Sauced

Five Questions for the Bartender: Susanna Welbourne

Burlesque star, bartender, musician: Meet Hazlewood’s triple-threat drink slinger.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 05, 2010 at 02:43PM 0 Comments

Oh, Susanna. Welbourne as Kitten La Rue.
Photo: Bobby Miller

Burlesque. You love it a lot, Seattle. What else do you love? Cocktails. You love cocktails. And sweet lo-fi postpunk bands like The Intelligence. And dropping musical terms like “lo-fi postpunk” into conversation, just so the people get that you get it and that you’re not some dorky booze blogger who has to consult Wikipedia in order to know how to describe a band.

Thusly and therefore, you love Susanna Welbourne: producer/director of burlesque troop The Atomic Bombshells, slinger of fine cocktails at Hazlewood in Ballard, keyboardist for the Intelligence.

Welbourne’s bartending career began 10 years ago in New Orleans, the greatest city on earth, and one she describes aptly as “boot camp for bartenders.” These days she’s not so often behind the bar at Hazlewood—where her favorite drink is a Bloody Dog with Aperol—due to all the burlesquing and lo-fi postpunk rocking. So if you see her there, lucky you.

Here, five questions for the lovely Susanna Welbourne.

What is the most underrated spirit?
Rye Whiskey. Old-fashioned goodness, and the essential base to the most classic of New Orleans cocktails, the Sazerac.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than Hazlewood)?
Ocho: super cozy, cool owners, great food.

What drink do you order at that bar?
They make an amazing Dark and Stormy.

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen someone do in a bar?
This guy vomited on the floor in a room full of people, and then just sort of looked up at me and shrugged his shoulders, as if to say “Well, what do you expect?” Not that!

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.
My dancing girls, the killer food, and this incredible weather. [On this last point, it should be noted that Welbourne did this interview during an unseasonably sunny spell in late February, 2010.]

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Five Questions for the Bartender, Music, Ballard, Burlesque

Five Questions for the (Visiting) Bartender: Neyah White

Legendary San Francisco bartender Neyah White will be in town next week to teach Drinking Lessons at the Sorrento. Get to know him now.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 15, 2010 at 10:21AM 0 Comments

Neyah White comes to Seattle February 21 and 22 for Drinking Lessons.

It’s a Five Questions first, everybody. We’re talking to a bartender from San Francisco.

Specifically, we’re talking to Neyah White. He’s the bar manager at San Fran’s Nopa where his housemade bitters, tinctures, and liqueurs have earned him love, fame, and all the perks that come with being a rock-star bartender in a city so obsessed with food and drink it puts Seattle’s own food and drink fetishism to…let’s just say it gives us something to which to aspire.

Together with fellow SFer Duggan McDonnell, Neyah White comes to Seattle on February 21 and 22 to host Drinking Lessons at the Hunt Club. Don’t miss it.

Here, five questions for Neyah White.

What is the most underrated spirit?

I am actually going to go with a wine rather than spirit and say vermouth. The 50s and 60s were not very kind to vermouth and it is really a shame. We abuse it by storing it wrong, pouring it wrong, and just plain not understanding it. I challenge everyone reading this to open a fresh bottle of any vermouth (well, almost any) and pour a little over ice with an orange slice. It’s delicious.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar?

I haven’t been to Seattle a whole lot in recent years, but there sure are some great folks working in your town. I get teary-eyed when I think about Murray Stetson [ Zig Zag], jealous when I think about Jamie Boudreau [ Knee High], nostalgic when I think about Eric Carlson [ Moshi Moshi] and Nate Weber [ Tavern Law, I think], and just plain happy when I think about Anu Apte and Zane Harris [ Rob Roy].

What drink do you order at that bar?

I am a big proponent of being a good guest by enjoying what is being offered. I like to drink whatever is most appropriate: Beer in beer halls, wine in wine bars, Scotch every chance I get.

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

I work very hard at forgetting stuff like that. Alcohol brings out the best and worst in people, getting $100 tip and getting stiffed on a $200 tab come pretty much from the same place.

Name three reasons you like to visit in Seattle.

1. The sun is evil and must be avoided at all costs. 2. They say the human body is made up of about 60 percent water. In me, 50 percent of that water is coffee, and Seattle is fine place to refuel. 3. I look good in a scarf.

GET TICKETS TO DRINKING LESSONS WITH NEYAH WHITE HERE.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Booze 101, Wine, Behind the bar, Five Questions for the Bartender, Drinking Events, Scotch

Five Questions for the Bartender: Philip Trickey

The Rob Roy up-and-comer will turn you into a gin lover, but asks that you keep your shoes on at the bar.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 08, 2010 at 12:30PM 0 Comments

Philip Trickey moved to Seattle from Salt Lake City, Utah in the fall of 2005 “because of a girl, isn’t that always the case?” He tended bar before the move, but says he didn’t develop a passion for the job until he started hanging out at Vessel with bar manger Jim Romdall and then-bartender Zane Harris. “Zane eventually challenged me to come behind the bar and that began a two-month, unpaid ‘internship’ with Jim.”

Today, Trickey works at Rob Roy, the Belltown bar Harris owns with partner (in both senses of the word) Anu Apte.

Here five questions with the Rob Roy’s tattoed up-and-comer.

What is the most underrated spirit?

From a drinker’s perspective the most underrated spirit would have to be gin. I am constantly surprised at the vast number of people that claim to hate gin but have never had a properly made gin cocktail. From my perspective as a bartender, the most underrated spirit is tequila. I am just now discovering its myriad uses for crafting new drinks as well as updating some of the classics.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than Rob Roy)?

