Sauced Blog

Cocktail Cartography

Jason Stratton’s Signature Drink: The Pink Hook

A drink made with real maraschino, which originated in Croatia and has nothing to do with those dubious, red-goo cherries.

Posted by: Andrew Bohrer on Apr 17, 2012 at 02:00PM Speech Bubble 1 Comments

Chef Jason Stratton is perhaps best known for the pastas and rustic Piedmont fare at Spinasse, but over at Artusi, the man’s a talented bartender as well. Photo: Lucas Anderson

View Slideshow »

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

The Drink: The Pink Hook
Made By: Jason Stratton

One man’s interest in esoteric liqueurs is the next’s, “slutty love of maraschino.” That next man, to be clear, is Jason Stratton of Artusi and Spinasse. And just to get us all on the right track, maraschino, is a clear liqueur made from cherries and cherry pits. It originated in Croatia and has nothing to do with the red goo that besets otherwise chemical-free cherries. Geography and chemistry lesson aside, today we gather to talk about the Pink Hook, one of the signature drinks no longer on the menu but always available at Artusi.

The title is surely a play on the Red Hook, a drink created by Vincenzo Errico of New York City cocktail bar Milk and Honey in 2004—a drink considered to be one of the few modern classic cocktails. The Red Hook was an instant hit, but it is a drink that can easily fall out of balance. Stratton was actually inspired by another classic maraschino cocktail called the Aviation, switching the gin for rye. That started him down a path that lead him to the Red Hook cocktail organically. Adding grapefruit balances the sweet, funky spice in the maraschino. But the Pink Hook’s name, according to Jason, “is inspired by wanting to queer out an ‘established’ cocktail, turn it pink.”

The result is a drink inspired by the most serious of modern cocktails that, because of its newfound balance of grapefruit acidity, can now appeal to the mustachioed, sleeve-tattooed bar folk of Brooklyn to their cosmopolitan-quaffing, high-heeled counterparts uptown. Jason can best explain that in one sentence without mixing a metaphor: “It was gratifying to create a drink that did deliver some more mature flavors in a pleasing way to folks who would normally be averse to trying an Italian vermouth or rye whiskey.”

The Pink Hook
1¾ ounces rye
¾ ounce freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice
½ ounce Punt e Mes
¼ ounce maraschino

Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a flamed grapefruit peel.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Jason Stratton, Cocktail Cartography, Andrew Bohrer, Artusi

Cocktail Cartography

James MacWilliams’s Signature Drink: The French 75

This epic version of a pedestrian classic costs $100; you should try it at least once in your life.

Posted by: Andrew Bohrer on Mar 22, 2012 at 11:35AM Speech Bubble 3 Comments

Canlis bar manager James MacWilliams elevates the humble (and often mediocre) French 75. Photo: Lucas Anderson

View Slideshow »

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

The Drink: The French 75
Made By: James MacWilliams

I often like to point out that Canlis, Seattle’s icon hanging off the cliff of Queen Anne is actually much more accessible than people treat it. There is no dress code in much of the restaurant (but think cufflinks, not cargo shorts), and it isn’t that expensive. But I don’t come here today to tell you about one of Seattle’s best bars with the kindest customer service. No, today I would like to tell you of a special cocktail that is served at Canlis—a version of the French 75 that can only be prepared by the skilled James MacWilliams for those who are looking to have a magical evening.

Let me begin by saying I hate the pedestrian French 75; it’s a cocktail that I have never been happy with. No combination of science and skill has ever been able to render my take on this cocktail anything better than okay. The standard French 75 is beset on all sides by plagues of inadequacy, when what it needs is a refined touch. The French 75 at Canlis is not only defined by legendary service, but also by epic ingredients, hence the $100 cost.

Prosecco and cava may be the backbone of baby showers and mimosas but they have no place in the French 75. You need Champagne Champagne. In this case you’ll get to keep the bottle of toasty Charles Heidsieck used to top off your drink. Fresh-squeezed lemon goes without saying, but for a sweetener, James’s version graduates from regular simple syrup to Grand Marnier 150, a silly version of Grand Marnier that is made out of cognac no less than 25 years old.

