And then like an angel dressed purely in serge
The waitress appeared or seemed to emerge
From my over-full haze and said through my dirge:
Sir, what you need, is a quick Underberg.
She handled me a bottle, small and in brown paper,
Made a motion of drinking as if in quick prayer,
And I, trusting her angelic look and manner,
Unscrew’d the green cap and turned into a gulper.
The moment the elixir of ‘berg hit my tongue
I felt that perhap’ my indulgence might be undone.
The flavor was of herbs and of spices far-flung,
Backed by a muscular fu tied to a tougher kung
And when the liquid miraculous hit my tum-tum
It cut through the food pounding me like a drum.
It bounced through the sweets all the way to the bottom,
And left me feeling as if I’d barely eaten a crumb.
Oh, Underberg, the god’s must have made you
For people like me, those was are known to
Eat enough at one sitting to turn them near blue.
Oh, Underberg, you’ve made my evening less askew,
And for this I will never forget your wond’rous brew,
Your lovely taste, your dark and magic hue,
Your little bottles, your quick rescue
Of my evening—I’d call it voodoo
Underberg, if I didn’t believe it a higher urge.
And so I left that night without out having to purge,
swearing that, whether in Miami or Pittsburgh,
I would never again be without my savior, my Underberg.

‘Look,’ he said. ‘I got loaded in the bar across the street from the office. Straight bourbons. I got full of bourbon clean up to here. I rubbed it in my broken heart. I cashed my paycheck. And then I went riding in taxi-cabs. I went pub-crawling. I met this guy–this big guy with the crew hair-cut and the tough face and the little scar on his chin. We were a couple of ex-sergeants and that made us buddies. He bought some drinks and I bought some drinks, and we really pinned one on–the Giant size.’

– A Matter of Life and Death, John and Ward Hawkins

Sour beer is not for everyone. If you poured someone a sour without telling them they might have trust issues. However, if you were to discuss their palate and the complexity of beers available and then ease them into tasting sours in small amounts you might convert them into a beer dork.  Craft brewing is a booming business and there is a need for breweries to stand out and make bold beers that venture from tradition and borrow beer styles from abroad. Based on flavors usually found in parts of Europe like England, Belgium, and Germany most sours mimic Lambic and Saission varieties, to name a few. To get there, some American brewers use their flagship ales and blend their creation with aggressive Yeasts that changes the profile of the beer. The different temperatures used in brewing create unique and bold flavors that are crisp, sour, sweet, or spicy, which they blend with their base beer ingredients. There is a lot to it and it is fun to taste a variety of these artesian style beers.

If you have never tasted a sour beer or did but didn’t like it try doing a tasting flight with someone who can describe the beer or buy a set to try in succession at home. I always suggest Russian River, one of my old stand-by breweries, as a good starting point. They produce a line of “Belgian Inspired” beers that range in color and sourness beginning at mild and going to dark and high sourness. Buy a few and share with your friends. I recommend Damnation for starters (mild and light), followed by Temptation and finish with either Consecration or Supplication depending on what is available in your area. You may have to check out a craft beer store or nice bottle store to find them.  If you are up for tasting a bunch of sour beers in Seattle with people who will appreciate them check out Sour Beer Fest at Brouwer’s Café in Fremont May 17, 2012. Now in honor of Spiked Punch, here’s what I’m drinking: I will heed my own advice and go for the Consecration from Russian River. Very unique standout of the series. This reddish brown beer should be enjoyed in a snifter or short taster. Go slow with it. It is a blend using dark malts and mixed with those powerful yeast components in Cabernet Sauvignon barrels with a bit of Cab to make a fruity tart berry taste in your mouth. Nicely balanced acids go down smooth and awaken your senses–yum. Give it a try if you think you’re a brave beer drinker.

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.

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

But it took me awhile to find one that I wanted to keep in the rotation (as they say, whoever they are), and it was somewhat of a left turn in a way. First, the drink is more highball than cocktail. Second, it’s simple as simple can be. Third, and most importantly, the other key ingredient is sparkling hard cider. Are you shocked? C’mon, admit you’re shocked. I was a little shocked. You can be shocked. But not so shocked so as not to try it. Really, it makes sense in a way. Apples and ginger are a good match. Something bubbly and cool is good as summer rolls in to town. And underlying a light drink with a wee boom is good. Good, good, and good. I suggest you put this one onto your summer roster as well.

