Sauced

Rob Roy’s Swig Well, a Drinking Academy, Begins Classes in October

The bi-weekly sessions will school Seattleites on cocktail culture via the teachings of bartenders and industry pros.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Sep 21, 2011 at 03:06PM 0 Comments

Photo: Swig Well via Facebook

UPDATE!: So, I just spoke with a Swig Well rep who says the first class on October 13 (which will be repeated again on the 15th) is limited to bloggers/media/and frequent tweeters as a sort of promotional event, but that the regular classes will start soon after that. Teachers will be local, in the beginning, and include the big-name tenders frequently behind the bar at Rob Roy. Down the road, Swig Well will bring drink luminaries from all over to teach classes.

The program also includes Swig Well schwag. There will be custom notebooks, and loyal students will have passports with a stamps for each of the teachers who has schooled them on the way of the drink. The classes will cost between $75-$200 depending on what’s involved; the length of the sessions will also vary. [END UPDATE]

Well! This is exciting.

Everyone’s favorite Seattle cocktail personage Anu Apte is the lady behind Swig Well, a new series of classes held bi-weekly at Rob Roy, her Belltown cocktail lounge. The website’s teacher roster is currently limited to Apte and Ted Munat, author of Left Coast Libations, but I feel certain there will be a longer list soon.

The first class takes place on October 13 but I’m not clear yet on whether that is open to the public. I have a call in at Rob Roy, will update with details. Meantime, check out the Facebook page for more information.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Belltown, Tastings and Classes

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.

Add a Comment »

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

Free Scotch! Balvanie Rare Craft Roadshow in Town Tuesday

RSVP online.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on May 09, 2011 at 06:23AM 2 Comments

Tuesday=Free Balvenie tasting at the Washington Athletic Club

On Tuesday, May 10 the Balvanie Rare Craft Roadshow comes to Washington Athletic Club (1325 6th Avenue) from 7 to 9pm.

What does it all mean? Well, The Balvanie is a single malt scotch whiskey from the Speyside region in northeast Scotland (also from Speyside: Glenlivet and Glenfiddich, among others). It’s been around since 1893. Its website speaks of barley grown on the grounds that surround the gazillion-year-old castle that houses the distillery and an on-site cooperage and coppersmith. When you drink it you hear bagpipes and your pants take the form of a tartan kilt. (Allegedly).

The rare craft roadshow is of course aimed at familiarizing us with the product. Its two brand ambassadors are going all around the country hosting tastings. Tuesday, they are here. From what I gather they talk some about the whiskey and the distillery and then they give people whiskey. For free! There’s the 12-year, aged in two types of cask and the other 12-year—the Signature—aged in three types. Then there’s the single barrel 15-year, and the 14-year aged in casks once used to make rum in the Caribbean, etc, etc.

RSVP here before the event fills up and you don’t get to have any free whiskey.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Whiskey, Scotch, Free Drinks, The Balvenie, Speyside

Drinking Events This Week: Dry Fly at Meet Your Maker, Earth Day Tastings, Eggs N Ovaries

Booze-focused to-dos for the week of April 18.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 19, 2011 at 10:13AM 0 Comments

Bring your reusable vessel to the 7 Seas tasting at Full Throttle Bottles in Georgetown.

On Tuesday, April 19, Palace Kitchen begins the Meet Your Maker series, “an opportunity to meet some of our favorite specialty liquor, beer and wine producers.”

Kent Fleischmann of Dry Fly Distilling in Spokane will be there from 6 to 9pm. Pay $25 to meet him and try Dry Fly’s gin, vodka, and whiskey paired with bites from the chef: scallop crudo, smoked salmon, and glazed pork belly. Details here.

Gig Harbor’s 7 Seas Brewing will be tasted at Georgetown’s Full Throttle Bottles on Wednesday, April 20 from 5 to 7pm. It’s $3, or $2 if you bring your own earth friendly vessel.

Attention organic hair-product junkies (I know you’re out there, stand up and be counted): the Local Vine on Capitol Hill is inviting Aveda over for Earth Day on Thursday, April 21 from 6 to 9pm. Admission is free and you can enter to win products. The bar will be serving organic and biodynamic wines for the occasion.

Molbak’s Garden and Home in Woodinville is hosting a wine tasting in honor of Earth Day this Friday, April 22. A $25 entrance fee buys you six “generous” pours from Brian Carter Cellars, Castillo de Feliciana, DeLille Cellars, Dusted Valley and Elsom Cellars (good wineries!), plus appetizers.

