1022 south

Happy New Year

2012-01-07T14:00:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! Last year was amazing, to say the least. I want to thank everyone who came out and supported us. Thanks to everyone who was patient as we worked out some kinks and experienced a few growing pains. On that note, we still don't take reservations, but if we're completely full, there's no longer a wait to get drinks. Come in and we'll get you warmed up in no time...

We've had a bit of a staffing change w/John Star leaving. He's an immensely talented bartender and he will definitely be missed. We recommend everyone visit him at Paratii in Ballard. With the shuffle of covering different shifts, I will be taking over the Monday late night shift. Here's the Industry Menu we're rolling out this Monday:

In addition to Industry Night, we have a Wine Night on Tuesdays where all bottles of wine (including bubs!) are half priced.

And finally, Thursday night is Ladies Night, so all of the ladies can enjoy the happy hour all night long.

We are excited about the future on Hilltop. Keep an eye out for the Peterson Bros bar around the corner which is slated to open sometime early this year. Also, we have a few fun surprises lined up as well...Cheers!

-C

Why We're Like This

2011-11-30T00:27:00.000-08:00

I was in New Orleans a little over a year ago for a cocktail conference. I'd never been before and I was excited as it was one of the few large cities in the contiguous US that I hadn't yet visited. The conference, Tales of the Cocktail, is debaucherous blend of work and play; we drink, listen to people talk about alcohol, take a break to eat, then drink more, listen to people talk about alcohol, then the fun begins when we go out and play... The conference ends up being what I think most people think our careers are like instead of fishing lemons out of floor drains and the end of the night, cleaning up vomit/blood/shit, or banging out hours of prep and studying menus only for people to be pissed that we don't have their brand of vodka/energy drink/mixer du jour, or losing their shit because they can't stand in the aisle and drink not because the bartender is a pretentious asshole but because that's what the boss says are the house rules (sorry). Instead, Tales is/was wild, late nights full of too much alcohol, too many stories, and more that a little bacchanalia. And the best part? It starts again in the morning w/Kahlua sponsored coffee bars and Bloody Mary bars sponsored by some anonymous vodka or another. In short, it is (or was...that's a different post), fun.

The anecdote I want to quickly relate, one that I'm sure if you've heard before if you've either been served by me at the bar or had the misfortune of drinking w/me at another establishment, is my last night in New Orleans. I'd had a wonderful, surreal time for 4 or 5 days, when on the last night I was drinking at one of my favorite bars in the world, Bar Tonique. I'd been there many times and I've been back subsequently and it stands up every time. I was enjoying a couple drinks before catching a red eye back home when I asked the bartender for a quintessential New Orleans cocktail. I explained that I was in town for Tales, that I loved Bar Tonique, and that I would like something to send me off on the right note. Without hesitation, he knew what to make. However, before making it, he went over to the stereo and changed the music to Slayer's Reign in Blood and then proceeded to make me the best Ramos Gin Fizz I've ever had. It was amazing, he was gracious (as has been every bartender there), and it was exactly what I needed to wrap up my experience.* My takeaway was that fancy, obscure, pretentious cocktails do not a bar make. I wanted Bar Tonique in Tacoma more than I ever wanted Zig Zag, Alembic, Sambar, or Bourbon and Branch.** I wanted (and am still wanting) a divey kind of place that I can get a fantastic drink, listen to Fugazi, and play pinball. While we can't be all things to all people (or even really everything I want), I did stop wearing ties (at least for a long time), we did start playing more rock (although Botch is still a bridge too far), and we've tried to be more of a neighborhood bar (which is what we were always trying to do), and we strive to give good service and make everyone comfortable.

This is a really long way to say that if you come in and we're listening to Nas or Fugazi, or if you order and Apothecary Cup and get a BLUE DRINK(!) or something spicy or bitter over a large ice cube, this is where we're coming from. We know we're not the fastest, but we try to say hello, to remember your drink and/or your name, and to treat you well regardless of what you order.***

* What made this even better was that as soon as he starting playing Reign in Blood I bummed cigarette from an attractive, older woman who was talking to me. I hadn't smoked for a long time at that point and I was thoroughly enjoying the cigarette when the drink arrived. As soon as he set it in front of me the thought, persistent and unbidden, chttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifame to me that I was going to spill the drink all over the bar. I drank a third of the drink while obsessing about this before accidentally spilling the Ramos Gin Fizz all over the bar. I was embarrassed and apologized profusely, but he never missed a beat in cleaning up the drink and quickly whipping up another, which I enjoyed in its entirety.

** Links aren't working for me tonight. Go to these bars and also Liberty (Capitol Hill, Seattle) because they're awesome and doing it right.

*** It's your money and your drink. If you want your vodka, vermouth, and scotch shaken, or if you want all of the ice chunks in your cocktail glass, I don't give a shit. You're paying for it, so you get it your way. Just don't be an asshole, please.

MxMo: Retro Redemption!

2011-11-22T12:50:00.000-08:00

Over a decade ago I was working at Boeing mopping floors, taking out trash, and trying to work as little as possible while avoiding my bosses and co-workers. It was a pretty sweet job as I was paid fairly well, I only had to work about half my shift (while I spent the other half getting caught up on my reading), I had full benefits, and Boeing was paying for school. However, there was also mandatory overtime and I worked nights, which definitely put a cramp on my style (by style, I mean ability to go to punk shows and chase girls). At the time I had a friend who was waiting tables at a shitty chain restaurant and making the same money as me, but working half the time. That was really all it took for me, so I quit Boeing and took the fhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifirst job waiting tables that I couldhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif get with no experience, which was a graveyard shift at Denny's. Suffice it to say, it was awful, and after months of grinding it out working 16 hour shifts, having customers threaten to beat me over brown vs. white gravy, and making pennies (literally bags of them), I was given the option to get off graveyard if I would take over for the bartender who'd just walked off the job. This was in the late nineties, so when Jacob over at Liquidity Preference chose Retro Redemption as this month's Mixology Monday theme, it resonated with the young bartender in me who made too many Alabama Slammers and Alien Urine Samples.

Those of you who've been in the bar know that I don't really stock any of the saccharine sweet, sticky, hypercolor liqueurs that seemed to dominate the back bars of my early bartending jobs. So, here's what we've come up with:

Hilltop Slammer
.5 oz Evan Williams bourbon
.5 oz Pacharan
.5 oz Lazzaroni amaretto
.5 oz Kuchin peach brandy
Splash of oj
Splash of lemon juice

Combine ingredients in shaker over ice, shake, then strain over ice into pint glass. Finish with orange twist.

It actually wasn't too bad. Sweet, orange, and boozy. I definitely won't be having another, however.

Hilltop Iced Tea
.5 oz well vodka
.5 oz well rum
.5 oz well gin
.5 oz lemon juice
splash triple sec
house made cola
.5 oz Lemon Hart 151

Combine the first five ingredients in a shaker over ice. Shake, strain into a pint glass over fresh ice. Add cola. Light the 151 on fire, make an ostentatious show of it by swirling the flame around the glass, then pour over the top of the drink.

Ya, so, this one is kinda tasty and really boozy. It does exactly what it's supposed to do, which is why we have a two drink limit.

Finally, I finished with a Balvenie Doublewood as a palette cleanser because through this entire endeavor I was reading Pacult's Kindred Spirits. He mentioned that the popularization of scotch in the late eighties opened the door for the proliferation of single barrel small batch whiskeys. Regardless, I needed something a little..sturdier. I do this for you guys...

Fall/Winter Menu 2011

2011-10-28T18:32:00.001-07:00

10/22 Fall/Winter menu party!

