Obligatory Blog Post Proudly Proclaiming The Author's Imminent Voyage To Tales

True debauchery is liberating because it creates no obligations. In it you possess only yourself; hence it remains the favorite pastime of the great lovers of their own person.

- Albert Camus

Hey, wait a minute. That sounds like a knock on debauchery. But never fear, dear ones, the great Albert also spoke thus:

Your successes and happiness are forgiven you only if you generously consent to share them.

And so, we all shall go to New Orleans, and we shall generously consent to share our debaucheries, and in so doing our happiness shall be forgiven, even by the notoriously grumpy Monsieur Camus.

Brace yourself, children. Tales Of The Cocktail is upon us.

I, Mixeur, Hath Infused

Before heading off to Tales and turning over the subject of this blog to all things related to that always epic event, I wanted to sneak in a report on my participation in a competition we the bloggers were invited to join. The challenge involved creating an infusion of Oval Vodka, parlaying the resultant infusion into a cocktail, and submitting recipes for both the infusion and cocktail, along with an actual 8 ounce sample of the infusion conjured. In exchange for participation, Oval provided us with a bottle of the vodka, a shipping label, and a jar salvaged form the Polaner All Fruit factory. The promised reward for the winner? Two nights stay at the Monteleone during Tales, plus the right to wear a glorious gold lamé sash saying "Oval Infusion Champ-ee-awn Suckas!"

I initially had grandiose ideas for this contest, involving the recruitment of herbal experts to act as consultants, and foraging expeditions into the local forest for wild berries. Wisely, I quickly abandoned these ideas, instead going to the food co-op and randomly picking a couple of things that smelled nice. In the end, I infused my vodka with Calendula (aka Marigold) and Rose Hips. Calendula has a very mild, mellow flavor, and probably impacts an infusion more texturally than in taste, as its oils release into the vodka and give it a velvety feel. If one were pressed to compare Calendula to something, Saffron might be fair. In fact, Calendula is frequently used as a culinary substitute for Saffron. The Rose Hips add a little tang and sharpness.

Should anyone care to know, Calendula is used medicinally, primarily in a topical fashion, and its greatest benefit is to the skin. It also is used to treat menstrual pain and yeast infections (Il fait une bonne douche! Excusez-moi, je suis désolé! Tee-hee-hee). Don't no one never tell me Le Mixeur does not care about the women of the world.

Rose Hips are high in vitamin C, as well as vitamins D and E. They have therefore been used as an immune system booster for centuries, particularly among indigenous peoples. There is actually a precedent for the use of Rose Hips in alcohol. Pálinka, a distillate produced from wild or farmed fruit growing in Hungary, is sometimes made in small batch variety from Rose Hips (to excellent effect, so I've read). Additionally, Zwack produces a Kosher Plum Palinka that is "aged on a bed of rose hips." Whatever you say there Zzzzwackk.

Realizing my esteemed colleagues Gabriel Szaszko of Cocktail Nerd and Rick Stutz of Kaiser Penguin would be judging these infusions, I decided to give them an early Christmas present, and so into the infusion I also placed approximately 400 micrograms of some of the purest L.S.D. you're likely to find these days. Enjoy boys! Drink mine first! Hopefully this explains why I also included a copy of The Joyous Cosmology in the box.

(editor's note: there is probably not any L.S.D. in the infusion)


T.Mixeur's Cosmological Oval Elixeur

1 bottle Oval Vodka
1 cup dried Calendula
4 tblsp dried rose hips

• optional: copious quantities of a synthetic chemical derived from ergot alkaloids produced by the ergot fungus, which grows on rye.

combine in a jar and let sit for 24 hours
strain out calendula and rose hips


The cocktail I then made featured a fabulous combination of ingredients I had left over from the previous month's Mixeur Six.

