“Attitude is Attitude, whether you’re on the east coast or west coast," and the way Paul Walker drives those cars in The Fast and the Furious series we know this to be a fact!  His “Cali-swag” shines through in pulsating, inviting and sensual acting garnished with a body good enough to drink off.  Translate that swag to these drinks and the west coast find another echelon on which it runs parallel to the east cost.  They’re not the same, but they’re just as tasty in their own right.

The Woodsman, Portland                        

4537 SE Division Street                            

Drink: "The Furious George"

I’m sure Paul Walker would approve of a drink called "The Furious George."  This cocktail actually takes days to make.  The process starts by mixing bananas, water, and citric acid and sending it through a chinois.  Gelatin is then added to the mixture, heated, and frozen overnight.  The next day it is wrapped in cheesecloth, and the drippings are collected in a pan.  The collected banana consommé is mixed with Willet 5 Year Rye whisky and a few drops of clove oil.  Served chilled.

 

Tradition, San Francisco                                                                                                    

441 Jones Street                                                                                                                        

Drink: "The Blunderbuss"

In this case of innovation, classic has to meet older and more classic.  An Ardbeg 10-year-old Scotch washed barrel is filled with Zacapa 23-year-old rum.  Another barrel is filled with Angostura bitters.  Both barrels are sealed and left to sit for almost a week.  When they are ready each is stirred together with a house-made vanilla syrup.  The product is the Blunderbuss. 

Anvil, Houston                                                                                                                       

1424 Westheimer Road                                                                                                              

Drink: "The Bottle-Conditioned Paloma"

The mid-west is still the west!  And Bobby Heugel is making sure Houston doesn’t get lost in the cocktail-sauce, figuratively speaking of course.  Champagne yeast, salted water, simple syrup, lime and grapefruit juices are funneled into and old-fashioned swing-top bottle.  The bottle undergoes a 36-hour fermentation process in a warm, dark place before adding tequila.  It ferments for another 36-hours in a refrigerator to slow down the process this time around.  Heugel has studied fermentation in order to create the perfect Paloma. 

Rob Roy, Seattle                                                                                                                     

2332 2nd Avenue                                                                                                                      

Drink: "The Gun Powder Punch"

Conceived by Anu Apte and folklore about sailors testing the proof of rum with gunpowder the Gun Powder Punch was born.  Oleo-saccharum, rhum argicole, London Dry gin and aged rum are the basis of this drink.  A combination of sweet-and-spice are added (giving the drink edge) with demerara syrup, lemon juice, pepper, clove and allspice.  Then, unlike any other garnish, a teaspoon of gunpowder is added.  While the drink is completely safe to consume, please keep away from open flame.

Cheers--to classical innovation!

Check out Part I: The East Coast for some of our eastside favorites!