2011-10-22T14:18:00.001-07:00

MxMo: Morning Drinks

2011-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Now, despite the fact that I drink more than the average Joe and that I do find myself drinking in the AM (as in last call), I'm not really one to drink in the mornings very often. However, occasionally when I am on vacation I'll find myself enjoying a tipple w/my eggs and hash browns. With that being said, here's this month's MxMo theme courtesy of Kevin at Cocktail Enthusiast:

The theme is “morning drinks.” Breakfast cocktails were the norm in the nineteenth century, when cocktails were a common beginning to one’s day. The drink’s purpose was to help the imbiber recover from the past night’s indiscretions and to steel their resolve for the coming day.

I'm not going to be around next week (enjoying my weekend after the Fall/Winter menu party), so I'm posting this early.

Journey to the End of the Night
1.5 oz Ron Zacapa
1 oz cold pressed Ethiopian Harrar coffee (we use Valhalla)
.5 oz simple syrup (1:1)
3 shakes organic cocoa
2 shakes cayenne
garnish: 1 shake cocoa, 1 shake cayenne

Combine ingredients in shaker over ice. Shake like a hungover person, double strain into a chilled cocktail glass or whatever you drink out of in the mornings. Garnish.

MxMo: Beer!

2011-07-12T11:26:00.001-07:00

This month's theme for MxMo was a bit fortuitous as we've been screwing around with beer cocktails for the last month or so. Here's how Frederic over at Cocktail (Virgin) Slut describes our theme:

“While beer being used as an ingredient in modern cocktails has gotten a lot of press as of late, this is not a new trend. Beer has played a historical role in mixed drinks for centuries. For example, it can be found in Colonial drinks like the Rumfustian, Porter Sangaree, and Ale Flip. While many of these drinks are not seen in modern bars save for craft cocktail establishments, other beer drinks are though, including the Boilermaker, Black Velvet, and Michelada. And present day mixologists are utilizing beer with great success including Kelly Slagle's Port of Funchal, Jacob Grier's Averna Stout Flip, and Emma Hollander's Word to Your Mom. Bartenders are drawn to beer for a variety of reasons including the glorious malt and roast notes from the grain, the bitter and sometimes floral elements from the hops, the interesting sour or fruity notes from the yeast, and the crispness and bubbles from the carbonation. Beer is not just for pint glasses, so let us honor beer of all styles as a drink ingredient.”

This theme works for us this week because, as it turns out, we're hosting an event this Sunday as a kick-off party for Tales of the Cocktail. Ted Munat, the ever-charming writer behind Left Coast Libations will be there reading from the aforementioned book and Liberty's Andrew Friedman will be guest bartending. The idea behind the event is that if people procure tickets ahead of time, then they get their choice of 3 cocktails for $20 from a shortened menu which will feature 6 cocktails (3 from our favorite Seattle bartenders that were published in Left Coast Libations, 3 interpretations of those cocktails by 1022 staff). The event is being put on with Tacoma Alcohol Consortium. Check TAC out, Todd's doing really good work.

Anway, here's our interpretation of Jay Kuehner's drink, Cavale. This guy kick's ass. Go see him at Sambar. He's the bartender I want to be when I grow up.

Running Up that Hill
1.5 oz Clear Creek Apple brandy
½ oz Pineau des Charentes
½ oz Domaine de Canton
½ oz lemon juice
Ephemere

Combine everything except for the Ephemere in shaker over ice. Shake and double strain into chilled cocktail glass. Float with Ephemere.

Those of you who've read the blog or checked out our contributions for MxMo, then you know that we're never satisfied doing one. Here's what Corey concocted (w/a few tweaks by me) when someone requested a Flaming Dr. Pepper

Corey's “Flaming Dr. Pepper”
1.5 oz Zaya rum
.5 oz Lazzaroni amaretto
2 dashes St Elizabeth Allspice dram
1 barspoon Ramazotti amaro
Ephemere (Corey used Duvel, but I had a bottle of this open)
Combine everything except the beer in shaker over ice. Stir, strain, into Belgian glass. Float w Ephemere.

Wine Tasting

2011-06-27T10:40:00.000-07:00

1022 invites you to drink wine with us! We've just received a shipment of wines through Small Vineyards, a company dedicated to bringing quality Italian wine to the United States, directly from the wine makers. We have bottles from Monte Tondo, Le Rote, Perazzeta and Maurizio Marchetti for the sampling at $5 all together. Light snacks are included in the price. It's a nice way to get to know some fantastic wines that you don't see every day. Quantities are limited, so stop by and pick up a bottle at 50% off today! Bottles will be open for tasting from 4p-7p, Tuesday 6/28.

MxMo: Niche Spirits

2011-06-21T02:24:00.000-07:00

Well, it doesn't get more niche than this, I guess. Thanks to Filip for hosting. Pics forthcoming.

The Grasshopper Lies Heavy
1 oz Fernet Branca
1 oz Green Chartreuse
.5 oz simple syrup
1 egg white
cocao powder
soda water

Combine everything (3 healthy shakes of raw cocoa powder) sans soda in shaker over ice. Shake like a psychopath. Double strain into a short collins over ice. Finish with soda water and more cocoa powder. Drink.

MxMo: Flores de Mayo

2011-05-17T15:37:00.000-07:00

Edit: More like Mixology Tuesday...

So, I've missed the last couple MxMo's and have felt...guilty. It's not like I haven't come up with drinks, or been following. I've just been busy. With life. Really, with running the bar. But still, solutions, not excuses.

Here I am! Blog post! MxMo! Here are the perfunctories:
Our host this time around is Dave over at Barman Cometh. Here's what he has to say about this week's challenge:

“The challenge is to feature a cocktail that highlights a floral flavor profile or includes a floral derived ingredient, whether home-made or off the shelf. With the ever expanding catalogue of spirits (and the kitchen labs of home enthusiasts), there’s a whole host of directions for you to choose from – elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, chamomile infused gin, hibiscus grenadine, rosewater, lavender syrup – or to create.”

We do a lot with flowers from the hibiscus/coriander/black pepper syrup in the Devil's Buck to the sticky, ever-popular Lavender Cocktail. What I wanted to highlight are two of my favorites that are currently featured on our spring/summer menu:

PDX
1.5 oz Bols Genever
1 oz grapefruit juice
.5 oz lavender/chamomile infused honey
Sparkling wine
Shake, strain into a chilled coupe. Top with sparkling wine

1022 Old Fashioned
2 oz Woodford Reserve
.25 oz simple syrup
3 dashes saffron/cardamom bitters
Wide swath of orange peel
Express orange oil into glass and drop peel in. Add remaining ingredients and the largest ice cube you can find. Stir. Drink.

Spring/summer menu 2011

2011-03-31T11:31:00.001-07:00

For those that missed the party, here are the new menus. Suffice it to say, I am immensely proud of everyone for their hard work on these, especially Lauren who put together this food menu.

1022 Second Anniversary Press Release

2011-03-24T11:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who didn't see it.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1022 South, Tacoma’s nationally acclaimed craft cocktail lounge, will celebrate its two year anniversary on Tuesday, March 29 with a debut party for the delicious new spring/summer menu featuring over 40 inventive, meticulously handcrafted cocktails and exciting new food options.

Tacoma, Washington, March 21, 2011

1022 South will throw a cocktail party to celebrate its two year anniversary and to debut the new spring/summer menu on Tuesday, March 29. Featuring over 40 cocktails, the new menu showcases 1022 South's commitment to seasonal and local ingredients, and passion for classic and apothecary-inspired cocktail construction. Look for the return of some favorite drinks from last spring. Complementing the new cocktails, the 1022 food menu will feature a variety of delectable new plates. The night of the party, all menu cocktails will be specially priced at $6.

