Danielle Fague on BarSmarts

 LUPEC Seattle member Danielle Fague is participating in the BarSmarts program. I asked her if she would send me a short write up about it for our blog and she was nice enough to do just that. Read on!

                                                                             

Bar Smarts part 1

A couple months ago I was at one of the bars I love to frequent Liberty.  Andrew Friedman the owner and a buddy of mine was there and had these cards for an event called Bar Smarts.  Looked pretty cool.  A class dedicated to the art of bartending and classic cocktails.  Sounded like fun but I figured this is an event folks in the industry, not for me. 

Andrew said no way that I should totally sign up so I did.  I was eagerly awaiting the arrival of my Bar Smarts kit last month and one day when the UPS man buzzed my unit I knew that’s what it was.  When I got home that night I was like a little kid on Christmas.  I couldn’t wait to open it up and see what was inside.  It had lots of great stuff:  A whole basic bar kit including a muddler, a nice backpack and our training DVDs and book. 

I went and found a highlighter and started reading!  Unfortunately it was around 1:30 and probably past my bed time so low and behold after a few pages of reading and highlighting I fell asleep with my highlighter in hand and glasses still on.  Woke up to a beautiful yellow spot on my duvet cover L

Since then I’ve been reading my workbook and making note cards for the classic cocktails we need to know.  Seeing as how I know very little about bartending and classic drinks I have some catching up to do.  Part of the Bar Smarts final test is making some of these drinks for the Bar Smart Folks!

Last weekend I completed 2 of the 4 sections and took and passed my quizzes.  Everything I’m learning is really neat.  Like the advantages of using a continuous still as opposed to a pot still.  Or that Mezcal is much smokier than Tequila because the Agave (which is not the same type used in Tequila) is baked in pits in the ground often times for several weeks giving it its very smoky flavor.  I’ve learned that Rhum (the French way of spelling it) is made with cane sugar while Rum is made from molasses and that Calvados has both apples and pear in it. 

So far I’ve enjoyed all the learning I’ve done and am excited to finish the final two modules and practice making some drinks!

                                                                           - Danielle

Thanks Danielle for sharing your experience with us and good luck on your exam later this month! Who else is taking the BarSmarts exam?

Find out more about BarSmarts here

April Meeting- Zig Zag

This month our destination was the Zig Zag Cafe, known by cocktail geeks around the world and one of my favorite places. I'd go as far to say that it was this Seattle bar that put classic cocktails on the local map.

But before heading to Zig Zag Union Restaurant tweeted that they would be offering happy hour specials to LUPEC members so off I went with a few others to have a little pre drinking nosh. Chef and owner Ethan Stowell brought out plates of salami, carpaccio, frisee salads (one with a poached duck egg and one with a poached goose egg!), and house made pastas for us all to share. It was delicious! Thank you!!
(follow them on Twitter- @ESRseattle)

 Ladies enjoying libations

Off to Zig Zag where Jakob and Kacy had reserved 5 big booths, Liz made sure everyone got their order in and Ben mixed and mixed and mixed for about 30 of us.

 Ben taking a much needed break & chatting with us.

And if you happened to stop by the bar on your way out you saw Murray Stenson, arguably one of the world's best bartenders.

It was a great time and I can't say thank you enough to all the folks there!

What was your favorite cocktail that you had at Zig Zag? I loved my Champs Elysees

10 Q's for a LUPEC Lady- Wendy Miller

Thanks to all of you who gave me suggestions for our 10 Q "series", I've compiled and edited the questions and will start randomly picking a member so that we can all get to know each other better.

For the first installment I'll turn the questions to myself.

1) what is your name, your LUPEC cocktail name & why did you pick that?

     Wendy Miller, Last Word. I picked it because it's one of my favorite drinks and most people who  know me know I am a talker and generally get in the last word! :)

2) what is your profession?

Normally I am a sales executive, that has ranged from technical/internet sales to corporate events and marketing but currently I'm unemployed (feel free to send me any job leads!)

3) what was your favorite cocktail before you new any better?

I've had so many- Cape Cod with Roses, Grape Kneehigh, Green Apple Martini! But the last one before my real cocktail education was a Grey Goose dirty martini (I know, I know!)

4) what's the worst cocktail ever and where did you drink it?

ugh! Czech absinthe rinsed in a glass, lit on fire and the glass then turned upside down with a straw sticking out of it that you sucked the absinthe smoke out of, then they turned it into some kind of crazy blue drink. In St. Petersburg Russia. I don't want to think about it anymore!

5) if you could ban 1 drink what would it be?

Chocolate martinis. 1) either you are messing with good chocolate or your using crap liquor 2) it's not a freakin martini just cuz it's in that glass 3) it's disgusting!

6) If you could have a drink with anyone, living/dead, who would it be and why?

These questions are always tough for me but I'd probably pick Ernest Hemingway because he really loved his cocktails, loved to travel and seemed to live a very interesting life!

7) what are your favorite non cocktail activities/hobbies/interests?

travel, travel, travel- my husband Dayne and I fly away as often as possible! We write about it on our blog- Luggage Tag. I also collect wine, am active with WA Wine Council, love to cook and have dinner parties. I love entertaining!!

8) how did you first hear about LUPEC?

While at Tales of the Cocktail last year I met the gals from LUPEC Boston and thought it was a great idea. Anu Apte, Stevi Deter and I met after that to discuss putting together a Seattle chapter. viola!

9) what is your go to drink or spirit?

Nothing fits any occasion like a well made martini; gin, vermouth, orange bitters with a twist

10) what is your favorite cocktail bar and/or bartender right now?

We have so many great cocktail bars in Seattle it's hard to pick just one but I have had really great cocktails upstairs at Tavern Law and I love the atmosphere! As far as bartenders go I have followed Jamie Boudreau from bar to bar and am happy he's at KneeHigh Stocking now!

See you all soon, stay tuned for our next member quiz down! 

10 Q's for a LUPEC lady

Hello ladies! I need your help. I'd like to start "featuring" a person each month or there abouts so that we can all get to know each other better. This is how it is for me: I look forward to our 1st Wednesday outings each month and can't wait to meet new peeps. Then I arrive, chat with the bar and get a drink. Introduce myself to a few ladies who I don't think I've met before. Get another drink. Start talking with peeps I know. Bamn! 9pm and it's winding down. Damn!

One of the reasons I wanted to start our Seattle chapter was to meet new and interesting people who have or are acquiring an interest in cocktails. To further that I'd like to have 10 set questions and interview a person each month or so. Help me put together a list of questions- what do you want to know about your fellow LUPEC members? I've got a few in mind but want your input! Jot a few down in the comments section please!

cheers!