Also, you’ll need a gin that can stand up to these strong flavors, and there is no gin stronger than Old Raj. At 110 proof, it’s the kind of gin that W.C. Fields or Winston Churchill would fear in a dry martini. But Old Raj is not just strength, it also is infused with a touch of saffron, and the label is printed on a $100 bill (only half of that is true).

All said and done, James will mix you tableside French 75s for two with all of the aforementioned luxury in a setting that is worthy of such a drink. When you find yourself with a reason to celebrate, or a tax rebate that is burning a hole in your pocket, I can’t stress enough: Try this French 75, if only once in your life.

The French 75

2 ounces Old Raj gin
1¼ ounces Grand Marnier 150
1½ ounces lemon
2½ ounces Charles Heidsieck bubbles
Lemon twist

Shake gin, Grand Marnier, and lemon over ice in a cocktail shaker, then strain into a martini glass. Top with Champagne and garnish with a lemon twist. Makes two.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Canlis, Cocktail Cartography, Andrew Bohrer, James MacWilliams

Pub Life

The Nonamateur’s Guide to Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Despite what alluring advertisements of green-clad busty lassies would tell you, March 17 should be more about celebrating pub life than getting hammered.

Posted by: Andrew Bohrer on Mar 08, 2012 at 10:00AM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

Illustration by Jordan Bonney.

Writer-barman-spirits guy Andrew Bohrer is here to turn the Guinness-swilling amateur hour that is St. Patrick’s Day into a learning experience.

St. Paddy’s Day: If you must celebrate to the edge of death, survival isn’t necessarily a matter of drinking less; just spread it out more.

It’s not a holiday unless it’s a drinking holiday. This is why Arbor Day never caught on. For me, St. Patrick’s Day has nothing to do with anything. I’m just as much Irish (even though St. Patrick was Welsh) as any other American of European descent, and fossil records show that there has never been a snake in Ireland. However, rather than being the ass that tells you why all holidays are shams, I’d rather be your irresponsible uncle who teaches you about drinking.

Whiskey is the most important dram on St. Patrick’s Day. Hell, the Irish monks invented the stuff. It was originally called uisce beatha, their words for water of life, and I assume that these monks were creating some sort of skull-splitting schwag back in the 12th century. This concoction wouldn’t be anything like what you drink today, but it would work in a pinch.

Other than the fact that it must be made in Ireland and aged in wooden casks, modern Irish whiskey is a very broadly defined category. It must be at least three years old, but that is about it for the rules. Traditionally, most Irish whiskies were triple pot–distilled mix malted barley and un-malted barley, resulting in a lighter version of the spirit that we so love abusing. But the fastest-growing Irish whiskey in America is column-distilled and made from corn and wheat. It is also the brand that Jenna Jameson named herself after.

To me, Irish whiskey is a lunchtime whiskey. It’s generally lighter-bodied, so it pairs well with food and helps you get through the midday doldrums. And that is my suggestion on how to enjoy St Patrick’s Day: five lunches. A Saturday night at the pub will cost you over $150 in cabs, beers, a round of shots, and a cream cheese hot dog. Instead try having different Irish whiskies with lunch at five different pubs throughout the week. It will be more enjoyable for you and the pub owners. Don’t like whiskey? I bet you can Irish up your afternoon coffee a bit.

This is a great week to grow your whiskey palate. It is easy and safe to do a flight of whiskies you know, but here are a few new ones to try:

Kilbeggan
It’s baby soft. This is an independently owned blended whisky aged in ex-bourbon casks that has the gentle sweetness and vanilla you’d associate with dessert.

Powers and Tullamore Dew
Two solid traditional whiskies that have a touch of sweetness, spice and just enough flavor to stand up to a bit of ice. Both whiskies make bolder, higher-end bottlings that are brilliant.

Connemara
With the sincerity of a truly awful website, Connemara is a unique Irish whiskey. It is Ireland’s only peated single malt (like scotch) and is the perfect balance of smoke and smooth.

