Take it Outside! Your Summer Guide to Drinking-While-Working in the Sunshine.

The Patio at Slow's

CNN Health recently reported that “Vitamin D is Hot!“.  We agree.

Go out and get some of that vitamin D - along with your vitamin W (work) and your vitamin V or L (vodka or lager… or whatever else you’re into).

We admit, there are occassional challenges involved with working outdoors:  Too much sunlight can make it hard to view your laptop screen, power outlets can be scarce, tables tend to be less stable.

To help you navigate this terrain we’ve compiled a list of  our top 5 picks for outdoor (or nearly outdoor) wi-fi available spots within Detroit city limits, along with the location details that will help you to choose which one is right for you.

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Slow’s Bar-B-Q
This large enclosed patio is stylish (and the tables unusually sturdy).  Your office never looked so good!  And you’ll be fine if you’re powered up with a strong battery.  If you need to connect to a power outlet, you’ll find only one table with it’s own private supply.  But don’t dispair – one additional outlet exists close to the patio doorway, and the staff is super-supportive and able to pull out an extension cord for you (during off-peak hours only!)  Great brew and bourbon selections.    

Honest John’s
Not a single power outlet outdoors, but we’d be remiss to omit Honest John’s from our list.  The patio area is small, but cozy, and you can bounce inside to power up, if need be.  Food is basic (bar food).   Not the spot to order a proper classic cocktail, this is a beer, wine or rum-and-coke kind of joint (or try the Cass Corridor Lemonade – made with iced tea and vodka).  

Traffic Jam and Snug
We have 2 suggestions for enjoying the sunshine at TJ’s.  Of course, you can sit outside on the street-facing, fenced-in patio.  There is one power outlet out there by the table closest to the patio entrance (a 4-top), so as with many local hotspots, off-peak hours are your best bet - both for your own comfort and out of respect for your server and other patrons waiting for tables.  But check out TJs bar area if you’re interested in enjoying all the benefits of working indoors (lots of counter space and power outlets) while also soaking in the sunlight that streams through the huge skylight over the bar.  It’s a sunny gem.

Angelina Bistro
In the warm summer weather, the street-facing windows that line 2 sides of Angelina swing open, providing a “best of both worlds” working environment.  You can sit at the bar and still enjoy open-air atmosphere (maintaining optimal light levels by which to view your screen).  This is our recommended venue if you want plenty of workspace, a good glass of wine, and are more interested in keeping to yourself than networking.  Bonus for the non-smokers: Angelina is 100% smoke-free.

Motor City Brewing Works
Two main options exist:  Sit on the main level, where the large front doors slide open to eliminate the barrier between indoors and out.  Plenty of power outlets are available here, at tables and at the bar and you can enjoy the sun while also being able to clearly see your screen.  And/or – climb the stairs to the rooftop deck.  The table-top umbrellas can help you to control direct sunlight, but you’ll be on battery power only – no power outlets up top.  Regardless, MCB ranks #1 on our list, overall,  for atmosphere and the variety of outdoor (and outdoor-like) options available.  And if power and direct sunlight are dealbreakers for you – don’t overlook the option of working on the main level and then taking a break from your laptop work to chill up top with a microbrew! 

Top “coming soon” outdoor pick: La Dolce Vita (no wi-fi yet, but we’re told it’s coming in the next month or two!)

 

Local Cocktail Makes Good

(Free Press photo)

More booze in the news.  This time from an establishment where drinking while working never went out of fashion.

In today’s Free Press Bill McGraw writes about The Last Word, a cocktail that was invented in the 1920s at the Detroit Athletic Club and has been revived by west coast cocktail aficionados.

If you are a member of the D.A.C. you must have one the next time you’re in The Tap Room.  If not, feel smug/sad and then have your favorite bartender make you one someplace else.

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The Last Word
From Chris Brock, DAC Beverage Manager

Chill cocktail glass.

Fill shaker with ice.

Mix:
- 1 ounce Tanqueray 10 gin
- 1 ounce Luxardo maraschino liqueur
- 1 ounce Green Chartreuse herbal liqueur

Halve and squeeze a lime and throw half of the lime in the shaker.

Shake for 20 seconds.

 

Absinthe Times

Man, do we have our finger on the pulse of American cocktail culture. Today’s New York Times Dining section has a feature on absinthe, Absinthes to Go Mad Over.

Consider the cast of mythological absinthe drinkers: the vulnerable painter and poet, too sensitive for this mean old world; the tormented soul, unable to snap out of his self-loathing; the rakish hedonist, seeking one big, lurid rush; the wealthy dilettante, dipping a toe in bohemia; and of course, all manner of willing women.

