Drambuie

Monday night I checked out the "Drambuie Den," a party and cocktail competition sponsored by Drambuie (of course) at the Doug Fir. Lance Mayhew of 50 Plates and My Life on the Rocks, Dave Shenaut of Teardrop, and Blair Reynolds of Trader Tiki and Acadia were competing, among others, and I wanted to see what they'd whip up.

Drambuie put together a pretty impressive event. The club was packed to capacity. Waitresses in saucy red getups passed trays of various Drambuie cocktails. I had a Drambuie Ginger, which was very sweet but showcased the liqueur's herbal layers surprisingly well.

What struck me more than anything was the day-to-night. Many of the guests were wearing some combination of well-cut but neutral business suit pieces, sexed up with a floaty camisole or the subtraction of a layer. I always see magazine pieces on "going from day to night," but I never have seen it applied so adeptly and so literally in real life.

Dave Shenaut won the mix-off with his High Plains Drifter (recipe below). I ended up having to jet before the shaking even started, but Lance and Dave filled me in later. "I had a great time," Dave says. "Mostly I enjoyed hanging with the 'Ladies of Imbibe.' Oh yeah, I got to pose for a photo (shitty time to decide to grow a sleazy Portlander beard I guess). And I'm getting my first non-flair trophy since Tball."

High Plains Drifter

1 ¼ parts Gin
¾ parts Drambuie
¾ parts lemon
½ parts rose bud infused honey syrup
Dash peychaud's bitters

For the syrup, bring one cup of water to a boil and remove from heat.
Steep edible roses in water for 4 min and strain off the buds. Stir in 2 cups of honey and let cool.
Combine all ingredients with cracked ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a dried rosebud.