Sauced

Tavern Law Celebrates GQ Nod by Making Drinks for You

On October 10, the Cap Hill bar teams up with Zig Zag to mix signature drinks from the country’s top 25 cocktail bars.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Oct 04, 2010 at 03:58PM 0 Comments

They win, you win. Try drinks from the best bars in America on Sunday, October 10 at Tavern Law.

Here’s why we love Seattle bars: They love each other.

To toast their inclusion on GQ’s new list of top 25 cocktail bars in America, Tavern Law and Zig Zag are throwing a party together.

This party takes place at T-Law on Sunday, October 10 starting at 7pm, and the concept is cool: Bartenders (Zig Zag’s Murray Stenson and Ben Perri will mix alongside the house tenders) are making featured cocktails from the 25 bars on the magazine’s list.

I snuck a peek at the drinks menu; it’s being created even as I write this. For context: Zig Zag was the number one bar on GQ’s list and Tavern law was 25. And the seven drinks I’ve listed below correspond to those bars ranked numbers 2 through 7.

Evidence (Angel’s Share, New York) Earl Grey, vodka, ginger beer, lemon.

Whiskey Smash (The Violet Hour, Chicago)
Wild Turkey 101, lemon, mint, Peychaud’s bitters.

Astoria (Clover Club, Brooklyn)
Old tom gin, dry vermouth, orange bitters.

The Evergreen (The Alembic, San Francisco)
Pikesville Rye, Zirbenz Stone Pine liqueur, mint.

Kingston Negroni (Death + Company, NYC)
Jamaican Rum, campari, Carpano Antica.

La Louche (PDT, NYC)
Hendricks Gin, Lillet Rouge, Yellow Chartreuse, lime.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Zig Zag Cafe, National Media Props

GQ Says Zig Zag Cafe Is The Number One Cocktail Bar in America

Editor Kevin Sintumuang calls Murray Stenson a “bartender superhero.”

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 20, 2010 at 04:45PM 3 Comments

Cocktails at Zig Zag, the number #1 bar in America per GQ magazine.

What a year for the Zig Zag Cafe. First bartender Murray Stenson is named Best Bartender in America at Tales of the Cocktail. Then Kevin Sintumuang, who compiled GQ’s list of top 25 bars in America, makes Zig Zag his pick for the number one cocktail bar in America. Did you catch that? Best cocktail bar in America. As in, all of it.

The feature appeared in the October issue of GQ, the one with Ryan Reynolds on the cover. Tavern Law’s upstairs bar, Needle and Thread, came in at number 25—not bad at all for a youngin’. In between were such lauded establishments as The Violet Hour in Chicago (#3), Death and CO, PDT, and the Pegu Club in New York (#6, #7, and #22), and Drink in Boston (#21).

And Sintumuang spends his Zig Zag write-up extolling Murray. “The man is effortlessly talented, a bartender superhero,” he says. He describes Stenson’s work station as “five drink racks. About twelve bottles in each. Artfully tiered from floor to torso, like a medieval organ powered by Dubonnet, kirsch, and Tuaca. If you think any ordinary bartender could play such an instrument, you’d be wrong.”

I agree entirely. Almost. “Effortlessly talented” belies the decades of experience the guy brings to the job. But it’s a small point with which to quibble. The important thing is that Zig Zag kicks ass, and the entire country has taken notice. Prepare to fight for your barstool.

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Tags: Cocktails, Seattle Bartenders, National Media Props

Tavern Law’s Upstairs Lounge Makes GQ’s Best 25 Bars in America

The magazine encourages customers to “get poetic” about ordering their cocktails at Needle and Thread.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 17, 2010 at 08:43AM 0 Comments

Tavern Law’s Needle and Thread made GQ’s top 25 cocktail bars.

Congratulations go out to Tavern Law’s upstairs bar Needle and Thread, which made GQ’s list of the best 25 bars in America.

The magazine applauds Needle and Thread’s policy of inventing drinks on the spot based on customer’s descriptions. If you don’t know, the bar is located on the second floor of Tavern Law—there is a telephone next to the door where you call and request entrance. If it’s not full, you get to go in and order a drink. The contrived secrecy may not be for everyone, but the cocktails are always a treat.

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Tags: Cocktails, National Media Props