Open since March 2009 in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, 1022 South crafts cocktails with a keen observance of the history and evolution of the mixed drink, and an appreciation that the distinction between bartender and apothecary was once only loosely made. 1022 pays homage to the history of bartending by featuring classic and often forgotten cocktails as well as by creating unique and original drinks. 1022 South cocktails include ingredients such as house made bitters, sodas, tonic and botanical infusions, and incorporate herbs such as kava kava, valerian, chamomile, damiana, jiaogulan, tulsi, and ginger.

Two examples of the new spring/summer drinks include:

· La Gitana, a mixture of sotol, sherry, lavender/chamomile infused honey, allspice dram, and housemade Hellfire tincture and

· the herbal Revolver featuring Haitian rum, masala chai, lemon, and maca/ginseng infused honey.

In addition to craft cocktails and apothecary infusions, the menu features a variety of delicious small plate items and includes vegetarian and vegan options such as the Panisse Salad:grilled asparagus, soft boiled egg, red onion, tomato, Blue Rose chevre, basil, and dressed greens, and the Flora Sandwich: marinated summer squash, apple, shaved fennel, Blue Rose chevre, fresh basil, red onion, roasted tomato jam, and aioli.

Expert bartenders look forward to sharing the new cocktails and enjoy an opportunity to experiment: let him or her know what you are in the mood for and they will do their best to accommodate. Questions are welcomed and a sense of humor and adventure are encouraged.

1022 South has been embraced and celebrated by the Tacoma community and received nation-wide accolades for their work. The staff at 1022 South is humbled and excited by the positive reception of their efforts. Jordan Michelman of the NY Times Magazine says “A none-too-precious diamond in the rough, 1022 is worth a stumble off the beaten path” and our Yelp reviews from satisfied customers are a constant source of inspiration:

• “Hands down the BEST cocktails I've ever had.”

• “A great place to go if you are in search of a well-made, creative, and adventurous

cocktail.”

• “It's one of the best bars I've been to not only in Tacoma, but anywhere!”

• “This place is a cocktail bar - they call it an "apothecary" - and they live up to their name

with a menu of creative, artfully crafted drinks.”

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.

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.

Phone: 253.627.8588.

Email: 1022south@gmail.com.

Website:www.1022south.com.

Blog: http://www.1022south.blogspot.com/

Yelp reviews: http://www.yelp.com/biz/1022-south-tacoma %20

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/1022South

Twitter: @1022South (http://twitter.com/#!/1022South)

###

State of the Hilltop

2011-03-11T14:27:00.000-08:00

Well, the last few months have been quite a ride. As many people know (and was noted here a couple of months ago), we were written up in the NY Times. It was a favorable write-up, many people saw it, and inspired a few local publications to do write-ups of their own. The result was that business essentially doubled over night. We did our best to accommodate the increased volume of business and for the most part our guests seemed to understand.

Naturally, there were a few changes. First, we've had to create waitlists on the weekends. We'd love to be able to serve everyone who comes in the door, but when we're out of seats we are at capacity and because of our size, we can't accommodate standing room. Most people seem to understand. Those that don't, well, sorry...

Now, here's the real point of this post: I've had a lot of regulars talk about how busy we are and most ask if business has slowed down yet or when is a good time to come to get a seat. Business has slowed done a lot, so much so that Sunday through Wednesday are more or less what they were before the new year. If people are out and looking for a well crafted drink on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, I'd recommend dropping by after 10pm. Most nights the bar is either empty or emptying out by 11pm. You can always call ahead and we'll let you know if we have seats available.

There you go. We're particularly excited to see so many new and enthusiastic faces and we're looking forward to seeing some of our old regulars again. Here are our specials during the week:

Monday: Industry Night – Service industry folks get happy hour all night.
Tuesday: Wine Night – All bottles of wine are ½ priced all night.
Thursday: Ladies Night! Ladies get happy hour all night.

Happy hour every day from 4 – 8

MxMo: Flipping Out

2011-01-18T10:39:00.000-08:00

I've missed the last couple of Mixology Mondays because I couldn't get a post up in time. Well, here we go (with pictures forthcoming...)

The theme this week is flipping out, which means drinks with whole eggs. Josh over at Cocktail Assembly is hosting and explains it as so, "The flip is one of those cocktails that so successfully defies the seasons. When it’s cold and the icy chill is tearing it’s way through to our bones, the heated flip opens it’s arms and embraces us like a warm blanket. When it’s hot, the cool flip lowers the heat and can bring back that spring day memory of a creamy shake enjoyed on a front porch. There’s never a bad time or temperature to enjoy the frothy glory that is the flip."

Our first drink is a variation on our Samizdat:
1.5 oz bourbon (we use Bulleit)
.5 oz Becherovka
2 oz dandelion burdock rootbeer
1 whole egg
splash of heavy cream
Dry shake the egg, then add remaining ingredients and ice. Shake like hell, then double strain into a large snifter or some such glassware with a large bowl. Flame the top with a combination of equal parts rum and Angostura from a Misto.

Our second drink utilizes the same architecture of the Ramos Gin Fizz. It doesn't have a name, but it's something that get served a lot at the bar.
1 oz cognac
1 oz creme de Violette
1 oz fresh lemon juice
1 oz fresh lime juice
1 whole egg
splash of heavy cream
finish with chamomile tincture, rose cordial, and Peychaud's
Dry shake the egg, then add remaining ingredients and ice. Shake like those arms turn to noodles, then double strain into a short collins. Wash inside of the glass with seltzer water (from gun or siphon). Using a bar spoon, scoop out foam and place on top of the drink. Finish with tincture, cordial, and bitters.

Shout Out to Our Peeps

2011-01-16T20:45:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning for quite some time to do a post about the local businesses that we work with, procure product from, or who generally support us. I would like to extend a huge thanks to everyone and a sincere apology if I forget anyone. It would be very difficult to do what we do w/o these people. Without further ado...

Mad Hat Tea Company. Tobin and Maureen have been an indispensable source of product, knowledge, and inspiration. If and when you drop by, you'll likely see similar tea blends to the infusions that we feature in our apothecary section. This is no accident. They put together tasty combinations that are tonics for what ails you, will turn you on or tune you out. They work magic. Get in there. You can find there teas/botanicals showcased in the following cocktails: Winter Sidecar, Bleu, Endgame, and the Kokovoko.

Corina Bakery. All of those tasty cupcakes at our last 10/22 party? The ones made with Zacapa rum and Green Chartreuse? The amazing gluten free chocolate torte? The vegan(!) pumpkin pie? All made by the wonderful and talented people at Corina Bakery. Not only have they been very supportive by providing us with delicious desserts and the occasional baguettes, they also are very patient with my very last minute orders. A very special thanks to all of them, but especially to Stephanie for custom- making all of our desserts.

And speaking of the chocolate torte, the espresso in the crème is from none other than our favorite Valhalla Coffee Co. In addition to keeping me powered with a daily macchiato, they also supply the Ethiopian Harrar which we use in our cold-press coffee and is featured in the Journey to the End of the Night and the South of No North. These guys are sweethearts. Go see them, buy coffee and be happy.

Speaking of coffee, Caffe Dei. These guys also keep me powered with coffee, but more importantly, you know those vegan snacks you like? They help us get the ingredients. They make great vegan and vegetarian food in a town that needs more options. Plus, Amy's one of the sweetest people out there.

