Pick up your date a little gift beforehand – a tiny bouquet of flowers from The Meadow on Mississippi (at the counter for $10 or less), a bracelet from Betsy and Iya (my favorite local jewelry designer), or a lovely little card to start the evening off.

Begin at Ambonnay, Portland’s only champagne bar in industrial SE. The sommeliers are sweet and knowledgable, the decor is fabulous, and the cheese plate is delish. Order a glass, whisper sweet nothings in the flattering light or chat up the staff and learn a thing or two about bubbly – it’s an undiscovered spot so far and always quietly romantic. (NOTE: Make sure you both like champagne – the menu solely has sparkling wine.)

Le Pigeon for dinner. This highly acclaimed spot holds up to its reputation. Get the beef cheek bourguignon, polenta egg in a basket or anything on the menu (the burger if you’re there early enough — they only make 5 a night). You can’t go wrong. Make a reservation on their website for a seat at one of their lovely communal tables, or roll the dice to sit up at the Chef’s counter, which they keep open for walk-ins.

Walk or drive over to the Rum Club for a nightcap. The best cocktail on the menu is the Fino Countdown, but everything is delicious and the bartenders are some of the sweetest around.

If it’s nice out, drive down to the waterfront near the Hawthorne Bridge and watch the city lights from a bench on the river to complete your romantic evening.

I know, I know all my happy places involve food and alcohol. Is there anything really wrong with that? Thing is the ocean is also one of my most happiest places ever. But it’s even more happy if it involves a nice bottle of wine and snacks.

A few weeks ago we went to Rum Club for happy hour. There’s a lot of happy going on in this post. A hidden little gem on SE Sandy. It’s one of those places if you blink you’ll miss it. If you know where it is, while I would love to tell you to keep it a secret (which means more rum for me), this place is meant to be shared, so tell everyone you know.

The atmosphere reminded me a bit of Pegu Club in Soho. Also a bit difficult to find because I don’t believe there’s really a sign and the only evidence of Pegu Clubs’ existence is a very skinny door, with very skinny stairs leading up to a very cool bar. The original Pegu Club was an English Officers’ Club near the Gulf of Martaban, in Burma. As Kipling wrote, “this funny little club was always filled with lots of people, either on their way up or on their way down.” I think I could say the same of Rum Club. I totally expected for Hunter S. Thompson to walk through the door. But unfortunately he’s no longer with us so that’s not possible. But it would be really cool.

Rum Club is proper and old school and mixes its cocktails with love and finesse. Try the Rum Club Daiquiri  Bacardi 8 Aged Rum, Fresh Lime, Maraschino, Demerara Syrup, Angostura Bitters, Absinthe. Or the One Step Beyond! Mai Tai Rum Blend, Orgeat, Pineapple Gomme,Fresh Lime, Tiki Bitters, Absinthe, Pineapple Sage. I don’t even know what Pineapple Gomme is??? I have so much to learn.

And if rum isn’t your thing…definitely try the Champagne Manhattan. A happy hour special. A yummy blend of Rye, Punt e Mes (again I have no clue?) Bubbles and Orange Peel.

I’m not done yet because I haven’t mentioned the food. The happy hour snacks made me very happy. I didn’t think I could be so quite happy. I think I may be overdoing the whole ‘happy’ thing. Bygones. But there I was all giggly and happy. We had the Baby Back Ribs Plum Glaze, Cabbage Slaw, truly finger linking good in a way that you hope people aren’t watching you suck sauce off your hands. How gauche. The food highlight of the evening was the Smoked Brisket Sandwich with Braised Greens, Focaccia. We got one to share and it was so incredibly juicy, fabulous and mouthwatering we had to order another. Again I hope no one was privy to our gluttony.

http://rumclubpdx.com 

720 Southeast Sandy Boulevard  Portland, OR 97214
(503) 467-2469

Go there this weekend.

Until next time…Moose out

Sitting in a room with a bunch of people tasting whisky might not be to everyone’s taste but it’s actually a really fun way to learn more about the spirit and was a great way to try a range of whiskies that I wouldn’t have ordinarily, particularly as one of the bottles cost £160!  Six whiskies of different ages, some single malt and some blended and lashings of storytelling about the history of whisky making is certainly a way to encourage people to the benefits of a dram of the good stuff.  Tasting the difference in whiskies aged in sherry and bourbon barrels and the note of fruitiness  gave me a few ideas for some cakes to try out later!

