Wildwood Spirits Opens in Bothell, Rob Roy Cocktail Advent Calendar

Holiday happenings in the bar and spirits world

By Seattle Mag December 3, 2015

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It’s December, and the seasonal fun from local bars, distilleries and others is in full swing. Be sure you’re getting the most out of your winter by not missing a thing, starting with the below. 

Drinks With Me at Zinc: I’m helping to host a sparkling holiday soirée at Zinc Art + Interiors  in Edmonds this Saturday, December 5, from 4 to 8 pm. If you didn’t know, Zinc is a great gallery and store in Edmonds, with a really swell eclectically-curated selection of jewelry, art, design, and interiors – a dandy stop if you need gifts. For this Saturday’s fun, I’ll be serving a couple of different tasty drinks for shoppers (including the delicious Lavanda from my book Champagne Cocktails) and I’ve heard Santa will be there, too. If that’s not enough, jewelry designer Robin Westbrook will be having a trunk show!

The Rob Roy Advent Calendar Is Here: The mighty Rob Roy unveiled its fifth annual Advent Calendar-of-deliciousness (one of my very favorite local bar traditions) on December 1. If you don’t know, its Advent Calendar highlights a different seasonal drink every day until Christmas. Up tonight is the Crimson & Clover, with gin, lemon juice, a mulled wine syrup, and an egg white, while on the 11th is the Walnut Old Fashioned (a past Advent Calendar hit with Calvados, walnut liqueur, and bitters), and the Minty Hot Chocolate appears on the 22nd (Branca Menta with housemade melted chocolate recipe). As for Christmas Eve, it’s the the lit-on-fire Chartreuse Blazer.

New Gins from Captive Spirits: Award-winning Ballard distillery Captive Spirits has recently released two new gins – its first releases in two-years. First up is the Pear Barreled Big Gin, which is finished in peated American single-malt whiskey casks from local Westland Distillery. The other release is its Barrel Reserve Big Gin, which is the Bourbon Barreled Big Gin, but aged for three years instead of the normal six months. The Peat Barreled is a limited release for select states, but the Barrel Reserve is even more limited, as it’s only for sale at the distillery and in very scarce supply. So get down there soon!

Spirit of Scandinavia Event: As part of Aquavit Week (which runs 12/6 to 12/12), the Spirit of Scandinavia is an evening devoted to the pleasures of the on-the-rise spirt. If you’re an aquavit newbie, it’s usually flavored with caraway and other spices – but the range of aquavits is wide. At this event, author and aquavit ambassador Jacob Grier (of Portland’s Multnomah Whiskey Library and Cocktails on Tap) will join our own local bar star Jay Kuehner (of the Cloud Room and Damn the Weather) at the Cloud Room from 6 to 9 p.m. They’ll be pouring aquavits from near and far (some of the finest are made right here) neat and in cocktails. For other Aquavit Week events and bars pouring up cocktails with the spirit during that time, visit aquavitweek.com.For more Aquavit Week fun in Seattle, also check aquavitweekseattle.com.

Wildwood Spirits New Bothell Distillery Opens: Located next to the recently opened Beardslee Public House in Bothell, the new Wildwood Spirits Co. tasting room and distillery is both stylish and delivering award-winning bottled beauties. With an early 1900s English apothecary ambiance (think mill work, subway tile, Edison bulbs, and medicine bottles) it’s a destination spot, highlighted by a large window where visitors can view the distillery’s lovely copper stills. It’s open Wednesday through Sunday from 12 to 5 p.m., and will serve complimentary 1/2-ounce tastes of its Kur gin and Stark Vatten vodka.

 

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