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.

Nothing says holiday cheer more than a delicious local spirit to get you in the festive mood. Seattle Magazine has picked out 12 can’t miss local spirits, which are not only mouth-watering yummy, but make great gifts for all those holiday parties coming up! So go ahead, support your local distiller and pick up a bottle. Cheers!

 

Ebb+Flow Vodka
$32

A big, full-bodied vodka whose 100-percent malted barley construction doesn’t keep it from leaving a little sweetness and vanilla on the tongue.
Sound Spirits, Interbay, 1630 15th Ave. W; drinksoundspirits.com

Headlong White Dog Whiskey
$34.95

An unaged whiskey, this dog cuddles up close with its bright combination of butter cream, grain and smooth spiciness.
Woodinville Whiskey Company; Woodinville, 16110 Woodinville-Redmond Road NE, Suite 3; woodinvillewhiskeyco.com

Legacy Vodka
$32.95

This rich, all-organic vodka boasts a hint of citrus and vanilla blooming alongside its wheat base.
Bainbridge Organic Distillers; Bainbridge Island, 9727 Coppertop Loop NE; bainbridgedistillers.com

Pacifique Absinthe
$62.95

Transport yourself to turn-of-the-century France with this absinthe’s classical mix of anise, fennel, wormwood and other spices.
Pacific Distillery; Woodinville, 18808 142nd Ave. NE, #4B; pacificdistillery.com

To check out the full list of local spirits you must taste, click here to read the full article.

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.

Tired of weekend winery trips? Why not call up the babysitter and slip out for an afternoon of sampling locally-produced spirits? Our friends at Seattle Magazine have done the research for us, and here is their list of local and up-and-coming distilleries in the greater Seattle Area. Welcome to another edition of Date Night.

The recent boom in Seattle booze distillers comes thanks to the Washington State Craft Distillery Law (passed in 2008), which allows local liquor producers to offer on-site tasting and bottle sales, à la wineries—provided that at least 51 percent of the liquor ingredients are grown in state. Accordingly, a slew of recently opened distilleries now offer facility tours and tasting rooms, so you can try before you buy. Bonus points: Increase your locavore cred by ordering a drink made with local spirits at area bars that carry them.

Swill from the still at these LOCAL distillery tasting rooms:

Sun Liquor Distillery and Bar (pictured)
Capitol Hill
514 East Pike Street

sunliquor.com
Taste: Sun Liquor gin
Claim to fame: First Washington establishment to  be both a distillery and a bar
Also poured at: Sun Liquor’s first location (bar only) at 607 Summit Avenue East

Sound Spirits
Interbay
1630 15th Avenue West

drinksoundspirits.com
Taste: Ebb + Flow vodka and gin, and coming soon, aquavit
Claim to fame: Seattle’s first distillery since Prohibition
Also poured at: Bars such as Rob Roy, The Hideout and Oliver’s Twist

Bainbridge Organic Distillers
Bainbridge Island
9727 Coppertop Loop Northeast, Suite 101

bainbridgedistillers.com
Taste: Legacy organic vodka, Heritage organic gin, Battle Point whiskey
Claim to fame: First organic distillery in Washington
Also poured at: Seattle bars such as Brouwer’s Cafe, Local 360, Liberty, Mistral Kitchen, Tavern Law, and on Bainbridge at Harbour Pub and Hitchcock

To discover more date-worthy Seattle distilleries, 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.

The folks at Cucina Fresca shared with us a recipe for an easy-to-prepare family meal. By combining  their pre-packaged fresh pasta and sauce, you can skip the time-consuming process of preparing lasagna from scratch and get to the good stuff right away: a yummy, sit-down family meal.


Lazy Lasagna By Cucina Fresca

2 10 oz. packages Cucina Fresca fresh ravioli (any variety)
1 jar* Cucina Fresca fresh sauce (any variety)
1 cup shredded cheese
Olive oil

Set oven to 350 degrees and prepare an 8×8 pan with olive oil.
Pour 1/4 jar of Cucina Fresca sauce in pan; tilt pan until the sauce has coated the bottom.
Layer 10 ounces of ravioli in pan. Pour 1/4 jar of Cucina Fresca sauce over ravioli. Layer remaining 10 oz of ravioli. Pour remaining sauce over ravioli. Top with cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 35-40 minutes. Remove foil and cook 10-15 minutes or until cheese is golden brown.

*If you choose Alfredo or Basil Cream as your sauce, thin it with 8 oz of milk for 16 oz of sauce total.

This recipe serves 4-5. To make a larger or smaller portion, remember this ratio: 8oz of sauce for every 10 oz of ravioli. Larger batches in deeper pans will require an upwards of 45 minutes covered cook time with 10-15 minutes uncovered cook time, or until cheese is golden brown.

Suggested Lazy Lasagna Combinations:

Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce
Three Cheese Ravioli with Tomato Vodka Sauce
Spinach and Cheese Ravioli with Marinara Sauce
Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Basil Cream Sauce
Caramelized Pear & Gorgonzola Ravioli with Alfredo Sauce
Smoked Mozzarella with Alfredo Sauce

Cucina Fresca lazy lasagnas are available pre-cooked at all Metropolitan Market service delis.