Two At The Most » Events

TDN Crystal Head Vodka – Live from Chantanee

Stevi — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 04:58:12 +0000

This week’s Thursday Drink Night promises to be a lot fun.

It’s sponsored by Crystal Head Vodka. Vodka may get a lot of derision from cocktail geeks, but it can present a true challenge when trying to create a well balanced cocktail. And, just in time for Halloween, it comes in a gorgeous bottle in the shape of a crystal skull!

Here in Seattle, we’ll be participating live from the Naga bar at Chantanee Thai Restaurant in Bellevue, where we’ll be mixing up and tasting all the drinks invented for the night and generally having a great time.

We’ll be starting at 4 pm PDT / 7 pm EDT. Log in to the Mixoloseum chat room and share with us your ideas for drinks that feature Crystal Head vodka. The best drinks will be put up for a vote; the winner will receive a Baron strainer courtesy of Cocktail Kingdom. A

And be sure to check the Mixoloseum blog for the live video feed from Chantanee where I know bar manager Andrew Bohrer has some fun ideas in store for us!

TDN Tiki — Our First Anniversary

Stevi — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:00:33 +0000

It’s hard to believe, but Thursday Drink Night (TDN) has been around for a whole year.

An entire year of cocktail enthusiasts getting together once a week to invent new drinks on the fly. Dozens of themes have been tested. Hundreds of recipes have been tried¹. Thousands of Your Mom jokes have been told.

To celebrate, this week the Mixoloseum Bar is having a special Tiki TDN, with Special Guest Beachbum Berry! Jeff Berry has joined us before and is both a delightful person and font of vast tiki knowledge. Come armed with questions about kitsch culture and mixing up rums, because Jeff is the man to ask.

And there’s more. Because it’s our anniversary, there will Fabulous Prizes. Now, we have had some pretty fantastic prizes over the past year, but this TDN will have some serious loot: a gold Japanese bar spoon, all six of the newest classic cocktail book reprints from Mud Puddle Books, a signed bottle each of Obsello Absinthe and Port of Barcelona gin, and a bottle of Old New Orleans Cajun spice rum.

I need to learn how to invent a tiki drink and FAST.

This promises to be a fantastic TDN. The fun starts this Thursday Night (September 3) at 7 pm EDT (4 pm on the Best Coast). Be sure to join us at the Mixoloseum bar for all the fun!

[1] Some have actually been keepers!

Pacific Distillery Dinner at Prohibition Grille

Stevi — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 18:39:58 +0000

In the Seattle Metro area? Looking for a chance to try some great cocktails featuring Voyager Gin and Pacifique Absinthe? Want to eat some great gourmet Southern cuisine? Want to meet Chef Rocky of Prohibition Grille and Pacific Distillery’s Master Distiller Marc Bernhard?

You’re in luck! Because on Tuesday, June 16, 2009, at 6 pm, Pacific Distillery will be hosting its first ever Distiller’s Dinner at Prohibition Grille, in Everett, WA!

For $50 (plus tax and gratuity), you’ll receive a five course meal paired with premium cocktails. Be sure to make your reservations now by calling 425.258.6100!

Hope to see you there!

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Rattlesnake Hills AVA Winery Ride

Stevi — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:37:03 +0000

I love to ride, and I love to taste wine, so it will be no surprise one of my favorite activities is a winery ride.

Essential Extra Tack

This was the first time I made it to the Northwest Peruvian Horse Club‘s wine ride. This year we toured five wineries in the Rattlesnake Hills AVA. We were led by Linda Spurlock of Severino Cellars and Shannon Bird, Executive Director of the Rattlesnake Hill’s Wine Trail, who were able to join us on Peruvians due to the generosity of Dennis Brown, who also did a great job of organizing the ride for the club.

We met and tacked up at Severino Cellars, which is so new they are doing their tasting room out of their RV. I particularly enjoyed their Viognier. Linda also informed us about the Rattlesnake Hills Wine Trail Passport. For $10, Passport holders receive several benefits, from waived tasting fees to excellent discounts on bottles of wine. Mine was definitely worth the $10.

After our first tasting, we saddled up and took the short ride over to Two Mountain Winery. Here we took turns holding each others horses and going in to the tasting room. I liked their off-dry Riesling enough to pick up a couple of bottles.