As far as the food goes, we use bread from The Essential Baking Co. and Macrina (holy smokes, do they ever make good bread!), and Field Roast, all of which are from Seattle.

Many of our regulars will notice two things: we actually do have beer and that we've been pouring Schooner Exact (which we were able to track down thanks to Barry, owner of Rosewood) for sometime. That's because they make really good beer. It helps that they are also good peeps. We are currently pouring their 3 Grid IPA and their Profanity Hill Porter. We also periodically feature a handle from the always reliable Maritime Pacific Brewing Co. (creators of the infamous Jolly Roger...). As of tonight we are pouring their Islander Pale Ale, but as soon as that's gone we will feature the Portage Bay Pilsner.

All of our design and artwork is done by the immensely talented Audra Laymon. She drew our menus and painted our chalkboard (which is displayed prominently in the photo here), and painted our outdoor sign. If you need any design work done, I cannot recommend her highly enough. Even if you don't need work done, commission her to make some art for you. It's worth it. And if you want to see her art, she's is one of the artists in the upcoming show Peanut Butter Space Jam, which will be amazing.

King's Books and Tacoma's resident kung-fu/graphic novel deciphering rock star sweet pea have been indispensable. A large portion of the 1022 lending library was donated by King's Books; sweet pea coordinates/facilitates our monthly Graphic Novel Book Club. sweet pea, thank you.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention that the ladies at Brilliant Cleaning that keep the bar sparkling. Jessica and Faith, thanks for cleaning up after us after the wild nights. They are still taking accounts, so if you need your house or business cleaned, give these ladies a shout.

Thanks again everyone.

The Little Bar that Could

2011-01-04T12:16:00.000-08:00

A couple of months ago I tried to get in on the Pappy Van Winkle action and bring a few bottles to Tacoma. The liquor stores in Seattle that had been promising to hold one for me for months seemingly forgot and the stores that I found bottles in refused to sell to me as those bottles were being sent to Seattle. I was angry and jealous. We work in a small (very small...) market and we have enough struggles without the state refusing to sell us product. I fumed for a couple days, but eventually let it go. A couple of weeks ago I was reading Imbibe magazine's profile of Boston bars and I commented to a colleague of mine that nobody talks about Tacoma. At best we are Seattle's ugly sister; at worst, we are forgotten or ignored entirely.

Big thanks to Jordan for this piece and mucho, mucho thanks to everyone who has been coming out for the last year and a half. I can't really express how much I appreciate our regulars who sat in the bar when it was 20 degrees and sipped G&T's while playing cribbage or the patience everyone demonstrated as we dialed in recipes or ran out of different items. Much love to everyone who has supported us and helped spread the word. Finally, thanks to everyone who's worked at the bar and had to deal with a moody boss who's constantly adding new product and techniques.

Happy New Year everyone!

2010 Fall/Winter Menu

2010-10-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

Fall/Winter menu debut party

2010-10-19T15:53:00.000-07:00

The press release:
1022 South, Tacoma's premiere craft cocktail lounge in the Hilltop neighborhood, will celebrate the debut of its Fall and Winter Cocktail Menu with a party, 6 pm on October 22, 2010. The new menu features nearly 40 delicious, innovative, and potentially curative handcrafted cocktails.

Tacoma, Washington, October 18, 2010

1022 South will throw a cocktail party to celebrate the debut of the new fall and winter menu, 6 pm on Friday, October 22. Featuring over 40 cocktails, the new menu showcases 1022 South's exploration and innovation, respect for classic cocktail construction, excitement for apothecary techniques, and commitment to showcasing seasonal ingredients. Also look for the return of some of your favorite seasonal drinks.

Two examples of the new drinks include: the Beatrice, a concoction of vodka, Amaro Averna Liqueur, lemon, and fig balsamic vinegar, and the herbal Echinacea Cocktail featuring echinacea and cayenne infused gin, lavender/chamomile infused honey, orange, and kava kava. In addition to craft cocktails and apothecary infusions, the menu features a variety of delicious small plate items and includes vegetarian and vegan options.

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 and serves craft cocktails from quality ingredients. 1022 South is inspired by 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, and ginger among others.

The highly-trained bartenders of 1022 South look forward to sharing the new cocktails and relish the opportunity to experiment: let them 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: Sun - Mon 4 -11pm, Tues - Wed 4pm - 12am, Thurs - Sat 4pm - 2am.
Happy hour: 4 – 8pm everyday featuring $3 wells, $3 draft beers, and $4 glasses of wine.

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

See what people are saying about 1022 South:

follow us on twitter: @1022South http://twitter.com/#!/1022south

read our reviews on yelp: http://www.yelp.com/biz/1022-south-tacoma

1022 South is located on South J. Street, between S. 10th and 11th Avenue

253.627.8588. 1022south@gmail.com. www.1022south.com.

Mixology Monday: Limes!

2010-09-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

Our Mixology Monday theme this month is limes chosen by our host Doug over at the Pegu blog. We missed last month's Brown, Bitter, and Stirred, but we weren't going to miss this month. There were a number of directions we could've went, but I thought it would be best if we stuck with the adage, "keep it simple, stupid." With that said, we will proceed with the tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Unnamed Kava Drink
1.5 oz rum (Cockspur, but really there's room to play)
.5 lime
.5 house falernum
.5 coconut cream
.5 kava kava tincture*
three dashes damiana/birch bitters
Finish with ginger beer

Or, because I always do two...
Kokovoko #2.1
1 oz kava kava tincture
.5 falernum
.5 lime
cayenne

*1/4 cup ground kava kava to 750 ml NGA. Let steep 48 hours, then double strain.

The first drink looks like a Kava Colada with a few aphrodisiacs for the ladies and the second is, well, a shot.

Mixology Monday

2010-04-27T01:12:00.001-07:00

Alright, I missed last month's MXMO challenge, but lord knows I know how to make an obnoxiously difficult drink. Here's how this weeks host at McSology set the rules of engagement:

So my charge to you all is to document your (least) favorite drink that is the proverbial thorn in your side. It can be virtually anything stylistically- The point here is to have fun and share that little ticket item that throws you off your cleaning game 10 minutes before last call!

As usual, I have two entries. Sorry for the lack of pics. I'll try to get some up tomorrow.

Bloody Mary
2 oz horseradish infusion*
2 olives
1 cocktail onion
1 caper berry
pinch of Himalayan salt
pinch of celery salt
.5 oz vegetarian worcestershire sauce (try Amy's)
2 lemon wedges
.5 oz fire cider**
3 dashes of Sriracha
organic tomato juice
garnish: lemon wedge, olive, caper berry, pickled lotus root
Muddle lemon, olives, cocktail onion, caper berry together in mixing glass. Add remaining ingredients and ice, then shake and strain over fresh ice in pint glass. Add garnish, then smile.

So this one is obnoxious for a couple of reasons. First of which, it's a mess; it clogs up dump sinks and will make all of your bar tools smell like fire cider (this isn't a problem for those of you with a dishwasher...) Most of us don't have all of these ingredients in our mise, so we also have to dig all of this out of the coolers (which, again, is not a problem for those of you who don't bartend in a submarine...) Finally, what makes this such a hassle is the making of the following:

Horseradish infusion
1 large horseradish root
750 ml 151 proof neutral grain alcohol

Remove outside of root. Cut remaining into thin strips, then place in clean mason jar. Fill with NGA, then let rest for 3 weeks. After 3 weeks, double strain, then add 1 cup of filtered water to bring proof down to around 120.

