meet the Pegu

Another favorite cocktail which has been making an appearance around here is the Pegu. Even though it seems to be well known in cocktail-lover’s circles, we have yet to find a bartender who knows how to make one…so we make them ourselves, of course. We’ve gone through several variations, and they’re all extremely nice.

This is a truly old drink recipe, going back to the original Pegu Club officer’s bar in Rangoon in the 1920’s. The recipe was first written down by Harry McElhone of Harry’s New York Bar in 1927. So this is seriously classic stuff. It’s an ideal warm-weather drink, with a misleadingly light, refreshing citrus flavor. But remember, it’s mostly booze, and it packs a bit of a wallop. Sip carefully.

pomegranate cocktails

The other night we had the honor of attending a rather lively party that started out at the Chapel Bar (a funeral home in a previous incarnation) in Seattle. I’m always hesitant about ordering a mixed drink at a new place until I know they know what they’re doing, so I started with a Hendrick’s on the rocks with cucumber, always a safe choice.

But once I had tasted someone else’s The Carpenter and the Walrus (bourbon and sweet tea with bitters, surprisingly good), I realized Chapel seemed to have a grip on their cocktails, so I ordered a Pomegranate. It was tequila, lime and pomegranate juice – a very nice combination, and one that kicked rather a wallop. The ladies next to me were drinking the same thing but with vodka, basically a tart Cosmo – it didn’t really do anything for me, I preferred the tequila. Soon after this, we made our escape, needing to sober up before the drive home.

But the notion of pomegranate juice in a cocktail was an excellent one, inviting further experimentation.

whisky a gogo

While helping my inlaws move this week, we came across this unusual item: a box containing two ampoules of Gogotine Scotch whisky, packed in Paris who knows how long ago. Our first reaction was, “what the…” quickly followed by “Huh. Do you think that’s safe to drink?” Of course, we’re afraid to find out. Anyone know?

cocktail of the moment: the Jasmine

In the last year I have gone from loathing the idea of cocktails to really, really liking them. I owe much of it to Liberty Bar, where I had my first really bitter gin cocktail. Bitter is a flavor I just wasn’t seeing much in the world of girlie cocktails, but it’s really opened up my appreciation for booze combining.

After some home experimentation (and some more trips out to bars with pre-Prohibition-style cocktail menus), we’ve discovered that we are both very fond of tart gin-based drinks such as the Corpse Reviver, the Pegu and the Jasmine. The latter is a current favorite, new to our house since we just bought our first bottle of Campari. It’s bitter, complex, and – as a plus – it’s bright pink! You get all the appeal of a Cosmo without actually having to drink one.

drink of the week: Dragon's Toe

I’m not always a big fan of cocktails. I love the idea, and the fun of watching a bartender put something together for me, but so often the end result just makes me wish I’d ordered a glass of gin on the rocks. Too sweet, too bitter, or just plain weird – what’s the point? I generally stick to one of a few old-style drinks (whiskey sour, sidecar, gin martini, etc) unless I feel like the bartender really knows his or her business.

Last week we stopped into a bar on Capitol Hill called Liberty. We were on our way to Poppy for dinner (more on that later) and wanted to spend some quality time with a good drink first. Liberty has one of the longest cocktail lists I have ever seen, and it’s real stuff – not just sugary vodka in martini glasses, one of my major peeves. It looked promising, so we boldly ordered off the menu. Being the gin hussy that I am, I ordered the Aviation Old-fashioned (gin, two kinds of bitters, a big honking strip of orange zest), and Jon ordered something called a Dragon’s Toe.

I liked my drink; in fact, it grew on me as I drank it to the point that I really missed it once it was gone. But the Dragon’s Toe was love at first sip. See the ingredients on the menu in the picture? Bourbon, ginger water, ginger ale, and cucumber. Sounds weird, tastes magnificent. The spicy sweetness of the bourbon is magnified by the spicy ginger and sweet ginger ale, and the cucumber cools it all down without clashing. Who woulda thunk?

in the Loft

Down the coast from Mount Vernon towards Seattle is a small city called Edmonds. Until recently, we never went there, except to catch the ferry to Kingston, home of Heronswood Nursery (now moved to the East Coast) and the Main Street Ale House (provider of the best sweet potato fries EVER). But a couple of years ago Edmonds opened its new Center for the Arts, and suddenly it’s become a destination. We went to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo there last weekend, and found ourselves needing to find a restaurant on a Sunday night in a very quiet downtown. Luckily for us, The Loft Lounge just opened.

This is a really cool place: very narrow inside (it was hard to get out with people sitting at the front tables) but with a nice looking bar, a cozy upstairs with a slanty ceiling, and a big, lush patio full of bamboo and heaters. We sat upstairs, and while our table had a great bird’s-eye view of the bar, it also had no light. C’est la vie.

a progressive dinner

We had tickets to a rock concert on Friday night in Seattle, so we took advantage of the location to do a sort of pub crawl around the Pike Place Market beforehand. We had intended to start out at Elliott’s Oyster House for happy hour, for a real touristy sort of experience, but the place was jammed with people. Instead, we wandered up the hill climb to Le Pichet, our favorite French cafe.

They had plenty of room, so we got a demi-pichet of Cotes de Gascogne white wine and a dish of very stinky olives, along with a sweet crunchy baguette. It was a perfect way to settle into the evening.

By the time we’d worked our way through the bread and olives, it was 5 o’clock, so we went back down through the market to give Zig Zag Cafe a try. I’ve heard nothing but great things about the cocktails here, and have been meaning to try it out for ages.

the winery dog tour

Six wineries, one brewpub, four espresso milkshakes, one musical performance, and a lot of dogs: we’re back from our trip! This was our annual trip to the Tri-Cities, ostensibly to play at an outdoor music festival, but mostly an excuse to go wine tasting.

Our first (very important) stop was in Ellensburg. The rodeo parade was going on, but it didn’t stop us from getting our usual round of espresso milkshakes at Winegar’s Dairy drive-thru. Who needs lunch when you can get a milkshake like that?

Our first stop, and one of our favorites, was Two Mountain Winery in Zillah. The wine was good (the Tribute was especially fabuliferous), and the dogs were adorable – especially Bentley the Basset hound (I love Basset hound ears, they’re so soft). The winery was having “Dinner and a Movie” that night, with hamburgers and fresh local corn. If it hadn’t been such a drive back from Richland that night, we would’ve been there!

Happy New Year!

For some reason, J likes to save the corks from bottles of sparkling wine – champagne, prosecco, whatever. If he shoots the cork up the stairs then it gets put over my dressing room door; if he pops it out quietly it stays at the bottom of the stairs. We’ve been in this house for more than a few years now – it’s a pretty good collection.

We’ll be adding a cava cork to the lineup tonight. Happy New Year’s Eve to everyone out there!

Licorous

After a late-afternoon trip to Uwajimaya (one of the best places in the world to shop for stocking stuffers), we decided to head up towards Capitol Hill and see what we could find for a drink or an early supper. After a little searching, we landed at Licorous, the lounge next door to Lark. I wasn’t sure I was hungry enough to tackle Lark for the first time, so the bar and small-plates menu at Licorous sounded perfect. We came in dripping from the rain and settled ourselves at the bar.

I’ve been working on my appreciation for bitter flavors lately, so I ordered the house negroni, along with the matched “tasting” – a small plate of serrano ham with sliced pears. I liked the pairing well enough, but wasn’t stunned. Love the concept, though. J got a bourbon cocktail called a Barbaro that came with two adorable “whiskey popovers” whose flavor really did go great with the bourbon.