February 2009

A fun place to go out in Seattle, and one I was just at last night in fact, is Grey Gallery & Lounge (1512 11th Ave on Capitol Hill).  I have been there twice in the past month and I am pleased with it overall.  The atmosphere is great, they usually have a live DJ playing some kind of "down tempo lounge" music.  When I listen to the background music I imagine a person on the radio saying something like, "You are now in the lounge with DJ ________(fill in the blank)." Of course they would have to say it in the most smooth, sexy voice they could muster.  It would probably sound nothing like when they normally talk to their friends or when they are talking to an officer who just pulled them over, but it would work great to set the mood at Grey Gallery & Lounge.

In addition to the great background music, the crowd is full of nice people.  Everyone just wants to chill.  Nobody is trying to start fights and nobody wants to play darts.  In fact, there isn't a single dart board in sight.  Not that I

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The first time I ever had Irish coffee it was what I now think of as faux Irish coffee; it was black coffee with a splash of Bailey's Irish Creme, and a squirt of whipped cream from a can. It was OK; not terrible, but I didn't want a second. The next time was at a hotel bar attached to a Shiloh Inn. That time, it was coffee with a shot of Jameson's, whipped cream from a can, and—I shudder even as I write this—a splash of Crème de Menthe on the cream.

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Ah yes, on to yet another fruitful beverage that is best served when you are out partying with your friends and intending to get entirely inebriated that evening. What else could I be possibly talking about, with exceptions to a fabulous mix drink, or in this case, technically a boilermaker. So without further ado, disruptions or (Sip) more drinks, I present to you a timeless bar favorite, one that really needs no further introduction: the Irish Car Bomb. And contrary to popular belief, there is really only one true and trodden way to concoct this tasty mixed beverage and drink it.

The Classic Composition of the Irish Car Bomb
Better known to many as a ‘beer cocktail,’ the Irish Car Bomb is actually a boilermaker that involves to well-known and very drank beverages: Guinness Beer and Bailey’s Irish Cream liquor. The makings of this drink are rather simple in reality. You place a 12-ounce beer glass on the counter and fill to about two inches from the top with Stout Guinness beer.

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The name Absinthe conjures up thoughts of misspent nights in Amsterdam and the frat boy mentality of getting as wasted on drugs and alcohol as humanly possible. But I’d like to present the case that Absinthe, sometimes referred to in French as "La Fee Verte" or "The Green Fairy", is a very versatile, enjoyable drink for a person looking to experience one of the absolute classic drinks of Europe. Absinthe has an extremely rich history, perhaps one of the most interesting of all alcoholic beverages, and is still considered a controlled substance in the United States, unless it is considered to be thujone free. The latter type of Absinthe is still not technically legal, but it is not a controlled substance.

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From the great and mindful fathoms of the pioneer and original connoisseur—the purveyor of the world’s very first taste of what would later move on to become one of the more popular and better known of highball drinks at any bar, restaurant or lounge—Robert (Rosebud) Buttu, whom created the Long Island Ice Tea while bartender at the ritzy Oak Beach Inn, in the Town of Babylon, Long Island, New York, has been forever my favorite highball mixer drink while out partying. There are now many different variations to the recipe, but the original, as it was intended by Buttu, is still my favorite to whet my palate with during the weekends, when I find myself clubbing or bar hopping with my friends.

The Original Recipe for the Long Island Ice Tea
The original recipe includes the following liquors: vodka, gin, tequila, and rum.

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Another interesting and very enjoyable French aperitif is called a Picon Beer. It consists of four parts light-colored beer like Hoegaarden or Kronenbourg, and one part Amer Picon, which to my knowledge is not available in the US. This is much to the chagrin of any Francophile and does not befit the company’s 70 year-old slogan, "Il n'est plus une partie du globe où n'ait pénétré le Picon !" which translates to ("there is no longer any part of the world where Picon hasn't penetrated."). I have however had good luck locating it at various overseas online alcohol dealers and it can be had for about $35 US plus shipping.

The Amer Picon is classified as a bitters, and is added to the beer to both enhance the flavor and increase the alcohol content. Amer Picon is an 18% ABV liquid and when added to beer tends to keep the glass of bitters infused brew hovering

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