It’s come up from time to time that I have a taste for absinthe. If you’re in Seattle this Sunday, March 7, you can join me for a glass or three at an Absinthe Soiree at the Sorrento Hotel, starting at 7pm.

We’ll be in the Fireside Room, and I’ll be in the company of fine folks such as Robert Hess (now, without facial hair!) from Small Screen Network, Gwydion Stone from Marteau and the Wormwood Society, and Marc Bernhard from Pacific Distillery. In addition to the absinthe tasting there’ll be French cabaret music, an absinthe-cocktail cash bar, some food to keep you steady while you have another taste of absinthe, and a bunch of folks who are similarly more interested in the green fairy than the Oscars’ red carpet. Tickets are only $20, and you can buy them here.

Hope to see you there.

Tags: Absinthe, Events by Paul
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Hot on the heels of one of the most well-attended Mixology Mondays yet, the March round of MxMo could be even bigger. Hosting the March round (that’s Mixology Monday #47 if you’re counting) is Mike at Hobson’s Choice, and for this round Mike has chosen Punch as the theme. Here’s how Mike suggests participants approach the topic:

There aren’t really any specific limitations on this month’s subject. I emailed David Wondrich to ask if he had any pearls of wisdom for us as we take on the punch challenge. This was his response: “The thing I like to keep in mind while making Punch is that it is, as the London Physician Nicholas Falck defined it in 1779, ‘an extemporary kind of wine.’ It is not, in other words, simply a large cocktail. Like wine, it should be balanced, not too pungent, not too strong, and preferably not decked out in all sorts of gaudy frippery like something participating in the retail sex trade.”

Keep in mind that we are at that time of year when there are some wonderful citrus varieties available at the market. And in the warmer climates, we are already seeing the first of the Spring berries.

Those of you who are friendly with the bartender at your favorite punch-serving watering hole, it would be great if you could get him or her to share the house recipe. If there is something your family has been serving at parties for generations, go with that. Let’s have some fun with this and see how many different recipes we can find.

Once you have settled on a recipe, make the punch and then post the recipe, a photo, and your thoughts about the punch on your blog or on the eGullet Spirits and Cocktails forum.

Include in your post the MxMo logo and a link back to Mixology Monday and this [original announcement] post. (And once the round-up is published, it would be great if you could update your post with a link to that summary post.)

Good lord — “punch” as the theme. With all the ways this can be approached, and with all the crazy delicious fun that can be had with punch, this month’s MxMo could be one for the ages.

To participate, simply have your recipe (and photos, hopefully) posted on your blog or at eGullet by the close of March 22, as described by Mike, above. Be sure to let him know that you’re participating by dropping a note and link in the comment section to the announcement post, or by e-mailing Mike at hobsonschoiceinfo at gmail dot com.

Tags: Mixology Monday by Paul
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