With the winding down of the county mandates, we are now welcoming fully vaccinated members and guests to enjoy their visit mask-free. For those of you who joined in the past 15 months, we hope you still recognize us without our masks; we may have mastered “smiling with our eyes,” but we sure are looking forward to smiling at you the good, old-fashioned way as well.
We are in the process of moving back towards more traditional service, and we thank you for your patience as we get back into the swing of things. Keep reading for more information on upcoming additions and changes to service (hint: what has four wheels and rumbles like summer thunder?).
Speaking of great additions, please join us in welcoming Chef Robert Kelley to the MWL team! We are working on a Q&A feature with Chef Robert for the August newsletter, and we want to hear from you! What would you like to learn about Chef Robert? Email your suggested questions to [email protected].
Also in the news, we’ve now raised over $19,000 for the Oregon Food Bank (OFB) through our priority membership admission program. Our goal is to raise $50,000, or the equivalent of 150,000 meals for our community. Help us reach our goal by spreading the word or by donating here and sending us a snapshot. OFB has been working around the clock to meet the evolving needs of our community during the pandemic. Read more about their inspiring work here.
We’ve also created two new community support cocktail programs at MWL, keep reading for more information on how we are raising awareness and funds for APANOand the Q Center, plus the recipe for a new summer cocktail and a brand new Member Pour.
As always, thank you for your support. Stay safe, and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
Your Friends at the Library
WELCOME BACK BAR CARTS – WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO ON YOUR NEXT VISIT
Hello, bar carts. We’ve missed you rumbling across the floor.
More seating = more reservations!
Communal seating and bar seats are also back
Fully vaccinated guests need no longer wear their masks. We are excited to see your faces :)
New hours (“opening – last seating”):
Sunday 3pm – 10pm
Wed-Thurs 4pm – 11pm
Fri – Sat 3pm – 12am
COMMUNITY SUPPORT – POURING OUR WAY TO A KINDER WORLD
At MWL, we are committed to supporting our community, whether that is by launching new benefits for our membership community, raising funds through our priority admission program, volunteering with our members and our team, or by finding new ways to make an impact in our larger communities – like our neighborhoods, our city and the incredible, incomparable Pacific North West.
Driven by the deeply-rooted community spirit and enthusiasm of our staff, we expect our new cocktail donation programs to pack quite a punch. In fact, we hope to raise an additional $40,000 by this time next year, just by doing what we do best: making drinks.
Beginning in June, we began raising funds in the Library for local non-profits. We now donate $1 from every House Old Fashioned we serve in the Library…and we make a lot of House Old Fashioned cocktails – around 20,000 a year (!).
Currently, the funds raised by the House Old Fashioned program are being donated to APANO, the Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon, to support their mission to unite Asians and Pacific Islanders to build power, develop leaders, and advance equity through organizing, advocacy, community development, and cultural work.
Come August, we will begin raising funds for a new organization. While the staff ultimately will chose the new recipients, we’d love to have your input – what great organization would you like to see us support in the Library?
Down in The Green Room, MWL Lead Bartender Cody Mulcahy is spearheading a cocktail donation program with the lofty goal of donating $1 from every cocktail sold off the seasonal drink menu. The focus will be on supporting environmentally-focused organizations, however as the program launched during Pride month, our first round of funding will go to the inspiring folks at Q Center – the largest LGBTQ+ community center in the Pacific Northwest.
Stay tuned for more information on these newest community support programs!
FEATURED SPIRITS
RED BREAST 27 YR OLD
Single Pot Still Irish Whiskey, ck bourbon, sherry, ruby port, cs 54.6 abv
Ireland
Blended Canadian Whisky,aged 23 yrs, cs 64.3 abv
Canada
JUNE’S COCKTAIL
The Caprice is a fresh, slightly sweet take on a classic martini that’s simple to make at home.
Ingredients:
2 oz gin
.75 oz dry vermouth
.25 oz Benedictine
2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters
To Make:
Add all ingredients into a mixing glass, top with ice, stir and strain into a chilled coupe with an orange or lemon twist.
HOUSE POUR – THE NAKED GROUSE
MWL has partnered with some of our favorite brands to bring our members the House Pour: a complimentary taste of a new, classic, interesting, or just-plain-fun spirit.
July’s House Pour is The Naked Grouse. Members who drop by this month can request a half pour of this blended scotch whisky on the house!
UNDER THE SCOPE – RABBIT HOLE BOXERGRAIL
Founded in 2012 by Kaveh Zamanian, Rabbit Hole distillery has quickly made a name for itself. Not only do they put out great whiskey, but their distillery is winning awards itself. Shortly after the grand opening in 2018, their new 55,000 sq ft campus, which includes a repurposed warehouse and an old church, received Metal Construction News magazine’s Grand award as well as the 2019 AIA Kentucky design award.
Kaveh launched the Rabbit Hole brand after leaving his career as a clinical psychologist behind. His wife, Heather, hails from Louisville, and after falling in love with her (and whiskey), starting a new spirits brand there seemed like a pretty good idea. Rabbit Hole’s mission is to make whiskeys that are tied to the place they come from, and thus have a more personal meaning behind them.
Each whiskey in their core lineup has some sort of tie to Louisville’s past. For example, Boxergrail pays homage to Louisville’s most famous boxer – Muhammad Ali. “Like Ali,” they say, “their rye is both bold and unique.” Like the rest of their whiskies, Boxergrail is currently distilled under contract for Rabbit Hole at another, undisclosed, distillery.
Though they aren’t talking, with a mash bill of 95% rye and 5% malted barley, it doesn’t take a lot of guesswork to come to the conclusion assumption that this rye is probably coming from MGP in Indiana.
The Boxergrail is much softer on the nose than is expected when first approached. With 95% rye, one would often anticipate a drier nose full of those spicy rye notes we’ve come to expect, but instead you’re greeted with lots of caramel, oak, nutmeg and baking spices as well as hints of orange peel and maple syrup.
On the palate, the Boxergrail is, again, surprisingly soft and approachable. There’s a bit more spice with the initial sips, but that gives away to a silky mouthfeel accompanied by notes of caramel, vanilla, more orange peel and cinnamon. The finish doesn’t linger too long but offers a bit of apple pie and even baked tart cherries.
This whiskey, being a little lighter and sweeter than some other ryes, is great on it’s own – preferably neat, or with just a little bit of ice so it doesn’t get over diluted. If you’re thinking of making a cocktail, the Boxergrail would make a good old fashioned or manhattan and could even add a little extra richness to a classic whiskey sour.
