Sauced

Local Spirits: End of Summer Party at Italianissimo

Pay $15 for the chance to try Woodinville-made spirits in an array of cocktails.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 14, 2011 at 10:42AM 0 Comments

Try Woodinville-made Single Silo Vodka tonight at Italianissimo.

Photo: PV Distillery

With about 40 distilleries now licensed in Washington State, this thing is getting pretty real.

Some of them have tasting rooms of course, but if you’re just taking a first toe dip into Seattle-area spirits, you might check out something like this: Tonight, Wednesday, September 14, Italianissimo Ristorante in Woodinville is having a sampling party on its patio. Pay $15, get the chance to try some cocktails featuring spirits distilled nearby.

Here’s what you’ll be tasting:
Project V Single Silo Vodka (one of my favorites among the local neutral grain spirits), Woodinville Whiskey Co. Headlong White Dog Whiskey, Soft Tail Vodka, Pacific Distillery Absinthe, and Voyager Dry Gin.

Appetizers will also be offered. Italianissimo—a family restaurant that cooks up what you might call unfussy Italian food—has really pillowy gnocchi. Consider having some of that while you’re out there.

The party begins at 5:30pm.

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Tags: Cocktails, Parties, Woodinville, Vodka

Upcoming Drinking Events: Murray at Oliver’s, Syncline tasting, Two Beers in a Can

Lots of boozy options over the next seven days.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jun 16, 2011 at 02:09PM 0 Comments

Taste Bulleit Rye this Monday at the Bookstore Bar.

Photo Courtesy: Bulleit

This Friday, June 17 through Sunday, June 19 is when the Washington Brewers Festival at Saint Edward State Park in Kenmore happens. More than 200 types of beer will be poured and there will be plenty of cider this year too. Take your dad! That guy loves beer.

On Monday, June 20, the Bookstore Bar hosts a tasting of Bulleit bourbon and rye whiskies, the latter debuted in March. Master of Whiskey Breck Taylor hosts, it is from 7 to 9pm and costs $30. That includes a whiskey flight and food pairings.

Wednesday, June 22 is the night that Barrio Bellevue is hosting the third in a series of events called Brazilian Nights, sponsored by Novofogo Cachaca. This time it’s a four-course dinner for $50, call Barrio to reserve: 206-838-3853.

Over the years, Oliver’s Lounge has employed many a Seattle bartender, including legends Murray Stenson and Steve Burney. They, along with several colleagues (Mike Rule, Steve Vlah, and Patrick Donnelly), will be mixing drinks at the hotel bar’s 35th anniversary party next Thursday, June 23 from 4 to 8pm. (I confirmed with the bar that yes, Murray is still slated to tend bar that night despite the shoulder injury). Oh and hey, free food! Oliver’s is serving complimentary happy hour apps for the occasion. To RSVP, call 206-382-6991.

Also on Thursday, the winery responsible for my very favorite by-the-glass rose, Syncline Cellars, is representing at Poco Wine Room. It’s from 6 to 9pm. A $10 tasting fee buys you a taste of five wines; assistant winemaker Poppie Montane will be pouring. If you can’t make the party but want to test the veracity of my statement about the rose, it’s on offer at these two happy hours: Lecosho’s and Seatown Seabar’s.

Finally on Thursday, Two Beers has just begun offering beer by the can, and it will give visitors a chance to try how that tastes from 5 to 8pm.

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Tags: Tastings and Classes, Seattle Bartenders, Parties, Murray Stenson

New Year’s Parties

Drinking events for your consideration on Friday, December 31.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Dec 21, 2010 at 11:27AM 0 Comments

It’s probably time to start making New Year’s Eve plans.

Seattle is lucky, in a way. In the city where I used to live, going out on New Year’s Eve meant committing to some bar or club that you’d never normally go to months in advance for the privilege of elbowing countless congressional aids out of your way to the bar, where you were expected to get down on your hands and knees and beg for a few fingers of Korbel splashed into a plastic glass.

In this town, most of the bars are open and just serving up drinks. Here is a map of places that have good champagne options and are also fun to hang out in. But for those of you who want preplanned parties, I’ve listed a few promising events (and one that both impresses and terrifies me) below.

Happy New Year.

Pay no cover to party at the Local Vine during its champagne happy hour from 4 to 7pm. From 8pm to 2am, however, it will cost you $25 to get in at the door ($15 if you pay in advance). That price includes free champagne at midnight. Local Vine is planning a special New Year’s Eve menu and there will be a DJ.

The Hideout will be hosting its annual NYE party which is rumored to be a straight-up blast. There’s no cover but you are advised to arrive early as the little bar fills up fast.

Spur and Tavern Law are doing tasting menus with drink specials and midnight toasts, call the bars for details.

Or you could hang out upstairs at Tavern Law’s Needle and Thread bar during one of two sessions—7 to 10pm or 10pm to 1am. Whichever you choose, you pay $100 in advance. The price includes a bottle of champagne for each two tickets reserved (or a split for one), and free caviar appetizers. Call 206-325-0133 to reserve.

Now, here’s one for the brave: EMP has a New Year’s Eve party called Indulgence. Tickets for this thing are currently $59 (GA) $189 (VIP Gold) and $350 for (VIP Platinum). There are more than 25 separate bars at this party and three dance floors. EMP expects over 3,000 people. See details here.

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Tags: Parties, Sparkling Wine , New Year's

Party Watch: End of (Belltown) Days for Local Vine Wine Bar

This Saturday: the wine will get cheap as the night goes on.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jul 27, 2010 at 04:52PM 0 Comments

Enter to win this three-digit bottle for five bucks.

