515 Bartenders Rock The Verve Private Party

(Along With The Beautiful Alicia)

Everyone in attendance was amazing, and the Verve staff was fantastic as always. Thanks for the good times.

Kelsey Holtaway & Mark Cersosimo made this film.

Everyone should check it out.

(this guy knows what’s up)

This Is My Home from Mark on Vimeo.

truth

Thank you, SafeServ.

Sake: It’s The New Merlot

Our Sister Restaurant

Say what you will about the Red(s), but they employ some of the most fantastic people in Santa Cruz. I dare you to challenge Miriam or Aaron to a crossword puzzle challenge, or even consider trying to wear a fedora better than Claye (You can’t. Don’t try). Hannah has one of the most beautiful voices in the world, and there is no man in town like Dan Strong (No local either past, present or future will be able to surpass his magnitude of awesome). And Simanello even melted faces at the recent SCML Belvedere competition! So while we appreciate your love and appreciation for 515 Kitchen & Cocktails – If you ever need a change of pace, go check out our sister restaurant and be served by the future song-writers, nurses, and Supreme Court Judges of America.

Honestly, everyone should check this movie out. You can stream it on Netflix. Not only have I learned an insane amount about the beer industry in this well-crafted (wink) documentary, but I am now that much more passionate about carrying beers from respectable brewerys like Dogfish, Sam Adams, Moonlight, etc. What blows my mind is this notion of the three-tier system and how difficult it can be for these brewerys to just get their beer on the truck, let alone on a shelf not shadowed by the juggernauts. This really is an amazing documentary – Check it out and then come into the 515 to talk with me about it – I’ll buy you a beer.

The quest for the ultimate Fernet cocktail is indeed a hefty one. Why? Because Fernet is awesome (or at least that is what other bartenders tell me). And, well, because Fernet is such a potent beast of awesome and fantastic, it would be such a triumph to create a Fernet cocktail that the common man/woman could enjoy. In a moment tomfoolery, it occurred to me to combine the two industry juggernauts – Jameson and Fernet – the product of which proved to be delicate and sophisticated, much like the gentle embrace of someone I’ve never known. Wait, scratch that – Imagine if Justin Bieber passed a note to you in class asking you to the prom (you accepted, obviously) and then he showed up 5 minutes early to your home with a limo and pink corsage – It’s kind of like that. Exactly like that. Once Irish Whiskey and Fernet were combined, a seed was planted. That seed has now become what follows:

Unnamed Fernet Goodness

It’s like a party in your mouth and everyones invited, and you’re not even upset that Damion from down the street showed up

Muddled Mint, a Dash of Mango-Sage Simple Syrup, Fernet, Jameson, Topped w/ Champagne

While this cocktail will not be for everyone, if it peaks your interest, I encourage you to venture outside your circle of the mundane and Hum-Drum – Treat yourself to an experience and give Fernet a chance. And who knows, maybe you’ll find yourself enjoying this concoction and it will lead to shots of Fernet in the future. Hey, it gets the job done and tends to only cost around $5 a shot. You owe it to yourself, you owe it to your loved ones, and you owe it to your bartender – If you don’t, then the terrorists have won.

Positive Mentions? This was sent in an E-mail last night to some of our 515 Staff:

“An amazing Fernet cocktail was made last night! Worthy of the Gods up on High, as well as the ilk down below in the trenches! It is an everymans drink. Fit for a king, but made for a woman. It tastes as if Heaven and Hell collided and the destruction left behind caused a single Angel to shed a single tear – That tear then fell a thousand miles downward toward the earth passing through magic and mystery only to land in one of our Martini glasses. Once consumed, it has the power to heal sores and cure Hep C. Shall it ring through the mountains and be heard in every valley… We have a Fernet Cocktail.”

Enjoy.