Happy Thanksgiving

(Top, Cori, with hidden Kenny, Steven, and Kailin.  Above, Daniel and Charlie.  Below, Chika, Jared, and Chris hydrates.  Photos by Josh Umami!)

(Above, Ted and Seth, who invented something really gross when he put whipped cream on a PBR.  Below, Sylvia and Christy.  Btw Happy Birthday Sylvia!  All by Josh)

(Above, Karen catches Josh in the act.  Below, Nick, Bilan, and Brian.  Thanks Josh for the rad photos.  More coming next week!)

High Cream

Thank You.

Massive Thank Yous to everyone who came out for the first Winter Sports!  Especially to the people who I hadn't met before!  You guys brought the party to a whole new place.  We had a TOTAL blast!

(Above, Ikuyo, Gerald, Nick, Em, and Allie.  Emily was carrying around that whipped cream canister all night.  Below, Ted, Cori, Andrea, and Nick, finishing a drink.   Polaroided by Josh Umami!)

A few more things I'm thankful for (its only a few days until Thanksgiving, u know) before I wear it out-- Thanks to EVERYONE for trying our cocktails.  After everyone warmed up with a Wartime Behavior or two, we added a new drink to the menu:  Halfway thru the party, to compensate for a sudden shortage of St. Germain (blame Ted's ridiculously good French Gingers) we coined the French Mexican, our own cinematic aggrandized version of what it know in less cinematic times as Tequila with Sparkling (French) Lemonade.      

This move led to a little bit of debate on the floor about what was the most popular drink of the night.  The first half of the night had a great spread; the Wartime Behavior and No Sadnesses (thank you linguist Erik) putting up solid competition for the French Ginger and the Debutante's Regret, both of which seemed to capture everyone's need to warm up and ease into the evening.  By the middle of the night, No Sadnesses were storming the place.  But even with the introduction of tequila to level the playing field after the departure of French Gingers from the menu, I think the Debutante's Regret solidly took the second half of the night.  

(Above, Ryan, Brian, and Mo.  Below, Sara and Seth, who holds a Debutante's Regret.  Photo by Josh)

So is this what puts the Sports in Winter Sports?  A room full of rad, creative people plus a freshly-minted menu of new cocktails on the wall, and each cocktail vying for drinkage throughout the course of an amazing evening?  Could be, given how we didn't drink nearly ANYTHING besides the five drinks on the menu all night...  Its a good story.

But is that the answer?  It does make a good story, but here's the thing:  I'm not sure we need to know what puts the Sports in Winter Sports!  We don't need an excuse to get together and have a blast.  We just need a venue.

(Below, Em and Ikuyo!  Photo by Josh)

One other sporting-type idea comes to mind.  Let's make ourselves a game to shake up winter hibernation in the Northwest.  A season of friendly tussle between our energetic selves and the rainy quiet.  One night a month!  To get together, rock all night, bring more friends together, and punctuate the grey until next summer!  Next Winter Sports is coming up in a few weeks.  Hope to see you all there!

Thanks to Seth and Sara for this post's title.  They kept saying things like High Cream while drinking Debutante's Regrets.. Funny

Tomorrow

Good News.


Tomorrow we open the doors on Winter Sports.


And last night Ted and I toasted to the opening as we put the final touches on tomorrow's menu. 
I'm excited to say the menu feels pretty good.  I'm anxious to share it with everybody and get your thoughts!
So come out tomorrow and try a few of these things.  Or have a Gin & Tonic.  Or just dance.  Plenty of time in the evening for all three.  And now the menu:


Heat I  Specialty Cocktails
Wartime Behavior.  A Bite from Beautiful Lips.  A shot of Courvo and a splash of St. Germain in a Ginger-rubbed glass, served to sip.  And Bite.  
No Sadness.  Dry, Ephemeral, In Search of Lost Time.  Port and Soda with a touch of Chartreuse and one lonely Bitters Ice Cube.  Served in a Champagne Flute.
Debutante's Regret.  The Hidden Crazy Eye behind Big Sunglasses.  Champagne and Courvoisier with Cool Whip if you're dirty.  Served like Bubbles.. but the Cool Whip will give you away.
????   Nameless but its So Good it Must Make the Menu.  Muddled Ginger in St. Germain, served as a sipping shot.  


Heat II  Mixed Drinks
Boodles Gin
Some Strong Vodka
Sodas and Tonics and Lemons and Limes and Oranges
Tequilas


Opening Ceremonies, 11.14.2009
9 PM on and on andonandonand
Contact nfkamuda@gmail.com for address and details.

polaroid Preview 10/10

This is my bar.  Nick, polaroided by Josh Umami.

Mucho Gusto

Opening Ceremonies


Your Stylish Attendance Requested at the Winter Sports Opening Ceremonies, on Saturday, November 14th.
From 9 pm on and on and onandonandonandonandon


What it is:
Winter Sports is a monthly bar/ party that I'm holding in my house to fight the winter blues with good friends, good drinks, and good style!  We'll provide the music, alcohol, and respite from the elements, and you provide your good vibes and stylish presence.  Come whenever you want and bring a small donation if you can spare it.  Fight hibernation and deal with the winter blues with swagger... 

Wartime Behavior

Its almost time for the Opening Ceremonies!


The facebook invite went out this morning, and the sms invite will go out this evening.  I apologize to any readers who didn't get an invite, it means I either don't know you or maybe you're out of town and so I didn't pass it along?  


So. I have an exciting announcement to make.  


First off, we are getting closer to having our menu dialed in.  For anyone that doesn't know Ted or myself, for off-the-street generally pretty devil-may-care types, but when we go in to make something, if we don't think we're hitting the mark, we'll stay up for days until we can get it right.  The Winter Sports menu should reflect that: half the drinks will be straight up good gin and strong vodka in tonics and sodas, complemented by some rocking wine selections by Chirsty and Jameson, our resident industry experts.  The other half will be house cocktail specialties-- provided we can NAIL the recipes before hand.  


And so here's the exciting part: We've got one in the bag.  Named The Wartime Behavior, the idea is that the drink should taste like the same kind of free spirited questionable judgement that people invoke during surreal times of desperate measure.   Classic passionate abandon.  In addition, the size and flavor should be evocative of wartime classics:  small and served in a shot glass to represent frugality; smooth, but with a bite, a bit like going into a trance to escape from current affairs. What we came up with captures the abandon of Henry Miller and Anais Nin in the altered state of mid-century Paris:  A shot of Courvoisier mized with a bit of St. Germain, in a glass rubbed with fresh ginger... topped off by letting a thin slice of ginger float on the surface... and sink to the bottom.

Polaroid Preview 9/10

My Winter Sports partner, Ted, and our friend Jameson.
Photo by Josh Umami.