As you may know, The Local Vine is moving to the Trace Lofts building on Capitol Hill. (Didn’t know? Back story here. )

Nice digs. But before it makes this move, the wine bar will have a party at its current location in Belltown to commemorate its final day there. That day is Saturday, July 31.

Enticements: $5 raffle tickets to win a 1999 Dom Perignon (yowsa) and a 30 percent discount on wine all day with the promise of bigger price cuts later in the night. Plus if you spend more than $50, you get a free Local Vine t-shirt, which I’m sure your little sister will love to receive as a birthday present this year. (I’m just kidding, that’s not an appropriate present for your sibling’s birthday. Win her that Dom Perignon, man.)

The festivities kick off at 7pm.

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Tags: Wine, Parties, Wine Bars

Sun Liquor Anniversary Party and Update on Gin Distillery

Mark you calendars for barbecue and drink specials.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 18, 2010 at 10:36AM 0 Comments

Drink bourbon drinks with your bbq at Sun Liquor’s anniversary party.

Gin drinks, air conditioning in summer, and the nicest, most knowledgeable bartender named Erik: that’s Sun Liquor.

On Sunday, May 23 Michael Klebeck’s Summit Ave lounge celebrates its fourth anniversary with a party sponsored by Eagle Rare bourbon. There will be drink specials, a barbecue, and much merriment. The party goes from 5 to 8pm.

Klebeck, you may remember, is opening a gin distillery nearby in a 1930s building on Pike Street. He says things are progressing nicely. “All [building] permits are approved and we are finishing up the plumbing work which was quite extensive. We are still on target for a September, maybe first-part-of-October opening.”

I’m anxious to taste this new gin. It’s a tricky market for a new distiller, considering all the excellent gins already out there. And it’s particularly difficult for Washington distillers: I learned recently (by listening to this guy) that the problem is being able to obtain the proper ingredients to make gin and still use the mandated amount of indigenously grown product required by the distillery laws here. Dry Fly, however, is making gin, and Bainbridge Organic Distillers, which now sells vodka at its tasting room, is getting ready to sell its gin. In any case, it’s so cool we’re going to have a distillery on Capitol Hill.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Parties, Whiskey, Gin, Microdistilleries, Barbecue

Diller Room Throws a Grand Opening Party, Invites You

Check out the new cafe-lounge hybrid downtown.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 20, 2010 at 10:00AM 0 Comments

On Thursday, April 22 the Diller Room, the recently transformed cafe and lounge at 1st and University downtown, is hosting its grand opening party. The ruckus begins at 7pm; two DJs (Victor Menegaux and DJ Riz) have been charged with the music.

I’ve had the occasion to visit the Diller Room several times now. The velvet-and-vinyl vintagey decor, which at first reminded me of the sort of mid-nineties coffeehouse that the kids on Party of Five might flop around in, is starting to work its charm on me.

And while there are several reasons that it doesn’t quite fit my criteria for a proper cocktail lounge, the Diller Room has some important things going for it. It’s a relaxing place to chill out because it feels authentically casual—a rare thing downtown. And it manages to pull of the day-to-night, Eurostyle coffee shop/bar-hybrid thing with classy aplomb. This is not easy to do without appearing affected—it’s the hospitality-biz equivalent of draping a sweater around your shoulders. And while I hope that the wines by the glass are improved upon, I think they’ve made some smartly simple decisions with the food.

Check out the party, see what you think.

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Tags: Downtown, Cocktails, Parties, Lounges

The Hideout Extends Its Run

And celebrates with a party.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 14, 2010 at 03:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Nick Feldman

You may or may not know two things.

First, you may or may not know that The Hideout was originally planned as an installation piece, to run for five years only. But as we near the bar’s five-year anniversary, its owners have announced that the First Hill art bar will live on for the foreseeable future. (I like the whiskey drinks at Hideout. If you’re in the market for a good Manhattan, go see Kristen.)

Secondly, you may not know that The Hideout has been closed for the past three nights, in preparation for it anniversary party this Saturday. From a letter from Hideout founder (inventor? owner? author?) Greg Lundgren: “To celebrate these first five years and the dawn of a new chapter, we will be throwing one hell of an anniversary party this Saturday night (April 17). Come down and meet some of the new cast, share stories with some of the original crew, have a good time, play, and know that this is a stage where you are free to experiment, explore and take chances.”

So, do that. That the creatively charged yet refreshingly unassuming Hideout lurks in such a workaday pocket of Seattle—on Boren, right off Madison—is one of those little surprises that make us love this city. Or makes me love it anyway. Something to celebrate.

If you’d like to see the full text of the announcement, click here.

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Tags: Cocktails, Parties, Booze News, First Hill

The Saint Turns Two

and would like to celebrate with you.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 30, 2010 at 12:47PM 2 Comments

Mark you calendars. On Wednesday, April 7, The Saint will host a party to honor its second anniversary. In honor of the event, happy hour will go all night long and staff will be passing around housemade infusions. On top of all this: a mariachi band.

I love this little tequila bar for so many reasons: for the generally excellent staff, for the housemade sangrita, for the carne asada tacos ($5.50 at HH), for the restrained-but-cozy decor. But most of all I love the Saint for all the tequila-fueled fun I’ve had there.

Can’t wait to celebrate its second birthday.

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Tags: Capitol Hill, Parties, Tequila