Inchworm

1 ½ oz Calendula/Rose Hip infused vodka
½ oz Dolin Blanc Vermouth
½ oz lime juice
¼ oz Saffron Syrup (recipe below)
dash angostura bitters

shake and strain into a cocktail glass
garnish with sprig of fresh thyme


Saffron Syrup a la Anu Apte

1 1/4 cups water
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup rose water
generous 1/4 teaspoon saffron strands
1 tablespoon water

Make a saffron extract by heating the tablespoon of water to near boil.
Crush the saffron strands between thumb and finger. Add the crushed saffron to hot water. Let it rest about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, add water and sugar in a heavy bottom pan. Heat till all the sugar is dissolved. Let it come to a boil. Ideally, reach 220 ºF.
Add the Rose Water to the saffron extract, then add all to the sugar syrup.
Cook about 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it rest.
After it cools it may be stored in a jar or bottle. You may leave the saffron threads in the syrup or remove. (leave 'em in they pretty)






Something about this combo of ingredients caused this drink to be nice and frothy, almost as if one had added egg white. Possibly it was the toxic and deadly chemicals in calendula that should not ever be consumed internally by anyone, ever, under any circumstances. Possibly it was the LSD. Possibly the jar Oval sent me was previously used for dish soap and had not been properly washed. I'm sure you'll agree that all possibilities are quite appetizing! Make one now, and share with all your friends.

And there you have it. We now all await the results of the contest, which should come as soon as Gabriel regains the ability to form coherent words and Rick stops lying on the floor digging the trails his hand makes when he twirls it around.

Next up: Tales Galore...

Le Mixeur Leftoveur est Le Mixeur Home

Le Mixeur Leftoveur will be held at the home of T.Mixeur, which lies somewhere among the peaceful residences of an area some would call Greenwood, and others North Ballard. For specific location, send electronic mail of inquiry to t.mixeur at gmail dot com.

Fitting might it be that the most impromptu, informal Mixeur yet should be held in the home of its creator. And full circle might have Le Mixeur come, seeing as this will be the first Mixeur to be served on home turf since the first one. Will this then be the last? One neveur knows.

Six drinks will be offeured, three in punch form and three cocktails. Four of these may look familiar to those of you who attended Le Mixeur Six. It is a Leftoveur, after all. Variety comes by way of serving Eric Alperin's "Kingsbury" punch style, and doing the same for Anu Apte's "Saffron Sour" by removing the egg white and instead pouring on some bubblies.

And if that weren't enough dalliances into the new and unexplored, we also provide you, the Mixer, with an additional Left Coast Libations concoction, David Nelson's "Kentucky Tuxedo." And just for good measure, we serve a semi-original creation of T.Mixeur's, the "William Holden." The William Holden uses a bastardized version of Jamie Boudreau's beer liqueur, and is included here because, well, I made some beer liqueur and what the hell else am I going to do with it?

MENU

punches

whiskey barrel

marcos tello, the edison, los angeles

bulleit bourbon, monin pomegranate syrup

lemon, angostura bitters, cava

kingsbury

eric alperin, varnish, los angeles

campari, noilly pratt dry vermouth

licor 43, lime, cava

saffron

anu apte, vessel and rob roy, seattle

pacific distilleries voyager gin

housemade saffron syrup

lemon, lime, angostura bitters, cava

cocktails

dragon variation

jon santer, heaven's dog, san francisco

martin millers gin, dolin blanc vermouth

housemade thai chili tincture

kentucky tuxedo

david nelson, spur and tavern law, seattle

bulleit bourbon, lustau amontillado sherry

housemade lavender syrup

regan's orange bitters

william holden

ted munat, this house

bulleit bourbon, campari

boudreau's beer liqueur, lemon

We will be serving up drinks from a lovely bar I built on the back deck, made from half an old futon frame with some plywood laid over the slats, lying across two columns of milk crates and a card table. We'll ignite the world's most Wabi charcoal grill and get it greased up with some food, but also advise people to bring their own food to grill should they wish to be guaranteed food consumption. Also, in lieu of DJ or live band, we have lovingly crafted a play list of the finest Nu Yorican roots music, along with some Brazilian soul, and a little New Orleans funk as we look ahead to Tales.

