In case you missed it one of our members was just featured in Seattlemet.com. Check out the great article on Cameo Roberts here:
http://www.seattlemet.com/blogs/sauced/five-questions-bartender-cameo-mcroberts-070710/
Monday, July 19, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
10 Q's For a LUPEC Lady- Jennifer Burch
The Liberal, because the main ingredient is bourbon which is my favorite spirit and the name describes me politically. It was also the first drink Murray made for me at ZigZag.
2) what is your profession?
Software Developer.
3) What was your favorite cocktail before you new any better?
I remember going through a brief Amaretto Sour phase, fortunately that didn’t last long because they never tasted like they contained actual booze.
4) What's the worst cocktail ever and where did you drink it?
Not exactly a cocktail but we were up skiing once with friends and one of them had this Romanian moonshine in a flask. It was horrible, but I kept drinking it.
5) If you could ban 1 drink what would it be?
I can only ban 1? Mixing coke with really good bourbon gives me pause. I have no problems with bourbon and coke, just don’t use your top shelf stuff.
6) If you could have a drink with anyone, living/dead, who would it be and why?
I’d love to have a drink with Julia Child. She changed everything. I’d wager she could put it away too.
7) What are your favorite non cocktail activities/hobbies/interests?
Cooking, gardening, cycling, poker, pottery. There are some backpacking trips in my near future.
8) How did you first hear about LUPEC?
Through Wendy Miller of course!
9) What is your go to drink or spirit?
Despite bourbon being my first true love, I can always drink a Martini. Hendrix gin, with a healthy dose of vermouth.
10) What is your favorite cocktail bar and/or bartender right now?
Does the sports book at the Mirage Las Vegas count? I really like the crew at Naga bar.
If you haven't met Jen yet be sure to seek her out at the next LUPEC meeting, she's sure to be there as she has only missed one! I did take a really funny picture of Jen in the bathroom at Copper Gate to use for this post but she didn't have a drink in her hand and we have reputations to uphold! Jen thanks for taking the time to answer these hard hitting questions. cheers!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
June Meeting- Sambar
Seattle has so many great cocktail bars as the ladies of LUPEC are finding out. Many of them are small, intimate places best enjoyed with a few friends- Sambar is such a place. Situated next to Le Gourmand, the fantastic French restaurant owned by chefs Bruce and Sara Naftaly, Sambar seats just a handful inside and if the weather is nice another handful outside in their charming garden.
June's meeting was a homework assignment to check out Sambar and report back. Here's what you said!
Cameo McRoberts: I had the pleasure of going to Sambar twice this month. The Lucky Luke is the only drink I have had on the new menu, it's so good I can't bring myself to order anything else! luckily I have friends who like to share sips. Last week I had the pleasure of snacking on tons of delicious frites with @lindsey Johnson @heather Jones @Kathy Casey. (Wendy: edited to remove BOYS names! LOL!!!)
Erin Boudreau: So Daynah Burnett and I went to Sambar for the June "homework" meeting. I was supposed to give you notes. But I can't for the life of me remember what the hell went down. See you Wednesday! (W: I'm assuming Erin & Daynah had a great time based on these detailed notes!)
Kiki Braverman of pür spirits: Michael at Sambar made us great pür drinks on Thursday. We went back for more last night!
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Gitane du Norde ( Aquavit, melon, sherry, mint) - this drink I liked a LOT but the aquavit was really subtle. If I hadn't seen the ingredients, I might not have guessed aquavit was in there.
Old Fashioned - this was one of the best old fashioned I have ever had. Thoroughly enjoyed it. BUT it was also my third drink, so, grain of salt.
Toronto - Elisabeth got a Toronto and I think he entirely omitted the simple syrup which is surprising because Jay's drinks seem to run to the sweet side.
Also of mention, Nicole ordered the Basil Julep which I will be attempting to replicate at home.
Food wise we had pommes frites and the cheese plate. I would have picked up that cheese plate and licked the cheese residue if I had been at home. Yum!
Another bonus, weather was decent and we got to sit out in the courtyard, lovely. (edited by W for content and BOYS! :p)
Courtney Randall & Tracy Meeker: For our first round I had the Baie des Anges and Tracy had the Lantana. The Baie des Anges is made with reposado sotol (Hacienda de Chihuahua), fino sherry, angelica syrup, and yellow chartreuse, and it is served over ice with a beautiful garnish of lemon peel surrounding a sprig of angelica leaves. The most rich agave sweetness of the sotol was tempered with the dry nuttiness of the sherry, and the herbal notes of the angelica and chartreuse came through more on the swallow. The Lantana was made of rhum agricole, eucalyptus syrup, sour cherry (puree, I think) and Averna. A tiny eucalyptus leaf dotted the top of this reddish drink. You could smell the combination of the eucalyptus and the grassy agricole before each taste. The cocktail was perfectly balanced between the sweet/funky flavors of the agricole and the dry/tartness the sour cherry. These two flavors carried the drink along, though each sip ended with the menthol flavors of the eucalyptus and the herbalness of the amaro.
To accompany our drinks we chose the frites, and they were very tasty.
For our second round, I had the Van der Valk and Tracy chose the Recoleta. The Van der Valk combines genever gin (Boomsma, I later found out), apricot eau de vie, blanco vermouth, and peach bitters. The garnish was a slice of apricot sitting in the clear liquid. The aroma was full of peaches and apricots, which almost overwhelmed the malty genever notes. To me this is what told me that the drink contained Boomsma genever, instead of the Bols, which has a much stronger scent and flavor profile. The genever was ever-present, but in a subtle manner. Some sips seemed dry and fruity, with the apricot and peach bitters. Others sips were a bit sweeter and maltier, ending with an herbal taste. The drink was simply wonderful.
Tracy was bold in her decision as the Recoleta's base spirit is Fernet Branca. The other ingredients are maté honey, grapefruit juice, grapefruit bitters, and a champagne top. The aroma is full of Fernet, which is understandable. The taste was surprising as the herbal bitter superpower was balanced by the combination of citrus and honey. A hint of grapefruit dotted each sip, but its presence was so important to create the complex flavors. The champagne kept everything sparkly, light and dry. We both agreed that this was an astoundingly good cocktail.
We also had dinner at Sambar. I had the broccoli soufflé with a lemon-thyme béchamel. Tracy had the homemade linguini tossed with morels and snow peas, and topped with a poached egg. There may have been more elements in the linguini dish but I can't remember them. Sorry. Both dishes were wonderful and expertly done.
After dinner, we were given a little cocktail that the Jay Kuehner made on the fly. It seems that my note-taking caught his attention and he referred to this after-dinner cocktail as our quiz. It has no name but was made of mezcal with some strawberry puree, a splash of Campari, a dash of syrup, and a dash of salt. The garnish was a tiny ripe strawberry. The mezcal was the del Maguey Minero, and it was so smoky it reminded me of some of the smokier Islay scotches. The dryness of the Campari kept the strawberry in check and the salt made the entire drink sing. (W- Welcome ladies, great to have you in the group!)
Looks like the Lucky Luke and the Van Der Valk were the popular drinks last month. Thanks to all of you for checking out Sambar and taking such detailed notes (ah hem Erin! LOL!) and photos and getting them back to me. Thanks to Michael and Jay for being such great hosts! Discussing cocktails and ingredients while (re)introducing ladies to great drinks and bars around Seattle is exactly what I'd like our chapter to continue to be about. Bravo!!