Sauced Blog

Lose the Booze

Where to Find Nonalcoholic Drinks in Seattle

…And we don’t mean soda. Check out our list of five Seattle-area spots offering craft booze-free beverages.

Posted by: Amanda Zurita on Feb 28, 2012 at 03:10PM Speech Bubble 10 Comments

Housemade horchata is one of three agua fresca offerings at La Carta de Oaxaca.

There are times when one craves a handcrafted beverage masterpiece, but would prefer to avoid all things alcoholic. Such occasions might include pregnancy, bouts of religiousness, designated driver duty, or having already consumed a few too many. While there are many bars and restaurants in Seattle that will offer to fashion you a mocktail upon request, we’ve rounded up a list of places that have preemptively included fresh and creative booze-free beverages alongside their more spirited menu offerings.

La Carta de Oaxaca
Prefer to pass on one of La Carta’s 30-something tequila selections? No problem. The crowd-drawing Mexican restaurant has you covered with rotating agua frescas (literally, fresh waters) that include housemade horchata, hibiscus, and tamarind flavors. The horchata is the restaurant’s most popular, and our favorite as well. The staff begin preparing the creamy drink the night before it hits your table—rice is soaked in water overnight then blended with cinnamon and vanilla in the morning before just the right amount of sugar, walnuts, and cantaloupe are added. The result is a light but satisfying nutty drink with the perfect balance of melon and cinnamon flavors.

Lola
There are at least two craft mocktails on the menu at every Tom Douglas restaurant, but our favorite is the ginger mint spritzer at Douglas’s modern Mediterranean eatery. Made with fresh lemon and mint muddled into their house-made ginger syrup and soda, the refreshing concoction is topped with candied ginger and is so popular it’s available year-round.

Willows Inn
Lummi Island’s farm-to-table restaurant destination and bed-and-breakfast has an inspired substitute for food and wine pairings: food and juice pairings. Each of the five juices is fresh-pressed and expertly chosen to couple with your plate. Start with cucumber, described as very light and dry, like a sauvignon blanc, and make your way through apple, carrot, and huckleberry juices before finishing the evening with the ice wine–like elderflower juice.

Oddfellows
One of the few Seattle spots to offer kombucha on tap, Capitol Hill’s day-to-night destination gets its kegs from farmer’s market staple CommuniTea. Though the fermented brew is legally categorized as an alcoholic beverage, its alcohol content is minimal at best. The green tea–based drink is available in two sizes at Oddfellows and is served straight up and icy cold.

Tamarind Tree
Offering three different non-alcoholic mojitos in addition to two other mocktails and an extensive list of fresh juices, this International District Vietnamese favorite (and its sister restaurant Long Provincial) is a booze avoider’s paradise. Our pick: the Asian Crushed with fresh Asian pears, lime juice, simple syrup, and soda is a fizzy and juicy mixture that’s just the right amount of sweet. Even better? It comes with a spoon for scooping out tasty pieces of pear.

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Tags: Nonalcoholic Drinks

Oeno Files

March Is Washington Wine Month: Please Drink Accordingly

Brace your liver for 31 days of continuing wine education.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 28, 2012 at 12:00PM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

March will be awash in Washington wine. Photo: Erik Skaar.

Some people in the spirits industry are gearing up for March 1 for entirely different reasons. But for our state’s wine community (and wine-drinking community), the date ushers in our annual Washington Wine Month. These weeks boast wine events aplenty, culminating with the local wine bonanza known as Taste Washington. Wine Wednesday columnist Julie H. Case will be ruminating shortly on this hallowed month and how best to celebrate it. But meanwhile, here are some already-on-the-calendar events for your consideration. If these don’t grab you, the Washington Wine Commission has set up an entire website dedicated to wine month events.

El Gaucho
The steakhouse’s annual Legendary Swirl taste-fest gathers together more than 20 of Washington’s most esteemed wineries, including Andrew Will, Betz, SYZYGY, DeLille Cellars, and Fidelitas. The $75 ticket buys you an evening of highly educational comparing and contrasting that’s less overwhelming than some of the giant wine gatherings. The host of snacks from the El Gaucho kitchen doesn’t hurt matters either.

Rover’s
Hat-sporting chef Thierry Rautureau may be an unabashed Frenchman, but he’s not afraid to support domestic vintages. The wine list at his Madison Valley destination restaurant includes a nicely curated selection of Washington bottles. And all of them are 50 percent off through March 29 in honor of the month.

RN74
Michael Mina’s restaurant arrived last year with serious wine bona fides, and the recurring Behind the Bottle winemaker dinners are dedicated to Washington vintners this month, namely Pepper Bridge Winery on March 13 and tReynvaan Family Vineyards on March 26. A seat at the table runs you $135, which is a solid value when you factor in the five-course tasting menu from newly installed chef Seis Kamimura. And, you know, the wine. These events attract people who know their wine, so do your homework in advance, or drink enough to fake it. Lead sommelier Jeff Lindsay-Thorsen is also planning a series of happy hours dedicated to Washington wine, to be detailed soon on the restaurant’s Facebook page.

Metropolitan Market
Lest you think this month is all about shmancy dinners, the aspirational local market chain has scheduled 10 different tastings at its various locations that are totally gratis. Even better, you won’t have to surreptitiously snack from the produce section; each tasting includes pairings of either local snacks or meatier offerings like roast lamb, King salmon, and Kurobuta ham. The entire schedule will be posted here shortly.

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Tags: Wine, Wine, Wine, Wine, Wine Tastings, Washington Wines, Wine and Food Pairings, Washington Wine Month

Liquor Laws

The First 1183 Milestone Happens Thursday

March 1 brings big changes, but it’s too soon to say what this means for your bar tab.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 27, 2012 at 01:00PM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

News flash: The process of privatizing our liquor is still fraught with unknowns. Photo: Skippyjon via Flickr.

March 1 marks the first significant milestone in our state’s lurch toward liquor privatization. As of Thursday, bars and restaurants can start buying their booze directly from distillers and distributors, rather than the state (the big deadline is June 1, when state-run liquor stores must close and private retailers can begin selling the hard stuff under a whole new set of fees and taxes).

