Post #561312 by TorchGuy on Sun, Oct 24, 2010 7:25 AM

There's a bar here in Seattle called the Zig Zag Cafe. They have a website that has their menu, their house cocktails list, and lists of some (but by no means all) of the liquor they carry. Tender is named Murray Stenson; he's there Mon. through Sat., and must be seen (and his drinks tasted) to be belived. No good tiki bars left in Seattle, but this is my favorite bar here. Only a good TV's comes close, and aside from a good TV's, no other bar I've been to anywhere comes close. Murray knows his stuff. I have never had one single drink from him that wasn't sublime. The back bar has bottles stacked two and three deep (and what's in front is NOT what's behind). He has secret stashes, like vintage liquor and homemade bitters. I've never seen so much bitters. I've seen tenders who do 'speed tending', where they try to make a simple drink at hyperspeed, and I've seen tenders who mix like an alchemist, taste, add what's missing, experiment (with experience) and make amazing things. Only Murray does both together - careful mixing, a splash of this or that that's the exact amount needed, at jaw-dropping speed. He's mixing, he's talking to you, he's back in the kitchen, he's back mixing... He happily uses eggs, whites or yolks, whips heavy cream by hand, and grates a whole nutmeg. Mint sprigs are fresh and massive, and a Julep or Mojito must have four or five of these giant plants worked in, so you can't take a sip without the heady aroma of mint. Citrus zest is cut over the glass, sending visible clouds of oil over the drink. He'll happily work without a recipe - give him an ingredient or a flavor profile and he's off. I have had cocktails that took me an hour to finish, and whiskey that was casked in 1916 and sold legally during Prohibition as medicinal spirits (ask either Murray or Erik, the Fr/Sat/Sun only whiskey guy, who is also an amazing bartender, about this one!). The bar has everything, including some things not sold in the US that people have brought him, such as an amazing Creme de Violette (better than Rothman & Winter) from Suntory in Japan. Yes, if you look at the House Cocktails menu, Pimento Dram and Swedish Punsch are mentioned; Zig Zag can't get them commercially, so they make their own, and they're heavenly neat if you're swayed by sweet stuff like I am - Murray and I agree that St. Germain is "magic in a bottle". They also make their own Habanero tequila and vodka, and both Murray and Erik make amazing spicy drinks. Stuff not listed on the site includes Chartreuse VEP (yellow and green), Xtabentun, a South American honey/herb/anise liqueur, Elisir M.P. Roux, a wonderful sweet, herbal liqueur, and Creole Shrubb.

Glowing review aside; the length of same was intended to convey that this isn't like most high-end bars that'll try a mix with single-malt just to be 'edgy' or serve lots of insert-candy-flavor-here-tinis. Now, down to tiki tacks: I told Murray that, with no Trader Vic's, Mai Kai, etc. here, I was looking for someone to make me a good Poly cocktail. Rum? They have rum in spades. Ignore the Captain's Lists on the Zig Zag website - the actual list (it just so happens that I have a hard copy here on my desk) lists 22 rums, up to things like El Dorado (12, 15 and 21yr), Flor de Cana (12 and 21yr), etc. (Aside: It also lists 31 single-malts, 5 Irish, 25 bourbon, 7 rye, 19 rum/mezcal, and more Coghnac, brandy, applejack etc.)

Murray is more than willing to try out some mixes of I give 'em to him. If other people there hear us discussing them, chances are more people will order them, too - this is the sort of place where conversations always start (my last visit had me seated next to one DrinkBoy and what I was told were the two heads at Fee Bros.) Knowing what you do, having read the above, what does TC-at-large suggest I order? I do like Mai Tais if they're scratch-made, but I adore things like Dr. Funk and his cousins, Zombies, Navy Grog, Fogcutters, etc. I love drinks that pack a punch, have that great lime/rum, sweet/tart interplay, and have crushed ice, a mint sprig to inhale and a nice lime husk in there too.

Can anyone post some recipes they'd like me to pass him? Next I go in there - probably late next month or early December - I'll bring 'em in, tell Murray where I was given them, and ask him to make me some Polynesian goodness. If you're in or will be visiting Seattle, check the place out, but please, do stand around and wait for a bar seat. You really do need to be able to talk to the tender at Zig Zag - do it and you'll see why. Food's good, too. Tell Murray and/or Erik that Jonas sent you.
~ TorchGuy

P.S. If you have trouble finding it, you're not alone. It's impossible to drive past the front. The Zig Zag Cafe is on the Pike Street Hillclimb, a steep stairway. Park under the Alaskan Way Viaduct - parking areas run directly beneath it - as far to the north end of these parking areas as you can. Walk up the steps, and watch on your left for the knot of smokers standing around. You can walk down, too, either from Western Ave., or further, from the Pike Place Market at the top. If you come down from the very top, it's a LONG climb back up, but on your way down, don't get discouraged; it really feels like there's no way anything is open that far down, until you cross Western, go down the steps further, and suddenly see people!

[ Edited by: TorchGuy 2010-10-25 03:43 ]