whatsmydrink.com

NOTE: My apologies for taking so long to post this review online. The Sweetness as depicted below won't be around for much longer, so catch them if you can... Actually, according to their website, the last show of their tour was four days ago at SXSW. I wish all these outstanding young musicians the best in future incarnations.

Their bio on their myspace page, http://www.myspace.com/wethesweetness, starts out “We The Sweetness hold these truths to be self-evident. That not all music is created equal, and sometimes, the whole of the sum is greater than its parts.”

This was certainly true, when I saw The Sweetness last month at a house concert in Falls Church, Virginia.

I had heard about house concerts a while ago, small gatherings, usually in someone's private home, modest ticket prices and with all proceeds going directly to the artists. In February, Lisa put me in touch with a coworker, David, who does just that - at his home. Here I was presented with an opportunity to participate first-hand! I checked out his website (www.stoneroomconcerts.com) and the band scheduled for this past Presidents' Day weekend sounded great: an accoustic set by a group of four young singer-songwriters from Austin and Toronto, who called themselves The Sweetness.

It turns out that David Holiday is also a fellow lover of music, food, beer and wine ("supreme interests" is how he so eloquently put it). He was eager for both of us to join them for the event. Once I had this encouraging news, I mentioned it to my cousin, Jed, another talented musician who moved to Arlington last year. According to David, there was room for the event, and Jed was in, too.

The night was great fun. A combination intimate gathering with a potluck aspect - beer and wine were provided by David and his wife, but guests were encouraged to bring snacks to share, as well. Of course, I brought ingredients for a cocktail and mixed up a few rounds at intermission and after the show.

More about that later, but first let me relate a bit about the band, the members of which are now moving on to different configurations and/or solo projects.

The Sweetness consisted  of four musicians - singer-songwriters Aly Tadros and Chloe Charles, joined by Douglas Jay Boyd on the cajon and Sam MacLellan on the upright bass. In addition to a night of amazing music, the four engaging musicians told wonderful stories behind their songs and of how they met - at the Folk Alliance Festival in Memphis.

I had a chance after the show to mix up a batch of cocktails for the band. My recipe, taken from Crosby Gaige's Cocktail Guide and Ladies' Companion, was for something called Millions for Defense.

3/4 part Rye 
1/4 part Orange Curacao
Dash of Grenadine
White of 1 Egg

Add ice, shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

The drink was well received by everyone who tasted it (especially Jed!). The name was all wrong, though. I garnished it with a lemon spiral and renamed it The Sweetness

If you have been curious about house concerts, but have never been to one, I encourage you to check one out.

I got an email from a fellow cocktail enthusiast a couple weeks ago, trying to find out the best time for an evening of tasting cocktails with a select group of friends. Although one would think after years in IT I would know better than to click on enticing email links, I leaped at the occasion in this case and immediately clicked on the link, which took me to doodle.com, one of those websites for group scheduling. I made my selections and promptly forgot about it...

Then last week I got a follow-up from Maurice, entitled "Potatious Merriment." The opening was portentious (or was it potatious?):

I stopped by an old favorite bar of mine, Room 11 (3234 11 St. NW, Washington, DC) the other night.

I say old favorite because I don't get a chance to visit as often as I would like, having moved out of Washington, DC into Silver Spring, (MD) a year ago. Lately though, I have been stopping by more regularly, going out of my way to frequent a place that puts a great deal of care into crafting exquisite cocktails and great food creations from chef/co-owner Ben Gilligan.

Room 11 has been around for about two years and is run by a talented bunch of folks, including in addition to Ben Gilligan (food), Nick Pimentel (design and marketing), Paul Ruppert (finance) and Dan Searing (bar). Although the place is small, it's a great scene with a great vibe both indoors and on the patio, and the staff is highly skilled at creating a pleasant scene for an evening of food, drink and entertaining conversation.

I was sad to learn that Dan, who had served as the chief mixologist at Room 11, now represents artisanal spirits for a wine wholesaler in Ashland, VA, Country Vintner. I must admit, though, that it sounds like a pretty sweet gig, working with some of the most original spirit distilleries like Hum Spirits from Chicago, IL, or Balcones Distillery in Austin Texas.

On the bright side, though, they have hired a new general manager, Jessica Woods. Formerly at Meridian Pint and Birch & Barley/Churchkey, Jess knows her way around a bar and is a delight to talk with about all things alcoholic. Chatting at length on wine and spirits, I did not get a chance to test her knowledge of beer, although I'm sure she wouldn't disappoint.

I am sure if asked, she would have no problem recommending a glass to go with whatever food you had in mind.

I had been reading about this Italian digestif, Barolo Chinato, (was terribly curious as a result), and so I inquired as to whether they had any on hand. They did, although Jess confessed to not having any cocktails in which to incorporate the Barolo. She was open to suggestions, though.

After a few minutes glancing at the well-stocked bar while rolling the ruby liquid across my tongue, I decided it would work with gin. To which Jess read my mind by suggesting the lightly sweetened Heyman's Old Tom Gin. A few dashes of bitters and an orange peel later, we had ourselves a new cocktail! And so, with that, I give you...

Stir with plenty of ice until glass frosts and strain into chilled coupe. Pinch orange peel 'boat' to extrude oils and rub on rim of glass.

And thus a cocktail was born.