The drinking public shouldn’t see too many dramatic changes just yet, but that’s mostly because the industry still isn’t quite sure how this first step will unfold, or how, exactly, it might raise the price of your negroni.

One local distributor circulated an email last week explaining the changes using the example of a bottle of Voyager gin for a wholesale price of $15.50, less than the current cost of $18.66. But once you add in the sales tax and the fees levied on wholesalers and retailers, a bar ends up paying $19.45 for that same bottle. Many products’ prices are still being finalized.

Distributors have been busy setting up accounts with bars and restaurants. “The hassle is going to be finding out who has what,” says Travis Stanley-Jones, owner of Mulleady’s Pub in Magnolia. He’s largely concerned with specialty items like Vya sweet vermouth or Chartreuse, staples in Mulleady’s cocktail program.

Some brands, like Voyager, have already disappeared from most state-run liquor store shelves, and many staple spirits have been in short supply for weeks. However Steven Stone, president of the Washington Distillers Guild and founder of Sound Spirits, says many bottles are still available at state liquor stores, and are cheaper than buying from a distributor, since liquor stores’ new privatized pricing situation doesn’t kick in until June 1.

Meanwhile, Capitol Hill Seattle blog recently wrote about Oola Distillery owner Kirby Kallas-Lewis and manager Brandon Gillespie’s plan to distribute Oola’s wares to bars and restaurants themselves. In a gesture of solidarity, Rachel Marshall, co-proprietress of nearby bar Montana says she will start using Oola’s gin and vodka in Montana’s popular carbonated kegged cocktails, “making our already amazing fizzy drinks that much more legit” to locally inclined boozers.

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Tags: Initiative 1183

Shift Change(s)

Evan Martin No Longer at Ba Bar

Hanna Raskin chronicles another round of drama at the Vietnamese restaurant’s beautiful back bar.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 27, 2012 at 10:05AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Owner Eric Banh is bringing in a consultant to direct proceedings at the bar. Photo: Geoffry Smith via Ba Bar.

Seattle Weekly critic Hanna Raskin jolted us all back into the workweek with a drama-fied tale of a public altercation over the weekend between Ba Bar owner Eric Banh and now-former bar manager Evan Martin. You can read the full account on Voracious, but the upshot: Martin is no longer behind the bar at the popular 12th Avenue restaurant and Banh is planning to bring in a consultant to work with the remaining bar staff.

This isn’t the first time a bar manager at Ba Bar has departed under dramatic circumstances. Just weeks after the restaurant opened last summer, Banh ushered original bartender Daniel Jeffers out the door after his resume didn’t check out, replacing him with Martin.

Per Raskin, Chef Kevin Burzell has also submitted his resignation, but he’s gearing up to open a Malaysian food truck.

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Tags: Shift Change, Ba Bar

Coffee Talk

Cafe Suisse Opens on Westlake Avenue

Stop by for a Swiss hot chocolate.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 24, 2012 at 11:37AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

Cafe Suisse, a slice of Europe on Westlake. Photo courtesy Eurostyle Your Life.

Coffee shops abound in this town, but few (none?) are Alpine-inspired.

Behold Cafe Suisse, which opens today at 2008 Westlake Avenue, writes in Urs Berger. He is opening Suisse with his wife Leslie Conti; they own neighboring boutique Eurostyle Your Life.

The wood-accented spot is quite cute, and carries an assortment of delights hailing from Berger’s native Switzerland, such as soft drinks and pastries called guetzi. Locavores can relax knowing Victrola is the bean of choice, but if you’re here you really should order a Swiss hot chocolate anyway—Berger and Conti promise it’s the real deal.

Cafe Suisse is open Monday through Saturday 6:30‐6.

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Tags: Seattle Coffee News, Cafe Suisse, Seattle Coffee Shops

Cocktail Cartography

Philip Trickey’s Signature Drink: The Midnight Water

A shot of Fernet evolves into one of the finest brown, bitter, and stirred cocktails in Seattle.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 23, 2012 at 11:30AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Find Philip Trickey at Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, and Rob Roy on Friday nights. Photo: Lucas Anderson

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Welcome to local barman-writer Andrew Bohrer’s ongoing series charting the signature concoctions of esteemed local bartenders.

The Drink: The Midnight Water
Made By: Philip Trickey

“Hey Trickey, I’ll take an oat soda and the midnight water,” that’s the kind of thing you might hear from a couple of bartenders after finishing up 12-hour shift. Big Lebowski fans know what an oat soda is, but a midnight water started out being merely a shot of Fernet Branca (a bitter spirit dark as midnight). It later evolved into one of the finest brown, bitter, and stirred cocktails in Seattle.

The Midnight Water can be ordered at Rob Roy or at Purple Café and Wine Bar where you’ll find Philip Trickey behind the stick. He says pinning down the key ingredient is like, “asking which one of my fingers is my favorite,” but the reason this cocktail works so well is because of the Averna amaro and Peychaud’s bitters. The bitter Averna adds a delicate cinnamon touch and the Peychaud’s ties the whole thing together with a bit of dryness. A flamed orange zest is a perfect crown to this drink if you’re feeling fancy.

The Midnight Water

2 ounces bourbon
½ ounce of Averna
¼ ounce rich simple syrup
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters

Combine ingredients, stir, and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed orange zest.

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Tags: Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, Rob Roy, Cocktail Cartography, Andrew Bohrer, Philip Trickey

Wine Wednesday

Tasting Notes: Open That Bottle Night Redux

More lessons in aging wine gracefully.

Posted by: Julie H. Case on Feb 22, 2012 at 10:35AM Speech Bubble 3 Comments

The contenders.

The wines: Syzygy, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon; Nicholas Cole Cellars, 2005 Michelle; Waterbrook, 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve

Introduction: This Saturday is the official Open That Bottle Night, which led me to bring seven friends together to open some things that had been in their cellars for a while. (Last week, we talked about one of those bottles, but there were a lot more around the table.)