Fire Cider
1 large horseradish root
1/2 lbs ginger
2 cloves garlic (I use more for batches that are not for cocktails...)
1 lbs ginger
1/2 medium white onion
1 lbs turmeric root
3/4 gallon unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar
1 oz cayenne

Juice horseradish root, ginger and turmeric. Add juice and pulp to clean container. Roughly chop garlic and onion, then add to juiced mess. Add cayenne and apple cider vinegar, then let rest for 6 weeks. After 6 weeks, double strain into clean container.

It's a lot of work for a cocktail that most people only drink when they're hungover. Still, it is really good.

Inappropriately Named Cocktail
2 oz bourbon
1 oz cold press coffee (Ethiopian Harrar from Valhalla)
.5 oz simple syrup
.5 oz Grand Marnier
.5 oz Stroh
Irish cream foam*

Rim brandy snifter with sugar. Pour in Stroh, light on fire, use fire to carmelize sugar rim, then extinguish flame. In mixing glass, combine bourbon, coffee, simple syrup, and Grand Marnier over ice, stir, then strain into snifter. Top with Irish cream foam. Smile.

Irish Cream Foam
1 oz Irish cream
.5 simple syrup
splash cream
egg white

Combine ingredients in mixing glass over ice then shake like hell until you have a barely-pourable foamy-cream. Have fun with that.

The second cocktail is very time consuming and well, kinda of tiring to make. You say shaking a cocktail shouldn't be tiring? It's not, but make one and you'll sell five.

God, I hate these cocktails, but they are so good...

More wine!

2010-04-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

Several new changes have been made to the wine list here at 1022:

New by the glass- Domaine Sainte Eugénie “Le Clos”. The Estate lies within the Corbierres AOC in the south of France, bordering on the Pyrénées to the south, and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. Le Clos is a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Carignane and Grenache. From their website:

“Attractive raspberry red color with hints of garnet. Lively, complex nose of red and black fruits. Refined, even exotic, oak fragrance with hints of incense, spices (nutmeg, clove, ginger) anise, autumn woods and tobacco. Soft in the mouth with fresh, tangy acidity. Wonderful balance. Well-structured yet elegant, with fine tannins. Subtle nuances of toast, vanilla and roasted coffee beans. Multiple layers of flavor. Striking silkiness. Truly sensual.”

That’s pretty fair. I found it remarkably rich for the price, and I hope you all do as well. $7/gl, $28/btl.

Delas Cotes-du-Rhone is back! We are now offering this wine by the bottle only. We found that for our purposes as purveyors of all things delicious, it just didn’t last very long on the back bar (read: the wine ‘turned’ quickly). But at $28 a bottle, it’s still a great deal, and one of our favorite Rhone producers. From Robert Parker:

“The amazing Cotes du Rhone St.-Esprit (75% Syrah and 25% Grenache) reveals a northern Rhone orientation, but it is loaded with spice and black fruits, and displays a beautiful opulent texture as well as a gorgeous finish with impressive purity… This great northern Rhone negociant, spearheaded by their brilliant oenologist and winemaker, Jacques Grange, has consistently made fabulous wines from the northern appellations, but only recently upgraded the quality of their southern Rhone selections. These are the finest southern Rhones they have made, and their Cotes du Rhone St.-Esprit ranks alongside the offerings from Guigal and Chapoutier.”

That’s remarkably high accolades for such a modestly priced bottle. Still half off, every Tuesday.

We also have a (very) few bottles of Ridge’s 2006 Lytton Springs Zinfandel (CA) for $59/btl. These guys are serious nerds about winemaking, and have been since the 1970s. Though zinfandel is the predominant grape, Ridge is known for blending with other varietals for depth and finesse. From the website:

“Lytton Springs is home to 100 plus-year-old zinfandel vines interplanted with petite sirah, carignane, a small amount of mataro (mourvèdre), and grenache. For more than three decades the field blend from this site has produced the quintessential example of Dry Creek Valley zinfandel. Lytton Springs is a prime example of Ridge's commitment to championing Heritage varietals - varietals planted more than a century ago, and surviving in numerous locations. We honor the individual character of these vines by fermenting each variety and each lot separately using natural yeast fermentation, letting the wines undergo natural malolactic, and employing minimal egg white fining.”

I think we’re down to four bottles right now, and once they’re gone, that’s it! The winery released a great discount on the 2006 wholesale price, and we’ve passed that savings right along.

Stay tuned for more from Italy, in June. We’ve got exclusive picks from Small Vineyards headed our way . . .

Santé, Corey

1 year anniversary party

2010-03-19T13:18:00.000-07:00

Here's the press release in case you haven't seen it everywhere else:

1022 South, a craft cocktail lounge in Tacoma's Hilltop neighborhood, will celebrate its 1 year anniversary on Monday, March 29 with a party debuting the spring/summer menu featuring over 40 innovative, delicious, and, in some cases, curative handcrafted cocktails.

Tacoma, Washington, October 17, 2010

1022 South will throw a cocktail party to celebrate its one year anniversary and to debut the new spring menu on Monday, March 29. 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, 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. www.1022south.com.

###

MXMO: Absinthe

2010-02-23T00:36:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T22:30:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-02-03T19:10:00.000-08:00

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

Our first foray into MXMO

2010-01-26T02:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so this is our virgin endeavor here, so bear with us. Here's the explanation from Cocktail Virgin(?):
"Tea has played a historical role in cocktails for centuries. Perhaps the best documented early example was its inclusion in punches as part of the spice role to round out the spirit, sugar, water, and citrus line up. Later, teas appear in many recipes such as Boston Grog, English Cobbler, and a variety of Hot Toddies. And present day mixologists are utilizing tea flavors with great success including Audrey Saunder's Earl Grey MarTEAni and LUPEC Boston's Flapper Jane. Now it's our turn to honor this glorious cocktail ingredient!"

First, we have a riff on a pretty common cocktail, the Blueberry Tea, which we'll call the Blue Monday.
.75 Earl Grey infusion*
.75 Lazzaroni amaretto
.75 Grand Marnier
.5 lemon juice
.5 honey syrup**
1 egg white
Shake and strain into a cocktail glass or something of the sort.

*1 cup of earl grey in NGA for 24 hours. Double strain.
**1:1 honey and boiling water.

And one more:
Hilltop Pearl
1 jasmine pearl infused viognier*
1 vodka (yeah, so what?)
.5 honey syrup
.5 lemon juice
Float with dry sparkling wine
Shake and strain into a brandy snifter. Float with dry sparkling wine.

*1 cup jasmine pearl tea in 750 ml viognier. Steep over night in cooler, then double strain and keep refrigerated.

Sorry for the bad pics...

1022 South

Wine List

2010-01-20T10:30:00.000-08:00

The wine list at 1022 South is driven by the desire to bring excellent wines at a great price to the guest. Though our list is at present rather small, we hope to expand our offerings as public interest grows. Stop by on Tuesday nights to receive 50% off all of our bottle prices!

Admittedly, I have a bias toward European wines. That said, our most affordable bottles are from Mont Pellier in California. They produce one of the best “value” Pinot Noirs I’ve encountered, and a rather crisp Viognier as well. From the press kit: “This casual, light-bodied [Pinot] has bright cherry fruit on the bouquet and tangy berry flavors on the palate. Lively acidity gives zest and balances the fruit.
Tannins are moderate, and a hint of herbal complexity enhances the finish.” Of the Viognier: “Delicate aromas of white peach and apple with a hint of almond blossom.
It’s light-bodied on the palate and shows the creamy texture of Viognier with citrus accents and a pleasant crisp dryness on the finish.” These are both great ‘after-work’ wines, with fantastic prices to match. Regular price is $6/gl, $24/btl. We offer happy hour (4:00p-8:00p every day) pricing for these wines, at $4/gl.

