MXMO: Absinthe

Alright everyone, here's our second foray into the MXMO madness. Yeah, I know we didn't do anything right last time...I think I get the rules now. Or maybe not...

Here is what our host Sonja has to say about absinthe:
"The topic for February is Absinthe. That much maligned, misunderstood, mistreated spirit, suddenly plentiful again in the US and other parts of the world. Absinthe played a role, whether large or small, in a variety of great cocktails from the 1800’s and early 1900’s – the Sazerac, Absinthe Suissesse, Corpse Reviver No. 2… I’m getting thirsty. So let’s celebrate absinthe’s history, and it’s future, with all manner of cocktails using absinthe."

Before I get too far into this, I want to say that a couple of us at 1022 love absinthe. So, there's was lots of fussing around with recipes (some good, some bad, all forgotten)before we came to, well, the deadline. I also want to say, thank you to all the space monkeys. Some of you burned up in the stratosphere, some of you have sailed off into the heavens; either way, I salute your courage. And, with no further ado, here's what we have to contribute:


HR 1022
2 oz bourbon
.5 oz Luxardo Maraschino liqueur
.5 Dolin Italian vermouth
barspoon of lapsong souchong syrup*
barspoon of Pacifique absinthe

Shake, then strain into chilled coupe. While I have never had it, this drink was nevertheless inspired by Tavern Law's Gun Club.

I feel like this next one needs a bit of explanation. We like to do shots at the bar, so we gussy them up, self-deprecatingly call them amuse-booze (actually, we're being quite glib), or whatever. Still, at times we like a cold beer and a shot of hooch to go straight into our faces. With that in mind, inspired by the latest issue of Imbibe, here we go:

Devil's Handshake
1/3 Fernet Branca
1/3 Pacifique absinthe
1/3 raw ginger syrup

This was a fun one. I wish I had written down the recipe for sazerac with the honey/absinthe foam. I guess that's for another time...

*1 oz lapsong tea in 2 cups boiling water, 2 cups sugar. Stir and let rest until it is mas o menos room temp, then double strain.

1022 South

February Happy Hour Menu

I know I'm very late posting this. Sorry everyone. And yeah, that's a cosmo on the menu.

www.1022South.com

1022's website

It's taken a bit and it's not quite finished yet, but here it is. I'm going to use the FB and the blog to keep people updated on whatever nonsense we are working on (caviar, honey/jasmine/absinthe foam, etc.)

1022 South

Nothing is sacred

There's not really any way to pretty this up, so I'll dispense with the lisptick and get straight to the pig. There are a few of us in this lonely outpost between Seattle and Portland (Tacoma) who like being bartenders and who consider it a respectable trade. We are not working our way through college or biding our time until something better comes along. We are not in touring bands (at least anymore) and in need of that temporary employment granted by the bulk of restaurant work. We consider ourselves professionals, craftsmen, or whatever. But, like someone else said elsewhere, don't call us mixologists.

We love serving great beers, wines, and carefully crafted cocktails. We love facilitating peoples experiences, being raconteurs and performance artists. All of this being said, for the most part we don't drink cocktails, we drink beers and shots. I spend enough time drinking cocktails as we R&D new menus, when I'm checking out new bars and watching colleagues work, that I don't tend to mix things up too much. I've covered this elsewhere when I've written about shifters, so I'll get to what I'm here to do: Let's talk about shots, baby.

Here is a not-comprehensive list of shots that we enjoy.
1. Bourbon w/float of Tuaca
2. Bourbon w/float of raw ginger syrup
3. Equal parts yellow Chartreuse and Nassau Royale
4. Equal parts Linie Aquavit and Liquore Strega
5. Equal parts pastis and earl-grey infusion
6. Equal parts Sriracha and vodka (or bourbon or whatever...)
7. Kokovoko - 2/3 kava kava infusion (1 cup kava kava root steeped in 750 ml NGA), 1/3 raw ginger syrup, top with cayenne
8. 1/3 el Jimador, 1/3 kava kava infusion, 1/3 Aperol
9. Equal parts Fernet Branca and Becherovka
10. Stroh

Some are sweet, some are bitter, some are just awful (but that doesn't stop us from doing them every camping trip...) More than likely, if you find us on your side of the rail with a bucket of beer or a tallboy of some domestic swill, then we are probably just sipping on whiskey, Zwack, or pastis/absinthe. Consider yourself warned if we buy you a birthday shot, however.


1022 South