Sauced

It’s National Punch Day!

Celebrating is not complicated.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 20, 2011 at 11:41AM 1 Comments

Preparing the Punch by Walter-Dendy Sadler

Image: Artchive.com

If it’s September 20, it must be National Punch Day.

David Wondrich—esteemed author of the book Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl—lamented the choice of dates rather hilariously on Twitter today, and you can see his point. But as long as it’s here, we better celebrate it properly, no?

One way to do that is to march on over to Canon, Jamie Boudreau’s new bar on Capitol Hill. Just a few weeks into business and the place is already a smashing success, so arrive early in the evening to claim a place where you can receive tableside punch service.

Another source of punches is the Local Vine, just up the street from Canon. (Bartender Alison Sever shared a sherry punch recipe with us last winter, for which were much obliged). Just a hop, skip, and a jump from LV is Tavern Law, a popular source of punches such as Fish House, a potent potion concocted of dark rum, cognac, and peach brandy.

Heading west (hmm…a punch crawl may be in order), you’ll encounter Knee High Stocking Co. a little bar that serves punch in dainty cups that become empty quite quickly. So quickly, in fact, you may just forget to follow the rules. Another complicating factor is the reservation system, fortunately Eater Seattle did a helpful interview with one of the speakeasy’s gatekeepers.

But if you’re crossing the lake tonight, I’d like to remind you of an Evan Martin-invented punch that lives on at Naga Lounge. It’s a favorite among nerdy cocktail writers for good reason.

Wherever you go, proceed with caution. Punch is an intoxicant in the most serious sense of the word. So imbibe jovially but cautiously, or you’ll soon see stars.

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Tags: Bellevue, Capitol Hill, National Something Days, Punch

Upcoming Drinking Events: Canon’s Trivia Contest, National Rum Day, Barrel Samples in Woodinville

A look at the week ahead in booze.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 15, 2011 at 12:00AM 0 Comments

Death in the South Pacific, the perfect drink for National Rum Day.

Photo: Evan Martin

Before we begin talking drinking events, I should alert you to this promotional contest from Canon Seattle, Jamie Boudreau’s forthcoming Capitol Hill bar. August 16 through 19, Canon will be posting a daily trivia question on Facebook and Twitter. The first person to answer the question correctly gets to attend an exclusive preview event at the bar. Also they can bring a guest. See the bar’s FB page for details.

Okay, onward.

Tuesday, August 16 is National Rum Day. I stand by last year’s suggestions, and would like to add that Naga in Bellevue has a tiki menu. Though Evan Martin has left the building, you can still order up his award-winning Death in the South Pacific. I sampled one this weekend and it remains delicious. If all you tiki haters tried that cocktail, you might end up drinking your words.

On Wednesday, August 17, Woodinville restaurant Italianissimo is featuring white wines from Woodinville. The price is $20, for that you get six samples. Happy hour will go long, meaning a half price bar menu until 7:30pm.

Attention, good-cause drinkers: Thursday, August 18 is the Picnic and Barrel Auction at Chateau Ste. Michelle. Twenty-five wineries show up with wines still aging in the barrel—it’s like you get to travel forward in time and try the vinos of future vintages. Plus you can buy them. This event is put on by the Auction of Washington Wines to benefit Seattle Children’s and the Washington Wine Education Foundation. Tickets here.

Friday, August 19 BalMar in Ballard hosts a benefit for Planned Parenthood. Exchange a $10 donation for a wristband and be eligible for happy hour prices all night long—$4 wells, $3.5 draughts, and $2 PBRs. Good deal on a Friday.

Happy drinking.

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Tags: Wine, Wine Tastings, Woodinville, Rum, National Something Days

Happy National Rum Day!

Celebrate rum with refreshing cocktails at these places.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 16, 2010 at 01:37PM 1 Comments

It’s hot. It’s National Rum Day. Let’s do this thing.

It’s national rum day. So that’s fun. It’s also good and hot outside, so I suggest you celebrate both things by having a rum cocktail.

Here are my three favorite sorts of rum cocktails, and where to get them.

1. A daiquiri. I know what you’re thinking, but a daiquiri need not be a frozen sludgey sugarfest. A true daiquiri is rum, superfine sugar, and lime juice. That’s it! And a daiquiri is to good rum as a Manhattan is to good bourbon or rye—that is to say, it is an excellent vehicle for sampling the spirit. Pick a rum you want to try at Spur—lovely Marley works Monday evenings, she’ll make you a great daiquiri.

2. A dark and stormy. My sister married an Australian, which—let me tell you—has made for some really, really debaucherous family holidays. When someone in your family marries an Australian, everything changes. That’s all I’ll say about that, except for this: I have learned to love dark and stormies (rum, gingerbeer, lime), and like anyone who has spent any amount of time with the Aussies, I can shotgun a can of Bundaberg without blinking. I’m not bragging, I’m just saying.

But don’t do that. Go get yourself one of these delicious highball-style cocktails at Ocho in Ballard or at 611 Supreme on the Hill.

3. Punch. People, punch is not just about Kool-aid and rainbow sherbert, delicious as those things are. Many cocktails emerged out of the punch bowl, and there are a number of delicious punches featuring rum. Planters punch is a fun drink to order at the bar because each bartender has his own version of what a planters punch even is. Erik Carlson is working tonight at Moshi Moshi in Ballard. Go talk to him about rum punch. You won’t be sorry.

Final note: are you into sipping rums? I recently attended a LUPEC Seattle event at which the aforementioned Marley from Spur taught us all about rums. We sampled many, many, many, and I fell in love with a few.

But I wanted to recommend especially the Pampero Aniversario, a crowd-pleasing aged rum that’s imported by Diagio from Venezuela and sold at some Washington liquor stores.

My notes about this rum, written—it must be said—with bit of a rum buzz on, say: “Toffee, butter, rich. This, reduced + banana pancakes=big-time heaven.”

So…there you have that. Happy national rum day.

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Tags: Cocktails, National Something Days