This Saturday, April 23 it’s Eggs N Ovaries in Ballard: you donate, you get a wristband, and you run around Ballard bars looking for hidden Easter eggs. The event benefits ovarian cancer research, all the info you need is here.

Sunday, April 24—some people call it Easter—Bottleworks welcomes Full Sail Brewing to the store. It’s a chance to try 10 beverages (year-rounds, seasonals, and barley wine) from the fine Hood River, Oregon brewery for the bargain price of $1.

Bottleworks opens at 11am on Sundays.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Beer and Food Pairing, Earth Day, Georgetown, Washington Wines, Ballard, Woodinville, Wine Tastings, Beer, Capitol Hill, Seattle Beer

Rum Tasting at Oliver’s Lounge

A cocktail class geared towards the less serious set.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Apr 13, 2011 at 11:15AM 0 Comments

Cocktail fans need not be serious students. Learn just a little at Oliver’s Lounge.

photo courtesy: fas.usda.gov

Spirit “tastings” can mean a lot of things. Sometimes, you just taste stuff. Other times, you get a little lesson with your booze.

The Bookstore Bar’s series of scotch tastings are great 101 classes and the bonus is that you get to taste fantastic scotches. The Drinking Lessons series at the Sorrento is probably the most esoteric of the local offerings—the bartenders who teach those are unafraid to veer into historical minutiae and/or soliloquize about recherche spirits that most of us will likely never come across again.

And that’s all fine and good. Personally, I love some historical minutiae with my cocktail. But maybe you don’t? Maybe you just want to know the basics of rum, learn how to make a mai tai, and try Bacardi’s latest product, Seven Tiki. If that’s true, let me steer you in the direction of Oliver’s Lounge, which is hosting a $10 tasting (that price includes cocktails and snacks) on Wednesday, April 20 from 6 to 7:30.

Beverage director Steve Johansson says the class will be more serious than fun—it will bulletpoint the spirit’s history, then move on to cocktail making. Some rum punch may be involved. Sign up by calling 206-623-8700.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Cocktails, Tastings and Classes, Rum

Benefit for Japan: Reps from Suntory and Maker’s Mark Talk Whiskey

Proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Mar 21, 2011 at 08:00AM 0 Comments

Photo: Amos Morgan

Kentucky or Kyoto? Learn your whiskys at the Sorrento’s upcoming class, a benefit for Doctors Without Borders.

“Japan and Kentucky, a Conversation, with Whiskey” is the next class in the Sorrento Hotel’s Drinking Lessons series, to be held in the hotel’s penthouse at 7pm on March 31.

The price is $25, buy tickets here.

Presiding over the gathering will be San Francisco bartender Neyah White, who is a brand ambassador for Suntory (Hibiki, Yamakazi), and Cody Rossen of Maker’s Mark. If you’ve ever been curious about Japanese whiskey—or how whiskey varies from region to region—here’s your chance to bone up while contributing to an urgent cause. And while drinking delicious, delicious whiskey.

Side note: A lot of industry folks are suggesting we invest in Japanese whiskeys and sakes as a way of stimulating the Japanese economy. If you want to contribute in this way, you can find Suntory whiskeys at state liquor stores or go by Sake Nomi, an excellently stocked Pioneer Square shop that regularly holds sake tastings and other educational events.

Side note to the side note: Sake Nomi is planning a benefit for tsunami victims, a tentative date of April 1 has been set. I’ll update with details when they are available.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Booze 101, Drink booze, do good, Whiskey, First Hill, Japan Relief Efforts

Sake Tasting Party at Saké Nomi in Pioneer Square

Fifteen sakes plus Japanese Street Food from Umami Kushi at the Seattle sake shop this Friday.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Feb 23, 2011 at 09:13AM 0 Comments

School yourself on sake while munching on meat sticks this Friday in Pioneer Square.

Photo courtesy Open Kyoto

Premium sakes are more popular than ever in the United States, and yet far too few of us really know one from the other.

It’s probably time to change that, and here’s a good place to start.

Saké Nomi is hosting a bunch of Japanese sake brewers this Friday, February 25—it’s your chance to try 15 different sakes and learn about how and where they are made.

Sweetening the deal are snacks from Harold Fields, the chef from Umami Kushi, a Seattle-based yakitori catering company. So expect a lot of tasty skewered meats.

The tasting begins at 5pm and ends at 8, though there are promises of an after party.