Rumors abound that drinks at this event are $5. Ha! Of course not! That would be illegal! Howeveur, the point of this event is to recoup some or all of the losses we incurred at Le Mixeur Six. Yes, we reveal this sordid detail here publicly for the very first time. Le Mixeur Six, which was designed as a fund raiseur to help coveur expenses for the creation of Left Coast Libations, in particular compensating our brilliant photographeur Jenn Farrington, actually came off as a loseur of several hundred dollars. The new hope is to climb back to zero, or maybe even achieve part of the original goal of Six. And to do that, we'd guess a contribution in the neighborhood of $5 per drink oughta suffice...We're just sayin'.

So to recap: Le Mixeur Leftoveur, July 2, 6pm. À la maison de T.Mixeur. Email for directions.

Punch. Cocktails. BBQ. Music. Frivolity. Gaiety. Chicaneury. Etc.

That all settled, let's peruse the Le Mixeur Leftoveur gallery, shall we?

Le Mixeur Leftoveur

T.Mixeur est une personne qui se prépare! Préparation excessive!! Très très excessif!!!

And therefore there is enough liquor leftover to have a whole new Mixeur, and so shall we do so, on Thursday, July 2, somewhere in Seattle. There are currently three potential spots for this little soiree, and the winner is to be determined in the coming days. Suffice to say, Le Mixeur Leftoveur:



Le Mixeur Leftoveur, like Le Mixeur Six, will be an effort to raise funds for and awareness of Left Coast Libations, the volume of cocktail recipes and heralder of bartenders currently in the works and soon to be released. It will also act as a final gathering and send-off for the many of us heading to New Orleans for Tales of the Cocktail the following week. There will also, hopefully, be other things to celebrate. And it also will be an opporunity for me to raise a glass and share a toast with friends and fellow Mixeurs in memory of Munat family patriarch Charles Elliot Munat, who passed away June 6th.

Details and locations will be provided soon in this space and on your block and bar stool. Stay tuned...

Six

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Le Mixeur Six is just about here. What more can I say? Nothing. I'm out of words, out of thoughts, and have nothing more to offer than actions, motions, and gestures.

So for parting words, I defer to an ancient friend and kindred spirit...twice, in fact, because I couldn't decide which words I liked more...

A FANCY EVENT

I
was invited
to a fancy event and when
I got their one of the guests said,

"Tukaram, your shirt is on backwards and so are
your pants,

and it looks like you never heard the word comb
and your shoes don't
match."

I replied,

"Thanks, I noticed all that before leaving,
but why try to fool
anyone."





THAT ANGEL TALKED LIKE A SAILOR

What part of Heaven did she come from?
That angel talked like a sailor
and she was dressed
enchantingly
scant.

I can't even repeat the things she said
or picture once more the shape of her breasts.

Though I know one thing:
my fear of dying has
vanished.

- Tukaram

.

N'oublier pas! Molly Rose Band Exécution Musicale Clandestine!

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The day is nearly upon us when Le Mixeur meets Molly Rose Band, and special things ensue.

To rsvp and learn more about the details of this event, go to Molly Rose Band's site. While you're there, indulge yourself in a treat and listen to the new songs available for download. Or if you want to skip the fun stuff just email your rsvp right now to clandestine@mollyrosemusic.com .

To read T.Mixeur spouting off about the event, see this post. Then rush right back because we're about to have pictures and more words!

Molly Rose draws intricate landscapes of narrative poetry. Her music is as driven by the intrinsic rhythms of her words as by whatever nameless muse guides her. There's nothing conventional about her songs, but she's hardly a weirdo folksinger. She's just a lovely songwriter, and if you're ready to listen closely, you won't be disappointed.

-Kim Ruehl, Seattle Sound Magazine

In the words of our own Karla Starr, Molly Rose "lulls you into a pleasure coma" with single-string plucks and a cracked-bell voice.