As each bottle arrived, the owner filled out a tasting sheet, so we’d know what we were pouring and why it was special. The form also left room for tasting notes. (Download it here.) Then, we opened the bottles and let them breathe for not nearly long enough, and poured. Here’s what we learned:

The Syzygy: This bottle’s owner said he bought this particular wine largely because he thought it would age well. The result? The wine held its own, despite having been stored under the bed. Dark garnet in color, the nose was plummy and had a bit of stewed fruit. The wine had medium to high acid, and the tannins were robust.

The Nicholas Cole: This wine came to the party because—fitting the “Open That Bottle Night” theme—there was a special memory associated with it: Three members of the group visited the tasting room together in 2010; at the time, that was the only place the wine was available. In hindsight, buying that bottle was a good decision: Nicholas Cole Cellars is now closed.

Though the wine hadn’t even been held for two years, one of the group was flummoxed by the bottle owner’s ability to abstain. “Okay, how do you keep it that long?” she asked, to which the owner replied, “I wrote on it and put it in a special drawer I don’t open that often.”

We set to tasting this Bourdeaux blend and the first thing we notice is how it’s inky-dark and stains the glass. On the nose, there’s dark jammy fruit tone, layered over vanilla, which comes from the oak aging. On the palate, the alcohol is obvious (it should be, it’s a beast at 14.9 percent) but so are some stewed fruits. Like last week’s wine, I didn’t find a lot of backbone to it, but the group loved it for the vanilla on the nose and especially on the palate.

The Waterbook: This wine had probably been the most rigorously cellared: It was stored on its side at a consistent temperature of 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. How did it taste? Unfortunately, that’s where things went wrong. Sometimes, when you have a lot of people over for a tasting, you mess up. About 30 minutes after opening the wine, which had been aged 19 months in oak barrels before being bottled in 2008, we poured and it was immediately apparent the wine was still too tight and needed to breathe. So we set it aside to open up.

The problem with letting a wine breathe at a party is that sometimes the wine disappears before you’ve had a chance to evaluate it, which is what happened here. Unfortunately, all I know now about the wine is that the group liked it enough to drink it. All.

A note on storing wine: Not all of us have the luxury of a spare room; a cellar; a cool, quiet dark place where we can let our wines ruminate. Some of us must resort to that under-the-bed method. Still, if you can manage to find a spot just for your wines, you should know that wines are stored best in low light, under cool, consistent temperatures (ideally around 55 degrees), laying on their side.

Why the rigidity? Temperature fluctuations will prematurely age wines (but not in a good way) as will direct sunlight. A room with some humidity is actually good because, in an arid environment, corks have the possibility of drying up. And if your cork dries up, it will shrink, eventually letting air in. You may want the wine to breathe when you open it, but you don’t want it to breathe in the bottle. With this in mind, wines should also always be stored on their side, keeping the wine in contact with the cork.

Finally, your cellar shouldn’t stink. Odors can actually invade the bottle, which will cause all sorts of unpleasantness. Don’t, however, ever use bleach to clean your cellar.

And, for the record, the top of your fridge and on the windowsill are never, ever acceptable places to store your wine, Washington or otherwise.

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Tags: Wineries, Wine, Wine Tastings, Wine Wednesday, Walla Walla, Open That Bottle Night, Walla Walla Wines

Bar Culture

Poquitos Launches Tequila Tasting Program

The Capitol Hill bar wants to school you on the agave nectar.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 22, 2012 at 09:00AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Tequila, it’s not just for shooting ya know.

Talk to enough bartenders and they’ll tell you tequila, shooter of choice among the Senor Frog’s set, is perpetually overlooked by more serious drinkers. “Tequila, depending on the region where it is grown, can have a large sweet aroma and a soft, herbaceous flavor and fragrance. Tequila makes for really delicious savory cocktails,” Veronika Groth of Chino’s once told Sauced.

Bars around town have done their part to elevate the spirit, and now Poquitos is on board.

The Capitol Hill spot is launching a flight program dedicated to the agave nectar. The flights—they start at $9 and climb up to $55, but most hover around the $12 price point—come with three samples curated from the bar’s lengthy selection of tequilas. The trios are bound together by some commonality: single village mezcals, recent award winners, aging processes. There are 14 to choose from, each one accompanied with the sort of liner notes Seattleites like to nerd out on.

Whether you’re on the patio, at the bar, or in the restaurant, the menu is available starting today, amigos.

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Tags: Tequila, Poquitos

Happy Hour

Happy Hour of the Week: 1022 South in Tacoma

The alchemical cocktail bar that’s no longer under the radar offers four destination-worthy hours of happiness each day.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 21, 2012 at 11:30AM Speech Bubble 4 Comments

Some of the loveliest HH cocktails around these parts. Photo via Facebook.

1022 South isn’t an after-work happy hour spot…unless you live in Tacoma. But the New York Times-lauded cocktail bar in the city’s Hilltop district does happy hour every day from 4 to 8pm. This means you have a glorious four-hour window on Saturday nights during which you can enjoy the stylings of bartender-owner Chris Keil and his staff for a mere $5 a drink.

On my recent weekend visit, the space had just the right vibe during those hours—patrons at tables and on bar stools were bent together in lively conversation, with just enough seats to spare. 1022 has all the dark walls, Edison bulbs, and towering back bar shelves of spirits, liqueurs, and bitters you expect from the finest Capitol Hill cocktail dens. There are books on slender wall-mounted shelves and incoming calls are answered on a rotary phone. Ice cubes are works of art and the staff is equally friendly to cosmopolitan drinkers and tincture geeks alike.

But, oh, the cocktails. When the drink list contains creations like the ~~Holiday Hero~~ Endgame (bourbon, chartreuse, damiana liqueur, and kava tincture) or the South of No North (Reposado, Cynar, cold press coffee, egg white and mole bitters, harmonizing to taste like the world’s best stout), you know happy hour won’t consist of well drinks.

Right now HH consists of three cocktails. The Hilltop New Yorker unites whiskey, lemon, red wine and house-made rhubarb bitters. Each sip takes you through layers of flavor, though the rhubarb remains surprisingly, pleasantly, forward. That’s an awful lot for a $5 libation to deliver. The other $5 HH items listed on the ornate Art Deco-styled board include the White Vulture (lemongrass, ginger soda, and white wine infused with jasmine) and the Liza Island (vodka, orange, ginger beer, and vanilla-citrusy Licor 43). Fair warning: You will want to stay long past 8pm to get better acquainted with the main cocktail list, which is divided into literary, classic, and apothecary segments.