My favorite bar in Seattle is definitely the Zig Zag. Everyone there (Casey, Ben, Ben, Jacob, Erik, Murray, Autumn, Annie, sorry if I forgot anyone) goes out of their way to make me feel welcome. Plus, it’s right across the street from my apartment.

What drink do you order at that bar?

I drink what every bartender drinks: a shot and a beer. Occasionally I will have a cocktail but I always leave it up to Erik or Murray or Ben or Ben as to what that drink will be.

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

I’ve seen many people over the years do stupid shit in bars, but they’re mostly just your run of the mill transgressions: puking, passing out, punching someone, getting punched by someone, etc. The worst thing I have seen though, is a woman who took off her shoes, pushed out the chair next to her, and proceed to use said chair as an ottoman. I was just appalled that someone could think that this was acceptable behavior in a public place.

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.

I live in Seattle because I really love the local food scene. Coming from Salt Lake City, it’s really not that hard to be impressed by anyone that at least makes an effort, but Seattle chefs really do an amazing job. I also live here because I don’t need a car to navigate this city. I live and work right downtown and the metro system is good enough to get me out to the sticks if need be. (By sticks, I mean Ballard.) Finally, Seattle is home because it has all of the amenities of a large city but still feels like a town.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Belltown, Five Questions for the Bartender, Gin, Tequila

Five Questions for the Bartender: Chris Bollenbacher

The bar manager at Serafina makes his own infusions and rhapsodizes about rum.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 26, 2010 at 11:00AM 2 Comments

Do you know Chris Bollenbacher? You should. He is the bar manager at Serafina and Cicchetti, two twinkling Eastlake eateries where the food is great, the atmosphere ridiculously romantic, and the owner smart enough to step away from the bar and let her talented ’tender do his thing.

Way before every bartender made his own tinctures and studied up on the history of cocktails, Bollenbacher was at it, quietly amassing homemade infusions along with has an intense amount of knowledge about booze. Together with former Serafina bartender Miles Thomas (Tavern Law, Toulouse Petit), he also owns Scrappy’s Bitters, a local line of bitters you’ll find at bars all around town.

Here, five questions for Chris Bollenbacher.

What is the most underrated spirit?

The most underrated spirit in my opinion is rum, with so many brands and styles it is in a world of its own. Any fine rum brings with it so much flavor from the sugar cane/molasses it’s made from that it creates beautiful lift in cocktails and causes subtle flavors to pop even more than gin does.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than the one at Serafina)?

I enjoy imbibing at Zig Zag and Oliver’s Twist, but wherever there is a bar taking its cocktails seriously, I’ll be there.

What drink do you order at that bar?

I go for a Negroni or a Boulevardier (a Negroni with rye), I do love bitters so I’m also a sucker for a Manhattan made with a vintage Pedro Ximénez sherry and both Angostura and Scrappy’s chocolate bitters.

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

A man to who I had refused service returned hours— and many drinks—later to kick in the front window of the bar.

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.

Seattle really has that “port city” feel I enjoy; everyone is from different backgrounds and walks of life and it has quite a bit of hustle and bustle, yet it still has a down-home, sleepy side to it. There are incredible nature escapes in every direction and the whole area is a fishermen’s heaven (fishing is another passion of mine).

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Eastlake, Five Questions for the Bartender, Bartenders

Five Questions for the Bartender: Jim Romdall

The bar manager at Vessel tells us about fortified wines, barbequing in the rain, and one thing you should never do against a pinball machine.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Dec 18, 2009 at 08:00AM 1 Comments

View Slideshow » Illustration: View Slideshow » Illustration: View Slideshow » Illustration:

Vessel bar manager Jim Romdall began his bartending career in college, just after he turned 21.

“After college,” says Romdall, “I decided I wanted to make movies. So I packed up and moved to LA where I became the bar manager of a fine-dining restaurant in Malibu. Got tired of movies, moved back to Seattle, and ended up landing a job behind the bar at Vessel.”

Since taking over management duties, Romdall has turned the austere cocktail bar on Fifth into a welcoming community hub for cocktail geeks, hosting guest bartenders from as far away as Germany (and as close by as other really good Seattle cocktail bars), holding drink-mixing competitions, and making sure no drinking-related holiday goes uncelebrated. He’s also really nice.

Here, five questions for Jim Romdall.

What’s the most underrated spirit?

I’m repeating a previous answer, but I have to go with fortified wine. Vermouth, sherry, port, pineau des charentes, pommeau. These spirits pack so much flavor without the heavy alcohol content, so they can compliment a base spirit wonderfully in a cocktail. I use them constantly.

What’s your favorite Seattle bar (other than Vessel).

I love all the great cocktail bars in Seattle, but often, my favorite place to go is Shorty’s. Booze, hot dogs, and pinball. Everything that makes life worth living.

What drink do you order at the bar?

Scotch, and likely a beer next to it so it doesn’t get lonely.

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

One time, I witnessed a couple having sex against a pinball machine. When I told them they needed to leave, the man proceeded to tell me that the woman was a famous local porn star and that he was going to get me fired for this. Ahh, sometimes i miss working at a college bar.

Name three reasons you live in Seattle.

The ones I love are here.

There are mountains and trees all over the place.

In another city, if you go out in the rain to barbeque people look at you funny.

*****************************************************************
Have I asked your favorite bartender five questions? Find all the interviews here.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Five Questions for the Bartender