Finding affordable Champagne can be a challenge, but there are plenty of reasonably priced Crémants from all over France, including Alsace, Bourgogne and Loire AOCs. From the Loire AOC, home of Chenin Blanc, we found a beautiful sparkling wine from Baumard, famous for making the very sweet Quarts de Chaume, an after dinner sipper, and Savennieres. The non-vintage Crémant, however, is quite dry. Mostly Chenin Blanc with a bit of Cabernet Franc, the wine is very pale in color with a fresh, nettley nose. The wine is balanced on the palate, between fruit and acid. Fresh apple and pear predominate with a dry, mineral finish. Nice, small bubbles here. We serve this one for $56, but on Tuesdays you can get one for $28. Irresistible, in my opinion.

One of my personal favorite varietals is Grüner Veltliner from Austria. It’s often quite dry and minerally, great for cutting through rich, fatty foods, and hence makes a wonderful cheese wine. A freshly opened bottle will also offer a hint of effervescence toward the finish, making it a refreshing summertime glass. We serve Lenz Moser’s Heuriger Grüner Veltliner, which is a young wine by classification. Huerigers are meant to be enjoyed during their first year in the bottle, keeping the fruit flavor bright and lively. This bottle in particular shows a stone fruit body with loads of white pepper on the nose, and a long mineral finish. The flavor is bold, yet balanced. Our price is $6/gl, $35/liter.

I decided to try some Chardonnay this winter, and so brought Joseph Drouhin’s Laforet on to the list. The Laforet wines are sourced from all over Bourgogne, and represent the front line bottles for their winery. This Chardonnay is quite simple yet elegant, and I’m almost certain that no oak aging has been used here. The flavors are apple and grape (weird, huh?) and a touch of almond. Our price is $9/gl, $36/btl. Except for Tuesday…

We’ve really been enjoying wines from Delas Freres the past few months and so managed to sell out of both their Côtes du Rhône and Côtes du Ventoux. Faced with these unfortunate outages, I replaced them with Perrin’s ‘Nature’ (organic) Côtes du Rhône. All three of these bottles comprise Grenache and Syrah grapes, but the Delas wines had a bit more Syrah than the new Perrin. In these blends, Syrah gives the wine excellent body and more sturdy structure than Grenache alone tends to offer. The Perrin ‘Nature’ comes off a bit lighter on the palate, but still delivers “red and black plum and berry on the nose that follows through in the big, chewy flavors with a rich core of fruit and leathery undertones.” (George Heritier, gangofpour.com) Try it with our goat cheese for $8/gl, $32/btl.

In my search to find a cheap and bossy Italian wine, I came across the 2008 Chianti from Antonio Sanguineti. The requisite 75% Sangiovese has been completed with a little Canaiolo, Ciliegiolo, and Colorino for structure and finish. This wine is TIGHT coming fresh from the bottle; be patient! Buy a bottle and have your bartender decant it. In a couple swirls the wine becomes full-bodied, with loads of dark red fruit, a touch of spice-box and that classic, leathery-tannic Chianti finish. Try it with our charcuterie plate and a couple of friends. $8/gl, $32/btl.
-Corey

January Happy Hour Menu

2010-01-12T01:31:00.001-08:00

Our goal is to rotate through various cocktails on the happy hour menu. So, here is the first of the new year. While it's not noted on the menu, the Jack Rose includes clove/black walnut bitters.

Happy hour is 4 to 8 everyday and all day on Mondays for industry folks and all day on Thursdays for the ladies.

Happy Hour, Holiday hours

2009-11-22T23:29:00.001-08:00

We haven't experimented with very many new concoctions lately as we've tried to dial in everything on our plate right now. However, a lull in the Saturday night found me experimenting with a few ideas that have been rattling around in my head for sometime.
First, we are so happy with how our pear bitters turned out, that I thought we might give a couple of other base flavors a try. Here's a quick list of what we're up to:
We bottled apple and sweet pumpkin in the last week and we'll add the spices and botanicals sometime after Thanksgiving.
Also, we are experimenting with a different version of our damiana infusion where we use a high proof rum instead of NGA.
Black walnut leaf, clove, and wormwood. Yeah, it's an anti-parasitic. I bet it ends up being tasty as well.
A variation on the saffron/cardamom bitters that includes a bit of quassia.
Coffee, cocoa, cloves, cinnamon, grains of paradise and galangal in NGA.

We will be closed on Thanksgiving, but we will be open the night before. Since we will be closed, we'll move Ladies Night to Wednesday where we will also debut our new happy menu. I'll post more about this menu later, but for now here's a look:

Coming Correct

2009-10-27T00:38:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-23T14:05:00.000-07:00

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...

2009-10-20T16:45:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-16T12:22:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-10T04:10:00.000-07:00

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

2009-10-04T03:28:00.000-07:00

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.

I don't have a name for this

2009-09-30T00:21:00.000-07:00

I (Chris) bartend Monday nights now, which, not-so-coincidentally, is Industry night. So every Monday night all of my tips are going to a local charity. Everyone should come in for fancy cocktails, and all of you service industry cats who are coming in and getting hooked up, your cash is going to a good place...

For October, I'm giving all of my Monday night tips to the local YWCA. Given current events, I think that this is a great place to start.

Show up for a cocktail, throw some coins in the coffers. Drink for a good cause this time.

Sorry for the cross-post. I'll make it up to you.

1022 South's schedule

2009-09-29T01:32:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I was shutting the down 1022 tonight when 4 different cars rolled up at 4 different times. It was a bit frustrating as I was so slow all day. I've heard the same story from other bartenders who work the early week shifts, so here is our schedule:
Sun - Mon. 4 -11
Tues - Wed. 4 - 12
Thurs - Sat. 4 - 2
If folks are hanging out Sun - Wed, then we'll stay open, otherwise we shut it down early.

There are specials every night, most of the time for $6. Happy hour is from 4 - 8 everyday and it includes $3 wells, $3 draft beers, and $4 glasses of wine (right now a pinot and a viognier).

Monday night is Industry night. If you do some sort of service all week, then come see Chris on Mondays for a bit of the apothecary. Tell your bartender where you work and ask him (or occasionally her) for the special. They'll take care of you. It might include absinthe or chartreuse, kava kava or damiana. Regardless, it will be fun.

Tuesday night are wine nights. 1/2 off all bottles, including the bubbly. We have fun, affordable wines and most Tuesdays Corey is working to explain each and every bottle to you.

Thursdays. Well, Thursdays are for the ladies. Our drink special is something pretty and Chris and Corey are there to facilitate your night. Plus, the ladies get happy hour all night. Sounds like a deal to me. Let's shake on it...

Those are 1022's hours, specials, and what we are up to. For those listening, we're going to have a rather impromptu party at some point debuting the fall/winter menu. Keep reading and we'll post the party info soon...

