A Great Cocktail Night @ Martin's West

I must say that, while I was very happy with the turnout and the number of people we had, many of you missed out - big time.  This was by far my favorite tasting we have done and the few single malt fans whose arms I twisted were very impressed.  Jennifer and Erik were complete pros and they gave a fascinating background to the drinks which they so artfully crafted.  The cocktail tastings are always going to be the most outgoing because I really feel like once we get you hooked, you're going to be a whole new type of drinker.  Therefore, I really try to pull out all the stops.  First of all, Erik and Jen did this pro bono, and I of course get nothing, so we lowered the price to $15.  This time the cocktails were all about an ounce of base liquor, plus the additional ingredients, so you got four decent sized drinks - all of which were elegantly mixed.  Then, as if the fun, education, and drinks weren't enough, Jennifer brought a free bottle of her syrups for everyone who attended.  Those things sell for over $10 a bottle, so by the end it was almost a wash.  If you think I'm biased (in which case you would be correct), then take this email I received from Paul this morning - perhaps the most fervent advocate and attendee of our single malt tastings:

"Hi David

In many ways, I'd have to say the cocktail evening trumped our recent single malt tastings. Don't get me wrong....the malt tastings are EXCELLENT but having Jennifer and Erik tell their background and journey and share technique was just great and added that personal passion. And of course the cocktails were fantastic. It was pretty obvious at first sip these were not ordinary drinks. The top end ingredients really showed how good it could be - saddly, I had no idea. I drove home feeling like I had an ephiphany. As Jennifer said...cocktails can be "nourishing"......she brought her own ice to ensure size and shape. man, that is flipping great!"

I hope that the next time we do this we'll get a bigger crowd and then it will be a real party!  Next single malt tasting is July 13th.  Details soon.

-David Driscoll