Should your love affair with these drinks demand some sustenance, the food menu is rife with $5 plates, including cheese, grilled green beans, oeufs mayonnaise, pickles, a caprese salad. Larger salads and sandwiches ring in at $8.

The bar’s tagline is “better living through alchemy,” and an evening here does indeed feel like a superb fusion of magic and chemistry.

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Tags: Happy Hour, Happy Hour of the Week, Happy Hour of the Week, 1022 South, Chris Keil

Fermented Fun

Chart Your Course for Saturday’s Washington Beer Open House

The state’s breweries open their doors this weekend in a most hospitable fashion.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 20, 2012 at 10:50AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

The Seattle beer-drinker’s calendar is filled with festivals and dinners, but this weekend’s Washington Beer Open House is one of the more unassuming (but highly enjoyable) annual traditions on the brew circuit. Saturday, February 25 is only the second go-round for the open house, which essentially consists of more than 40 breweries across the state welcoming the public for a visit between noon and 5pm. Some places are releasing special beers, or offering tastes not usually available in the taproom. Others have tours, food pairings, music and general access to places not usually open to the public.

Last year I happened to stop into Georgetown Brewing during the inaugural open house to fill a growler for someone as a birthday present. The taproom was packed, special tastes were flowing, and for many beer aficionados this was just one stop of many. The vibe was almost like caroling, except nobody has to sing—and you get beer.

Bonus: The Washington Beer Commission created a handy map to guide you in your beer-related endeavors. The map lists all the participating breweries, and additional details on some of the activities. Like, say, the vertical flights of Hoppy the Woodsman happening at Schooner Exact, or the firkin tapping and chocolate pairing going on at tiny Valhöll Brewing in Poulsbo. The map is also an inspiring reminder of all the tantalizing breweries just a short drive outside Seattle.

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Tags: Beer, Beer Festivals, Seattle Beer

Booze News

Tini Bigs Juices Up Its Cocktails

The watering hole known for unapologetically oversized martinis takes juice-based drinks in an un-citrusy new direction.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 17, 2012 at 02:05PM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Savory juice meets booze at Tini Bigs. A carrot-lemon-apple juice is served with gin or tequila, the glass rimmed with dried carrot.

While Seattle bartenders’ affinity for freshly made juices can be traced back to (more or less) the 1990s, Tini Bigs is setting aside the usual fruity blends and launching a little cocktail program centered on more savory juices.

Each day, the lower Queen Anne cocktail lounge is crafting a new juice blend, offering two daily flavors. When I visited during the testing phase, bartender Shane Sahr had whipped up a carrot-apple-lemon juice, and a more herbal cucumber-lemon offering.

And what better way to consume such a nutrient-rich creation than with booze? Patrons can either name a base spirit, or take a bartender recommendation. That same carrot-lemon-apple combo tasted refreshing and balanced with gin, and darker and smokier with tequila.

The daily duo of juices will also become components of two different bartender’s choice creations. Sahr blended that carroty version with amaro, cynar, Aztec chocolate bitters, and Dolin Blanc vermouth. To garnish, a slice of slightly bruleed carrot. Too often juice-based drinks just taste like…juice. That was emphatically not the case with this particular concoction.

Tini Bigs owner Keith Robbins has been making juice at home for a decade, but says the idea of taking it in an alcohol-fueled direction stemmed from a conversation about creating cocktails from local ingredients, which is hard to do when you’re relying predominantly on citrus from Florida. The recent interest in juicing documentary Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead doesn’t hurt either. The juice-based cocktails will use local produce when possible, though Robbins allows that such goals are tough this time of year. “Unless you want to spend $40 on a juice drink.” These drinks, for the record, are $11.

But do the health benefits of the juice get negated by the booze? Says Robbins, “It’s probably better than having a gin and tonic.”

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Tags: Tini Bigs, Keith Robbins, Shane Sahr

Imbibing Agenda

Havana Hosts ‘Pretty Epic’ Mardi Gras Party

Drink specials, a DJ, Where Ya At Matt, and a marching band.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 16, 2012 at 11:00AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

Photo: Andrew Waits

Havana gets in the Mardi Gras spirit.

There’s no point in hosting a Mardi party unless you go big. Quentin Ertel seems to agree.

Ertel says he’s organized a “pretty epic” Fat Tuesday bash for his beautifully designed Pike/Pine bar Havana. Ertel promises your requisite drink specials (Sailor Jerry hurricanes) and DJ-ing (Greg Vandy of KEXP). Where Ya At Matt will park out front to serve up some Cajun goodness. Yes, there will be king cake.

As for that epic part, Ertel has recruited a marching band for the occasion. “It will start its processional at 10th and Pike, make a left turn into the Havana lot, and roll out a grand finale inside Havana.”

The party starts at 6 on the 21st, and happy hour runs until 7. No cover to get in.

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Tags: Drinking Events, Quentin Ertel, Mardi Gras Seattle, Havana

Behind Bars

Five Questions for the Bartender: Gregg Holcomb of Knee High Stocking Co.

Silence your phone and let this man make you a drink.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 16, 2012 at 09:30AM Speech Bubble 5 Comments

If he’s drinking alone, Knee High Stocking Co. bartender Gregg Holcomb likes a heavy bourbon drink. If he’s with other people, a Hemingway daiquiri is “deep and savory and flavorful but I don’t have to think about it a lot.” Photo: Lucas Anderson

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If you can master Knee High Stocking Co.’s text message-only reservation system and locate the nondescript door on Olive Way, the nattily attired Gregg Holcomb will probably be making your drink. And it will probably be complex and very good. While speakeasy-style bars have proliferated to the point of irony, the staff’s ribald sense of humor keeps this Prohibition-styled hideaway far from pretentious territory.