But now absinthe is legal again, and the romance of belle époque naughtiness must give way to what’s in the glass. Pull over, you disillusioned dreamers: with no laws to break, no frissons of danger, let the mystification stop right now.

They give the rundown on what makes absinthe absinthe, and taste 20 of them, making recommendations. Don’t forget to check out the related article on food pairing for absinthe.

 

An Interview with Frank Ritz

Not only did I have a great chat with Michael Symon at the launch of the Roast Cocktail Hour last week, but I had a chance to chat with Roast General Manager Frank Ritz.  Ritz is part of the Symon inner circle, and came to Detroit from Cleveland to run Roast.  He’s also responsible for the cocktail menu, so I thought I would pick his brain a bit.

JP:  What are you trying to accomplish with your bar?

Frank Ritz, GM of Roast

FR:  We are working to keep the drinks as sophisticated as the food.  I’ve been with Mike Symon fifteen years, and he is so driven that he’s motivated all of us to keep this establishment more well-rounded.  Our social lives are limited, so when you do go out to a place it’s nice when they have a great cocktail list, a great beer list, a great wine list.  It makes the evening a whole lot better and it complements Mike Symon’s food.

JP:  I’ve been told the philosophy of the bar is the same as the kitchen: you start with ingredients that are all high quality.  I was reading a customer review online and he raved about the Manhattan, with its whisky barrel-aged bitters and premium sweet vermouth.

FR:  A good manhattan starts off with a good bartender.  My interviewing process with my bartenders involves talk of a lot of classic cocktails.  I don’t want to know what kind of rum runners they can make because our bar doesn’t pertain to that.  Our bar is a classic gentleman’s bar – if you’re going to make a classic cocktail, like the Manhattan you are discussing, you make it like it’s always been made. You don’t adjust the recipe, and it turns out to be the best Manhattan because it’s done right.

JP:  The proportions are important as well as the portions.  Sometimes you don’t want the giant martini; sometimes you just want a regular martini, so you can have more than one.

FR:  Exactly.  That’s one thing about modern day cocktailing, if you only have X amount of time and you have one large martini you’re more or less done.  Your social time is cut in half because you realize if you have more than one you’re calling off work tomorrow.

The Absinthe Fountain

JP:  What are some of the trends in cocktails right now?

FR:  Right now the United States in general is going through an underground cocktail revolution.  Wineries on the west coast are making brandies that are residuals from the wine.  I’m not breaking out brandies and cognacs from overseas, I’m breaking out microbrandies from the United States and its fun.

Every major city you go to, you’ll see – and we brought this to Detroit – that absinthe is on its way back, it’s now allowed in the United States.  I get people who travel over from Windsor and the suburbs every weekend to drink absinthe here.  We have an absinthe fountain – I’ll show you. This is a custom-made absinthe fountain from France.

JP:  Is this a drink for summer, or … ? 

FR:  Absinthe we’ll probably do until summer and then I’ll break out my punch bowl, probably for a rum ginger punch, something very classic and summery.  I give punch bowls away at every wedding for gifts, and everyone looks at me like I’m crazy, but once I fill the punch bowl up they use it at every event, then it’s suddenly the greatest thing ever.

JP:  When is a good time to come here, when you don’t want to deal with the weekend crowd?

FR:  Well on weekends the bar does fill up to capacity and then some. But happy hour and the edge of happy hour when everyone is kind of leaving before the dinner hour starts, that’s a great time to spend some one-on-one time with the bartender.  Talk about the drink list.  They’re all very enthusiastic about it, they know their drinks very well, and they like to create.  That would be my recommendation.  Or a Sunday!  We are open from 5 to 9 pm

Frank Ritz demonstrates the absinthe fountain.

 

Roast Launches their Cocktail Hour

Michael Symon’s restaurant Roast in the Book Cadillac is a lovely place to grab a place at the bar and do a little work.  They’ve recently sweetened the pot, so to speak, by introducing their Cocktail Hour.

Michael Symon's drink.

They launched it all this past week with a festive event, “The Return of the Cocktail Hour.”  I was there along with my Drink Tank colleagues Diane and Michael Geiger to get the lowdown and try some of the bar food specials (since we’d all tried the drinks there before).

While there I had a chance to chat with Symon about cocktail hour, and you can read that interview over in this week’s Model D.

