MentalPolyphonics
Where have all the plumbers gone?
One thing that was sad was people emphasizing...I first went to Solomon’s because Solomon and I have mutual friends. To me it was “the only place in town where I will drink gin martinis”. (I don’t really like juniper so normally I order vodka martinis.)
After that I went probably more than anything else because my friend Dan lived upstairs. Around this stage of my life, Manhattans became my signature drink at bars that had things like vermouth. I drank a lot of Manhattans and Old Fashioned at Solomon’s, although I was usually too busy talking to notice the craftsmanship.
Solomon always sucked as promotion, particularly using social networking. Somehow I heard about an introduction to cocktails class. The class got cancelled for lack of interest but there was a martini class coming up: I went despite my distaste for gin.
The class was a lecture on the evolution of the martini from Manhattan through the martinez combined with a tasting of gin, vermouth and bitters. It created the abstract mental structures I needed to learn about other cocktails. Solomon says he’s going to focus on education in the future: I can’t wait for the next class.
Then I went to the Art of the Cocktail festival, where Solomon and his protege Katie competed in the mixing competition. I learned that Sean at Clives was “the other bartender” in town – he’s not quite as good as Solomon but knowing there were two made me think that artisan cocktails were a movement in Victoria.
Right after the festival I went on a trip to Portland and Seattle that included pilgrimages to some artisan bars: Teardrop, Zig Zag and Vessel. I got exposed to much more challenging cocktails than what I had been ordering at Solomon’s and chatted up bartenders to learn more about the artisan cocktail scene.
By this point, every time I went to Solomon’s I had a list of things I wanted to try. I don’t go out drinking very often and I don’t drink that much when I do, so it took me a long time to work things through. Most recently I came home from amazing service by David at West, eager to order some new experiences at Solomon’s.
It feels like a blow to Victoria to lose such a hip place. I blame city council for their overpriced liquor license addiction and the lack of population density near Herald Street. Solomon’s didn’t have great food or promotion, but I think the prices and the service time for drinks were reasonable for the care that went into them. My biggest regret is that I didn’t spend more time sitting at Solomon’s bar.
Jack
The only time I went was for Geoff’s birthday two years ago. I had some kind of absinthe-citrus cocktail and a plate of cheese and pickled herring. Too bad it went under — I assumed that it was here to stay (although serious drinking is more of a Mad Men retro thing than a contemporary fashion).
Don
I’m a Mad Men fan. I haven’t taken up chain smoking yet, but I am ramping up my alcohol consumption and misogyny.
Jared
Don mostly orders Manhattans when he’s out but he makes an Old Fashioned for Conrad Hilton. Most people say that an Old Fashioned is the best test of a bartender. Connie says that Don’s is good.
Solomon calls his wet and bitter martinis “pre-prohibition”, so there’d be no bitters in the martinis in Mad Men. It’d be great if the next season has a reference to the Smirnoff product placement in 1962′s Dr. No that invented the vodka martini.