We here at Submerge feel that we have a lot in common with Sacramento Cocktail Week. For instance, we were both born right here in Sacramento in 2008, and we both also really love booze, our local bar scene and all of the characters that make it up. And sure maybe that’s where the similarities stop, but our point here is that because we’ve been attending and/or writing about Cocktail Week events since that first year, and because we have a good grasp of who’s who in the bar scene, we think we’ve got enough authority to proclaim that this year’s Cocktail Week might just be the best one yet. Here’s why.
For one, it looks to us like there is a more streamlined calendar of events this year (we tallied around 15 total on Sacramentococktailweek.com as of writing this), which is nice, because it gets exhausting trying to make it to too many themed parties (also, our poor livers!). And secondly, the panel that oversees things at SCW these days—dubbed the “Cocktail Collective”—is full of heavy hitters that we would trust to pour us anything: Kimio Bazett (co-owner of The Golden Bear, Hook and Ladder, Bottle and Barlow, etc.); Jason Boggs (co-owner of Shady Lady Saloon, B-Side, Sail Inn, etc.); Matt Nurge (co-owner of The Red Rabbit); Brad Peters (beverage director of Paragary Restaurant Group and President of USBG Sacramento chapter); Joe Anthony Savala (one of the original co-founders of Cocktail Week); and the list goes on and on.
This year, SCW runs for five-days, Aug. 14–18, and again goes down at various “featured” bars as well as others that host official “pop-ups” throughout the week. In the interest of keeping things brief, we’re going to focus on the featured events, so be sure to check out SCW’s website or Facebook page to check out the many awesome pop-ups.
Bottle and Barlow kicks things off on Aug. 14 with “The Dude Imbibes.” Think White Russians, mini-bowling, The Big Lebowski themed drinks and a costume contest. On Aug. 15 Hook and Ladder is hosting “The Tavern on the Green.” Play mini-golf, enjoy “golf course bites” and themed cocktails, win prizes at the hole-in-one contest. Red Rabbit takes over on Aug. 16 with their annual “It Takes Two to Tiki” party featuring delicious tiki and tropical concoctions from some of Sac’s best bartenders and more Hawaiian shirts than you’d ever want to see. On Aug. 17 SCW’s main event, the annual “Cocktail Competition,” hits Harlow’s with teams from eight local bars pitted against each other in a head-to-head, single elimination tournament. On Aug. 18 Cocktail Week ends in style on the Sacramento River Train for the Sacramento Bartenders Guild’s “Wild West Cocktail Extravaganza,” with live music on the train, plus drink specials, food and more.
Have a fun Sacramento Cocktail Week and remember, never drink and drive, and please be safe.
From Star Wars-themed cocktails to bartender showdowns, the 8th annual Sacramento Cocktail Week (formerly Midtown Cocktail Week) runs from Aug. 17 to 22, 2015, with various themed events happening at bars and restaurants throughout the city. Here are eight Cocktail Week events that we think stand out, but there are many more. For a full rundown, visit Sacramentococktailweek.com.
1) Old Fashioned Competition at Block Butcher Bar. Monday, Aug. 17 at 7 p.m.
Seven local bartenders battle it out to see who can sling the best Old Fashioned. Billy Ray will be guest bartending and MCing.
2) Liquor on the Front, Poker in the Rear at Bottle & Barlow. Monday, Aug. 17 at 6 p.m.
Step into the Bottle and Barlow Casino, Resort and Martini Bar with two poker tables, blackjack, roulette, dice cups, raffles, prizes and “trashy dive drinks made delicious with The 86 Co. spirits.” Admission is free.
3) Sac USBG’s SCW15 Capitol Games at California Auto Museum. Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 6 p.m.
Join our local chapter of the U.S. Bartender’s Guild as they host an extravaganza with cocktails, live music, food trucks, fun games and quite possibly best of all, a 27-foot Airstream turned into a craft cocktail bar! $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door.
4) Star Bars at Coin-Op Game Room. Tuesday, Aug. 18 at 9:30 p.m.
Sip on Star Wars-themed cocktails and play vintage video games all night. A true nerd’s wet dream! Costumes are not required but are highly encouraged.
5) Cocktail Competition: Sacramento Punch-Out at Harlow’s. Wednesday, Aug. 19 at 6 p.m.
This is it. The main event for the bragging rights. An annual cocktail competition where eight teams from local bars compete in a head-to-head, single-elimination tournament where randomly selected cocktails are made out of one well. $10 pre-sale, $15 at the door.
