. He thought, Blackmailer. The role; play it to the hilt, throw yourself into it. And someday you’ll play Macbeth.
Should he try it on the bartender? No. He’d tried it on bartenders before.
The blue reflection in the back-bar mirror smiled at him.
–Fredric Brown, Miss Darkness
December 1, 2015
I was lucky enough recently to work on a big bar-and-cocktail-and-distillery issue of the mighty Seattle magazine, and in said issue (which if you missed, you’ll have to deal with the regret for the rest of your life. Sorry), we had some swell interviews with some of the top local shakers . . . wait, strike that. Top shakers anywhere! However, due to magazine restrictions, and such, the interviews had to be edited down somewhat, as interviews are. But they’re now available for reading in fuller fashion online! You are very lucky. So, don’t miss my recent interviews with these cocktail geniuses, including:
Amanda Reed
Bridget Maloney
Nik Virrey
Joshua Batway
Jesse Poole
Kathleen Manley
Bryn Lumsden
Jay Kuehner
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
Tags: Amanda Reed, Bars, bartenders, Bridget Maloney, Bryn Lumsden, Cocktail Talk, Interviews with Top Seattle Bartenders, Jay Kuehner, Jesse Poole, Joshua Batway, Kathleen Manley, Nik Virrey, Seattle Bars, Seattle Magazine
Posted in: Bars, Cocktail Talk, Seattle Magazine
July 7, 2015
Hey hey party people! Guess what day it is? A great day! One of the days when I post right here, right now, a bunch of swell pieces I’ve recently done for the swell Seattle magazine, just in case you missed them when they came out. Which I know you probably wouldn’t do, but hey, just in case, I’m here for you. Check them out:
• 6 Seattle Bartenders Tell You What to Drink This Summer
• Letterpress Distillery Releases Arancello
• Herb & Bitter Public House set to Open in Early June
• Seattle Cider Co. Releases Harvest Series & More Distillery News
• 3 Standouts at No. 6 Cider Taproom
• Andrew Friedman on His New Bar Good Citizen
• Poems + Drinks at 5 Seattle Bars
• 6 Washington Rums that Bring the Beach to You
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
Tags: Bars, cocktail catch up, Cocktail News, Distillery, Good Citizen, Herb & Bitter Public House, No. 6 Cider Taproom, Poems + Drinks, Seattle Bars, Seattle Magazine, Washington Rums
Posted in: Bars, Cocktail News, Seattle Magazine
May 12, 2015
Hello bar lovers! It’s that time again, when I round up my recent Seattle magazine Bar Hop columns, and array them in easily clickable format, making it easy for you to find out where you want to go this weekend! I take the first drinks, so you don’t have to.
• Oliver’s Twist (Magnolia version)
• The Barrel Thief
• Brunswick & Hunt
• Prime 809
• Ändra
*See all Seattle magazine pieces by me
Tags: Ändra, Bar Hop, Bar-Hopping, Barrel Thief, Bars, Brunswick & Hunt, Oliver's Twist, Prime 809, Seattle Bars, Seattle Magazine
Posted in: Bar Hop, Bars, Seattle Magazine
