This weekend at the Independent includes a Sunday Evening Bike Corral Benefit to raise money for Amazing Bike Camp, a transition to the fall food menu, and four new daily cocktails for your enjoyment.
New Cocktails Friday and Saturday
As part of our transition to fall, we have no fewer than four new daily cocktails that we released this week, and we'd like to give them a good spin this weekend. Yes, that means no inventive shaking and stirring by Adam, Lucky, or another cocktologist this Saturday. But fear not, these are some of Adam's best work, and you'll be hard pressed to think of a better cocktail served to you faster this weekend. In addition to the two draft cocktails, we proudly present:
The Rust Belt (Barreled): Peated scotch is front and center in this lovely twist on the Rusty Nail, which will make even the most fervently anti-scotch drinker a believer. Those Scots leading the failed independence vote will find solace in this fantastic drink.
The King Creole (Barreled): Take a trip to New Orleans. Rum meats rye. Peychauds meets angostura. Throw a little Chartreuse, absinthe, and Carpano Antica in the mix, and you've got a regular old party down in the Treme, just you and your baby.*
Allegheny Rum Punch (Bottled, corked, and made for two): On a hot date this weekend? Split a bottle of Allegheny Rum Punch, which uses three locally made rums from Maggie's Farm, Wigle, and Boyd & Blair respectively. The server will bring the bottle to your table and uncork it, just as he or she would a fine wine. Centuries ago in this country, Bottling and corking punch was what you did when you couldn't finish your punch (a problem that I've never had). We're bringing that tradition back at the IBC, one happy couple (or one hammered single dude) at a time.
Cocktail Week Cocktail: The Chartreuse Grasshopper. Think the grasshopper is an overly-sweet, girly drink. Not this one. This is a cocktail that members of both sexes with good taste will enjoy. Rich flavors of mint, cream, and herbs. And, yes, Chartreuse, which is, in highly technical terms, really effing good. Enjoy your grasshopper, grasshopper? Please VOTE for this cocktail as one of the five best cocktails that you had during Craft Cocktail Week, here: http://www.pghcocktailweek.com/
SUNDAY EVENING: Bike Corral Ramble: Bike Ride Benefit for Amazing Bike Camp.
Those large stainless U brackets taking up your parking space? Oh those are our new bike corral. Ditch the car dude, and ride your bike to the IBC (although please don't ride either your bike or your car home if you're drinking).
This Sunday, the IBC teams up with Kindred Cycles of the Strip District to host an inaugural benefit ride. At 5:30, those on the ride will leave Kindred Cycles, 2515 Penn Avenue in the Strip District, with an eye towards finishing at the IBC around 6:30. The ride will be a route that tours Pittsburgh's new bike infrastructure, i.e. the bike lanes, bike corrals, and racks that have graced our fair city en masse over the last several weeks. This ride will be at a beginner pace, but there will be hills, as, yes, this is still Pittsburgh, bike lanes or not.
Can't make the ride? Then meet us at the bar, which will open by special occasion at 6 p.m. We're going to be serving small plates that are super vegetarian friendly, and we'll be donating $1 for every beer served to the Children's Institute's Amazing Bike Camp, which helps kids with special needs ride on two wheels.
This is a rain or shine event. Even if it rains too hard for your biking tastes, don't let that hurt your tastes in beer and good food. We'll be open at 6 p.m.
For more information, and to RSVP (although you don't have to) please visit Kindred Cycles' Facebook page for the event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1695748280650281/
What You NEED to eat this Weekend:
We're transitioning to fall, and Mo's BeerPark Sandwich is one killer item that will be on the Fall menu. Roasted pepper, smoked gouda, Arsenal Cider carmelized onions, arugula pesto on a ciabatta roll. $10. Add (and really, you're going to want to do this add) beer-braised veal sausage for $3. Served with fries. As Emeril Lagasse would say, "this is really quite excellent."
Alright folks, see you at the Independent
Pete K.
* There's pride on Bourbon Street.**
** There's no pride on Bourbon Street.
