26. August 2010 by Dan.

When I was a young child bikers still had a dark image, and they weren’t particularly welcomed in most middle class neighborhoods.  This wasn’t too many years after the riots at the 1947 motorcycle rally in Hollister, California that were hyper-publicized by the media and that later spawned the famous 1954 movie The Wild One.  Now, of course, the tattooed character on the rumbling motorcycle next to you at the stoplight is more likely an accountant or doctor or your plumber than a career thug.  This link between a dark past and contributing members of society seems sort of comforting to me, very human somehow.

I can’t remember a shift when at least one customer wasn’t sporting a Harley logo, and we frequently serve groups that have been out riding our awesome wooded roads.  The three in the top photo here had just finished a 380 mile day trip (!) from Phelps, through the Porcupine Mountains, up to Cornucopia on the south shore of Lake Superior, and then to the Bear Trap just before closing.  It was great to hear the story of their day but, not surprisingly, they were hungry.  Our staff was already cleaning up the kitchen, but they managed to put together a meal of zuppa toscana, generous cuts of medium rare prime rib, potatoes, and a bottle of Decoy merlot.  A pretty sophisticated late night meal for road weary  bikers in the Northwoods. Maybe your group will be the next one to tell us your story?

Ride hard, we’ll save you a spot.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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18. August 2010 by Dan.

The Cosmopolitan has developed a bit of a negative reputation since its introduction in 1985 , yet it is still oddly popular.  It’s pink color and slightly fruity character earned it an image as a martini for girls and lightweights.   That’s really too bad because when properly made this is a libation with excellent balance.  It’s also pretty high octane.  You are definitely not a lightweight if you can have a couple of these while waiting for your table and still be able to clearly order your dinner, and lot’s of “girls” do exactly that.

We’ve been making them with raspberry vodka to give it a little extra depth, and it’s been our experience that when people taste the one their friend is having, they have to have one too.  Here’s the formula

• 1 and 1/2 ounces raspberry vodka
• 3/4 ounce Cointreau
• 2 ounces cranberry juice
• 1 teaspoon Rose’s lime juice
• Juice of one lemon wedge and one lime wedge

 Combine and shake until very cold, strain into a chilled martini glass, and garnish with a lime wedge.

Interesting tidbit:  The Florida bartender who invented the original version, Cheryl Cooke, named her cat Cosmo.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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13. August 2010 by Dan.

Here is a photo I took at the bar one fall evening a few years ago.  It shows three brothers drinking gin and tonics.  As you might expect of brothers, each one wanted a different brand of gin.  In front of them on a pedestal is a glow-in-the-dark plastic statue of St. Isadore holding a laptop computer.  In front of St. Izzy is a shot of something dark, garnished with a cherry.  I will leave it to you to imagine why such a photo would be composed and what tales it might tell.

What I like about this picture is that it captures a moment that is fairly common in our supper club but not common enough in our lives:  Friends or family having a small adventure in a minute that will create a unique story they will remember and share.  We know you can eat and drink at home, or visit with people just about anywhere…you don’t have to go out.  But we also know the magic in the small adventures when you do, and we like nothing better than helping you have them.

Hope to see you soon.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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4. August 2010 by Dan.

Here is a fact: “The olive comes from the Mediterranean tree Olea europea, and can be used as a food source or to make oils which can further be used for cooking, for religious ceremonies, or for making soap, lotion, shampoo, cold cream, moisturizers, and medicines.”

Here is what that sounds like to me:  “Blah blah blah blah cocktails!” 

We always have blue cheese olives (BCOs) available to use for cocktail garnish.  We hand-stuff these for you ourselves.  The process involves removing the pimento from premium queen olives by hand one at a time, and filling the hole with crumbled blue cheese using gloved fingers. It is a messy and time consuming process for something that you’re going to eat in two bites, but the result is worth the effort, and frankly I think that’s a much better use for them than making cold cream. This should tell you something about the way we approach preparing everything we serve you, and you can expect the same level of detail when we make your cocktails and your dinner.  We’re also interested to learn new ways to make your supper club experience perfect, so if you have an idea or suggestion we’d love to hear it

Follow the steps above if you are going to stuff your own olives at home, then return the olives to the jar they came in topped with half the original brine and half dry vermouth.  This will help to preserve them and make them extra tasty.  You don’t have to restrict yourself to blue cheese of course, you can use other cheeses like provolone or cheddar, or you could try almonds, garlic cloves, or anchovies.

Hope to see you soon,

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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4. August 2010 by Dan.

…then here is a three thousand word post.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

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