Before joining Knee High, Holcomb worked at Chez Gaudy (now home to La Bête) with Casey Robison. Before that, downtown at Sazerac. His first-ever bartending gig was at a little neighborhood joint in San Diego called TGI Friday’s. Hey, “As far as learning a system and learning to handle the fast pace, you have to get your feet wet somewhere,” he says.

Knee High’s semi-covert nature means Holcomb serves far more cocktail aficionados than Tipsy McFratterson-style binge drinkers. “I can make the best cocktail in the world but if somebody just really wants to get drunk they’re not going to appreciate it,” he says. And if someone requests, say, a vodka soda, he asks if he might instead whip up something “with a beginning, middle, and end.” If those efforts aren’t met with success, “I’ll whisk it away and make you that vodka soda.”

Here, five questions for Gregg Holcomb.

What is the most underrated spirit?

Blended Scotch. I was going to say gin just because it is so versatile, but I have really enjoyed exploring the nuances of blended scotch in cocktails. This winter I was mixing a “Christmas in Scotland” that uses Famous Grouse, sweet vermouth, Cherry Heering, and allspice dram.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar, besides Knee High?

The original Sun Liquor. It is in my neighborhood and Chelsea [Anderson] there is an outstanding bartender. She is 100 percent awesome without the bravado.

Favorite place to eat, and what you like about it?

Rancho Bravo. I was raised in San Diego and it is as close as I can get to the Mexican food I grew up with. Dashiell (my 3-year-old son) and I lunch there regularly.

What’s the worst thing you’ve seen someone do in a bar?

Three months ago, guy answers his phone at the bar. He has trouble hearing because the music is on. I am mixing drinks and watch him cover his ear to try and listen. He says, “what? what? I can’t hear you; I am in a bar.” Turns to me. “Dude. Hey, dude! Can you turn the music down?” Wow. Worst thing ever. And I have seen some things . . .

What drink is everyone is ordering right now?

People are still drinking warm stuff. Right now it’s the Buffalo Cider, Buffalo Trace bourbon with our housemade hot cider.

Hit up the slideshow above to see Gregg make a drink with the still-in-progress title of God’s Cocktail.

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Tags: Five Questions for the Bartender, Seattle Bartenders, Knee High Stocking Co., Gregg Holcomb

Wine Wednesday

Tasting Notes: Open That Bottle Night

An annual tradition provides a lesson in aging.

Posted by: Julie H. Case on Feb 15, 2012 at 09:50AM Speech Bubble 6 Comments

The wine: 428 Wines’ 2005 Boulevard, “table wine” (aka: red blend)

Introductions: Every year, on the last Saturday in February, wine lovers the world over pull a bottle of wine they’ve been holding on to for some special occasion that never happened, and open it as part of Open That Bottle Night, a tradition begun in 1999 by two Wall Street Journal wine columnists to encourage readers to open a bottle that might otherwise linger unappreciated and unenjoyed. This year it falls on Feb. 25, and the forthcoming event was the perfect excuse to open a bottle I’d purchased years ago, on a Walla Walla trip with friends.

Admittedly, I didn’t remember much about the wine, other than that we liked it, and it had a fair amount of deep red fruit. I do remember that we fell in love with the winemaker, who stood behind his bar and poured out as many stories as wine, including one about uncovering—while renovating the old military building-cum-tasting-room near the Walla Walla airport—a vaguely pornographic sketch of a woman. That drawing went on to hold a position of honor on the tasting room wall.

But stories don’t make me open bottles. I knew I had been holding the wine for about the maximum time it could handle and I wanted to know if it had aged well. Had the tannins retained their structure, perhaps even softened a little? Had a bouquet—those non-fruit scents, such as lavender and licorice and heather—developed? Most of all, was the wine still tasty, or if it had lost its joie de vivre? And if I ever bought another Boulevard, should I hold it, or drink it?

Wines That Age Well: typically have a lot of tannins (imparted when the grapes have been pressed and the juice has lots of contact with the skins, or from being aged in oak barrels), are high in acidity, and have very concentrated fruit. Barolos, with their high tannin structure, actually become more accessible with time. Top Bordeaux age well, as do top white Burgundies. The effects of cellaring a red and a white wine differ. White wines deepen in color, perhaps even taking on a dark gold, or amber tone. Reds tend to lose some of their color, many fading to an almost orange color. The tannins usually get softer and the wine typically acquires bouquet.

Some people might think not think of aging as anything less than a decade, but six or so years seemed a good test of whether this particular wine had the ability to lay down longer still. Besides, if it wasn’t going to age, I didn’t want to let it sit in my cellar any longer.

Tasting Notes: About an hour before seven of my closest friends arrived (some who’d been with me in Walla Walla and some with their own bottles in hand) I opened the Boulevard and let it breathe. Then, we poured. On the upside, there was still a fair amount of fruit on both the nose and palate, but the wine did seem a little tired. It had lost a bit of vibrancy, and while it was nice and fruity at the front of my mouth, it disappeared at the back of the palate. It wasn’t exactly flabby, but it didn’t have the kind of robustness and complexity I hope for in a wine that has aged well.

Drink Now vs. Drink Later: I might buy the wine again (though I can’t because 428 is no longer in business) but I wouldn’t hold it. From the start, this was a drink now wine, not a to-be-cellared wine.

Pouring Next: Open That Bottle Night continues next Wednesday as we look at how a few other Washington wines held up.

Now, what will you uncork for Open That Bottle Night?

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Tags: Wineries, Open That Bottle Night, Walla Walla, Tasting Notes, Wine Wednesday, Wine Clubs, Merlot, Washington Wines, Drinking Events, Wine Tastings, Wine, Tastings and Classes, Walla Walla Wines

Imbibing Agenda

Where to Drink on Valentine’s Day

Whether you’re doing date night or flying solo, drink specials abound.

Posted by: Seattle Met Staff on Feb 14, 2012 at 10:35AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Photo: Andrew Waits

Vito’s: Not a bad spot to do the Valentine’s thing.

Swiss singer Martine makes her debut at the unassumingly romantic Vito’s, where bottles of wine are half price. The serenade gets underway at 8; reservations are recommended.