I’ve also been attending a series of Rum Clubs at Island Bar which have been doing a fine job of extolling the virtues of rum.  These are even more informal, mainly by virtue of the fact that they’re mainly attended by bartenders as rum doesn’t have quite the same reputation as whisky.  It’s only really in the last five years that the idea of rum as a sipping spirit has become acceptable (largely helped by El Dorado 15 year old rum winning a major award some time in 1997/8).  But given that before this year rum was a spirit I didn’t really care much about, these events have been a good way to view the spirit in a different light and I’m really appreciating it a lot more – I just wish other non-bartending folk would too!

As well as teaching me more about whisky and rum these clubs have been giving me a better understanding of the different notes to find in the spirits.  It’s been a great way of being able to identify complementing flavours and hopefully inspire some more cakes!  It’s definitely worth having a look around to see whether bars or specialist shops near you are also running whisky/rum clubs.

many of the places listed below have been previously reviewed on this blog, in which case i have linked to the respective posts (mostly in german, so sorry!). others are in dire need of reviewing, but hey – there’s a whole new, shiny year ahead of us.  who knows what might happen ‘-)

so let’s dig into part one:

American – Coffee

“AMERICAN” (BURGERS & STEAKS)

while i am well aware that american cuisine encompasses a whole lot more than just burgers & steaks, most berlin restaurants (as well as their customers, for that matter) are not. so there.

the bird / am falkplatz 5 / p’berg

everything that needs to be said about this place has been said. the music’s too loud & of the “shitty rock” category, but i can ignore that for a grand piece of beef. while the service can be spotty at times, the quality of both burgers and steaks remains consistent. the proof? just try to get a rez on the same day you’d like to go. good luck!

hamburger heaven / graefestr. 93/ xberg

not nearly as overrun as the big cheese above, but it’s become quite popular & is a great alternative for a very good burger w/out having to play the reservation game.

tartane / torstr. 225 / mitte

a daily changing menu with a special burger on offer every day & a small standard menu with good eats for pretty much any taste. hipster-factor = not too high, despite its location on torstrasse.

“ASIAN” (PAN-)

there are so many ways pan-asian food can go wrong.  just visit panasia near hackescher markt some time, or any other viet-thai-sushi-50% off place. thankfully, there are exceptions.

toca rouge / torstr. 195 / mitte

a fine example of  very moderately priced, interesting twists on chinese & thai stand-bys, with incredibly friendly staff and an interior as dark as my soul.

dudu berlin / torstr. 134 / mitte

despite the location (waaaay too close to st. oberhip on rosenthaler platz) and a ridiculously high hipster-factor, i found the food there to be surprisingly delish. a very good grilled salmon dish with seaweed salad comes to mind, as well as a very generous sashimi salad.  good ‘beautiful people’ watching, too >snicker<

BERLIN AT ITS BERLINEST

these are a few  places that represent the berlin i love, and love to share with visitors.

clärchens ballhaus / auguststr. 24 / mitte

an old-school dance hall with decent pizza & fantastic people watching.  the dance classes are legendary.

clash / gneisenaustr. 2a im mehringhof / xberg

quite a different kind of dance hall, and a very different kind of customer. i dare you to use the bathrooms sober.

mauersegler / mauerpark / p’berg

mauerpark itself is quintessential berlin history, and if you’re a dirty white hippie who loves drum circles and african dance, you’ll fit right in. mauersegler is a nice bar to hang out, sip beer and munch on various snacks while listening to some of the more interesting and talented bands than what you find outside on the dusty “lawn”.

prater / kastanienallee 7-9 / p’berg

oldest and most beautiful biergarten in berlin. ‘nuff said.

BREAKFAST / BRUNCH

brunch is a well-loved tradition in berlin, one i rarely enjoy because my breakfast at home is so goddamn awesome. but sometimes i get lazy or just want to get out.

café morgenland / skalitzer str. 35 / xberg

despite the fact that one has to go on a diet before being able to maneuver the tiny (but well-stacked)buffet area, it’s well worth the trip from other hoods.

CHINESE

like in any larger german city, there are a million and one chinese restaurants in berlin, a lot of them located on kantstrasse in charlottenburg, aka little china. i don’t get too excited about cantonese cooking, so you’re on your own there.

hot spot / eisenzahnstr. 66 / ch’burg

that other sichuan resto that’s not quite as awesome as tian fu. if, however, you’re a fan of riesling, do check out the extensive wine list and ask the very friendly owner for recommendations.

tian fu / uhlandstr. 142 / wilmersdorf

spicy. salty. oily. just like it should be.  order the hot pot or the chili chicken and let your tastebuds sing.

wok show / greifenhagener str. 31 / p’berg

best dumplings in town, and a garlicky napa cabbage salad that’ll make everyone you meet after dinner want to send you to a deserted island. just make sure to bring some of those dumplings along for company, which are also available to buy frozen for take-out.