6) How Chronic Is Your Gin & Tonic at LowBrau. Thursday, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m.
Check out this free educational seminar on hop syrups and bittering agents with Sarah Shaw from Future Bars, Meryll Cawn from Q Drinks, and Andie Ferman from St. George Distillery. Hands-on syrup making session? Yup! Specials on St. George Botanivore Gin and tonics? You betcha!
7) Cocktail Week Beach Bonanza at Goldfield. Friday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m.
Enjoy true West Coast hospitality with a beach-inspired cocktail menu, beach boardwalk mini-carnival games and smooth jams from DJ Shaun Slaughter. Admission is free.
8) Kocktails, Kittens & K-9’s at Pourhouse. Saturday, Aug. 22 at 3 p.m.
Front Street Animal Shelter brings their adoptable pets to the bar for this annual event at Pourhouse. Sip on some cocktails, fall in love with your new furry best friend and take them to their new forever home!
Jeffrey Morgenthaler delves into the craft behind cocktails in The Bar Book
Portland’s favorite bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler doesn’t want to tell you what to drink; he’s more concerned about the technique behind your blended strawberry margarita. The prolific blogger, Playboy contributor, barrel-aged cocktail pioneer and bar manager of Clyde Common in Portland’s Ace Hotel (and, more recently, Pepe Le Moko, Clyde’s quiet, subterranean counterpart) can add “author” to his repertoire after his book with Martha Holmberg, The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique, was released in June [2014], filling a niche he says had yet to be filled before its debut.
“I just felt like there were a million books about recipes, and half a million books about ingredients, but nobody had done a book about technique,” he says.
In anticipation of Morgenthaler’s scheduled “extra credit” workshop and book signing at Sacramento’s Citizen Hotel during Midtown Cocktail Week, Submerge caught up with the enigmatic barkeep via speakerphone on, of all things, a beer run (“I screwed up on our beer order,” he joked) just two days after Clyde Common took the Best American Hotel Bar Spirited Award at the Tales of the Cocktail gathering in New Orleans.
{Photo by Heidi Bertman}
I was bummed I didn’t get a chance to check out the book before we chatted. I’m sure you cover things like why all of my stuff gets stuck in my muddler when I make drinks at home? I’m thinking I’m just using the wrong muddler…
Yeah, there are essentially two types of muddlers, one that’s used for things like herbs and one that’s used for things like whole fruit. And we talk about both of those types and how to use them correctly. I mean, everyone thinks they know how to muddle but there really is a technique.
I also like how you embrace the blender. I work with a former bar manager, and I don’t think you can get him to touch a blender with a 10-foot pole.
I feel like a lot of bartenders who don’t like blenders have never actually had to work with a blender. I have worked the blender station. I’ve put out literally hundreds of thousands of blended drinks in my life. I mean, who doesn’t like a blended drink, right? They’re delicious. And fun. But it raises a bigger issue. And one of the things I really wanted to do with the book was not pass judgment on any of these techniques. Because drink trends flip so quickly. It was just a few years ago that infusions were the cool thing. And a couple years later, making bitters was the cool thing. And now blenders are not cool, but blenders are gonna be cool again! I wanted the book to be timeless and not tell people what they should drink but how they should make whatever it is that they want. I mean, I don’t care, I have no dog in your fight; if you want to make a blended strawberry margarita, that’s fine with me, I’d just rather you know how to do it the right way. I think the people that are telling others what they should and shouldn’t be drinking are kind of…fuckin’ assholes, you know? [Laughs.] I don’t want to be that guy. Yeah, you wanna make blueberry infused vodka? Fuck yeah, I’ll show you how! It’s easy, you know?
Speaking of trends, you’ve been credited with leading the trend on barrel-aged cocktails, but I’m not totally clear what that is all about.
So, I had this idea to take a whole cocktail, like a large quantity. Not a martini, but three gallons of martini, and put them into a small barrel and let that sit and age in an oak barrel for however many weeks and months, then take it out of the barrel, and stir it and serve it. It was just this silly little idea I had, but it’s oddly enough grown into this worldwide trend. There are bars literally all over the world…like, I had these people come into my bar and they own a bar in Singapore, and they brought me samples of their barrel-aged cocktails. It’s super surreal!
Who did you write the book for?
Really, everyone. I didn’t want to limit this thing to professional bartenders. I wanted to give all the secrets, whether you’re a beginning bartender or a bartender who’s been doing it for a while or somebody who just wants to make drinks at home, I wanted it to be accessible to everyone, but engaging and interesting enough to people on sort of both ends of the spectrum. You know what I mean?
