Revolving 500 feet above Seattle, fine guests of The Eye of the Needle (now called Sky City) enjoyed dining and drinks in a decadent, rotating atmosphere in 1962. While the days of a full course meal for less than $7 are now merely memory, one needn’t any time machine to sample the magic potions from the Needle’s drink menu. Seattle magazine’s cocktail expert A.J. Rathbun offers up these vintage recipes—from a Trader Vic’s Cocktail Guide—to try at home.

Seattle Magazine‘s A.J. Rathbun writes:

Panorama Punch
Ice cubes
3/4 ounce light Puerto Rican rum
3/4 ounce gin
3/4 ounce Cointreau
1 dash grenadine
Juice of 1/2 lime plus a slice for garnish

Shake all ingredients in a shaker. Pour into 10-ounce Pilsner glass. Fill glass with ice cubes. Serve with a straw and lime slice.

Cloud Buster
Ice cubes
1 1/2 ounces vodka
3 ounces Champagne
Lemon twist, for garnish

Add the vodka and three ice cubes to a Champagne glass. Add the Champagne, stir briefly, garnish with the lemon twist.

For the whole read, shaken and stirred, click here.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

New Years Eve is the quintessential date night. This year we suggest going all out — hire a babysitter, squeeze yourself into that fab dress that’s hanging in the back of your closet, and live up the last minutes of 2011 at one of the totally fun parties the Bay Area has to offer. Our partners in crime at 7×7 have compiled a list of some awesome New Years Eve parties in the Bay Area where you can usher in 2012 with a glass of champagne in one hand and your love one in the other. Happy 2012!!

Blackbird Bar’s New Year’s Eve Free For All2124 Market Street at Church, 415-503-0630

Join forces with fellow revelers for a night of expertly handcrafted drinks and merriment at this Market Street staple. There will be a free champagne toast at midnight, free party hats, noisemakers, confetti blasters and “other deliciously crude devices” to help welcome 2012 into existence. All that and no cover charge!

Fairmont Hotel’s NYE Dinners and Tonga Room Celebration950 Mason Street, 415-772-5000

Head to the Crown Room for a front-row seat to the city’s best skyline view and a lavish seven course meal with wine pairings, party favors and dancing. The Laurel Court Restaurant & Bar offers up a five course meal and a shot of class with live jazz and champagne. If tropical paradise is more your style, head to the iconic Tonga Room and indulge in a Luau buffet, party favors, dancing to the Island Groove Band and a champagne toast at midnight.

To read the full list of hot New Years Eve date night spots then be sure to read the full article by clicking here.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at 7×7, a site that keeps you up on the best of SF. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a fantastic Date Night idea each week. Be sure to check out their blog for hourly doses of the best of SF.

The holidays are supposed to be fun, but let’s face it, they are often stressful and overwhelming. Our friends at 7×7 have come up with the perfect way to minimize the holiday stress and make this holiday season the best one yet. Take advantage of a festive spa treatment — you’ll be refreshed, rejuvenated, and ready to host all your in-laws. Now, that’s priceless!

The flavors of the holidays make for many culinary delights. That is a given. Pumpkin, cranberry, apple, vanilla, cinnamon and peppermint are flavors that reoccur every year, yet always seem fresh. At a time when calendars quickly fill up and consumption of all sorts is increased, taking the time to indulge in you should be a priority. And receiving the gift of relaxation and indulgence is one of the best ideas around. Several local spas have tweaked their menus to include seasonal ingredients. We pick five of the most delicious.

Tru Spa Peppermint Pedicure

For a quick treat for your feet, Tru Spa is icing their Peppermint Pedicure with a complimentary mint hot chocolate or raspberry-mint champagne cocktail, both served with a peppermint stick. Their signature peppermint pedicure combines an invigorating sugar and fresh mint scrub. An energizing massage with seaweed foot lotion will help get you back on your feet.

Want to read more about how to indulge your senses this holiday season? Click here for the full article — you definitely won’t want to miss out!

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at 7×7, a site that keeps you up on the best of SF. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a fantastic Date Night idea each week. Be sure to check out their blog for hourly doses of the best of SF.

 

NEW FAVORITE!
Stripping down to your skivvies in front of a camera might not be the first thing you think of when scheduling some “me” time.  But local photographer Christina Mallet understands her boudoir photography business, Katrinka’s Secret, as a way for women to see themselves from someone else’s point of view. The end result – a gorgeous book of prints – is often less important to her clients than the experience of the photo shoot, especially for mothers who have struggled to keep a sense of themselves.

Don’t be intimidated by the calm confidence you see in the eyes of the women in her portfolio. Mallet says most women are freaked out on the day of the shoot, but she keeps the conversation (and champagne) flowing and the atmosphere fun, getting to know her clients while the camera clicks.

The photo shoots are fun, but the photography is serious. Mallet’s work has been published locally and internationally and Katrinka’s Secret has been featured in Seattle Magazine’s Valentine’s Day issue and Seattle Metropolitan Magazine.

Shoots take place in the Katrinka’s Secret chic Pioneer Square studio. And listen up, moms-to-be: Mallet also specializes in uber-sexy maternity photos. Make an appointment today and see how beautiful you look through a professional lens.

Katrinka’s Secret Boudoir Photography
www.katrinkas-secret.com
info@katrinkas-secret.com
206-307-4345