Zig Zag Cafe
On Wednesday night I went to the Zig Zag Cafe by Pike Place Market. It no longer has the prestige of Murray Stenson, but the drinks are still great and the service is lively. Their menu is on the conservative side, which I think reflects the aesthetic of the place, and probably also the tastes of an older man. You won't find cantelope lemongrass soda or tamarind foam, but you will find top shelf spirits handled with the care they deserve.In all of my visits to the Zig Zag I have found that they dilute their drinks slightly more than other craft bars I have visited, and also more than I do at home. I am not criticizing their choice -- I think it is more stylistic than cheap. The higher water content means that their drinks are always immaculately cold and smooth, but they sacrifice a little bit of the intensity of the flavor. The additional dilution makes their drinks very accessible; there is nothing harsh or caustic about anything that they serve, and I surmise that caters to the crowd in a major tourist location like Pike Place Market.For my first drink I ordered the Cubano, and unlike many bars, the Zig Zag does not say where their drinks were created. A quick google did not prove fruitful, so I'm guessing it is a Zig Zag original. The Cubano features light rum, green chartreuse, dry vermouth, lemon and lime juice. I don't know the exact proportions, but it was fairly Chartreuse-forward, so I'll take a guess:
Cubano?1 oz Light Rum (Wray and Nephew, but maybe try Mount Gay).5 oz Dry Vermouth (Dolin).5 oz Green Chartreuse1/2 Tsp Lemon Juice1/2 Tsp Lime JuiceStir and double strain (or just don't get any citrus pulp in there, anyway)
I made the drink with these proportions and it was very much as I remember, but I do not think they used Wray and Nephew. The funkiness from my choice of rum combined with the the dry vermouth was a bit more assertive than in the one at the Zig Zag, and I may try it again with something milder.For my second drink I had the Bitter Pimm's, which was a marriage of Pimm's No. 1 and Amaro Montenegro. This was among the best application of Amaro Montenegro that I have tasted. I've always felt that it has a cotton candy, bubblegum kind of flavor, and it fit right in with the fruity qualities of the Pimm's. (Apologies for the terrible glare on the lemon.)