I totally do. The only reason I’m asking is, sometimes your blog seems geared toward bar professionals, but mostly it seems applicable to anybody. You don’t go over anyone’s head…
Yeah, I try to keep my tone sort of…kind, because people might be reading it who don’t know. I think there are enough people who want to talk down to people. I try to keep it engaging to people that are very well versed at this stuff, but also without leaving anybody behind. And that’s what I wanted to do with the book. There are definitely some advanced techniques for bar professionals, but there’s basic stuff. Like, how do you use those clamshell hand juicers? That’s been one of the big ones.
{Photo by David Reamer}
When you started to write, was it, “these are the things I’ve learned and should be out there,” or was it more a response to the rise of the craft cocktail movement?
No, actually, it was sort of a way to help myself. What I really wanted to do was I wanted to connect with other people so I could learn more. I was in a really small town. When I started bartending, I was in Eugene, Oregon. So there’s nobody there who’s going to teach you how to do this stuff. Half the population is binge-drinking college students and the other half is blue collar farmers and stuff who just drink beer. So if you’re me and you’re interested in this type of stuff, you don’t have a lot of people who are going to teach you, especially not in the late-‘90s. I had to do a lot of stuff myself. I wanted to have an online presence so I could reach out and connect with people that would teach me, and also pay it back a little bit by teaching others. Which has always been really important to me, sharing what I’ve learned. Because I remember what it was like to be a kid in a bar in a college town that didn’t have access to information. It’s always been really important to me to share what I know with other people.
If you had to recommend something for someone at home, maybe the top five things they should have?
I really think—I get that a lot, what are the five bottles that people should have—it depends on what you like. There’s no point in telling you that you should get a bottle of scotch if you don’t like scotch. But I think if you’re only going to have five bottles, it’s important to have a range. Unless the only thing you like is vodka, in which case, get five bottles of vodka. But if I were going to do only five bottles for myself, I’d probably have a bottle of vodka, a bottle of gin, a bottle of aged rum, a bottle of silver tequila and maybe a Cointreau or something, one of the more common liqueurs you would use. But again, it would depend on what kinds of drinks you like to drink at home.
What about tools?
Well, that can get pretty crazy pretty quick.
That’s what I was thinking. Apparently I need two muddlers!
Well, one of those muddlers is going to be on the end of your spoon. So if you get the right spoon, you’ll have bought a muddler already. And one thing you can do, for a really cheap muddler, get yourself a French rolling pin, and just cut it in half. And then just kind of sand down the edges a bit. And then you have two muddlers. What does a French rolling pin cost, 12 bucks? That’d be a really easy way to get two really great muddlers. You could split it with a friend if you wanted to be budget conscious. The muddler I use, that I purchased, is essentially half a French rolling pin.
Uh… in fact, that should be my next blog post. How to cut a French rolling pin in half. I’m going to do that.
You are welcome.
[Laughs.] I’m learning stuff here!
But I did notice you haven’t blogged much recently. Has the book been the main focus?
The book has been keeping me really busy. I just haven’t had a lot of time to write. Which bums me out. I never want to give up on my website, but I certainly don’t have the time to write. I’m also writing for Playboy…
I did see that! How did that come about?
Honestly, I have the most charmed life. It’s so weird. You’re gonna hate me, but they just called me up and said, do you want to write for us. Which is how I got the book deal; I mean, everything just seems to sort of fall in my lap. People just call up and say, hey do you want this awesome opportunity. Which I shouldn’t really repeat because I know it’s super obnoxious, but that’s what happened, they just called me up and said, do you want to write for Playboy, and I said, yeah, who wouldn’t?
Don’t miss Morgenthaler’s live presentations and chat about The Bar Book in the Metropolitan Terrace of the Citizen Hotel Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014, as part of the Education segment of Midtown Cocktail Week. The event is from 5 to 6 p.m. and is $10. For more information, visit Midtowncocktailweek.org/education.
A Taste of What to Expect at Midtown Cocktail Week 2014
Raise your glasses! The seventh annual Midtown Cocktail Week is upon us, going down at various bars and restaurants all around town from Aug. 19 – 24, celebrating Sacramento’s artisan cocktail movement and innovative bar programs. Midtown Cocktail Week offers a little something for everyone: affordable hands-on educational classes, industry leading guest lecturers, exciting cocktail competitions, creative themed parties, tons of amazing drinks (obviously) and overall just more fun times than you can shake your swizzle stick at! Here are some brief breakdowns of the official MCW parties, a few of the pop-up events throughout the week as well as some of the educational elements. For a full rundown of what to expect, visit Midtowncocktailweek.org or Facebook.com/midtowncocktailweek. Cheers!