Then it was through the vineyards and orchards up to a large irrigation canal for the longest leg of the ride, over to Silver Lake Winery. By far the largest winery we visited (and apparently the largest consumer-owned winery in Washington), it was very busy when we arrived. Naturally we made quite a stir when we showed up and rode through the parking lot. The winery had a couple of hitching posts we were able to use, but not enough for our entire party of 17 riders.

The Passport let us waive the $5 tasting fee for the cask wine list. It was quite a selection. As usual, I restricted myself to the whites.¹ Their Roza Rose was such a perfect summer wine that we bought a chilled bottle to share with everybody before we got back on. I also picked up a couple of bottles of Riesling.

The Haul

And just how did I handle carrying all this wine I was buying? Why, I put it in the chase car, naturally! Two club members, Randy Eldridge and Pedro Cantaro, were kind enough to drive instead of ride. They arrived at each winery ahead of us, and let us put our bottles in the car. They even brought them back to the starting point and let us have them back!

And it was a good thing that car was there when we got to the fourth winery, Paradisos del Sol. I was lucky enough to have a tasting lead by the winemaker, Paul Vandenberg, a man who is passionate about wine and its history. The mantra at the tasting was “sip, sip, taste, sip.” The wines were all paired with food. Only after taking the first tasting sips do you try the food, then sip again to see the difference. I’ve been taught this before, and it’s a great way to taste wine. Some wines are great alone, some truly come into their own when paired with the right food.

The whites were paired with a couple of different dips. The real fun came with the dessert wines. The Angelica G was paired with a piece of pear. For the port, there was chocolate to warm in our mouths and then taste the port again. And for the Botrytis Riesling, we were asked to toast mini marshmallows over a candle.

The real discovery for me was the Angelica G, the winery’s take on angelica, sacramental wine created by Franciscan friars in California. This fortified wine comes in at a hefty 19% ABV. It has a great balance of spice and sweetness, with some hints of cinnamon and cardamom to it. I’m looking forward to sharing this with friends over a delicious fruit-based dessert.

Our last winery of the day was Maison de Padgett. I wish I could tell you more about their wine. I walked into the beautiful tasting room, but found out that while the Passport would get me discounts on any wine I bought, it didn’t include the tasting fee, and while I had remembered my credit card, I had no cash on me. I’m sure I could have found someone to loan me the cash, but I was a bit wine and ride fatigued, so I gave it a pass. Others who did the tasting said they had a wide range of unique wines, so some day I will definitely go back and give them a try. The Passport has no expiration date, after all, and features 15 of the Rattlesnake Hills wineries.

The it was back to Severino to untack the horses and pick up up all our bottles. We were all pretty exhausted, but found the energy to enjoy some cheese, salami, and crackers as a snack before we headed to the Franklin County Saddle Club for our potluck dinner.

If you are ever in Zillah, Washington, and like great wine, I highly recommend giving the wineries of the Rattlesnake AVA a taste. If you can make your tour on horseback, all the better!

[1] I am one of those cursed with red wine as a migraine trigger.

Spanish White Suggestions Sought

Create the official Monteleone Cocktail

Stevi — Thu, 07 May 2009 16:41:38 +0000

This month is the 60th anniversary of the Hotel Monteleone, a venerable French Quarter institution and Headquarters Hotel for Tales of the Cocktail 2009.

In reviewing their history, they discovered that starting in 1949, there was a specialty Monteleone Cocktail. It was on the menu until the late 60′s or 70′s, but then was lost to mists of time, including any details on what was in it.

To celebrate their 60th anniversary, they are holding a cocktail contest to nominal a new official Monteleone Cocktail. Now most drink contests are restricted to bartenders, but this one is open to the general public. That means you, yes you, can enter!

There are no requirements on types of liquor or style of drink.

Simply submit your recipe by May 18, 2009 by emailing your drink recipe, name, address and phone number, to athornton@hotelmonteleone.com. If you have a blog, please write about the cocktail there, but that is not a requirement.

On May 21, during the Carousel anniversary party, VIPs will judge all the drink entries. If your drink is chosen, it will become the official Monteleone Cocktail. You will also receive four free nights at the Hotel during this year’s Tales of the Cocktail.

