After arm wrestling the government to get licensed and approved for about a year, it's finally here: Old Ballard Liquor Co. (4421 Shilshole Ave NW) is set to have its opening kickoff and product release party. (We wrote about them in-depth here.)
It will be held at the venerable Bad Albert's (5100 Ballard Ave) on Oct. 30, 4-10 p.m. The party will feature flights of seasonal vodkas and their flagship product Cherry Bounce, newly designed cocktails made with liquors from local distilleries, live music and a chance to meet the proprieter: "the gregarious, outspoken and often profane Lexi.
Old Ballard Liquor Co. should prove to offer a refreshing alternative to the brewery scene in Ballard. The house specialty, Cherry Bounce, is an aged, sour-cherry liqueur based on an historic recipe by Martha Washington, says Lexi. The entire year's stock is produced in a single day during July; fresh sour cherries from Eastern Washington are picked, transported and processed into liquor during a 24-hour period. Lexi likes to say that it goes from "tree to bottle in 12 hours."
According to the press release: "The result is a light, surprising, infinitely drinkable liqueur with notes of maple, caramel, brown sugar and sherry that offset the tart fruitiness of fresh cherries. In the bottle, it gets
richer and more complex as the years go by. It's a little bit sweet, a little bit tart and unlike anything you've ever had."
In addition, Lexi is experimenting with other Bounce flavors (if you ever visit her place, you might find racks of mad-science-like jars filled with all sorts of different colors and fruits) and distilling vodkas out of untraditional products, like sour cherry, mixed berries, and pumpkin and brown sugar. You can probably expect her to test out other types of liquor in her tenure by the Bridge, too.
Lexi has already been hard at work hustling her product. It can be found at Tom Douglas Restaurants, the Columbia Tower Center Club, Von's 1000 Spirits, Bad Albert's and Zayda Buddy's.
At the party, halloween costumes are encouraged, but don't mistake local metal workers and deckhands for costumes. (They always dress like that, Lexi says.) A full menu and cash bar will be available. 21-and-over only.
More information can be found online at www.oldballardliquorco.com or on Facebook under OldBallardLiquorCo.
The Party Details
When: Wednesday, October 30, 1:30-3:30pm: 4:00pm - 10:00pm: GRAND OPENING & PRODUCT RELEASE PARTY
Where: Bad Albert's Tap and Grill (5100 Ballard Ave)
More info: www.oldballardliquorco.com or www.facebook.com/oldballardliquorco
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