It’s not technically a bar event, but it is happening at a bar: Ethan Stowell alum Kari Brunson and La Bête sous Brandin Myett have revived their underground dinners that generated buzz aplenty in 2010, just in time for Valentine’s Day. The duo is cooking a four-course meal at The Upstairs, the homey Belltown bar located above Pintxo. The meal is $65 a person and includes wine, people. This is probably the classiest thing happening in a bar on February 14; details are here.

There’s still a few seats left for the multi-course dinner at the Sexton. The menu sounds tasty, and so do the cocktail pairings. For an additional $20 tag two libations onto your meal.

Bako has a drink special for two. Try the Rose (Effen vodka, broVo, rose geranium liqueur) and the Thorn (Yazi ginger vodka, broVo, rose geranium) for $20.

Ordering a burger on a date isn’t the sexiest (or classiest) thing in the world, but those who think otherwise should head to 8oz. Burger Bar for the the My Bloody Valentine, made with blood orange marmalade, bacon, arugula, garlic tomatoes, and muenster. Choose one of two cocktails to along with it: the Heartache (vanilla, blood orange, jager, white chocolate, whip cream) or the Bittersweet (black lager and raspberry vodka). The burger-lager combo is $16, order the shake and it’s $18.

Over at Tommy Gun we encounter another special titled My Bloody Valentine. It’s a cocktail, and will be poured starting at 8pm alongside $5 whiskey highballs.

It’s happy hour all night at Montana. That means $3 wells and $2 pints of Rainier and Tecate from 5 o’clock on. Love bunnies will dig the bar’s cozy photo booth.

Bottleneck is screening High Fidelity at 7:30, and at 9:15 Hedwig and the Angry Inch. Each flick gets its own drink special. Also: free popcorn.

And finally, one for the lonely hearts club: Canon ‘s St. Valentine’s Day Massacre. All the single ladies (and gents) will get a 20 percent discount. The Angostura Collins cocktail (it’s heavy on the bitters, get it?) is on offer for $8. Be warned: “Any couples caught holding hands or kissing will be gunned down with one of the 20-plus water pistols that will be placed around the restaurant.”

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Tags: Drinking Events, Valentine's Day Drinking

Openings

Paddy Coyne’s to Open on Pier 70

The waterfront property that once housed The Real World makes way for an Irish pub.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 13, 2012 at 11:49AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Pier 70, future home of Paddy Coyne’s. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.

Lads and lasses, prepare yourself for a new St. Pat’s Day destination. Patrick Coyne is hoping to open his latest Paddy Coyne’s pub at Pier 70 in time for the green beer holiday. Currently he’s pegging the debut “around the 12th of March.”

The waterfront location will be the largest of the Paddy Coyne’s chainlet, and, says Coyne, offer alfresco seating come summer. Otherwise “it will have the same feel, concept, and menus as the other three locations,” he added, referring to the pubs in South Lake Union, Tacoma, and Bellevue, all purveyors of some serious cheer and impressively authentic Irish fare.

Pier 70 is also home to the recently rebranded Aqua By El Gaucho. But pop culture junkies know it as the former Real World house and where Stephen went batshit on Irene.

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Tags: Bar Openings, Paddy Coyne's

Shift Change

Roster Changes at Rob Roy

Andrew Bohrer’s day job means Philip Trickey is back behind the stick.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 10, 2012 at 10:35AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Philip Trickey is back at Rob Roy on Friday nights.

Let’s count down to the weekend with personnel matters at one of Seattle’s most talent-packed bars, shall we? Well known writer-barman Andrew Bohrer, he of the cocktail cartography, booze blogging, and entertainingly ranty Twitter feed, is stepping away from the bar to become spirits director for Vinum Importing. Bohrer was the man who made Seattle (and the country at large) sit up and take notice of MistralKitchen’s bar program, but most recently he’s been tending at Rob Roy on Friday nights.

The timing worked out nicely, because Philip Trickey, an early hire by Rob Roy owner Anu Apte, was looking to pick up more shifts as he returned from paternity leave. Trickey spends the rest of his week at Purple Cafe and Wine Bar, but a night a week at a more classic spot, he says, helps him retain his edge. His first shift back at Rob Roy is February 17.

Bohrer hasn’t given up bartending entirely. When Vessel reopens in its new location in the next few months, he plans to work a monthly. He also has a book in the works.

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Tags: Rob Roy, Shift Change, Andrew Bohrer, Philip Trickey

Cocktail Cartography

Anna Wallace’s Signature Drink: The Pretty Ricky

It’s not currently on the menu at Walrus and the Carpenter, but feel free to ask for one anyway.

Posted by: Andrew Bohrer on Feb 09, 2012 at 01:40PM Speech Bubble 3 Comments

Anna Wallace: Maker of a rickey so good it deserves to be named after a ’90s hip-hop quartet. Photo: Lucas Anderson

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Welcome to local barman-writer Andrew Bohrer’s occasional series, charting the signature concoctions of esteemed local bartenders.

The Drink: The Pretty Ricky
Made By: Anna Wallace

A few years back, judgmental bartenders started putting jihads out on ingredients they didn’t like. Blue curacao, creme de menthe, and peach schnapps offended sensibilities with artificial color (but Campari was okay?) and disappeared. However wiser, more diplomatic, crafty bartenders like Anna Wallace of Walrus and the Carpenter decided to improve matters, starting with lime flavoring. “The lime cordial I make is so bright and lovely that it only seemed natural,” she says of devising her own non artificial blast of concentrated lime. Think Rose’s lime juice, only without all of those scary chemicals, and whatever you use to dye beer green. Anna is building while others tear down.

Instead of lime flavoring no. 47 from a factory indiscernible from a pharmaceutical plant, Anna’s lime cordial uses lime juice and peel, from lime trees. It also swaps sugar for high fructose corn syrup. The perfect drink to showcase Anna’s lime cordial is her version of a gin rickey. Rickey is a simple term meaning soda and lime with a spirit. But this drink was so much better than the average rickey that one of the restaurant’s oyster shuckers suggested that it be called the Pretty Ricky after the rap group from the ’90s.