I’ll be submitting an entry. Think you can do better than me? You should submit one, too!

MxMo XXXVI: Hard Drinks for Hard Times — The French 75

Stevi — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:03:26 +0000

It’s Mixology Monday again, and this month’s host is the inimitable Matthew Rowley. This month’s theme is mighty timely: Hard Drinks for Hard Times. Our task this month is to:

[M]ix, consume, and write about an alcoholic drink you’ve made that resonates with the current economic turndown and explain how it addresses the theme.

One of the things I have discovered as I delve deeper into mixology is that the really expensive items are the liqueurs. Green Chartreuse, one of my favorites, runs me almost $30 for a 350 ml bottle. This drives up the cost of some of the more liqueur heavy drinks, especially those with liqueurs I don’t use all that often.

French 75

Instead, I’d like to focus on more affordable elegance. One of my favorite drinks in this category is the French 75.

Knowing the drink’s name refers to the French 75mm howitzer artillery piece from World War I,¹ it amuses me to think of this as an elegant drink. But then again, it is served in a champagne glass, topply with bubbles, and what can be more elegant than that?

Apparently some claim that the drink was originally made with cognac, not gin, but I like the gin version, so I’m firmly in the juniper camp in this case.

What makes it affordable is that the combination of ingredients means this can taste great with any decent gin and reasonable sparkling wine. In fact, I would never make this with a top-of-the-line champagne. My favorite bubbly to use is an extra brut cava, either Cristalino or Sigura Viudas. I can get a bottle of either for about $10. As it only takes about 2 ounces to make one French 75, I can get 10-12 delicious drinks from one bottle.

Now, as I prefer to have two at the very most, I don’t drink these all in one night. I highly recommend the butterfly style champagne stopper. I think mine cost all of $4, and have found a bottle can last a good four days after being opened while retaining nice carbonation when I use one.

The French 75 is one of my favorite drinks to experiment with a new gin, but to be honest, it’s not a drink where a quality gin really shines. Using a mid-level gin like New Amsterdam or Bellringer is going to give you a very tasty drink. But don’t shy away from using your good gin here for a special treat.

The rest of the ingredients are very affordable: simple syrup and lemon juice.

French 75

1.5 oz gin

0.75 oz simple syrup

0.5 oz lemon juice

sparkling wine to top

Shake all but sparkling wine with ice, strain into a champagne flute, and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with a lemon twist if you desire even more elegance.

Many people like to rim the glass with sugar, but I find that unnecessary with the amount of sugar in my preferred preparation, and a lot easier to clean up afterwards.

The French 75, along with the Pisco Sour, is one of those drinks I should start making with more citrus to sugar, to help slow me down. It’s one of those cocktails that, when well made, I find infinitely drinkable. The fact that it’s one of the more affordable drinks in my repetoire makes it even more desirable these days.

Thanks to Matthew for a great topic, and be sure to check in at the Whiskey Forge for the roundup!

[1] or The Great War as it was called at the time of the drink’s invention

Jerry Thomas Night at Vessel

Stevi — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 23:33:44 +0000

My passion for cocktails and mixology was in part inspired by From Absinthe Cocktail to Whiskey Smash, a Salute in Stories and Drinks to “Professor” Jerry Thomas by David Wondrich. In discussing Jerry Thomas, America’s first celebrity bartender, Wondrich also covers some of the most important basics in creating great cocktails.

Jerry Thomas makes a Blue Blazer

I’m not alone in my admiration for Mr. Thomas. Vessel, one of Seattle’s top cocktail bars, is trying to create a bartender’s holiday in his name. That’s why this Presidents Day, Monday, February 16, from opening at 4 pm until close, Vessel is hosting Jerry Thomas Night, in honor of the Founding Father of bartending.

Vessel bartenders Jim Romdall and Zane Harris¹ are working with other Seattle bartenders to create a great list of Thomas’ cocktails for the event.

What promises to be even more fun is they’ll be asking all bartenders who attend to get behind the bar and make one of Thomas’ signature drinks, the Blue Blazer.