Keeping it Official
MCW 2014’s Main Events Are Not To Be Missed
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014 | 6 – 9 p.m.
The Cocktail Competition
Harlow’s (2708 J Street)
Eight of the best local bartenders battle for top honors at this year’s MCW Cocktail Competition! $15 offers you access to the live spectacle, including tastings of batched cocktails created by the competitors. Live entertainment by Apple Z to follow the comp.
Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2014 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Just Chill, A Spirited Snow Cone Party
Centro (2730 J Street)
Chill out on a hot summer evening as Centro Cocina Mexicana offers snow cones flavored with their trademark tequila infusions! Like something spicy? They’ve got an infusion for that. How about fruity and sweet? Yeah, they got that too. Admission is free.
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Amaro Tomorrow – Give ‘Em the Boot – An R Street Ambush
Shady Lady (1409 R Street)
Unarguably one of Sacramento’s best spots to grab a cocktail, Shady Lady will host this evening of Amaro (Italian for “bitter”) cocktails, antipasti, and bad decisions! “Fernet about it!” Admission is free.
Friday, Aug. 22, 2014 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Bright Lights, Big City, Dress Up, Get Down
Grange (926 J Street)
This spirited celebration will boast craft cocktails, inspired plates, transportive décor, and many toast-worthy occasions in the Veuve Clicquot Champagne Lounge. Sip on fresh cocktails and dance to live tunes from Happy Fangs, DJ Katz and The Satin Dollz. Admission is free.
Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014 | 6 – 9 p.m.
Midtown Cocktail Week’s Big Ole Round-Up
Goldfield (1603 J Street)
Belly up to the bar at Midtown’s newest watering hole, Goldfield Trading Post, for their “Big Ole Round-Up.” Goldfield is partnering with Bulleit Bourbon to bring you “cowboy cocktails,” live honkytonk music and hearty homestyle bites. Admission is free.
Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014 | 1 – 4 p.m.
Island Summer Nights
Crawdads on the River (1375 Garden Highway)
Midtown Cocktail Week goes off the grid and onto the river for this year’s wind-down daytime party at Crawdads on the River. “Island Summer Nights” will be a tropical-themed getaway from the fast-paced downtown lifestyle, featuring island-inspired libations (think tiki drinks, both traditional and with a twist), island-esque plates, music and more!
{Trisha Carr}
Knowledge Is Power
MCW 2014’s Educational Classes Help You Elevate Your Bartending Skills
Looking to up your hone bartending skills? Maybe you’re already a “pro” and work at a local bar? Well, even you can still learn something from Midtown Cocktail Week’s many awesome educational classes! They’ve got everything from “Alabama Moonshine History with Lara Guerra,” to “History of Women in Cocktails with Trisha Carr,” to “POP! Bottled Cocktails with Andrew Calisterio,” to “BLOODY MARY! The Art of Preservation and Infusion” and so much more. Attend, listen, watch, get hands on, be inspired, then pass on the knowledge. That’s the whole point. Classes are only $5 (plus Eventbrite fees), but they are limited to 50 spots each, so be sure to sign up ahead of time at Midtowncocktailweek.org/education, where you can also get dates and times of all the specific classes. All classes will be held at The Citizen Hotel’s Quorum Room with the exception of Portland, Oregon guest bartender/author Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s presentation, which will take place at the Metropolitan Terrace (also at the Citizen, $10).
Poppin’ Bottles
MCW 2014 Offers A Variety of Fun Pop-Up Events
Want to avoid the crowds at the much-hyped “official” MCW events? Check out these (and many other) pop-up events throughout the week instead. There are multiple events each day; it’s like a choose-your-own-booze-adventure!
Monday, Aug. 18, 2014 | 9 – 12 p.m.
Bartender Karaoke
Shady Lady (1409 R Street)
This MCW pre-party is sure to be absolutely hilarious and perhaps even slightly awkward. Witness as local bartenders sing karaoke WHILE making cocktails! Can you say, “multi-tasking?”
Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014 | 9 – 12 p.m.
It Takes Two to Tiki
Red Rabbit (2718 J Street)
Red Rabbit will host this annual “enchanted luau” with a tiki drink competition presented by Lucas Bols, an exotic playlist from Shaun Slaughter, guest bartenders, tropical drink specials and all sorts of other surprises!
Thursday, Aug. 21, 2014 | 9 – 12 p.m.
