Sauced

Pucker Up, PNW: Pok Pok Chef’s Drinking Vinegars Hit Retail Stores

Seattleites can head south for the retail release party, or stay here and just order the vinegars online.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Aug 10, 2011 at 07:41AM 3 Comments

Drink me.

Photo: Som via Facebook

Drinking vinegars have been touted for their health benefits since forever. Italians swig balsamic to aid digestion after an indulgent feed, the Japanese imbibe vinegar in a multitude of flavors—shiso, millet, persimmon, pineapple, plum, and so forth.

Earlier this summer, our sister magazine Portland Monthly published an article by David Welch that describes a line of vinegars created by Pok Pok chef Andy Ricker. “These vinegars are…entirely distinct from cooking vinegars,” writes Welch. “They contain half the acidity of balsamic or red wine vinegar; they come flavored with fruit juices such as plum and pineapple; and they’re typically sweetened with honey or sugar.”

Ricker has bottled four flavors of vinegar—apple, tamarind, pomegranate, and honey—under the label SOM, and sells them by the bottle at his Portland restaurants.

And now they are being released to retail shops.[UPDATE: Ricker says the vinegars will be distributed by Provvista, and that the company has received inquiries from Seattle but there’s not word yet on where they’ll be sold.] To celebrate, House Spirits in Portland is throwing a party on Saturday, August 13 from 11:00am to 6:00pm. If you can get down there, do it: The party is free, open to the public over 21, and will feature cocktails that include Ricker’s vinegars plus House products Aviation Gin, Krogstad Aquavit, House Spirits White Dog Whiskey, and Gammal Krogstad, its barrel-aged version of Krogstad Aquavit.

If you’re not up for a jaunt south, you can order the vinegars online. Or, If you need to have a cocktail with vinegar this very evening, I suggest heading to Artusi for a Miller’s Crossing: Martin Miller’s gin, Amaro Montenegro, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of cassis. Plus you can check out the new food menu.

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Tags: Cocktails, Portland , Drinking Vinegars

Seattle Beer Week Essentials: New Belgium at the Troll, Ninkasi (Cocktails!) at the Shelter

Here’s what’s up on day six.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 24, 2011 at 10:51AM 0 Comments

So. Much. Beer.

photo: futilitycloset.com

Are you experiencing lucid dreams in which giant pints of beer are chasing you through darkened alleys, shouting out claims on your soul? It’s all part of beer week, friends.

Here are the picks for Tuesday, May 24.

BALLARD
Not to be missed: The Brewing Up Cocktails event at The Shelter Lounge from 7 to 10pm tonight: Ninkasi Brewmaster Jamie Floyd teams up with Ezra Johnson-Greenough and Jacob Grier, all from Portland. They will mix up beer cocktails for your drinking pleasure. (If you must miss it, Brewing Up Cocktails will be at Brouwer’s on Wednesday night with Hopworks.)

FREMONT
Bike up to the Fremont Troll tonight from 11 to 11:45pm and you can partake in cans from New Belgium Brewing.

GREENWOOD
Naked City invites West Puget Sound brewers to the bar tonight from 6 to 10pm, your chance to sample offerings from Silver City, Port Townsend, Hood Canal, Der Blokken, Sound, Slippery Pig, Valholl, and Slip Point.

WALLINGFORD
It’s like some how-to-avoid-toxic-people self-help course, only it’s bad beer you’ll be avoiding: Jamie Mastin from New Belgium Brewing will be at Bottleworks from 3 to 6pm today to teach a primer on common defects in beer and how to identify them.

A duo of side notes:
1. I would have included the La Trappe event at Lot No. 3 tonight but it’s totally booked. If you want to put yourself on a list in case of cancellation, call 206-838-3853.

2. As always, find the complete list of SBW events here.

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Tags: Cocktails, Portland , Seattle Beer Week, The Fremont Troll,

Do Cocktails Get a Free Pass on Weird?

I hope so.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 03, 2010 at 08:04AM 4 Comments

A cocktail from Beaker and Flask, the Portland bar where the Norwegian Negroni was born.

So I’m flipping through my new Bon Appétit last night, and I come to a sunshine yellow page with a big cocktail glass on it. Turns out to be the Norwegian Negroni, a “Scandinavian version of the Italian negroni.” The drink is attributed to Kevin Ludwig, owner of Beaker and Flask in Portland, and it is described as “Scandinavian” because it is made with aquavit instead of gin. It also contains sweet vermouth and Cynar (an Italian artichoke liqueur that most of us have to learn to love) and is garnished with an orange twist.

The reason I bring all this up is because as I was sitting there reading, it occurred to me that I wasn’t looking at Imbibe, or some regional Seattle, Portland, or San Fran foodie publication whose readers were accustomed to odd little cocktail bars with bracing drinks that, while frequently fantastic, are often acquired tastes. (Cocktail lovers: do you remember the first time you tasted Cynar?)

I’m not criticizing BA, I was thrilled to see this funky drink amidst articles like “Best Places for Donuts” (shout-out to Mighty-O) and a recipe for a chicken parmesan burger that can only be described as very straightforward. But there seems to be some mixed expectations here. On the page prior to the negroni article, the mag’s food expert explains to readers what their palate is, and how they can use it to discover flavors in food and drinks. I hope people making this drink reads that page first, because they are about to put their palates through something serious with that cocktail.

Or let’s think about it this way: What would be the food-recipe equivalent for an aquavit, sweet vermouth, and Cynar drink? It ain’t a chicken parm sandwich, that’s for sure. And I think that’s awesome, from a cocktail lover’s standpoint. It seems that in the national media, drinkers might be getting a free pass on weird. And when weird is also complex and rewarding, that’s a good thing. Plus it’s fun to think about an adventurous older lady in some far-from-the-freeway town whipping up Norwegian Negronis for her book club.

Brace yourself, ladies.

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Tags: Cocktails, Cocktail Recipes, Portland , Research and Investigation