Blue Blazer

2 1/2 oz rye or bourbon whiskey or Brandy
2 1/2 oz boiling water
1 tsp powdered sugar
lemon peel

Use two large silver-plated mugs, with handles. Put the whiskey in one mug, and the boiling water into the other, ignite the whiskey and, while blazing, mix both ingredients by pouring them from one mug to the other. If well done, this will have the appearance of a continued stream of liquid fire. Sweeten with sugar and serve with a piece of lemon peel. Serve in a four-ounce stemmed mug.

The result is a whiskey toddy, with a great show to boot.

It promises to be a great night. I’m looking forward to it, and if you’re in the area, I hope to see you there!

Jerry Thomas Night
Monday, February 16, 2009 (Presidents Day)
Vessel
1312 5th Avenue
Seattle, WA
Google Maps

[1] Call Zane a mixologist. I dare you!

My Journey with the Pisco Sour

Stevi — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 04:01:28 +0000

I can trace my love of mixology through the evolution of my standards for homemade pisco sours.

Like many Americans, I first discovered this delicious quaff on a trip to Peru. I had one every chance I could get, and picked up a bottle of acholado pisco at the duty free, along with some packets of pisco sour mix. I was told this was a way to make a decent pisco sour, especially since we can’t get the right citrus here in the US, and for a while, I believed that.

Then I decided to try to mix my own. As I documented in my very first cocktail post, I didn’t think I could get a wonderful foamy head on a pisco sour without resorting to a blender.

Pisco Sour

Now that I’m building my skills as a home bartender, I’ve discovered I can create an egg white drink with a gorgeous, foamy froth on top with just my shaker and some effort. My favorite secret is using the dry shake. Put all the ingredients in the shaker with no ice, give a vigorous shake for at least 10 seconds. Then add the ice and shake again, for as long as you can stand it. I aim for at least a minute.

The result is luscious, rich, and tastes all the better for knowing the effort I put into it. Who knows, maybe the next step in my journey is to start scorching my sours. I am definitely eying the milk whippers that all the cool bars in town are using for foaming their egg-white drinks.

For nearly a year, my standard pisco sour recipe has been 3 : 2 : 1 pisco : simple syrup : lime juice. This makes for a dangerously drinkable beverage that always seems to go down too fast. Lately I’ve been tinkering with the recipe to bring the pisco more to the forefront and up the sour. The result is a drink that I sip more slowly, and I enjoy more.

Pisco Sour

2 oz pisco (BarSol Quebranta)
1 oz fresh squeezed lime juice
1 oz simple syrup (1:1)
1 egg white
Amargo bitters for aromatics (sub Angostura) (don’t include in shaker!)

Dry shake everything but the bitters for at least 10 seconds. Add ice and shake for 1 minute. Strain into cocktail glass and top with 1-2 drops bitters.

Peru and Chile dispute the origin of both pisco and the pisco sour. You may guess from the above where my opinion lies. Regardless of your feelings, remember that the first Saturday of February is Peru’s National Pisco Sour Day. That sounds like a damn fine reason to make a round and toast. ¡Viva Perú!

Thursday Drink Night goes Video

Stevi — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 22:41:33 +0000

I’ve mentioned Thursday Drink Night at the Mixoloseum Bar a few times. But what really goes on?

Now you have a chance to see! Our recent TDN sponsored by Mata Hari absinthe had a special live event. Several folks, including Rick from Kaiser Penguin, SeanMike and Marshall from Scofflaw’s Den, and Samantha from the Brand Action Team, showed up to the Tabard Inn, Washington, D.C. There bartender Chantal Tseng gracefully withstood being handed brand new recipes, and mixed them up on the spot. A videographer was on hand to record the fun.

The rest of us had to mix (and occasionally sink) our own drinks at home, but hopefully some day there will be a live TDN event in your neck of the woods! Check out the writeup of some of the best drinks.

Happy Holidays from Two at the Most

Stevi — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 18:09:58 +0000

Here in Western Washington, we’re getting a new layer of crisp white snow, making for a rare white Christmas.

I hope you’re having a wonderful holiday season, however you celebrate it!

And if you are looking for a festive drink, I highly recommend Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s egg nog recipe. It takes less than 10 minutes to make (although the hour rest to let the flavors blend is highly recommended), no egg seperating required, and has earned rave reviews from my family this holiday. Cheers!

Happy Discovery