COCKTAIL BARS

cocktails and spirits have been experiencing a bit of a renaissance in the last decade, with all the insufferable snobbery and self-acclaimed “mixologists” that inevitably go hand in hand with such trends. that said, one can get a damn fine cocktail in all the places mentioned below. just ignore the hype if you can.

bar nou  / bergmannstr. 104 / xberg

no attitude here, likely due to the location: bergmannstrassen-tourists and kiez people alike enjoy old-fashioned standards & house creations, with a decent single malt list to boot. if you’re lucky, your man behind the bar is michael, who’ll mix whatever you want (even a sex on the beach >gasp<) without batting an eye, and who’s always up for some light-hearted banter. sit at the bar if you’re older than 20, cuz the “lounge chairs” will kill your back.

reingold / novalisstr. 11 / mitte

definitely in the mixology category. this bar has a great atmosphere and high-quality drinks to match. if you are so inclined, you can discuss the intricacies of tequila or nuances of aged rums & rhums – berlin’s newest obsession – with the superduper-knowledgeable mixologists (no mere bartenders here, thank you very much). or, you can just sit back and enjoy your drink.  that is, if you don’t mind smoke. cuz this is a smoking bar, just so you know.

stagger lee / nollendorfstr. 27 / sch’berg

likely also falls in the mixology-category, but with less pretentions suffered elsewhere. a small place with cozy leather seats and an atmosphere that’ll transport you to a saloon in the wild wild west, the drinks are fantastic, with the mint julep being the house specialty: served in a pewter cup with house-macerated cherries. i could make a single meal of those cherries. oh my.

rum club / top-secret location

an incredible collection of rums (the owner’s passion), a monthly sushi night and special tiki events await those select few who are invited to enter these holy halls of high-end alcoholism.

COFFEE

unlike amsterdam, where one can get a great cup of coffee pretty much anywhere, you have to be a bit more selective when it comes to a bean-brew that’ll wake you up and make you happy.

double eye / akazienstr. 22 / sch’berg

certainly no longer a secret, this is where you’ll get your perfect caffeine fix – likely after having waited in a line that sometimes goes out the door.

röststätte / ackerstr. 173 / mitte

you can buy the house-roasted beans or browse the wide selection of espresso machines in the store next door, or sit down with a delightful cuppa joe and watch the parade of “ironic” jeggings & fedoras pass by.

• I wonder if Ryan Magarian can really bring any of his old magic back to portland or if the pretentious bartender posse in town will attack him as soon as he reappears. I’m already hearing bartenders say things like “this isn’t LA” and “Ryan has gone Love Boat”. I think its just jealousy and I want to see what Oven and Shaker can do.
• Is it possible to go to a bar in this town and not run in to David Shenaut behind the stick? I went to Kask, there is David, I go into Rum Club, there is David. Id really like to not have to babysite his ego some time.
• Has any body else wondered why Portland Cocktail Week is making David Shenaut and Lindsay money but not the bar guild? It seems unnusual for David to be using his position to make himself moeny at the expense of the bartending community.
• My collaborator on this project is in california right now. He’s been a bit afraid to actually write something for this blog so I may kick him out but he was the idea and inspiration for this stuff.  We’re both in the community and sitting at your bars. Maybe we’re workign at your bar. We walk among you. If you know alchemy, you might habve a clue.
• How does Jeff Morgenthaler always seem to get the best bartenders in the city? Originally i thought Jeff was a flash in the pan but he is a great cocktalian and an even better identifier of bar talent. I think Clyde Common is stronger now that ever.
• Mary Bartlett has taken over at Park Kitchen. What a brillaint move. PK has produced some of the greatest bartenders in Portland hisotry and now Mary has the chance to shwo that hse isn’t working in tommy tweeds shadow any more. Great move and anyone that doenst respect it can eat my ass. Someday, Mary is going to have to say yes when i ask her out.
• Tommy Tweed. Why is his dog writing blog posts? The last dog I had liked to eat its own shit.
• Is Bluehour the most pretentious bar program in Portland now? I think so. Those people can bit me.

