Coming Correct

Our party for the menu debut was a smashing success. I have to admit that I was a bit shocked by the amount of people. I wasn't expecting that...

There are a few other things that I wasn't expecting. I wasn't expecting people to be so adventurous with the apothecary section of the menu. But, what really surprised me both that night and since then was the reception of the Lord of Weather. I felt like this cocktail was an outlier, that it was the type of cocktail that I wanted to make but made it to the menu almost as a curiosity because of the vinegar content. Little did I know...

I should have expected. The first night that we bottled the fire cider, I posted (twittered) that it was done, and I had guests show up at a quarter till 2 looking for a shot. Since then, we have guests looking for shots almost everyday. So, again, I underestimated Tacoma's palate. I am really excited about this because I feel that the menus have been fairly conservative.

So, we're not doing drink specials anymore. Instead, we have two bartender's choice cocktails on the menu - the Liza Island and the Apothecary Cup. The former is a vodka-based sweet concoction that utilizes the bar without being too aggressive; and the latter is, well, an apothecary cup. That means that we experiment with the bitters and herbal elixirs. It also means that whatever new product that we find to play with will be showcased here. Look for more aggressive flavor profiles, experiments in molecular mixology, and experiments with bitters here.

Going forward, I guess we'll worry less about people not being open to ingredients, and we'll concern ourselves more with creating tasty elegant cocktails regardless of the ingredients.

Fall Menu

Thank you everyone who made it out last night. I know the drinks took a bit longer than expected, but I hope they were worth it. For those who were not in attendance, here's what the new menu looks like:

Did you know...

We're having a party? We'll here's the press release:

1022 South, a craft cocktail lounge in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, will debut the new fall menu Thursday, October 22 featuring over 40 innovative, delicious, and, in some cases, curative handcrafted cocktails.

Tacoma, Washington, October 19, 2009

1022 South will throw a cocktail party to debut the new fall menu Thursday, October 22. Featuring over 40 cocktails, the new menu showcases 1022 South's respect for classic cocktails, an enthusiasm for apothecary, and a few of the favorite cocktails from the original menu. In addition to craft cocktails and apothecary infusions, the menu will feature a variety of delicious small plate items. To celebrate, all menu cocktails will be specially priced at $6 the night of the party.

A cocktail lounge open since March 2009 in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, 1022 South creates craft cocktails from quality ingredients with a conscientious observance of the history and evolution of the mixed drink, and an acknowledgment that the distinction between bartender and apothecary was once only loosely made. 1022 South cocktails are made with a variety of housemade bitters and botanical infusions including herbs such as kava kava, valerian, chamomile, damiana, yohimbe, tulsi, and ginger among others.

The inventive, delicious, and potentially curative drinks at 1022 can address the stress of a long day, strengthen immune systems in cold and flu season, or enhance an evening with aphrodesiacs. Highly-trained bartenders look forward to sharing the new cocktails and relish the opportunity to experiment: let him or her know what you are in the mood for and they will  do their best to accommodate. As 1022 South incorporates many unconventional ingredients from botanicals and infusions, housemade sodas and tonic, to spirits, wines, and beers, questions are welcomed and humor and a sense of adventure are encouraged.
 
1022 South hours are Sun - Mon 4 -11pm, Tues - Wed 4pm - 12am, Thurs - Sat 4pm - 2am.
Happy hour: 4 - 8 everyday featuring $3 wells, $3 draft beers, and $4 glasses of wine.
Nightly specials for $6

Industry night Monday: service industry professionals get happy hour all night.
Wine night Tuesday: 1/2 off all bottles.
Ladies night Thursday: happy hour for ladies all night.

1022 South is located on South J. Street, between S. 10th and 11th Avenue. 253.627.8588. 1022south@gmail.com. www.1022south.blogspot.com.

1022 Fall menu premier

1022 South will debut the new fall menu Thursday, October 22. The new menu features over 40 cocktails showcasing our respect for classic cocktails, our enthusiasm for apothecary, and a few of our favorites. In addition to craft cocktails and apothecary infusions, our menu will feature a variety of delicious small plate items.

We are so excited to share these new creations that in lieu of our normal $6 drink special, all menu cocktails will be $6 the night of the party. We hope to see you there.

The Fall Menu

We've been mulling this over for quite some time, but now we're doing it. Our fall/winter menu rolls out on...10.22. We'll be having a party where we debut all of our fabulous new apothecary creations. Each and every drink on the new menu will be $6 for the party, so from 8 to 2am on that fabulous Thursday, you get to drink like a king. Or something like that. There will be other surprises as well. Mark your calendars, it should be a wild night...

The Apothecary and the Late Night

I work diligently exploring the apothecary aspect of bartending. My work has led me down a path where I've discovered (as I've mentioned a few times) the wonders of kava kava, valerian, chamomile, damiana, yohimbe, and what they can do when combined with such garden-variety ingredients as cayenne, ginger, and, well, a bit of sugar. All in all, I think the fall/winter menu is pretty amazing. However, this is what I am most proud of:

Fire cider. You take it when you're getting sick. You take it when you're sick. You take it as a perk-me-up. You take it to take it because it's good for you. And it contains no booze.

Yeah, it looks terrible. And, frankly, it's very "aromatic". It looks like what those of us in the trade fear most, cleaning up after a guest. But, for those acclimated to "flavor country;" those who have palettes that are, shall we say, open, it's actually quite good. A bit shocking at first, but really quite tasty. So, with no further ado, here's what's in the 1022 recipe for Fire Cider: apple cider vinegar, horseradish root, ginger, onion, garlic, cayenne, and turmeric root. Let it soak maybe 4, maybe 6 weeks, then bottle and do shots regularly.

It's a fun, hippie remedy that I've kept stocked in my kitchen for years. Every single housemate has appreciated this...I've always thought the bars I've worked at should stock this and Emergen-C (is this the trade name?), and bag balm. Fire cider is one of those things that best characterized as some sort of dad-platitude in that it's "good for what ails you."

Speaking of good for what ails you, one of our local favorites came in tonight asking for a pre-bottled shot for this magic elixir. I worked it out (filter and double strain...), and then he asked for the golden seal cocktail. For those not keeping score, this is part of the apothecary section of the new menu. Our friend has sampled a few of the new wares and is familiar enough to order off the new menu, apparently. While I'm (and this is understating the fact) quite stoked that anyone not on staff is familiar enough with cocktails still in the trial stage to order them, I was a bit bemused to find that the "goldenseal" infusion is totally gone. Apparently it wasn't that secret after all...So, in a pinch, knowing our friend was feeling not so hot, I whipped up a cocktail. Before I give the recipe, I have to say that I never get it on the first pass. Most of the time it's kind of a labor of love (and by love, I mean god bless the space monkeys). There's an idea, it gets tweaked, then tweaked some more, and eventually we carve out a really nice cocktail. Usually it starts with some idealism, which I stubbornly adhere to, then eventually something pretty comes out of it after people politely offer me suggestions (thanks K...) The damiana and flowers is the quintessential example of this process...

Now, this is not perfect. It needs a few minor teaks here and there, I think. But really, I sold a few of these tonight, so I'm not sure. I'll update after I sit down with one in a couple of days.

So, here it is:

1.5 whiskey

.5 fire cider

1 raw ginger syrup

.5 green chartreuse

1 dash Angostura bitters

1 dash orange bitters

Shake, strain, and serve up.

And, quite to my surprise, it's awesome. If you don't see this on the new menu, then you'll see it's pretty sister. However, I suspect that this is the pretty sister...

Cheers.