The Shifter

2009-09-27T03:16:00.000-07:00

People ask me all the time, what do I drink? The honest answer is everything. As much as I like not serving Bud Lite, I enjoy a cold Rainier, Oly, PBR, or High Life. And as much as I nudge and wink at people who scoff at shots, I do them. With probably alarming regularity. Probably more than I drink anything artisanal.
So, here's what I'm drinking tonight: starting with Liquore Strega and a luke-warm, half-full Henry Weinhard's private reserve. Why am I drinking a crappy beer in such a condition? Because I paid for it and it's the last one. One of my roommates, ahem: K, drank the rest. And also, frankly, because I don't care. I'm not squeamish about beer and I spend enough time in "flavor country" that I don't need my beer to be a taste explosion in my mouth. Besides pop-rocks, I probably need few things exploding in my mouth...
I'm drinking the Strega straight because it's tasty. And I'm tired. Yeah, I could break out the bar gear and whip up a tasty cocktail, but then I get to do dishes. And my shoulder is already sore from whipping up tasty cocktails for 6 hours. And I'm tired. And, finally, I like to taste, feel, experience, whatever I am drinking. For instance, up next is a glass of Wild Turkey 101. I want to feel that. The burn, the lurch, the physicality of it. Not always, but at 3 am when I am just off after negotiating screaming, shuffling, intoxicated masses and life's rich pageantry that constantly presents itself in Hilltop, I want a shot and a beer and I want to feel it.
To circuitously get the meat of the question, here's what I drink: sidecars, sazeracs, and negronis. I seriously love these cocktails when done right. They all help me get a lay of the land. I never order any of the aforementioned cocktails in bars that don't stock the ingredients. Once I've established that the bar has the necessary ingredients, I'll order the appropriate cocktail, each of which is a fantastic measure of the kind of bar you are in. Sidecars, sazeracs, and negronis are all classic cocktails with origins that tickle the tongue of any raconteur. In my humble opinion, these are the types of drinks that bartenders love to make. Simple recipes that need to be executed with care to create cocktails that stop conversations. Cocktails that dance across the palette and challenge bartenders to come up with something better. These are the drinks that are personal classics. You could throw in Old Fashions or martinis, but really, why? Only to be disappointed...?
Anyway, here's me after a long night. I don't actually have black eyes, but I might as well. I'm dog-tired and not wanting to mix much of anything at this point. That's why it's shots and beers...

Beta testing, guinea pigs, and space monkeys

2009-09-07T02:09:00.000-07:00

Before we place any new concoction, apothecary or otherwise, across the rail, we find a few brave souls who are willing to imbibe our concoctions. Most of the time the responsibility falls upon the shoulders of off-duty bartenders who are, and let us be honest, more than willing to be the monkey shot into space for the sake of a little research and development. Tonight, we experimented with the aphrodisiacs.

Before I continue, I must say that I was the monkey for the bulk of the soporifics and stress reducers/resistors that we will feature in the fall. That was fun...So, now we are a couple of stages later where we are experimenting with maca, yohimbe, and cacao. First the cocktail:
1.5 oz reposado tequila
1/2 tsp maca
1/2 tsp cacao
.5 yohimbe infusion
.5 kava infusion
a couple of healthy shakes of cayenne
.5 simple
Shake like hell and strain.

Initially the cocktail was earthy, dirty, and not quite there. I added .5 Licor 43 and that rounded it out. The drink was nice, but still not quite there. I think a different base spirit would work better...or maybe with the yerba mate infusion. That would certainly make for a long night...

So to the effects. My ever willing and always compliant test subject expressed feeling a bit funny initially. It very well could have been from the fact that it was a rather stiff cocktail, but we waited to see how it played out. After about half an hour, our little space monkey did indeed feel a bit randy. I'm not sure what to think about this as it could be the power of suggestion, a psychosomatic reaction, or simply the unremitting charm of the bartender. What we are left with are more questions. I suppose more exploration is necessary...

The Apothecary

2009-09-06T02:11:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since posting for which I definitely have been remiss. I've been incredibly busy working on the fall menu. Our focus has shifted more towards the apothecary aspect of bartending. It started somewhere between deciding to make tonic and cola from scratch and deciding to make 1022 absinthe (which has led me down the rabbit hole trying to figure out how to make Chartreuse). I've followed this path to where I'm now consulting herbalists, visiting Chinese apothecaries, and endeavoring to make medicinal cocktails that are very, very tasty. We are working with such ingredients as kava kava, yohimbe, valerian, and chamomile. Now, I definitely feel like these are easy. If you check out any "apothecary" bar worth their weight, they are doing drinks with these same ingredients (and the others we use: nettles, yerba mate, etc.) We can do more. We can make better drinks; we can make cocktails the way they should be made: with care, exacting precision, and conscientiousness.
We can make drinks that are transformative.
Is this ambitious? Yes.
Is it pretentious? Yes.
Is it good for our community? Yes.
There's so much I want to say, but I'm not sure where to start. I want to write about the pound of damiana leaves I ordered today for our aphrodisiac infusion (with cocoa, yohimbe, kava kava, etc.); our experiment in a flower bitters that turned into a beautiful liqueur; or the stress relief formula that highlights the amazing properties of chamomile and valerian in conjunction with gotu kola and siberian ginseng. This doesn't even scratch the surface, though. Our 1022 bloody mary features an infusion of horseradish root and fire cider; we play with tulsi; we make drinks with golden seal, raw ginger juice, and turmeric infusions. I write all of this and I have yet to work with maca, catnip, sassafras, or mugwort. These are all coming soon...

So, suffice it to say, I'm very excited about what we are doing. I do have a difficult time translating this to marketing...but that's another post for another place. What I can say is that we are about to do something very interesting in our neighborhood. If you want a flavor or a feeling, then come challenge us to find it for you.

One more of the menu

2009-07-17T01:28:00.000-07:00

I appreciate your patience. The 1022 South menu, again.

The Continuing Alchemy

2009-07-15T11:28:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week I finally made it to the herb shop in Pike Place market. Inspired by Morgenthaler at Clyde Common in Portland, I decided sometime ago that I wanted to make tonic from scratch. The problem is that the majority of the ingredients are not readily available in Tacoma. Hence, my excitement when I was finally able to make it to Tenzig Momo. I had my shopping list for scratch tonic in addition to a few other items. After discussing with the gentlemen from Notre (who provide our 1022 absinthe), I decided that we would try that as well...

I work happy hour Tuesdays, so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get some of this done. Feeling exceptionally ambitious, I went in early with the intention of making tonic, cola (inspired by...something, I decided that we are going to try to make house sodas and move away from the canned, high fructose corn syrup nonsense that we currently use), ginger beer, and absinthe. Suffice it to say, I only accomplished a small portion of my goals yesterday.

As I was working on refining the cola recipe, I realized that the infusions on the apothecary shelf were ready. Last week I infused Everclear 151 with raspberries and strawberries. I only had enough strawberries to make 750ml, but I had a little over a half flat of raspberries, so there was some room to experiment. I made a couple of 750mls of straight raspberry infusion using two pints to one 750ml. In another bottle, I added about a cup of ginger to the mixture. In the last, which was 375ml, I added one roughly chopped serrano pepper. All in all, the infusions are very good. The raspberry/serrano infusion, however, is going to be difficult to work with given its heat...

Straining off the pulp and bottling the infusions, making cocktails for the ladies who joined me for happy hour, and trying to dial in my cola recipe quickly consumed my afternoon. I was very happy with my first try at cola. Given that it was wine night, we ran a special on Marcels:
1 oz cola syrup (recipe listed later)
4 oz red wine (we started with tempranillo, then moved on to pinot noir after it was gone)
.5 amaro
seltzer water
Shake and strain into collins glass (minus seltzer water), top with seltzer and finish with a cherry and an orange twist. I think that, while this cocktail is really nice, it could really use a shot of rum.

Here is the fabulous Corey making Marcels, Chartreuse and Spruce gin cocktails.