Under the Big Top
Capitol Garage (1500 K Street)
This wild and wacky pop-up event will be inspired by all things circus! The bartenders will be the ringmasters and will feature circus-inspired food, cocktails and performances.
Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014
Comedy Cocktail Hour
Pour House (1910 Q Street)
Wind down Midtown Cocktail Week with a good laugh as four local comics take to Pour House’s stage and center their acts around cocktails!
The Red Rabbit Kitchen & Bar is one of the driving forces behind Sacramento’s rise to craft-cocktail prominence
When Imbibe magazine listed Sacramento as one of the top 10 “places to visit in 2013” because of its surging craft-cocktail culture, it seemed as if by some divine alchemy the local drink scene finally made it onto the radar of cocktail enthusiasts on a national level.
At the crux of the movement promoting the local hand-crafted dram is The Red Rabbit Kitchen and Bar, where you’ll only find cocktails created from the ground up—homemade syrups, freshly squeezed juices and ingredients like fresh, hand-muddled herbs join the party in the glass.
“This year we’ve had a lot of national, and some international, focus on Sacramento as being a legitimate cocktail town,” says Matthew Nurge, one of the restaurant’s partners. “To be mentioned now in the same conversation as Portland, as Seattle, as New York and San Francisco is awesome.”
When longtime friends Nurge and Sonny Mayugba (chef John Bays is also a part owner) opened the doors to their hare-themed restaurant in February 2012, their vision was simple: to create a chill environment where cocktail nerds and neophytes alike could luxuriate in high-quality food and drink.
“The whole idea behind this restaurant is we wanted to do kind of a sexy upscale atmosphere, but we really wanted the attitude to be casual and easy and simple,” Nurge says. “So the whole idea between both the food program and the bar program is that we come up with simple, delicious, affordable food and beverage. We want to be a neighborhood craft bar, our motto is ‘Raising the Neighborhood Bar,’ so we wanted to have the same casual vibe of a neighborhood joint with some good stuff—good food and drink.”
A sentiment embraced by the cheerful and enthusiastic staff behind the bar.
“We work really hard to make sure that everyone who comes in here feels welcome. There’s a complete lack of pretension that’s in here,” says Christopher Sinclair, Red Rabbit bartender and president of the Sacramento Bartenders Guild. “It sort of oozes out of the walls. I mean from the way that we talk to each other to the way we talk to our customers.”
Christopher Sinclair
Much like the “farm-to-fork” movement that’s filled the bellies of local foodies, a burgeoning “farm-to-glass” campaign is starting to resonate with those looking to get their quaff on.
“People see beverages the same way they see food,” Nurge says. “They want great chefs using great products and making them great food, [and] they want great bartenders using great products to make great drinks.”
Nurge, a Sacramento native and self-professed “cocktail nerd” cut his teeth in the bar business as a youngster hanging out with his mother while she tended bar at Joe Marty’s on Broadway, but perfected his skills as a mixologist at R15 and The Shady Lady Saloon.
Boasting an eclectic roster of spirits, the cocktail menu is a throwback to the fine art of cocktail-making that was the hallmark of the pre-prohibition era.
“Some of them are from old recipes dating back to the 1800s and some of them are kind of modern twists on some of those,” Nurge says. “It’s kind of an amalgamation of that, some are mine, some are stolen, some were lost to history.”
Nurge credits partner Mayugba, yes, the same Mayugba that put out the seditious zine Heckler back in the day, as the “super-connector” for bringing together a brilliant cast of restaurant and bar industry talents—including longtime chef John Bays, who honed his culinary chops in the kitchens of heavy-hitting restaurants like Mulvaney’s B&L, Morton’s and Rio City Cafe.
“I’ve never known anyone in my life who can get things done as easily as he can, he just says things and makes them so,” Nurge gushes about Mayugba. “There’s almost something magical about it, he puts it out there and it just happens. So, Sonny put us together, basically.”
Matthew Nurge
The cocktail menu is an exercise in restraint—you won’t find an encyclopedia-sized treatise of offerings—mixed with cheeky nods to social movements (Harvey Milk punch), historical references (Krakow salt mine) and literature, like the trio of tastings inspired by Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club.
“First rule of ‘flight club’ is you don’t talk about it,” Nurge jokes. “The ‘flight club’ is just a simple idea I had to help introduce people to things that maybe they haven’t tried before. It’s an affordable way to try new things or to try things that you already love. The price is ridiculously low. I mean it’s $15 for three tastes and some of the stuff you might get in there is $15 a pour on its own. It’s a fun way to get people to try new stuff; that was my intention, anyway.”