Now, when global spirits giant, Diageo, took over the world’s best rum brand, things were always going to change, despite what the fine men at Reserve Brands might say.

Thankfully, for those that were lucky enough to stumble into the path of a bottle before Diageo turned rarity to luxury, it appears the product so wonderfully selected by Master Blender, Lorena Vasquez is not amongst the things that will change.

The partnership of families who grew the canes and made the rich, flavoursome rum may slowly be drifting towards a more corporate structure since exposure and the brands flagship, the XO, will lose its Centenario designation, in front of, somewhat predictably, opposition from the company who ‘owns the term’ as the Americans say it, Jose Cuervo.

Now, I’ve written about the 23 year old before, but thanks to last weeks Rum Club, I now know a lot more about this fantastic spirit. To say that it is different from most rums is an understatement in the extreme. Most rum is produced from blackstrap, a type of molasses that is a by product of sugar refining. Blackstrap is a little bit bitter and tastes and smells very cooked. Rhum Agricole, the French version of this most naval of spirits, is produced from the first pressings of the sugar cane juice, in much the same way as the Cachaca spirits form further South in Brazil. Zacapa is made from neither of these. Sugar cane juice is pressed and cooked, purely for the purpose of making the spirit. The cooking process drives off the water, and after smelling the sugar cane ‘honey’  it also provides a measure of carmelisation, although not to the same burnt levels as blackstrap. It is quite literally, somewhere in the middle.

The next difference in Ron Zacapa is the aging of the distillate. It is taken to “The House in the Clouds,” a facility 2300 metres above sea level. Here the distillate is subjected to a Sistema Solera, an aging sytem invented by the Spanish to produce Sherry and brought to the America’s by the invaders. Simply put, a Solera ages the distillate through different levels or ‘criadera.’ The barrels on the first level are filled with fresh distillate, when it is ready it is moved down a layer and mixed with spirit that has already aged. This fractional blending ensures a smooth end product and is used to create a level of consistency between batches, years and decades. That might sound a touch complex, and it is. Zacapa, hopwever, take things one massive step further.

The distillate is taken from the still and poured into American Whiskey barrels. These barrels are first fill Bourbon barrels (FFBB) This means that they have only had Bourbon in them before and no other spirit. The rum stays in these barrels until Lorena or one of her master blenders decide it is ready. This can take between 1-3 years, give or take. The blender has the final say.

Once the rum is ready, it goes to a 17,000 litre American Oak mixing barrel for intermediate mixing (IM). The rum is blended with an amount of Old Reserve (OR) from the Zacapa warehouse. the amount of rum is a closely guarded secret, but the Master Blender is looking for a paticular set of characteristics before it can go back into the barrels.

The rum is then put back into Bourbon barrels, this time though they are highly charred(HCBB), giving an ‘alligator skin’ effect that imparts a lot of flavour. Once again, the rum rests until the blenders nose says it is ready, before once again heading to the intermediate mixing to be blended with the Old Reserve (OR)

The third stage sees the rum aged in Sherry Butts, (SB) I haven’t yet worked out why Sherry barrels are called butts, maybe one of you can enlighten me. The Sherry barrels impart a fruity depth to the rum. Again, only the Blender decides when it’s had enough time, and can go back to intermediate mixing for a third time.

The fourth aging stage is in Pedro Ximenez Sherry Butts (PXSB) This Sherry is very sweet and the barrels impart deeper fruity flavours, sultanas and muscatels. At the completion of the fourth stage the rum is once again mixed with the Old Reserve. At this point, the rum can be bottled as Ron Zacapa 23. Some of the IM barrel at this stage is also sent back to the warehouse to replenish the Old Reserve.

The final stage in aging that sets the XO apart is aging in French Oak Cognac barrels (FOC) This gives the rum a dryness and quality of finish that is hard to find anywhere else in the family of sugar based spirits. French Oak ex-Cognac barrels are some of the most expensive of all barrels that are traded around the world.

The rum is blended one last time with the Old Reserve, again some is held back to fuel the future processes. It then leaves the Solera, is filtetred through Cellulose, bottled and distributed around the world.

The Ron Zacapa XO bottle points to its Cognac finish, and somewhat predictably to its price tag. It’s not the most expensive Rum on earth, but at 200 bucks a bottle here in Australia, it is in pretty special territory. I first tried it in Japan, over a hand carved ice diamond. It cost around 50 bucks a shot, but the memory of it has stayed with me a long time, so I’d have to say it’s absolutely worth it. Anyone who is a rum nerd should try it out at least once…

There are bottles behind the bar at Low 302, Rockpool and the Bayz. With Diageo bringing it in, rarity it might not still be, but luxury it certainly is.

