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Monkey Shoulder 19th Hole

Stay warm all winter with The Lazy River

Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky sips smooth over the holidays at the bar or at home by the fire

BY BART POTTER • FOR CASCADE GOLFER

Amid-priced blended Scotch known for its mixability is the basis for the Lazy River, a cocktail created by a Seattle mixologist as a peachy summer refresher for a rooftop bar.

Now, as the calendar moves toward winter, the Lazy River — made with Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whisky — has demonstrated staying power as a popular drink for all seasons.

Bartender/mixologist Timothy Skondin created the Lazy River when he worked as beverage director at Seattle’s Mbar, located at 400 Fairview Ave. N., in South Lake Union. It started out, Skondin said, as a collaboration with Jordan Vega, on-premise specialist for Washington for William Grant and Sons, distributor of Monkey Shoulder (and Glenfiddich, Balvenie, and Tullamore Dew, among many other spirit brands).

Skondin wanted to create a cocktail with a brand in Vega’s portfolio, and Monkey Shoulder turned out to be ideal. There aren’t nearly as many mixed-drink cocktails made with Scotch as with bourbon or American whiskey, but Monkey Shoulder, with its flavor profile of honey and barley not found in other Scotches, makes it “approachable” for mixing, Skondin said. And its affordable price (about $45 retail for 750 milliliters) makes Monkey Shoulder better suited for mixing than more expensive Scotch blends or single malts.

The Lazy River remains on the drinks menu ($18) at Mbar — a refreshing reminder of summer as the days get shorter, and the air gets colder.

At Home Bar Mixology

Lazy River

By Timothy Skondin

INGREDIENTS

  • 1.5 ounces Monkey Shoulder

  • .25 ounce ginger juice

  • .5 ounce honey syrup

  • .5 ounce lemon juice

  • .25 ounce ginger juice

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Serve over ice with a river tube garnish.

Mixology Master Timothy Skondin

As a professional mixologist, Timothy Skondin, keeps track of current trends in sweetness and palates among local alcohol consumers. He knew Seattle drinkers tend to favor cocktails on the drier side, so he let that guide him in determining what ingredients should join Monkey Shoulder in his new cocktail. So, he started with a tart, dry peach puree.

“Honey instead of white grain sugar kind of changes where in the palate that sweetness lands because of the different kind of fructose,” he said. “The lemon, the ginger and the Monkey Shoulder all play really nicely together to kind of bring it away from that overly sweet side.”

He named it the Lazy River to capture the laid-back feeling of floating on a river in summertime. The drink debuted in time for Seattle’s July 4 fireworks show viewable from the rooftop bar at Mbar, a Mediterranean-styled restaurant.

Skondin works now at Sushi by Scratch at Sixth and Battery in Seattle. But before he left Mbar, he taught the bartenders there how to make the three syrups that go into the Lazy River.

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