Nurge adds that bartender culture also served as inspiration for one of the libations on the Red Rabbit menu.
“With the ‘buck hunter,’ the style of cocktail is a buck (a class of cocktail that mixes ginger beer or ginger ale with citrus and spirits) and Buck Hunter is a video game that bartenders like to play,” Nurge says. “For whatever reason, I don’t know why [Buck Hunter], somehow became synonymous with bartenders.”
With Midtown Cocktail Week quickly approaching, another reason for the nod to the local liquid culture by the editors of Imbibe, Nurge and the rest of the Red Rabbit contingent are planning a bevy of activities surrounding the fete. From a competition that takes its inspiration from the three-legged races of family reunions and picnics, involving a suit in which two bartenders will literally be attached at the hip, to a pop-up event demonstrating the talents of its drink-slinging employees, the Red Rabbit is gearing up for the alcohol-infused festivities.
“On Sunday, Aug. 25, 2013, we have an event called ‘Best in Show,’” Nurge says. “We’re the last event, and the last event tends to be kind of what we’ve dubbed the closing party. It’s sponsored by Maker’s Mark, and we’re doing a blue ribbon county fair meets pig roast event, so we’ll have carnival games and prizes and a nice, big, fat pig roasting in a box.”
At the core of the Red Rabbit’s bar program is a dedication to quality ingredients, but it’s the partners’ belief in, and commitment to, the ideals surrounding the locavore movement that extends beyond the bar and spills out onto just about every facet of its business model that makes it so distinctive.
“We have a program, the employee incentive program; not that anyone’s made too many dollars from it, but every employee here is actually a part owner,” Nurge explains. “So the employees collectively own five percent [of the business].”
The partners are looking to expand the reach of the hare; Nurge alludes to a possible expansion effort into “The Kay” district and hints at even breaking with a few craft-cocktail traditions when Sinclair suggests the addition of milkshakes to the menu.
“That means we need a blender,” Nurge retorts. “I’ve been on a no blender rule for like eight years. When the whole cocktail resurgence started, everyone who thought they knew something, thought they knew everything, so all of a sudden there were all of these new rules. You know, like no one makes Long Islands, no one carries Jägermeister, no one has a blender, no one carries Red Bull or blue Curaçao.”
“Jäger’s actually great. Bros don’t shoot it anymore,” Sinclair chides. “Fireball took over, so now it’s socially acceptable to drink Jäger.”
After surviving a year in one of the toughest businesses to break through in, as well as a nasty smear campaign by a disgruntled Yelper, the Red Rabbit endeavors to follow in the footsteps of its block mates, notably, Harlow’s and Centro.
“I think we just have a rad concept. We have good product, at what I believe is a good value, and we have good people that work for us,” Nurge says. “That’s a big key to the success of this business.”
Nurturing the talent in its ranks, while looking to spread the gospel of the Sacramento craft-cocktail scene, Nurge is thrilled by, and, most importantly, supports his employees’ desire to travel the world in search of inspiration—from competitions in Chicago to Puerto Rico.
“I get to meet awesome bartenders and see what they’re doing outside of just our little bubble,” Sinclair says. “It also allows me to spread the good word that is Sacramento and get people really, really excited about coming here and getting excited about seeing this place and bring sort of the appreciation the city deserves, as well as this restaurant.”
The philosophy of craft doctrine also appears to be spilling out into the corporate market—with franchises like Disney and Applebee’s serving up their own craft-inspired cocktails on their respective menus. The movement looks like it’s gaining some serious mainstream credence.
“That’s why T.G.I. Friday’s has craft cocktails on their menu now,” Nurge explains. “It’s everywhere, it’s spreading, but in a good way. It’s a pain in the ass—just ask Carlos over there—to juice for five hours a day, but the end result in the product is irreplaceable.”
Best in Show, The Red Rabbit’s official Midtown Cocktail Week event, will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. on Aug. 25. Admission is free. For a full list of MCW events, go to Midtowncocktailweek.org.
Midtown Cocktail Week 2013
Welcome to our annual Midtown Cocktail Week edition of Submerge Your Senses! This year, MCW’s theme is “Welcome to the Show,” and it all goes down from Wednesday, Aug. 21 through Sunday, Aug. 25 at various establishments in the downtown and Midtown areas. Read on to learn about some of the great scheduled parties, events and classes. For more information and to register for many of the events, visit Midtowncocktailweek.org.