They’ve hit all the right Drink Tank notes with this, and for those of you looking for a place to settle down in late afternoon and get a little work done, the Westin wi-fi signal is solid and free. The bartenders are great.  I tried out the drink Michael Symon said was his favorite - gin with Campari and orange - which is indeed fantastic.  And then the friendly bartender suggested I try a slight variation in the negroni (gin/Campari/sweet vermouth), but with a splash of lemonade in it.  Also fantastic! 

The regular cocktail hour there will be civilized and without sensation, but the launch night was a real hoopla.  In addition to a festive crowd, complimentary cocktail and free nibbles, there were free temporary tattoos from the fellas at Eternal Tattoos. From this we get our cautionary tale.

I had a bit of an attitude about fake tattoos until I had a manhattan and an absinthe in me.  My curiosity piqued, I went over and asked them if they could do a specific tattoo, a tattoo that is unsuitable for a family blog like this.  They did it with gusto. The temporary tattoos aren’t there permanently, just on Thursdays through May.  But every weekday, you can get some work done and get a great deal too.

As a special Drink Tank reader bonus, be one of the first ten readers to email your address to detroitdrinktank@gmail.com and get a pass for a free drink to enjoy at the Roast Cocktail Hour!

Roast Cocktail Hour, weekdays from 4-6 at the bar.  $3 bites, $4 select beer and wine, $5 select pours.  Don’t overdo it though, you’ll end up with a fake tattoo (not for genteel viewing, but you can see it here).

 

Workplace Hazards

Setting up shop in a public place, whether it be a cafe or a tavern, always runs the risk of outside influences ruining your workaday vibe.  Maybe you are a non-smoker and the only smoker in the place lights up right next to you.  Maybe the Starbucks soundtrack for the day is the new Paul McCartney album over and over and over.

This evening I had the special joy of a neighbor who – in an effort to appear sophisticated? – ordered a cosmo … with bleu cheese stuffed olives.  Inside the cosmo.  I shit you not.

Working in public requires a certain amount of rolling with the punches.  But if something like this happens to you, you might as well Twitter it and then pack it up.  You can’t work with that going on next to you.

 

Michael Geiger Joins the Detroit Drink Tank Panel of Experts

Michael Geiger, Gastronome

In an effort give ourselves an ounce of credibilty here we’re pleased to announce the addition of gastronome Michael Geiger to our panel of experts.

Michael is a formally trained culinarian.  He has taught at the Mirepoix cooking school, located at Holiday Market in Royal Oak, and currently coordinates the Taste of Eastern Market cooking demonstrations (as well as being one of the participating chefs). 

Additionally, he sits on the fund rasing committee of the Michigan Chefs de Cuisine Association (MCCA).

Michael has studied beverages (alcohol and non) extensively and wants to help us to better understand what we’re drinking:  the flavors, textures and ingredients.  He’s picky and precise, with a well-developed palate and an intolerance for poor quality – that’s what we love about him!

He’s been an unofficial consultant (receiving many phone calls and email inquiries from us) since the beginning of the Drink Tank.  Today we raise our glass to him and offer a welcoming toast as he comes aboard as part of our official team!

 

The Pursuit of Hoppiness … at Slows

Beers at Slows

Just released from Arcadia: the Hop Rocket Imperial IPA. And you can get it at Slows starting tomorrow, 4-21-09.

Clocking in at 9% AB,  and served in a goblet, it’s also very tasty; I’m sipping one right now as I’m writing this (and totally enjoying the flavors of grapefruit, lemon peel and dew-covered grass). 

Aside from the Hop Rocket IPA, you’ll find a great overall selection of beers (and bourbon) at Slows, where they pride themselves on a beer list that is diverse - with a focus on Michigan and regional brewers and rotating taps.

Need some other suggestions?  Check out the Short’s Pandemonium Pale Ale, Ommegang and New Holland Saisons, or the Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter.  

They also host a monthly Beer Club event on their outdoor patio on Mondays during the spring and summer months.  (More info regarding the Beer Club is coming soon on their website www.slowsbarbque.com, so check back as the weather warms up.)

Okay, but lets not overlook the bourbon selection.   A few that caught my eye include the 80 proof Buffalo Trace, 96 proof single barrel Elijah Craig (18 yr) and the 89 proof single barrel Hancock’s Reserve.

So how is Slow’s for drinking while working?  Pretty good during off-peak hours.  (Don’t even think about it during the height of the lunch or dinner rushes.) 

