So I’m in that lovely “between jobs” phase of my life. Which I’ve never experienced as a choice before. Even if it’s only a couple weeks, I’ve usually just gone from job to job excepting when I’ve quit in a blaze of glory or had to move from Minnesota to California. Even then I only took a week off and much of that was chewed up moving west. Given my druthers, I would have taken a few more weeks then, given myself more time to explore all the great National Parks I went through, but you know…money is a strong driver. This time, I had the flexibility to actually take some time, which has been nice.
Of course it’s not all just fun and games, I still got all those boards and shit. Too many boards lol. Still, between lots of calls, there’s been plenty of time for shows and drinks and such. You know, vacation things. And this week I’ve just been up in Seattle, so I’ve been really detached from it all.
It’s been a hot minute since I’ve been up here. Things change in any city over time, and the pandemic has definitely had a huge effect for good and bad in terms of what businesses are here, and what are not. So what have I been up to while y’all have been working or whatever?
Rumba
This of course had to be my first stop, how could I not hit a rum bar? What is there not to love about a 20 page rum list?
Strangely, I’ve not managed to make it to Rumba previously even though it’s been long on my list, but obviously. And where else does on start but with a daiquiri? I worked my way a bit through their list as well and had a Rainier, had a great time talking with the staff, and really set myself up for success. If you want to travel well, go to a good bar and ASK THE BARTENDERS where to go. They know all the best spots that might not be showing up on some list just yet (or at all). So thank you Donny or Donnie? Didn’t ask spelling, that’s my bad.
Canon
It’s hard not to hit Canon. Sure, it’s pretentious and very extra, but it’s also good. And it’s even better on a Monday when it’s not a mess. You can chat with the bartenders a little and you can enjoy a bartender’s choice. In this case, the base spirit is of course rum and the bartender took it in a spirit-forward direction, or as he put it, “like your grandfather’s liquor cabinet”.
That apparently means a Quarter Deck No. 2., which features rum, scotch, and sherry. In other words, my kind of drink! I’m having trouble finding the origin of this drink, but I will definitely be trying to get to the bottom of that in a future edition because this is my jam.
Roquette
Anyone who knows me knows I also love Chartreuse. So Erik Hakkinen’s Roquette was a must-visit for me this trip as a place that is new since my last trip. Famous in the scene here for his work at Zig Zag Café, everything you Google will say “French-inspired”, and who am I to say no to that? I love single pours of Chartreuse and drinks that liberally feature it.
I didn’t get around to the single pours, but I did get a couple drinks (including a Last Word), and I ordered what is easily the most beautiful beverage of this trip, and probably the most beautiful I’ll have for a while. It’s called the Sea of Cortés and well, if it looks like that, I really oughta see it some day. In the meantime, thank you to Kyton for taking care of me this trip, and thank you to Ken for bugging me until I went here :)
Stampede Cocktail Club
Like I said, I make it a habit to ask bartenders and other service industry folks where I should be going. They know all the good spots, and frankly, it’s always great to learn where they want to drink when they are slinging beverages. So I asked three bartenders and all three said you should go to Stampede Cocktail Club. That, my friends, is a sign.
I’d been meaning to get up to Fremont later in the week, but one does not just ignore what one hears. So I made my way up there on Tuesday night. They are doing a fun video-game themed menu that I had a nice drink off of. Definitely has a Trick Dog or Young Joni backbar vibe in that they have rotating menus that all have wild fun themes (I particularly enjoy Now That’s What I Call Cocktails).
I had to follow it up with something off their classic menu. This one is called How To Kill A Friend, and it’s got mezcal, sherry, and Campari, and well, friends, it did kill me (not true, I had a Pfriem pilsner after and then called it a night). But it’s definitely a night ender. Maybe you disagree with that, but hell, go find out for yourself, this should 100% be on your list.
Inside Passage
Rumba has a second bar attached, and that bar is Inside Passage. Over-the-top tropical drinks are kinda my jam, you know? So if Rumba is the more stately neighbor with a deep deep list and classics like Daiquiris and what have you, this is the side where you can go wild. And get something in a bonkers mug with dry ice placed inside a lime hull. This is the eponymous beverage, but you can see some of their packaging on their menu page.
Personally, you know I kinda love the over-the-top nature of this, and it was fun to chat with Milton and Daniel and some of the other folks who took care of me. I love seeing the creativity, but it doesn’t mean anything if the drinks aren’t good. The presentation is a compliment, but the drink is the central feature. And both drinks I had succeeded in that front. The Inside Passage was surprisingly dry, but excellent in how it all came together, and I also had a lovely Bigfoot themed drink as well.
You can’t do a drink like this every night. But it’s fun every once in a while, and it has been fun so far.
I’ll probably have a couple more things to share from Seattle, but that’s what I’ve been up to so far. Good city, great people, lotta rain (it’s been nice to see). Go out there and support the cities you love and all that.
This is Trader Jane’s, a periodic newsletter about drinks (mostly tiki) and other fun writing. Follow me on Substack for something every week or two (if we are being honest), and follow me on Twitter and Instagram for more timely updates on my beverages (and for lots of other things of course!)
And, as with any good drink, feel free to share (responsibly, of course)