Let’s all raise a glass to the hardworking people who put on all the wonderful MCW events year in and year out, and especially to our local restaurant and bar industry workers. Cheers to you! And remember folks, please don’t drink and drive. A cab is always just a call away. Hit up Yellow Cab of Sacramento at (916) 444-2222, or heck, they even have an app for iPhones and Android devices, so really there’s no excuse not to get a cab. Have fun out there and be safe, you imbibers, you!
SEE: The Big Show Cocktail Competition at LowBrau • Aug. 21, 2013
One of the main highlights of Midtown Cocktail Week is always the cocktail competitions. Sort of a who’s who of local bartending talent, these events are extremely exciting and entertaining to watch as the best mixologists in the area battle it out for the highly coveted top spot. The competitions tend to get super crowded and hit capacity and/or sell out real quick, so be sure to get your tickets nice and early for “The Big Show,” as it’s being dubbed, on MCW’s opening night, Wednesday, Aug. 21 from 6 to 9 p.m. at LowBrau (1050 20th Street). Tickets are $10 apiece and are available on Midtown Cocktail Week’s website.
TASTE: Get Local Favorite Recipes Online and Make ‘Em at Home
Experimenting with cocktails at home can be fun, albeit sometimes frustrating when things don’t turn out as tasty as they do when your favorite local bartender makes them. It always helps to have a nice place to start when looking to get your home mixology experimentation on. So, for a bunch of local favorite cocktail recipes, head to Midtowncocktailweek.org/recipes to get the inside scoop on how to make drinks like the Buffalo Buck, Romeo and Violet, Honey Badger and the Berry 75. Some are complicated, some are simple, all are delicious. Hit up a local farmer’s market or grocery store for fresh fruits and produce and then stock up on booze from Total Wine or BevMo. Invite some friends over, get to mixing and you’ve got yourself a party!
TOUCH: Get Hands-On at Midtown Cocktail Week’s Various Classes • Aug. 22–23, 2013
One of the coolest parts of Midtown Cocktail Week is how hard the organizers strive to provide quality educational classes for both the public and area bartenders. The lineup of classes this year is exciting, with many unique themes and knowledgeable educators and speakers to help up your cocktail game. All of the classes are jam-packed into two days. On Thursday, Aug. 22, the class lineup is as follows: From 10 a.m. to noon is Soda Fountains and The Cocktail Process presented by Artisnal Spirits; from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. is Japanese Bartending & The Art of Omotenashi presented by Suntory; from 2 to 3 p.m. is The Rise and Fall and Rise of Tiki & Exotica presented by Bols; from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. is MCW 2013 Presents David Wondrich, sponsored by Bols; and wrapping up the Thursday classes from 5 to 6 p.m. is World Peace Through Whiskey: One Dram at a Time! presented by Laphroaig and Ardmore. Friday’s class lineup looks like this: From 10 to 11 a.m. is The Drunken Botanist presented by Artisnal Spirits; from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. is Bad Cocktails Gone Good presented by Diageo; from 1 to 2 p.m. is Rum in the Americas presented by Denizen Rum; from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. is American Whiskeys presented by Diageo; and from 3:30 to 5 p.m. is the final educational event, English Gins sponsored by Pernod Ricard. All classes require pre-registration and cost $5.00 to attend. They are all taking place at the Citizen Hotel (926 J Street) in either the Quorum Room or the Scandal Lounge.
HEAR: Bestselling Author Amy Stewart On Her Book The Drunken Botanist • Aug. 23, 2013
New York Times bestselling author Amy Stewart knows a thing or two about plants. Her sixth and latest book, The Drunken Botanist, combines her lifelong interests in botany and well-made cocktails. According to Drunkenbotanist.com, “The book explores hundreds of plants that are fermented, distilled, macerated, infused, mixed and otherwise made into drinks.” Since publishing her first book, Stewart has been on NPR’s Morning Edition and Fresh Air, she’s appeared on CBS Sunday Morning, Good Morning America and the PBS documentary The Botany of Desire. She’s also written for New York Times, the Washington Post and many other newspapers and magazines. What are we getting at, here? Stewart is legit, and she just so happens to be making her way to Sacramento to speak at one of Midtown Cocktail Week’s many educational events. Got a green thumb? Like craft cocktails? Make sure to catch her on Friday, Aug. 23 at the Citizen Hotel from 10 to 11 a.m. Visit Midtowncocktailweek.org/education for more information.
