Satisfy the Craving

A few months ago I started noticing mentions of ‘LUPEC’ on Twitter. A lot of the food writers, bloggers and tweeters I follow were talking about it and I wanted to learn more. After some quick searching, I learned it was a club called “Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails.” According the founding chapter of LUPEC in Pittsburgh, members…

“…are dedicated to the Gin Fizz, the Widow’s Kiss and the Singapore Sling – the drinks our mothers and grandmothers drank, the drinks we strive to save from extinction as a small measure of remembering those great women and their great cocktail parties.”

Sign. Me. Up.

These are ladies that don’t order Lemon Drops, Jaeger Bombs or Rum & Cokes. Not that there is anything wrong with those (lord knows I have consumed a few in my day), it’s just that there are so many great, historically-significant and flavorful cocktails out there to explore and experience.

It turns out there are LUPEC chapters around the country. The Seattle chapter was started last year by Wendy Miller, a travel blogger and cocktail enthusiast; Anu Apte, owner of and bartender at Rob Roy, and; Stevi Deter, computer programmer by day – cocktail blogger by night.

The first LUPEC “meeting” I attended was at the Zig Zag Café, which you may already know – is my favorite bar in Seattle. I arrived early to enjoy a drink – and some Murray time – at the bar before the official gathering. As the LUPEC ladies started to gather, I surveyed the scene and then walked over and joined the party. By that time there were no more seats. This forced me to circulate around from table to table, often kneeling and sometimes just squeezing in. This meant I met lots of people that first night.

Two of the people I met were Valentina and Lorraine. I already followed them on Twitter and was excited to finally put faces to names. Valentina still credits me with reintroducing her to Gin that night. I shared sips of my Aviation with her and others and also talked many into ordering a Bisongrass Sour (Zubrowka vodka, egg white, lemon juice, simple syrup, dash of cinnamon). Of course I credit Murray with reintroducing me to Gin.

For May’s LUPEC gathering, we were assigned homework rather than invited to gather at a bar. The assignment was to go to Sambar in Ballard – a cocktail bar attached to the venerable Le Gourmand – try their cocktails and report back to Wendy. I got in touch with Lorraine and Valentina and we decided to form a study group and tackle this assignment together.

Well, I have never been a good student and this was no exception. I enjoyed great company, tasty food and good cocktails…but other than the picture above, I didn’t record the experience at all. Oh well, at least this homework wasn’t being graded.

Last month’s LUPEC meeting was at the Copper Gate (Web site NSFW) in Ballard. This newly revitalized bar boasts a Scandinavian theme: A bar shaped like the prow of a Viking ship, cocktails featuring Akvavit, Gammel Dansk and lingonberries, a half dozen or so Akvavits by the shot, lots of umlauts, and a menu full of Scandinavian dishes like Swedish meatballs and pickled herring.

We met in the “Pussy Room,” the Copper Gate’s private event space. I kid you not, that’s what it’s called. The whole restaurant actually is plastered with old-timey nudie pics, which may be why they refer to it as a “Scandalnavian” bar. It is the perfect ladies-only party venue.

I met more fun and interesting women at the Copper Gate gathering including Marley, who tends bar at Spur, and Courtney and Tracy, who each have fun and informative blogs.

The thing I have found so interesting and energizing about the three LUPEC events I have participated in, is that they are not so much about getting intoxicated as much as they are about exploring cocktails – new and old – with other women who appreciate them as much as you do. Each month I find myself awaiting a message from Wendy with news about our next meet-up. And until then, I’ll be doing my homework.

Addendum: If you are interested in joining the Seattle chapter of LUPEC, it is open to any ladies that would like to join. More details here.