During off-peak hours (specifically):  parking is easy, the wi-fi connection is usually solid, and you’ll often find room to spread out.  Please note however that power outlets in the dining room are very limited.  Don’t rule out sitting at the bar, where plugging in for power might be a little easier at times.

Oh yeah, the food is excellent too.  Catfish, beef brisket, pulled pork, etc.  I’m not a vegetarian, but a friend recently turned me on to their area-famous The Genius, made of vegetarian “chicken”.  It’s listed as a sandwich, but you can ask for it on a bed of greens if you’re over the whole bread thing. 

As ridiculous and frat-boy as this is going to sound, at a place like Slows, I’d suggest that you drink your carbs.  Seriously.

 

Mount Gay

No that’s not a command, it’s a name.  Mount Gay Rum is the fantastic inebriant you haven’t met yet.

It's downright upright.

With claims of being the oldest rum in the world, Mount Gay has been hand-crafted for more than 300 years in Barbados.  Yes, Barbados!  Who even speaks of Barbados anymore, other than revivals of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible?

A fine sugar cane rum, it has a medium darkness and is a bit sweet.  This is the Eclipse variant of the rum I’m talking about – be specific.  Is the perfect liquor for ramping up to summer … and for drinking while working.

When summer arrives you will need to enjoy Mount Gay rum in a mojito.  It’s a huge step up from Bacardi Light – or any other rum for that matter.  Credit Cafe Zola in Ann Arbor for turning me on to that mojito modification so many years ago.

In the short term, explore this cocktail:  Mount Gay rum and tonic.  And get it with about four lime wedges.  You can squeeze in the lime to taste, and make yourself what I like to call the Poor Man’s Mojito.  The rum gives you the sweetness and, well, the rum.  The tonic gives you the minty-ness.  And the lime gives you lime. 

Perfectly enjoyable, patently sophisticated and particularly nursable.  Just one will get you through 45 minutes of work at any reputable establishment.  I’m enjoying one at Atlas GB right now.

If you need status on your side, in 2007 Mount Gay was rated as being the favorite rum of America’s “rich and famous”.   And to add the James Bond factor, the first drink Daniel Craig orders in Casino Royale (2006) is not a martini but a Mount Gay rum and soda. 

If’ only he’d known about the tonic.

 

The Kir Royale. For Easter Brunch – and Beyond

Kir Royale (garnish optional)

I’ll never forget my first Kir Royale.  I was young, on a student’s budget, not yet too familiar with champagne – and on my way home to Detroit from London.  As I prepared to board my flight home the British Airways gate agent at Heathrow informed me there was a little problem with my flight:  no remaining seats in coach.  They had to bump me up to biz class. 

Had to.

So I’d been gearing up to hunker down for 7+ hours in sardine-tin-esque seating, with only the vague hope of scoring a couple of those tiny little bottles of Absolut (if I was lucky). 

Instead? I made my way to my (quite unexpected) spacious biz class seat, personal video system at the ready - and a champagne and cocktail menu handed to me the second my butt hit that leather. 

One sip of my first Kir Royale on that flight and I fell in love with the bubbles and the black currant berry flavor.  Our affair continued all way accross the Atlantic that day.  And I do mean all the way accross.

The Kir Royale has remained one of my favorite drinks ever since; bubbly and with that delightful little punch of cassis.  And because of the manner by which I was introduced (expecting the mundane, but being treated to unexpected luxury)  sipping one always takes me back and fills me with that feeling of surprise indulgence.

In France it’s considered a traditional apero drink (that one has prior to dinner), or in the late afternoon. IMO, I think it makes for a fabulous Sunday brunch drink, a nice pairing with a midday salad lunch, or even after dinner as a mildly sweet treat.

Just about anyplace with a full bar and bubbly will make you one.  

In Detroit:  Traffic Jam & Snug offers the Kir Royale on their drink menu – and at a tres affordable price. 

But it’s simple and easy to make at home, too.

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The Kir Royale:
- 1 part Creme de cassis  black currant liqueur
- 5 parts good quality champagne (chilled)

Pour creme de cassis in champagne flute.  Gently pour champagne on top.
Garnish with a fresh raspberry or blackberry - if you’re feeling especially festive 

Suggested variations:
Substitute Creme de Mures (blackberry liqueur) or  Cerise a l’eau-de-vie (cherry liqueur) in place of the Creme de cassis
Use a chilled white wine, in the place of the champagne
(epicurious.com suggests a French white wine called Aligote from Bourgogne)

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Note:    The white wine version is called the “Kir.  When made with champagne it is the “Kir Royale”.