Ice cubes

2 ounces The King’s Ginger liqueur

3-1/2 ounce chilled hard cider (I used Strongbow, but most dry English-style ciders would be good)

Lemon slice, for garnish

1. Fill a big ol’ Old Fashioned or comparable glass about halfway with ice cubes. Add the King’s Ginger and then the cider. Stir well, but respectfully.

2. Squeeze the lemon slice over and then drop it it. Drink up, pals and gals.

Okay, that was great, yes? The below quote may not have the umph, but it’s also good, and from the book The Hot Spot, which was originally titled Hell Hath No Fury and which was, oddly enough, made into a movie with Don Johnson of the well-feathered hair. Don’t hold that against it–if you dig the noir country of fiction it’s a must read. Williams walked the same 50s and 60s noir and hard-boiled aisle as James M. Cain and Cornell Wollrich (all three I’d read all day, if it was up to me), though he has his own voice and style and particular brand of relentlessness and bleak beauty and drinks that sometimes do flow. I picked this particular set of lines, though, because it’s coming on summer and many are dreaming of sand, beaches, and escape.

And you could get away from the rat-race for a long time with that kind of money, with a brown-eyed girl on the beach somewhere in the Caribbean, sailing a cat boat and going fishing off the reefs and drinking Cuba Libres where it’s always afternoon . . .

–Charles Williams, The Hot Spot

For a long time, it was widely known that cheap beer was served in cans and glass was saved for premium beers. In recent years, however, there has been a role reversal and seemingly something of a can revolution. Aluminum canning has improved with the aid of materials and technology, and the new canning process includes an internal water based coating which actually prevents the beer from ever touching the aluminum and keeps the beer from taking on a metallic taste. There are many benefits to canning craft beer to both the consumer and the brewer. Cans are eco-friendly, easy to pack and carry, they chill faster, and they don’t break in storage. Most important to the beer drinker, canning preserves the purity of taste. Notice how many beer companies will use brown glass bottles to prevent UV light from affecting their beer; canning eliminates the dangers of light damage or oxidation occurring in packaging which means you get a tasty beer–every time (see big can image below for more can info). Craft beer snobs frowned at first when seeing more cans. I suppose something like the way a wine connoisseur feels about a loss of romance with synthetic corks, but it’s caught on in a big way. I personally credit Oskar Blues Brewing Co. for leading the way when they decided to pack their flagship Dales Pale Ale in a can. The concept of putting a big flavorful beer in a can was unheard of before the millennium. Today everyone is getting on board, from coast to coast you can find gold medal winning beers surrounded by aluminum. Some breweries only do cans and draft now.

Craft beers are being canned in 44 states across the US. There are 178 breweries producing 551 brews currently—so many tasty brews, what should you try (Craft Can Count courtesy of craftcans.com). Well, most of my favorite are dark and dirty but seeing as the sun is out it is time for lighter fare. In typical Spiked Punch fashion, Mama’s Little Yellow Pils from Oskar Blues Brewery is what I’m drinking. I love the comedic value of this beer and it may just be the “little yellow pills” my Ma was popping–which would explain a lot about me. This golden yellow beer pours smooth with a thin white foam head. It smells crisp and fresh and tastes the same with an earthy citrus finish and holds a nice balance of bitter but stays smooth with a nice aftertaste. It’s perfect for sipping on a spring afternoon in the sunshine with your feet up. Most American versions of the popular Czech beer are watered down and made with corn and rice but this one is their signature pale malt mixed with special German malts and Saaz hops for a unique American/Czech hybrid you can drink any day of the week. So go try one and join the revolution, you CAN do it!

Sweet ladies,
for a moment, do not drink,
but run your  fingers like garlands
through my hair. I won’t crave your
sugary egg punch, or golden
sorbets, a thousand fragranced waters,
because these indolent drinks are only
for your sweet lips. Wine, wine
is for those desire euphoria,
to forget their fears. But be not shy about it–
I tip my glasses crazily, happily,
at least six times a year.

– Francesco Redi, The Mamelukes May Love