This cocktail is not currently on the menu at the Walrus and the Carpenter but bar staff is always happy to make one, says Anna. It pairs perfectly with oysters and its fresh flavor will transport your brain to a sunny day of drinking on the patio and forgetting our cold seaside winter weather.

Anna’s Lime Cordial Recipe
1½ cups water
¾ cups sugar
¾ tsp citric acid
⅜ tsp tartaric acid
Juice of 4 limes, pulp strained
Rind of 2 limes

Combine and whisk sugar, citric and tartaric acids. Bring water to boil, add sugar mixture, juice, and rinds. Heat on high 1½ minutes. Cover and cool at room temperature and refrigerate in sealed container overnight. Strain and continue to refrigerate for a total of 48 hours.

The Pretty Ricky

2 ounces Bombay dry gin
1 ounce homemade lime cordial-recipe (see above)
½ ounce lime juice
Soda water

Shake and strain gin, cordial, and lime juice over ice. Top with soda and a pretty edible flower. Witness this whole process in the slideshow above.

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Tags: Walrus and the Carpenter, Walrus and the Carpenter, Cocktail Cartography, Andrew Bohrer, Andrew Bohrer, Anna Wallace

New Beer Alert

Thursday Tap Excitement at Urban Family

Bend’s 10 Barrel Brewing says its beers have never been poured in Washington…until now.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 08, 2012 at 01:20PM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Two offerings from Bend’s 10 Barrel Brewing are about to get their own little tags on Urban Family’s wall of 25 taps.

Urban Family Public House prides itself on offering beers, mostly Belgian-style, that are tough to find elsewhere in Seattle. On Thursday night the Ballard Avenue newcomer plans to tap two new kegs, the contents of which have never before been poured in Washington State (well, officially at least).

Urban Family owner Tim Czarnetzki says he and partners David Powell and Sean Bowman visited Bend’s 10 Barrel Brewing over Thanksgiving and really enjoyed the beers, particularly the Oregon Brown Ale and Sinister Black Lager. Being in possession of a specific type of purchasing license, the bar was able to pick up a keg of each when Bowman made a return trip south of the state line recently.

Czarnetzki says 10 Barrel isn’t just good: it’s relatively inexpensive for non-fratty beer. A pint of either will run you about $4.50. Depending on the beer, kegs at Urban Family usually last about nine days to two weeks. If patrons like the beer as much as Urban Family’s owners do, there’s a chance more kegs could make that trip up I-5. Also, 10 Barrel’s plans to grow to a 50-barrel brewing system (no, the name won’t change) means Seattle could get better acquainted with the wares of this fine brewery in the future.

The pub opens its doors at 4pm weekdays. Czartnetski is still on the hunt for a brewer for the beer-making side of Urban Family, but watch for a food program to debut shortly.

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Tags: Beer, Urban Family Public House

Happy Hour

Dollar Oysters at Pike Street Fish Fry

A new seasonal happy hour offers bivalves big and small.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 07, 2012 at 10:50AM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

This giant hotel pan of oysters: yours for $12 during happy hour.

Pike Street Fish Fry ushered in the month of February by joining the new dollar oyster club. The discounted oyster action happens from 5 to 8pm Sunday through Thursday, and beers are $4. There are fancier dollar oyster experiences to be had around town: experiences that involve mignonette, tiny oyster forks, and actual platters. But I’m a sucker for this Pike-Pine hideaway, both for the rippingly good fried seafood and the diner-meets-pirate-fort ambiance, punctuated by warm-up bass thumps from nearby Neumos.

Last week I stopped in for a dozen, along with an Odin’s Gift, the Beer Formerly Known as Ruby. I wasn’t sure how an establishment specializing in battering and frying would treat happy hour oysters, but you can opt for raw or grilled bivalves. Thank goodness there wasn’t a crowd at 5:30, because the two-person kitchen team had to seriously wrestle with those oysters. Arriving at work one day and being told that your job duties now include speed-shucking for beer-swilling masses is probably an occupational downer, though these two were awesome. One even took cell phone shots of her handiwork before bringing out the newly shucked dozen.

Oysters arrived in a hotel pan filled with ice, and we used standard-issue plastic forks to wrest the meat out of the shells. Apparently ours was the first dozen-oyster order since Pike Street initiated the happy hour. The takeaway: There’s no shame in rolling in for two or three of these guys if you so desire.

What you won’t find at more upscale oyster happy hours: a bigger oyster for your buck. The selection varies by week, but right now Pike Street lets you choose between dainty Olympias and behemoth Pacific oysters, nearly the size of my splayed fingers. Unsure if my companion would dig the Olys’ coppery flavor, I opted for 12 Pacifics: six raw; six grilled. This might be the first time in my life I preferred a grilled oyster to a raw one, perhaps due to the addition of the same crunchy purple cabbage slaw that accompanies the Fish Fry’s pulled pork sandwich and fish tacos.

Pike Street plans to continue the oyster happy hour for the remainder of the season, though plans could certainly change. While there aren’t any other discounts besides the $4 beers, the drafts are solid. Wines are just a few bucks more, and a far nicer selection than you’d expect to find at a punky fried fish shack. And if dollar oysters don’t entice, there’s always free fry Friday.

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Tags: Happy Hour, Oysters, Happy Hour of the Week, Seattle Happy Hours, Pike Street Fish Fry

Bar Culture

Ba Bar to Launch Karaoke Nights

This could get interesting.

Posted by: Christopher Werner on Feb 03, 2012 at 10:04AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

Photo: Olivia Brent

Banh installed the monitor over by the windows.

When bars and restaurants seek ways to drum up weekday business, they typically launch happy hour, or maybe some family-style meals. If you’re Eric Banh, you bust out the karaoke machine.

“We’ve been waiting for this since day one!” says an enthusiastic Banh of his plans for Ba Bar. Starting at the end of February, the 12th Avenue spot will host karaoke nights twice a week—Tuesday and Wednesday—from 9:30pm to 1:30ish.

The potential for embarrassment aside, there’s no cost to partake. No need to reserve in advance either, the format is like an open mic night. For those who require a dose of liquid courage (who doesn’t?), Banh says he’s working on drink specials for the occasion. He has amassed a song library 10,000-strong and installed the necessary equipment. Now all Banh has left to do is find someone to host.