-Brian J Barr, Seattle Weekly

(Molly) has got her acoustic singer/songwriter sound dialed in, strummed rhythm, string squeak, and an incredibly dynamic voice, with overtones that make a single line sound both about ready to cry and cry out. Her lyrics are a poetry of secret observations -- you have to listen closely, and she rarely sacrifices depth for a hook. More often, when it comes to the expected chorus, she modulates and the song heads off for new pastures. ... Man, we could listen to this stuff all day. We just might.

-Seattlest

And of course, please recall that in addition to cocktails and Molly Rose, Seattle band Pablo Trucker will perform, and we will be joined by artists Rosemary Wagner and Esther Gorsuch, whose works will be on display and available for purchase. The space itself, which I was able to view recently, is a work of art, created with what must have been pain-staking care by artist David K. Chatt. It's a special space with a special feel, and it's going to be a special night.

Joining me behind the bar will be the Great Anu Apte, and though he might not realize it yet, Zane Harris. We'll be making four drinks from Left Coast Libations, including Anu's Saffron Sandalwood Sour, which suddenly seems to be sweeping the nation.

Vous verrons-nous là ? Will we see you there?

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Le Mixeur Six Invité Spécial: Jim Romdall

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Prelude

Once upon a time, T.Mixeur was in Derry (or some insist Londonderry) North Ireland. All the beauty, all the grace, all the torn-in-two of this blessed city did internalize in T.Mixeur, as he wandered the streets amongst the brawling boozers and tank wielding, bullet proof child-cops locked and loaded and ready to kill. Wonder did he what it must be like to walk to fetch a bus to one's place of employ in the morning, under the surveillance of armed youth, passing by three story high murals of the dead and buried of Bloody Sunday. And whether it was geographically or historically pertinent or not, he thought of the words of Patrick Kavanagh...

"On Pembroke Road look out for my ghost, disheveled with shoes untied. Playing through railings with little children, whose children have long since died."

Walking down a stone cobble street, T.Mixeur spotted the head of a rose, splayed out in the urban wilderness, decapitated by the closed steel garage door of one careless Derry florist. Compelled yet wordless, the rose head was quickly fetched, caressed, and contemplated.

At that very moment, a friend, dressed in all black, appeared down the hill, on that same cobbled street, and emanating similar bleatings of remorse to T.Mixeur and the rose head. Those two people did spot each other simultaneously, rushed towards one another, and embraced. The rose head passed hands, and the meaning of it all was self-evident.

JIM ROMDALL

So who was Jim Romdall in the preceding tale? Was he the friend dressed in black, or was he the rose head? Or was he the silent observer, not mentioned in the writing of the tale yet integral to its telling?

Perhaps he was all at the same time. Perhaps he was none at all. It is not the place of this meager blog to claim one or the other or the other. It is merely our place to report to you, the reader, that this man we know as Jim Romdall will most certainly be mixing drinks at Le Mixeur Six.

Jim is bar manager at Vessel in Seattle, he is universally respected by his peers as one of the finest bartenders you'll find, never mind where you might search. He was awarded the Rising Star Mixoligist nod from Star Chefs, which in some skewed way verifies what those of us who know him already knew: he's very, very good at what he does. Excellent, in fact.




Thank you Jim for joining us at Le Mixeur Six, and for somehow, surreally enough , conjuring a memory of that day in Derry (or some insist Londonderry). This memory illustrates one fundamental principal, which will be stated here and now:

At Le Mixeur we don't forget those who's poor, we don't forget those who's got no place to live or those who's lives have been destroyed by violence or hunger or disease, or those who's dying in the streets. We celebrate life in the most fitting manner we can conceive of because we can, and someone has to, and someone must. So let's.

Le Mixeur Six will be Saturday, May 30th, at 8pm at Mix Lounge in Seattle.

6006 12th Ave. South, Georgetown USA!

You may purchase tickets for this glorious event here.

You may learn more about this glorious event here.

You may listen to music performed by the bands of this glorious event here and here.

You may reflect upon this...here.