This past friday, our friend, phil, threw a party at his apt. If you have read my past posts, you know that parties at phil's entail a lot of drinking, mostly classic and uncommon cocktails (phil is a great bartender and consummate gentleman, as well as a good friend). Phil had sent out invites weeks earlier for everyone to come meet his friend, Jen, from NYC at the party and show her we knew how to get down. This was to be a respectable party, so suit and tie and dresses were the required garb. For those of you who know me, you probably suspect the truth, addy had to take me out and find me some "dress-up clothes".
We showed up to the party, for once not early. And received a warm welcome from phil and those already there. For those of you who don't live in portland, the weather has been miraculous. 80's and sunny for nearly the past 2 weeks. and if you don't live nearby, you don't know this, but the summers in Oregon are unbeatable. it is sunny and blue and gorgeous. and everyone comes out of hibernation and frolics in the sun. this is the feeling going into the party, everyone smiling and warm and happy. and that was the feeling throughout the night. there were a lot of people i hadn't met before, but we all had a good time, drinking, talking and just enjoying the gregarious atmosphere. phil had asked several of the ladies to bring appetizers to keep everyone going, since his drinks were ridiculously strong.
Now about the drinks. phil had obviously spent some time researching and debating what he wanted to have for us. he had two punches pre-made for us and a make your own mint julep station. for those of you who don't know phil, let me invite you to watch a short video by his new bartending idol from new orleans. http://www.gumbopages.com/looka/archive/2009-05.html#2 this guy is obviously amazing and is more historian/bard than bartender. phil sent us this to whet our appetites leading up to the party and to educate us on what a "true" mint julep is. the two punches were both 18th century as well. one was called Claret Cup, which was based on a red wine, then "fortified" with other liquors. very strong and full-bodied, if you will, but also a little flat on flavor compared to the other drinks. the other punch was called Fish House Punch. i don't really remember what was in it, but know it was super tasty and was finished much sooner than the Claret Cup. i wish i would have gotten pics of this, but above each punch was a short write-up about the drink, its history, ingredients, and a quote about the drink expounding its strength or eliteness. everything was written by phil, except the quote of course. the mint julep station actually had step by step directions, so that you made it correctly. and it is delicious. i suggest everyone having one this summer on a hot day. but make sure you are getting the real deal, not some schmo using some pre-mix or something. its a simple drink, and that's part of the draw, you can taste each of the ingredients with each sip.
it was a great party, where no one puked, everyone had fun and i met some new people and had some great talks with friends i hadn't seen for a while. thank you, phil!
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