How to locate a bar to try these? A true Irish pub has more whiskey than flavored vodka and more Irish whiskey than just Bushmill’s and Jameson. Listen for Shane MacGowan mumble-singing or the Clancy Brothers on the stereo. A proper pub will likely have a chalkboard with the words “hash” or “mash” written on it somewhere. And the best Irish pubs, don’t even advertise themselves as such, preferring to disguise themselves as other venues. They are bars that are happy to see you in off-hours, where you can talk with strangers, the menu is bereft of, “tini’s,” and there’s likely a place to play darts. These places should look like a fake Starbucks with pints instead of laptops.

How do I know all of this? I have a tattoo across my stomach in gothic script that reads, “PUB LIFE,” ‘cause that’s how I roll (disclaimer: that is not actually how I roll). Despite what alluring advertisements of green-clad busty lassies would tell you, St. Patrick’s Day is about pub life more than anything else. And pub life is something that the Irish do very well. Get a wool sweater, head to the pub, have two pints and a packet of crisps (as they say) and relax: That’s pub life. Perhaps there is an authentic pub experience in getting puked on and head-butted on March 17, but it would be much more authentic to have a pint and a dram on with friends that you don’t see enough.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Whiskey, Andrew Bohrer, St. Patrick's Day, St. Patrick's Day 2012

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

View Slideshow »

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.

Add a Comment »

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

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.

Add a Comment »

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

View Slideshow »

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.

Add a Comment »

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

Cocktail Cartography

Jay Kuehner’s Signature Drink: The Caracas

It’s more ritual than drink, says Sambar’s longtime bartender.

Posted by: Andrew Bohrer on Jan 25, 2012 at 12:30PM Speech Bubble 2 Comments

Sambar’s Jay Kuehner, in his native habitat.

Photo: Lucas Anderson

View Slideshow »

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

There is a King Cocktail, and there is a Cocktail Historian, and Seattle used to have a Cocktail Whisperer though he no longer calls himself that.

I require more organizational skills for the following moniker, but what I aim to be for you is a Cocktail Cartographer. Seattle is a fine city to get a great cocktail but where can you best get your whistle wetted, and by whom?

The most enjoyable drinks aren’t necessarily on the menu; ask a bartender and he or she likely has a signature concoction. I plan to map out where to find these hidden gems and cult cocktail classics. The result: a most useful compendium of where find our city’s finest drinks. First up, the Caracas…

The Drink: The Caracas
Made By: Jay Kuehner

One of Seattle’s greatest drinking experiences is walking into Sambar and having the extremely talented (and often unbuttoned) Jay Kuehner give you a shot. Jay has been the longtime bartender at the worth-the-hype drinking hole attached to Le Gourmand in Ballard. Though most of Jay’s cocktails are gentle like downy feathers and composed like sonnets, the Caracas stands out as its own ritual.

How do you order the Caracas? “We will decide if you are in need of it,” says Kuehner. It isn’t a cocktail that you order; it is a cocktail that happens when the time is right. The Caracas is a very simple drink, just a shot of rum with a little bit of a snack. The snack is a wafer-thin lime wheel, with one half dipped in super fine coffee and and the other in super fine sugar. This black-and-white citrus wheel is for you, the brave consumer, to eat whole.

At some point during chewing, you’ll be handed a shot of Pampero Aniversario Venezuelan rum. Just throw it back. The result is a bitter, sweet, tannic, dry, citric roller coaster of flavors that one single cocktail can’t match.

The Caracas

1 wafer-thin lime wheel for each shot
Finely ground coffee
Finely ground sugar
1.5 ounces Pampero Aniversario rum

Instructions: Dip one half of the wheel in finely ground coffee and the other half in finely ground sugar. Eat the lime wheel. Shoot the rum. Consult the slideshow if you need more guidance.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Sambar, Cocktail Cartography, Jay Kuehner, Andrew Bohrer

Sauced

Jason Stratton’s Signature Drink: The Pink Hook

James MacWilliams’s Signature Drink: The French 75

The Nonamateur’s Guide to Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day

Philip Trickey’s Signature Drink: The Midnight Water

Roster Changes at Rob Roy

Anna Wallace’s Signature Drink: The Pretty Ricky

Jay Kuehner’s Signature Drink: The Caracas

About this blog

Recent Posts

Archives

Saga City Media, Inc.

Subscriber Services:

Email Newsletters:

Website Services: