Scratch GINiology in Edmonds and More Spirted News

Boozy news from Seattle and beyond

By Seattle Mag March 24, 2016

Three bottles of gin with the letter s on them.

While we’ve had a few sunny days lately, it certainly doesn’t feel as spring-ish as I like to believe late-March usually is. Thankfully there are lots of flowers blooming, and our local distilleries, cideries, and bars are blooming too. Check out the below for a few choice examples.

Scratch Distillery GINiology Class: What is your GINiology? That’s what Edmonds’ Scratch Distillery wants to help you find out with a class where you craft your own gin according to taste and flavor preferences. In the class you start with a drink (naturally), take a tour and learn about distilling, and then get into some fun flavor stuff – touching, tasting, and smelling botanicals, comparing flavor samples, reviewing ingredients from top gins, and then creating your very own gin. Best of all, you get to take a 750 ml bottle of the gin home that very night. And if you love it (and why wouldn’t you), they keep the recipe on file so you can have it again. The classes run Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, but fill up quickly, so don’t dawdle.

Seattle Cider Company’s Basil Mint is Back: Just in time for spring, Seattle Cider Co. has re-launched their Basil Mint cider – and, for the first time, it’ll be available in 16-ounce cans instead of just bottles, adding an extra level of portability and fun. Joel VandenBrink, founder and CEO of Seattle Cider Company, says, “As the weather warms up, more people turn to the outdoors, and our cans are great for throwing in the backpack and bringing along. We continue to try and push the boundaries of cider, and can’t wait to see where people bring our Basil Mint.” Don’t wait to sip this seasonal, because it’s only around through May.

Local Gin and Tonic Menu Now at Pennyroyal: Seems like many folks are thinking of spring, as downtown bar Pennyroyal recently launched a special Spanish style Gin & Tonic menu focusing on locally-made gins (G&T being one of the key drinks of the spring season for many, with the Spanish style served in a large bowl glass with herbs, fruit, and citrus). Each of those locally-made gins is matched on the menu with a house-made tonic crafted specifically to go with the gin – plus, special garnishes that also add to the botanical matchmaking. The lineup includes: Batch 206 Counter Gin with cucumber and lavender, Bulfinch 83 Gin with green cardamom and fennel, Copperworks Gin with star anise and orange, Seattle Distilling Gin with toasted hazelnut and tart cherry, and Sun Liquor Gun Club Gin with cranberry and clove.

New Spring Cocktail Menu at Altstadt: The Pioneer Square German bierhalle is showing that it’s not all about beer with a newly-launched cocktail menu from Donald Tillman, just in time for the season. There’s a bunch of tasty-looking numbers, including a few that utilize beer, like the Franzosisch, with gin, elderflower, grapefruit, and pale ale. There’s also a few that don’t have beer. I think the Rhabarber Collins, with blanco tequila, lime juice, agave, and rhubarb Dry Soda sounds ideal for sunny days. You’ll also find two Boilermakers: one with Bitburger and Fernet Branca and one with Marzen lager and Helbing Kümmel. Nothing takes the edge off a long day like a Boilermaker. There’s also a fresh food menu and, of course, three great beer flights, which include four beers each, covering light, dark, and German beers.

 

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