With Midtown Cocktail Week falling perfectly during this issue (it takes place Aug. 15—21 at various bars and restaurants), we took it upon ourselves to dedicate “Submerge Your Senses” to this oh-so-delicious week filled with unique cocktails, cool hands-on classes, exciting competitions, fun themed parties and so much more. If just for this one week, set the High Life down, back away from the IPA and indulge in the finest cocktails and mixed drinks from the region’s best bartenders. Outlined below are a few of our editors’ picks for the week. For more information, head to Midtowncocktailweek.org.
TOUCH
Home Bartending Classes
One of the coolest things about Midtown Cocktail Week is their lineup of hands-on home bartender classes. First up is the “How to Throw a Punch Bowl Bunco Party” class on Monday, Aug. 15 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Restaurant Thir13en (1300 H Street). In this class, home bartender students learn how to create tasty punch bowl drinks (both with and without alcohol), perfect for your next party or gathering. All students take home a punch bowl and their very own recipes. The class is just $25 and lunch is included. Next is the “Home Bartender 101 With a Taste of Italy” class on Saturday, Aug. 20 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Hot Italian (16th and Q streets). Taught by last year’s Midtown Cocktail Week Mixology Competition champion Russell Eastman, this class will give students some insight into basic bartending skills for either entertaining guests or for concocting your ultimate home recipes with, of course, Italian influences. All students take home a special gift bag and lunch is included with the $25 ticket. The third and final offering is the “Home Bartending 102 With a Thai Twist” class on Sunday, Aug. 21 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at Level Up Lounge (2326 K Street). To take this class you will need to have basic knowledge of home bartending skills and a previous class under your belt. It will be taught by a local celebrity bartender, and students will enjoy five cocktail and cuisine pairings, all the while learning about flavors and techniques involved in Thai mixology. Each student will take home a special gift bag and tickets are just $25. For $10 extra you can snag a complete home bartending kit, or if you sign up for both the Saturday and Sunday classes, the kit is free! Already a bartender? There are “Industry Only” classes for you, too! They are even free of charge, and all Sacramento-area bar staff is welcome. For more information on those, visit Midtown Cocktail Weeks’ website.
SEE
The Science of Food and Drink on Aug. 20 at Lounge on 20
This will be by far the nerdiest event during Midtown Cocktail Week, not that that’s a bad thing. Everyone’s got a little nerd in them (some more than others). On Saturday, Aug. 20 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Lounge on 20 (1050 20th Street), witness a night of science-meets-mixology. One of the hottest trends in the cocktail world at the moment is “molecular mixology” and at this event you’ll get to witness some of the mad-scientist type stuff go down right in front of your own eyes. Molecular mixology is the term applied to the process of creating cocktails using the scientific equipment and techniques of molecular gastronomy, also a popular trend in the food world. Using these methods bartenders around the world are creating greater intensities and varieties of flavors and textures and are finding different ways of presenting drinks, for example using powders, gels, foams, mists, atomized sprays, etc. Sounds cool, right? That’s because it is, so don’t miss this event. Extra credit points for those who dress in a lab coat and safety goggles (not really, but that would be pretty awesome if you did).
HEAR
Who Will Be Named Midtown Cocktail Week’s Mixology Competition Champion?
One event you’ll be sure to want to attend is the Mixology Competition on Tuesday, Aug. 16 at Red Lotus (2716 J Street) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cheer on some of your favorite bartenders from the region, including (but not limited to) Dominique Gonzales (representing Zocalo, the only female in the competition), Chris Tucker (representing Golden Bear), Josh Carlson (representing Lounge on 20), Travis Kavanaugh (representing Shady Lady) and Robbie Schmitz (representing Lucca Restaurant and Bar), as they concoct delicious and unique punch bowl style cocktails. The 10 contestants all drew out of a hat one week prior to the competition to determine what spirit they will be using in their punch bowls so they could plan out their drinks. The five top-shelf spirits they chose from included Oxley Gin, Appleton Estate Reserve Rum, Famous Grouse Scotch, Casa Noble Tequila and Buffalo Trace Bourbon. Who will win the coveted title? You’ll have to show up to find out! After the competition, follow the crowd upstairs to Blue Cue for a rocking after party featuring live entertainment and guest bartenders.
TASTE
Artisan Food and Drink Pairings at The Stately State of Local Food and Drink
On Wednesday, Aug. 17, Shady Lady (1409 R Street) is hosting a late night (9 p.m. to closing) event called The Stately State of Local Food and Drink where guests will enjoy artisan food and drink pairings from Shady’s infamous bartenders and chefs. Come thirsty and hungry, leave tipsy and full.
