We like to offer a cocktail special periodically, usually selected because it fits the season, or because one of us had an inspiration for something that we thought would be popular.  Sometimes it works out, and sometimes people already know what they want and they’re not distracted by our suggestions.  For our drink special last Saturday night we thought we would try creating custom cocktails based on our customers preferences, and this time we had a hit.

For example, Pam said she usually drinks whiskey or pop, and might try a martini if it could taste like that.  So the Pamtini was one and one-half ounces of Jack Daniels and one ounce of Blackmaker Root Beer Liqueur shaken on ice, strained into a chilled martini glass, and topped with a splash of Pepsi.  Misty’s taste for something “boozy with a hint of sweet” led to a Misty Manhattan, made with equal parts of Old No.7 and Jack Daniels Honey Liqueur, a splash of sweet vermouth, and served up with a cherry garnish.

I think this approach worked because it was a way for people to try something new without straying too far from their preferences, and because, well, it’s just fun to have stuff named after you.

If this is giving you an idea for something, let us know the next time we see you.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

Since American Ales were developed here, and German Ales were developed in Germany, I assumed that India Pale Ales came from, well, India.  Here’s the real story…

Ales are beers made with top-fermenting yeast.  They tend to be slightly cloudy and full of hop flavor.  Pale ales were developed in a particularly hard-water region of England, and as the name implies, are lighter in color.  India Pale Ales were developed in England for export to British nationals living in India in the 19th century.  Allegedly Indian water was populated with bacteria offensive to the British digestive system, so they generally avoided drinking it or anything made from it.  The India Pale sent from their homeland was high in alcohol content and strong in hops, so it survived the journey well.  Maybe more importantly than serving as a substitute for the local water supplies, I imagine it eased the burden of living in a foreign and occasionally inhospitable land.

India Pale Ales today are a little softer and lower in alcohol content than their ancestor beers, but they still hold up well to steaks and other hardy foods.

Hope to see you soon.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

The Babylonians celebrated the New Year as early as 2002 BC with a spiritual celebration called Akitu, and most cultures have followed some version of it since.  That means there have been about 4000 opportunities for a New Year’s party, most of which I missed, some of which I don’t clearly remember, and a few that really stand out.

One of the stand outs was last Saturday night.  I guess working a shift doesn’t really qualify as attending a party, but it sure felt like it.  So many family members and old friends of the Bear Trap came in that the atmosphere was charged with the kind of good cheer you just can’t find in most restaurants.  Even first time patrons were caught up in it, and I suspect they will become old friends too.

As always, our Old Fashioneds ruled the night, and we even had a run on our summer staple the Bear Trapeze.  We invented a few new cocktails (I got really close on matching the taste of an Almond Joy), and we made our Hot Buttered Rum that was so popular last year.

I’m holding a good thought for the rest of the year.  We’ll have a few months of good snow that will bring energetic snowmobilers, followed by a strong summer buoyed by a recovering market.  We promise the same great food, cocktails, and service you’ve always enjoyed here, and we hope you’ll get to visit often.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

It might sound a little odd, but I like working the evenings before Christmas and New Year’s.  Our customers are generally in good spirits all the time, but holidays seem to bring out the most festive side of people.  It’s pretty easy to satisfy patrons that already feel good, especially when you add great food and drinks.

The big winner on Christmas eve was our White Chocolate Egg Nog Martini.  With all  the sweets around this month it’s hard to believe this one would be so popular, but I guess once you get started it’s hard to stop.  To make this drink at home use one and one-half ounces of Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur, one ounce of Butterscotch Schnapps, and three ounces of egg nog.  Always shake (don’t stir) anything with egg nog, and be sure to do it long enough for the drink to be super cold.  Serve without ice in a martini or wine glass, and dust lightly with cinnamon and nutmeg.

New Year’s eve is this Saturday, and for the occasion I just made a batch of batter for Hot Buttered Rum.  Ceylon cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, honey, brown sugar, and lots of honest-to-god Wisconsin butter.  Tempted to join us?

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

This post ran last year, but it’s something we should remember so I’m sending it out again.

Next Monday represents an important day in cocktail history, as it marks the anniversary of the official end of Prohibition.

Efforts to outlaw alcohol in the U.S. began in the late 1800s.  They were heavily supported by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union,  whose members believed that doing so would put an end to drunkenness, crime, mental illness, and poverty.  Certainly they had supporters in the federal government, but at the time liquor taxes represented almost one-third of federal revenues - too much to give up.  By 1919, however, the recently enacted federal income tax system had become lucrative enough that Prohibition was politically feasible.  The 18th Amendment to our Constitution was passed, outlawing the sale of alcoholic beverages.

