Seattle Boat Show, 2017 -- Tuesday and Wednesday, January 24 - 25, 2017

If it's late January, it's the Seattle Boat Show.  We have a boat, named Willie's Tug, so why do we need to go to the Boat Show?    To look at boats, of course. And to see our boating friends, and perhaps a few reasons not revealed to me by Herb.  Also, Seattle is a nice place to celebrate a birthday.

Uber brings us to the airport and I am reminded that Texas is known for its cowboy culture when I see a 'Texas size' boot as we head to our boarding gate.

The good news is that our flight is on time, and the other news is that Seattle WX at 6:45A Texas time is 34 degrees, dropping to 32 before rising to mid 40s for our arrival.  Yes, I am wearing a jacket, and yes, I did pack a hat, gloves and a sweater.

Our exciting week begins with a bar tending class sponsored by Hot Stove Society, a year round cooking school conducted by Tom Douglas restaurants. This evening's class is in downtown Seattle, and joined by Bruce and Vicki, we are treated very special by being invited to be the first to enter the classroom and get front row seats at the bar.  

Jamie Boudreau, owner of the Canon cocktail bar and restaurant, begins by demonstrating a punch that he suggests for a party of twenty or so guests.  He reminds us that a host should be able to enjoy the friends and not get stuck all night mixing drinks.  He shows how to make the punch ahead and assemble at the last minute just before the guests arrive.

Punch bowl, fruit, bottles of ingredients, and tools are laid out for us.

Jamie discusses strainers, different kinds of shakers, and explains when you would shake a drink and when you would stir one.  Herb says if he learned just one thing, it was worth his time to attend.  He will never use a foil cutter on a wine bottle again.  He regularly demonstrates to me now how easy it is to slip off the foil.

The overhead camera  shows slices of frozen fruit on top of the punch.  (Seen behind Jamie.)  He suggests using a block of ice rather than ice cubes to prevent dilution of the mixture.

Hors d'oeuvres are served at each tasting, and the vegetable plate is very delicious, with a nice presentation as well.

Here Jamie shows his signature cocktail, 'The Canon Cocktail,' and best seller at the bar.  

He sprays the egg white foam with bitters through a stencil of his canon logo. The black stencil is placed on top of the glass, but hard to see in the photo, as it blends in with the background of the bar/kitchen.

Below is a photo looking down onto the drink to see the results of spraying the stencil.

Each attendee is given a copy of his cocktail book, and as we leave, Jamie signs them.  Having a south Louisiana heritage, Herb is excited to learn his last name, but Jamie says he can't claim the same.  A French Canadian, he moved to Seattle from Vancouver BC.  

He jokingly signs Herb's book "Boudreau is a fine moniker, provided you lose the X!"

                                                 Bruce C. Moore contributed to the photo collection

Willie of Willie's Tug,
   and of Walldog, Willie and Jake
   January 24-25, 2017