Murray Stenson
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Ah, Murray.
Murray Stenson
One of my favorite things to do is sit in front of Murray at Canon, where he's been tending bar several nights a week, and order a straight-up gin martini, with an olive. Because a martini made by a real bartender is a beautiful thing. I like that he nods with a look that seems to say very good, a look any good bartender should offer whether you've just ordered a Lemon Drop or a Sidecar. He goes about mixing the drink, sets it before me, and without fail he'll come back a few sips into it and lean just a hair over the bar to look me in the eye and ask whether I like the drink.
That's the thing with Murray. He's not a loud guy, he's not gregarious, and if he cracks a smile you've done good; it's no easy feat. You'll more likely get a nice nod and the smallest grin. Understated and careful, a warm presence but never a big talker, Murray'll mutter one or two words here or there but he's mostly listening. There's never a wiff that Murray believes his own good press (and ho boy, there's been plenty of it, from his days at Zig Zag and before, in the olden days, when Murray and I worked together at Il Bistro, he the illustrious barman, me the hapless salad and dessert slinger).
That's my long-winded way of winding up to tell you that that this past weekend, Canon owner Jamie Boudreau broke the news that Murray--who, like most restaurant and bar staff, is uninsured--is going to need heart surgery. And he needs help funding it.
If you've had the pleasant privilege of sitting at Murray's bar, watching the man work his magic, and if you feel so inclined, please visit the MurrayAid Facebook page to donate, or go directly to MurrayAid.org.
Update: As of today, there are six local fundraisers planned, the first at Paratii this weekend (both Saturday and Sunday evenings) and Tuesday, October 30th at Canon, when every penny spent will be donated to Murray. There are fundraisers planned in Portland and Australia, too. So far $29,000 of the $50,000 goal has been raised.
November 14th, 2009
Nips – 11/14/09
Finally, last night, I met Seattle legend and internationally renowned bartender Murray Stenson. What a treat. As I’ve said here before, I’m one of many people nationwide who have encountered Murray’s hospitality from afar, by way of a surprise, complimentary drink delivered by a mutual bartending acquaintance. (I first heard about Murray from one of our city’s best bartenders, Scott Holliday, and was flattered to learn that Murray has been a drinkboston reader from early on.)
Acting as ambassador of the Murray Stenson Fan Club, New England Chapter, I presented him with a book on the history of Boston signed by several of our city’s bartenders — most of whom, like me, have only admired him from afar — plus a bottle of Chartreuse milk punch from the staff at Drink. Murray opened the punch right then and there and poured several shots for patrons at the bar. Then he mixed a few rounds of strong, elegant drinks — doling out some rare treats like the above — for me and my companions, West Coast drink writers Paul Clarke and Charles Munat. I’ll tell you more about Murray and my Seattle bar-hop in a later post.
» Save the date for drinkboston’s next event: Barstool Mountain Monday: Country Drinking Songs and Country Drinks, November 30 at the Independent in Union Square, Somerville. Think southern-style cocktails, shots of bourbon and Lone Star beer flowing to a soundtrack of classic country drinking songs spun by Brother “Taco Brim” Cleve. There’ll be well-known faves like “What’s Made Milwaukee Famous (Made a Loser Out of Me),” but also lesser-known gems like “Four on the Floor (and a Fifth Under the Seat),” and “She’s Acting Single (I’m Drinking Doubles).” More details to come soon.
» Also this month, swing by the bar at Clio between the 16th and 22nd, when bartender/mixologist Todd Maul celebrates the birthdays of David Embury and William “Cocktail” Boothby. Embury, born in 1886, is the author of the biblical Fine Art of Mixing Drinks. Boothby, born in 1862, was perhaps the best-known bartender just before Prohibition. He plied his trade most notably at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco and authored World’s Drinks And How To Mix Them and The American Bartender.
“We will be serving the Boothby Cocktail, the Casino and two creations from the Clio bartenders. For 10 bucks you get a drink and some rock shrimp,” says Todd, who provided the recipe for his homage to Embury and Boothby below.
Todd Cocktail
2 oz Rittenhouse 100 rye whiskey
1 oz Aperol
1 oz Dolin sweet vermouth
Dash Angostura bitters
Stir over ice, serve straight up.
Murray Stenson News
Tags: Clio, drinking songs, Murray Stenson, Todd Maul, ZigZag Cafe
Posted in Bartenders, Cocktails, Events, Nips, Seattle | 3 Comments »