The game plan for today is to get started on the absinthe and to make our first batch of house tonic. We'll see how it goes...Drop by if you want to be experimented on. Cheers.
-C

Fresh fruit, berries, and alchemy

2009-07-10T13:31:00.001-07:00

It seems that the strawberry season has blown right by me. I managed one half bottle of a strawberry rhubarb infusion. It was (mas o menos as I didn't measure in the beginning...), one pint of organic strawberries, one large piece of rhubarb, and 375ml of Everclear 151. It infused for a week, then we made this cocktail:
Strawberry Rhubarb Flip
.75 straw/rhubarb infusion
.75 vodka
.5 amaretto
.5 lemon
.5 simple
powdered egg white
Shake and strain into cocktail glass. No need to double strain as the infusion had the seeds and pulp strained off already. Finish with a flamed lemon zest.

As for last night, I was dismayed that strawberries were gone, but consoled by raspberries. After infusing a number of bottles of the aforementioned Everclear with various combinations of raspberries and ginger, I set about making our special for last night, which was made with fresh raspberries that were left over. The first was a combination that I had been thinking about all day: raspberries and ginger. After a few failed attempts, we came up with this:
2 white rum
.5 simple
.5 ginger simple
8-10 raspberries
Zardetto cuvee
The raspberries were shaken with the rum and simple syrups, double strained into a cocktail glass, then floated with Zardetto and finished with a lemon twist.
It is a clean, crisp cocktail that has a beautiful color (I need to get a camera that can take pictures in the bar at night...).

However, when sipping the above concoction, my mind kept wandering to the batch of cold press coffee (made with Valhalla dark espresso roast). From there it was a hop, skip, and a jump to this delightful and as-of-yet unnamed cocktail. When the infusions are done, I recommend everyone stop by for this beauty:
2 white rum
.5 simple
.5 Ramazzoti amaro
.5 cold press coffee
8-10 raspberries
Shake and double strain into a cocktail glass. Finish with an orange zest. Absolutely beautiful.

Well, that's it. I think I'm going to attempt to hunt down more strawberries, but I suspect it's a lost cause. Otherwise, we've got something special in store this evening with basil...
-C
(Tip of the hat to Cynthia for her help in the above recipes.)

Carts and horses...

2009-07-02T00:58:00.000-07:00

Before I get too ahead of myself, first I suppose I should give a brief introduction to the bar. 1022 South is a small, craft cocktail lounge in Hilltop, WA. We opened about 3 months ago (end of March? All the days are flowing together at this point. Where am I?) in a spot that was formerly occupied by another craft/tiki lounge of sorts called the Monsoom Room. They ran into the usual sorts of problems that befall small businesses that trade in spirits (in this case, of all kinds...). The owners of the building happened to have in their employ the former manager and longest tenured bartender of the aforementioned establishment (me). After some negotiating, they brought me on as the general manager for the new establishment. I gave it a light remodel, new name, and we were off.

The bar has a literary bent and the cocktails are either 1022 versions of classics or are based on classic architecture. Here is our current menu that is set to run through the summer:
While a few of us have experience bartending in its myriad and sundry forms, we are mostly students of the craft learning as we go along. So, forgive our apparent ignorance at times; we hope it is mitigated by humility and curiosity.

Nuts and bolts. We like spirits. We like stories. We like fresh, quality local ingredients. We try to bring all of the above to the table whenever we can. We do this through researching product. If there is something you had once in New Orleans and you really want it again, give us the name and we will see what we can do. Is there a spirit that you are particularly fond of that you think we should carry (hat tip to the gentleman who recommended the Domaine de Canton)? We will try our damnedest to get our itchy fingers on a bottle. What we do in the meantime is procure fresh, seasonal ingredients from the farmer's market or simply the farm and try to make tasty concoctions. In addition to what is on the first page of the menu, we feature specials every night. Sometimes these consist of experiments that we find tasty (Cynar and Punt e Mes topped with soda and finish with an orange zest) or they are simply what we have in limited supply for the night (margaritas made with basil infused Milagro tequila). We have tasty wine, rotating taps of great beer (and for the locals - Rainier, great in its own right), and happy hour from 4 to 8 everyday. Come in for $3 Cosmos (right now they are made with a bit of our strawberry rhubarb infusion), $3 margaritas (everything but the kitchen sink!), and $3 basil kamikazes.

Ok, enough with the schmoozing. This isn't what I'm best at. I wanted a neighborhood bar where I could sit with my friends and have quality cocktails. That's what we are striving for. Come in for a Rainier, a Chartreuse, or both. And if you see LC at the bar, make sure you say hello if we haven't introduced you already. Tip of the hat to Adam for the pics of the Revolver and the Crossing the Rubicon. Cheers.
-C

OK, so here we go....

2009-06-30T02:39:00.000-07:00

FI'll be honest, this is a little strange. I think about the guys and gals whom I respect that publish the nuts and bolts of their work and I pause. As I finish my last beer of the night and as I hammer at the keys trying to articulate exactly where we are coming from, I think of what a good friend once told me, "Progress, not perfection." With that in mind, here is our first installment.

Tonight Corey and I visited Cynthia at 1022 South. We talked on the walk over about how I am full of ideas for aggressive or odd flavors as I bartend the opening shifts, but I rarely have the opportunity to express them. I usually want to experiment (such as riffing on Morgenthaler's Norwegian Wood - we used Krogstad Aquavit, Calvados, Punt e Mes, and experimented with yellow Chartreuse and Strega), but the opportunity is limited. So tonight, we were the guinea pigs.

Tonight we started with a riff on a cocktail called the 2 by Sweet (details manana). I have not stocked creme de cacao or any other chocolate liqueur, so here's our version:
2 reposado tequila
.5 Cynar
.5 simple syrup
2 drops of chocolate extract
drop of Angostura
egg white (powdered)
Cynthia shook the drink then dropped a touch of bitters on top. It was damn fine cocktail...

Next was a riff on the Honeysuckle cocktail that did not end up quite so awesome. Now, just so we are clear, we have a variation on the Corpse Reviver No. 2:
3/4 gin
3/4 Barenjager
3/4 lemon
3/4 Lillet
1/4 Pacifque absinthe
lil bit cayenne
Shaken and strained. Floated with a serrano pepper wheel.

Given the flavor profile of this cocktail, anything with cayenne, citrus, and an anise liqueur falls in the same general family. We ran a special over the weekend on what was a essentially a spicy caipirinha sweetened with Falernum and agave nectar and people commented on the resemblance with only two of the three components.

So, on to the Honeysuckle riff. I wanted to stay away from the anise/citrus/cayenne pairing and I have had success with a rum/honey/citrus cocktail before (recipe later...), so I decided to try the drink mas o menos as the recipe called for with the exception of substituting green Chartreuse for absinthe (I know, it's a big mas). As it turned out, the drink was imminently quaffable but ultimately disappointing. I didn't want and don't strive to make drinks that are only quaffable, I want to make something astounding (especially when Chartreuse is involved). We slowly sipped this one as we decided what was next...

Heading in a completely different direction, I eye-balled the bottle of Drambuie. Corey mulled over possible combinations perusing first the rum shelf. I was a bit discouraged because one of the first cocktails I ever learned was the Road to Bali (courtesy of Jeff McCilvaine), which was essentially a Rusty Nail that substituted Lemonhart rum for scotch and was finished with a lime twist. We kept looking and I glanced up at the 12 yr. Yamazaki. After a moment, this is what we came up with:
2 Yamazaki
1 Drambuie
1 dash Regan's No. 6 Orange bitters
dash of cayenne
orange twist
It was nearly the best way to finish the night. I'd be lying if I said we didn't finish with shots of Flor de Cana and Cacique, both splashed with Angostura. Overall, it was a good night. Cheers.