Don’t be surprised if you see Bahn up there singing. The man apparently is a karaoke buff, especially when it comes to Elton John or Wham!—an admission that gets lots of laugh from friends, he says. Hey, David Boardman of The Seattle Times would approve.

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Tags: Ba Bar, Karaoke

Behind Bars

Five Questions for the Bartender: Greg West of Hunger

There comes a time in a man’s life when he must defend himself from pantsless drunkards with a soda gun.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 02, 2012 at 10:30AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

This San Diego transplant has a devoted pack of regulars at Hunger. Hit up the slideshow to see West make one of his drinks, the bonne chance. Photo: Lucas Anderson

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Greg West moved to Seattle three years ago from San Diego with a desire to make good drinks. But he found it tough to penetrate the city’s network of destination cocktail spots. Instead, West worked his way up, starting “in bars where people fought and got drunk and got sick” and moving on to Oddfellows and, briefly, 5 Corner Market Bar. Now you’ll find him at Hunger, and West must be doing something right: A Seattle Weekly poll late last year proclaimed him of the readership’s favorite bartenders.

Later this year, West will get the bartending equivalent of a promotion from cubicle to corner office when Hunger moves down Fremont Avenue to a space nearly three times the size. But until then he continues to ply his trade at Hunger’s comfortable little bar, where he relishes riffing on drinks, making his own bitters and other components, and concocting drinks on the fly based on conversations with customers. And West promises not to judge you on your order: “I just hate that pissed off Seattle bartender demeanor.”

Here, five questions for Greg West.

What is the most underrated spirit?

I think obscure liqueurs are underrated. I just tried an evergreen liqueur the other day and it was both bizarre and amazing. We need to challenge the way we think about cocktails and explore different avenues to continue pushing limits and create fun and interesting cocktails.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar, besides Hunger?

I’m a nice bourbon, whiskey, and cheap beer kinda guy; you’ll find most bartenders to be the same. So with that in mind I’m a big fan of Sun Liquor and the Distillery. They have a great selection.

What’s the drink most people order from you right now?

You know…I recently put a scratch cocktail option on the menu. What that cocktail might be depends purely on the customer, which is the way it should be. We have seen tons of success with this. Also it keeps me on my toes and helps me to keep pushing the limits of what we think a cocktail is. I recently had someone drop off a bag of ghost chilies to the restaurant so I made a cherry/ghost chili bitters. It was great in everything. It was so good it didn’t last a month.

Favorite place to eat, and what you like about it

I really enjoy LloydMartin on Queen Anne. My good friend chef-owner Sam Crannell opened there a few months ago and his food is quite wonderful. He is pretty daring and makes just about everything from scratch. Plus, with the ever-changing menu, you can’t go wrong.

What’s the worst thing you’ve seen someone do in a bar?

Oh Lord. Back home in San Diego I worked at this dive bar called the Surf ’n Saddle. One night this “gentleman” was obviously intoxicated and really wanted to give me a hug for some reason. I respectfully declined. A few moments later he decided to take his pants off and climb over the bar. The only thing I could do protect myself was to grab the soda gun and threaten a hosing down of Coke. He stopped, looked around, realized the entire bar was looking at him. Most would have run at that point. Not this guy. He lifts his shirt up (he’s naked from the chest down) and starts doing “windmills” if you know what I mean. I had no choice but to spray this man down with said soda gun until his friends finally pulled him off the bar.

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Tags: Five Questions for the Bartender, Seattle Bartenders, Hunger, Greg West

Happy Hour

Anchovies and Olives Amps Up Its Power Hour

Stowell’s signature pasta dish joins forces with $1 oysters.

Posted by: Allecia Vermillion on Feb 01, 2012 at 10:30AM Speech Bubble 0 Comments

One of the Hill’s best happy hours just got more bountiful. Photo by Geoffrey Smith.

In the past seven months, Ethan Stowell’s Capitol Hill seafood restaurant Anchovies and Olives has seen the arrival of a new chef, a remodel, and now an expanded happy hour menu. The so-called power hour that runs from 5 to 6pm daily, and again from 10 till 11 now has a few more food and drink items to accompany those $1 oysters.

Now on the menu: the bigoli. Stowell has said before that this thick spaghetti-resembling noodle tossed with anchovies, chili, garlic and toasted breadcrumbs would be his choice as a last meal. Granted, he meant the final meal of a lifetime, but the $10 portion now offered up during happy hour means it can be your last meal of the night.

Power hour also means $5 wine and prosecco, and $2 Peronis. And now the entire selection of bottled beers is half off. On Friday and Saturdays, all this happy hour action goes down in the bar area only.

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Tags: Happy Hour, Ethan Stowell, Seattle Happy Hours, Seattle Happy Hours, Anchovies and Olives, Zach Chambers

Sauced - February 2012

Where to Find Nonalcoholic Drinks in Seattle

March Is Washington Wine Month: Please Drink Accordingly

The First 1183 Milestone Happens Thursday

Evan Martin No Longer at Ba Bar

Cafe Suisse Opens on Westlake Avenue

Philip Trickey’s Signature Drink: The Midnight Water

Tasting Notes: Open That Bottle Night Redux

Poquitos Launches Tequila Tasting Program

Happy Hour of the Week: 1022 South in Tacoma

Chart Your Course for Saturday’s Washington Beer Open House

Tini Bigs Juices Up Its Cocktails

Havana Hosts ‘Pretty Epic’ Mardi Gras Party

Five Questions for the Bartender: Gregg Holcomb of Knee High Stocking Co.

Tasting Notes: Open That Bottle Night

Where to Drink on Valentine’s Day

Paddy Coyne’s to Open on Pier 70

Roster Changes at Rob Roy

Anna Wallace’s Signature Drink: The Pretty Ricky

Thursday Tap Excitement at Urban Family

Dollar Oysters at Pike Street Fish Fry

Ba Bar to Launch Karaoke Nights

Five Questions for the Bartender: Greg West of Hunger

Anchovies and Olives Amps Up Its Power Hour

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