Over the next thirteen years a sophisticated infrastructure of organized crime developed to meet our demand for alcohol.  Violence and drunkenness actually increased while federal revenues and beverage quality decreased.  Confidence in government reached an all time low.  It appeared that Americans’ tolerance for alcohol was greater than their tolerance for social engineering.  The “Noble Experiment” that Prohibition was supposed to be was losing steam.  (Next time you really foul something up at work because of some lame idea you had, try explaining it away as a “noble experiment.”  Let me know how that works out for you.)

In 1932 Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for and was elected President on a platform that included repeal, and on December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified.  It’s final wording was direct enough…”The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is hereby repealed.”  Oddly, this language won out over the more descriptive proposal, which was something like “We’re keeping the income tax and organized crime, but you can drink again.”

And so by act of Congress, our right to enjoy cocktails was restored.  This doesn’t mean we can consume them irresponsibly, of course.  If anything it returns the responsibility for our associated behaviors to us as individuals, where it should have been all along.

This weekend I plan to raise a toast of thanks to President Roosevelt, and to hold a good thought that we take to heart the lessons of our past mistakes.  I hope you’ll join me.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

Here’s the view from our deck last Friday morning.  Things look less wintry now, but that photo predicts our not-too-distant future.

We’re in the Fall shoulder season, and like a lot of Northwoods businesses we’re closed for a few weeks to rest and to prep for the winter sports season.  That will bring a slightly different crowd…more casual and at times a little more rowdy.  I’ve been thinking of some new cocktails (maybe a Tarragon Gimlet with fresh lime)  and I can’t wait for you guys to try them out.

I’ve just been browsing the web for customer reviews of the Bear Trap, and it sure made me feel proud to be part of it.  Most everyone raves about our steaks (especially Garlic Stuffed Tenderloin), about our friendly service, about our quality cocktails, and about the comforting character of our bar and dining room.  To be referred to as “…the best example of a fine Northwoods Supper Club” is about as good as it gets.

Thanks for supporting us.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

Participants in this year’s Halloween festivities included Star Fleet Officer Stacey Rae, Bartender Kaitlin (on her night off) with associates Lindsey and Jane, and Bartender Captain Doreen.

Of note is that Doreen’s costume last year portrayed her as a pregnant wench.  By her choice of costume this year I guess we know who the father was.

-yfb Dan

In keeping with our mission to provide a sophisticated Northwoods dining experience, our staff (and some of our customers) dressed for Halloween again this year.

Shown here are servers Fairy Princess Nicole, Little Red Riding Jessica, and Master Dishwasher Count Carl.

-yfb Dan

Highballs are your “and” drinks.  Gin and tonic, scotch and soda, vodka and cranberry juice, and so on.  They’re usually served on ice in what is unsurprisingly called a highball glass.  Some places list a Bloody Mary or Long Island Ice Tea as a highball because that’s the glass they use, but those drinks are a bit complex to meet the definition.  You could serve a beer in one too, but that wouldn’t make it a highball.

One story goes that the highball is named for the ball in a steam locomotive that would rise to the top of a glass tube when the boiler pressure reached maximum, alerting the engineer that it was time to “let off steam.”  That’s an endearing theory, but I’ll bet someone drinking highballs made it up.

The phrase “ball of malt” is an old Irish reference to a small glass of whiskey, so using a taller glass and adding water to soften the blow could have led to the name highball.  This explanation maybe isn’t as romantic, but it’s more believable.

We’re in the fall shoulder season now, caught between summer madness and winter sports, but it’s a great time to visit if you enjoy outdoors peace and quiet.  We’ll hope to see you if you’re planning a trip to let off some steam of your own.

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan

My friend John Smith (pictured above) sent this story, and I thought I should pass it on:

In 1952, Armon M. Sweat, Jr., a member of the Texas House of Representatives, was asked about his position on whiskey. What follows is his exact answer, taken from the Political Archives of Texas.

“If you mean whiskey, the devil’s brew, the poison scourge, the bloody monster that defiles innocence, dethrones reason, destroys the home, creates misery and poverty, yea, literally takes the bread from the mouths of little children; if you mean that evil drink that topples Christian men and women from the pinnacles of righteous and gracious living into the bottomless pit of degradation, shame, despair, helplessness, and hopelessness, then, my friend, I am opposed to it with every fiber of my being.

However, if by whiskey you mean the lubricant of conversation, the philosophic juice, the elixir of life, the liquid that is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; if you mean Christmas cheer, the stimulating sip that puts a little spring in the step of an elderly gentleman on a frosty morning; if you mean that drink that enables man to magnify his joy, and to forget life’s great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrow; if you mean that drink the sale of which pours into Texas treasuries untold millions of dollars each year, that provides tender care for our little crippled children, our blind, our deaf, our dumb, our pitifully aged and infirm, to build the finest highways, hospitals, universities, and community colleges in this nation, then my friend, I am absolutely, unequivocally in favor of it.

This is my position, and as always, I refuse to compromise on matters of principle.”

Your favorite bartender,

-Dan