After a short and somewhat informative presentation on the history of the brand and the innovations Bacardi bought to the rum industry (parallel process, where two base rums are produced at the same time and blended; charcoal filtration, to smooth the rough edges of the Devils Kin; La Levadura, the use of a specific yeast to ferment the blackstrap and water mash & deliberate aging, to add character, body and a smooth finish to the product.) it was time to drink the sweet, sweet liquor.

Starting with Carta Blanca (the famous white rum; banana, almonds and icing sugar on the nose; brunt wheat and vanilla on the palate with a smooth finish,) followed by Bacardi Oro (a gold/yellow rum; green banana’s on the nose; orange peely to taste and a warmer finish,) next came Bacardi Black (a brown/black rum; raisins and paint on the nose; rich caramel to taste running into a smooth finish,) next up was Bacardi 8 (a rich brown/amber rum with a nose to match, the 8 is smooth in taste and finish, perfect in old school cocktails like the old fashioned and smooth enough to drink on its own,) the penultimate selection was Bacardi Limon (clear, flavoured spirit not legally allowed to be called rum in Australia, macerated lemons give the spirit a heady zest, sweetening the final product to an almost liqueur like consistency.) The last rum in the tasting was Bacardi Reserva Limitada. This one was so good, it’s getting it’s own post.

The evening wrapped up with the announcement of the winner of the naming competition for the Rum Club’s barrel. Astonishingly, I carried off the win, a share of the barrel and a Rum cocktail experience at Eden. In 12 months time, the Governor’s Downfall will be ready, bottle with the owners name and serial number. There is enough rum for 33 bottles, and there are still a few left. $50 and a visit to Eden would probably secure you one, or you could email info@edenbarandrestaurant.com.au and make your case.

A quick hand shaken Bacardi Daiquiri and I was out the door before 9pm. A really enjoyable night, highly recommended.

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Eden Bar & Restaurant’ Upper Concourse Level, MLC Centre, 19 Martin Place. 6.30pm

Bacardi are hosting, and I hear that there might even be a little Reserva Limitida on the bar.

On Google Maps. 9223 4333 if you still can’t find the entrance.

Further details available here.

Um all das miterleben zu können, überzeugt man entweder den Bartender bei einem Anruf oder man besucht den Rum Club bei seinen diversen Barbesetzungen, gemeinsam mit der Triobar.http://www.drum-cigarclub.de/ Wissenswertes über den Rum Club findet man auch in seinem Blog: http://rumclub.blogspot.com/

Who…?

1. Who said “Don’t talk to me about naval tradition. It’s nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash.”?
2. Who is said to have ‘invented’ the daiquiri in 1896?
3. Who said “There’s naught, no doubt, so much the spirit calms as rum and true religion.”?
4. Who is the Master Blender of Appleton Estate Rums?
5. Who named Antigua after “Santa Maria la Antigua, a  Chapel in Seville?
6. Who said “But why is the rum gone?”?
7. Who is considered the father of Martinique Rhum?
8. Who said “I’m not entirely sure I’ve had enough rum to allow that kind of talk.”?
9. Who ordered that the daily British Naval rum ration be watered down?

10.  Whose body was famously stored in a barrel of rum after he was killed in

             1805?

What…?

11.  What is Bagasse?

12.  What is a Duppy?

13.  What Rum must be used to make a Dark’n’Stormy?

14.  What animal appears on the front of a Bacardi Bottle?

15.  What is 31^st July known as to rum fans?

16.  What is Blackstrap?

17.  What three ingredients are used in a Daiquiri?

18.  What animal is on the front of a Bundaberg bottle?

19.  What is ‘Pusser’ the naval slang for?

20.  What is the Spanish name for Rum?

Where…?

21.  Where was a  country’s government was overthrown in 1808 in the Rum Rebellion for the only time in its history?

22.  Where is the Conch Republic?

23.  Where was the Pina Colada invented?

24.  Where is a rum called ‘Screech’ made and drunk?

25.  Where is sugar cane supposed to have originated?

26.  Where is Dunder most famously used?

27.  Where did John Pemberton invent Coca Cola?

28.  Where does the Rum Stroh come from?

29.  Where is the Demerara river?

30.  Where is English Harbour?