Space is limited to 50 people and tickets cost $25 per person. Call Saké Nomi to reserve.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Pioneer Square, Wine Tastings, Seattle Sake Events

Tonight at Tavern Law: Meet Former Maker’s Mark Distiller David Pickerell

Stop by the Capitol Hill cocktail bar for a tasting.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 12, 2011 at 01:05PM 0 Comments

David Pickerell (center) and the Woodinville Whiskey guys.

David Pickerell—the recently retired master distiller at Maker’s Mark—has been mentoring the dudes behind Woodinville Whiskey.

And he’s in town this week, doing a few already-at-capacity events at the distillery. But you can meet him Wednesday, January 12 when he hosts a whiskey tasting at Tavern Law. Pickerell will be presenting Woodinville Whiskey’s Headlong white dog (unaged) whiskey and its Peabody Jones vodka.

He’ll be there from 7 to 10pm.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Capitol Hill, Drinking Events, Microdistilleries

Glenlivet Tasting: Five Single Malts And Snacks for $30

Sign up for scotch school next Monday at the Alexis.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 10, 2011 at 09:37AM 0 Comments

The Bookstore Bar at the Alexis hosts a scotch tasting on Monday, January 17.

From time to time the Alexis Hotel hosts vertical scotch tastings led by a brand ambassador from one of the major scotch companies. The price is $30; this buys you a chance to sample five scotches plus snacks, which tend towards the ample.

On Monday, January 17—Martin Luther King Day—Rick Edwards of Glenlivet will do the honors, pouring five single malts aged between 12 and 21 years. Prepare to leave the tasting with a mild buzz and a rudimentary understanding of Scotland’s whiskey-making regions and processes.

The two-hour tasting begins at 7pm, call the Bookstore Bar to reserve.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Downtown, Tastings and Classes, Scotch

Better Boozing: Free Wine Class at Dish It Up!

Practice wine sniffing (and drink for free) this Saturday night in Ballard.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Jan 04, 2011 at 10:18AM 5 Comments

Know your aromas Stop by Dish It Up this weekend to sharpen your sniffing skills.

Something cool this weekend:

Shannon Jones is winemaker at Woodinville winery Hestia Cellars. He is teaming up with sommelier Cole Sisson this Saturday, January 8 to teach a free wine-sniffing class at Dish It Up’s Ballard location.

If you tend to scratch your head like a monkey when you hear people discussing wine aromas, you should definitely stop by. Wine aromas are described using foods and objects such as honey and chocolate and various berries and wet dog and skunk and cloves and bootstraps. Jones and Sisson are bringing some of these things (probably not the skunk, but who knows) to the class. You’ll smell what they bring, and then smell the wine themselves. Suddenly, everything will make sense. Bonus: You get to drink the wine.

The class is from 6 to 8pm. Since it’s held on the second Saturday of the month, Ballard Art Walk will be in full swing. So you might want to check that out too.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Wine Tastings, Ballard, Free Drinks, Free Stuff, Better Boozing in 2011

Old Bawdy Is Back

Pike Brewing’s 2010 barley wine will be on sale December 1.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Nov 12, 2010 at 07:46AM 1 Comments

Barley wine, a very boozy ale.

On December 1, Pike Brewing will release its 2010 Old Bawdy Barley Wine.

Barley wine is actually a very strong ale. It’s called “wine” because it is as alcoholic as wine, with strengths of 8 to 15 percent abv. Every winter the Pike Place Market brewery does a vertical tasting of its barley wine—you pay $20 ($25 at the door), and then have the chance to compare Old Bawdy vintages from 2006 to present.

This year’s tasting takes place on January 30 from 1 to 6pm in the pub’s museum room. Tickets go on sale December 1.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Pike Place Market, Barley Wine

Winter Beer Tasting at Ivar’s

10 Northwest seasonals will be on sample.

Posted by: Jessica Voelker on Nov 10, 2010 at 03:07PM 0 Comments

Winter beers make us happy.

I’m sorry to report that the Fall Cider Celebration at Ivar’s Salmon House is all sold out. Consider instead the Northwest Winter Beer Tasting. That Happens Tuesday, November 16 at the salmon house’s absurdly named sister restaurant, Ivar’s Acres of Clams.

Tickets are $20. In exchange for this sum you receive five tokens—each good for a beer—and access to “light” appetizers.

Ten winter beers will be on sample, hailing from such breweries as Hale’s, Fremont Brewing, Schooner Exact—all from Seattle—and Ninkasi, based in Eugene, Oregon.

Add a Comment »

Tags: Tastings and Classes, Beer, Drinking Events