EAT

May 22-24: Sporty Dog Creations Memorial Day Pop-Up at Hotel Revival

101 W. Monument St. 12-9 p.m. Prices vary.

Nothing says Memorial Day Weekend like hot dogs. We know, we know. The all-American barbecue food isn’t for everyone. But LaShauna Jones and Daejonne Bennett, the mother-daughter duo behind Sporty Dog Creations, craft franks to satisfy all palates. This weekend, they’re setting up a grill in the valet lane at Hotel Revival in Mt. Vernon to offer curbside pickup and delivery of their signature vegan, hot honey chicken, jerk chicken, and classic beef hot dogs. There will also be crudos, grilled oysters, burgers, and to-go cocktails from the hotel’s rooftop bar, Topside. Through Sunday, customers who spend $20 ordering online will receive a 20 percent-off coupon to spend on any of The Sporty Dog’s pre-packaged hot dogs to grill at home.

DRINK

May 23: Whiskey Among Friends: A Fundraiser and Tasting

Zoom. 8:30 p.m.

If you’re looking for a way to show some love to the city’s hard-hit hospitality industry, donating to the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild is a great option. And this weekend, the guild is offering a special virtual whiskey tasting for the folks who generously donate $100 or more. Funders can pick up a tasting kit, which contains selections from Bardstown Bourbon Company’s latest lineup, from either Dutch Courage in Old Goucher or Mr. Nice Guy Cocktails in Canton. Then, log on to Zoom to taste the spirits, learn about the whiskey-making process with the team from the Kentucky distillery, and raise a glass to Baltimore’s beverage community.

SEE

May 22: Tea with Myrtis: Artistically Speaking

Instagram & YouTube. 2 p.m. Free.

Gallery owner Myrtis Bedolla has been hosting recurring one-on-one salon-style conversations with artists featured in the Women Heal Through Rite and Ritual exhibit at the Mount Vernon gallery. Up next this Saturday is a virtual chat with painter Shanequa Gay. Brew your favorite tea and listen in as the two discuss Gay’s work in the exhibition, which features imaginative narratives that explore women’s roles.

HEAR

May 22: A Tribute to Bill Withers With Cris Jacobs

Facebook Live. 8 p.m. Donations encouraged.

In celebration of Union Craft Brewing’s latest release, the “Somebody to Lean On” double IPA, its brewers have organized a virtual tribute to the late musical legend whose lyrics inspired the beer’s name. Charm City’s own Cris Jacobs will perform his renditions of Bill Withers’ greatest hits on Facebook Live beginning at 8 p.m. Along with 100 percent of the profits from the new beer, a portion of Jacobs’ virtual tip jar will be donated to the Baltimore Restaurant Relief Fund. Be sure to stock up on six packs before the show starts by placing orders for delivery or curbside pickup.

DO

May 22-24: Drive-Thru Strawberry Festival at Weber’s Cider Mill Farm

2526 Proctor Lane, Parkville. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

The farmers at Weber’s in Parkville have come up with a way to enjoy the sweetness of their fourth-annual strawberry festival while maintaining social distancing measures. Kicking off this weekend from 11 a.m.-5 p.m., visitors will be able to drive through the property and safely order from a selection of the farm’s treats that make use of the current harvest, including strawberry donuts, sundaes, slushes, quarts of fresh berries, and even strawberry pancake breakfast boxes to assemble at home.

Additional reporting by Lydia Woolever.

8 A.M. EARLY HOURS

Most bartenders will tell you they go to bed at about three or four in the morning and wake up at noon. But for me, after five to six hours of sleep, I operate pretty well.

8:30 A.M. FEEDING TIME

My wife and I have a subscription to Motzi bread, so we’ll have an English muffin or slices of bread for breakfast. Coffee. A lot of mornings, I’ll make her lunch. Then, feed our cats; we have two well-dressed tuxedo cats, Hatch and Mr. Styles.

10 A.M. MORNING ROUTINE

I’ll start my day listening to WYPR, pop open my laptop, and see what the day brings. Besides Dutch Courage, I also have the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild to keep running.

12 P.M. OFF TO WORK

I ride my bike to work. If I didn’t close the night before, I’ll check the numbers and see what happened. The middle part of my day is busy work. Often, I’ll get purveyors coming through to teach me on some wine, beers, and spirits, so that’s a nice bonus.

3 P.M. CHECK-IN

We start looking at the clock to see what needs to be done. Maybe I suddenly have to mop the floor or scrub the bathrooms down. I’ll jump behind the bar to help the bartenders set up. If I’m not bartending that night, I’ll go in the back and start juicing the lemon, lime, orange juice, all the things we produce in-house, including the housemade syrups.

5 P.M. OPENING ACT

Suddenly it’s five o’clock and we’re turning on the music. With Dutch Courage, I really wanted there to be a vibe. I love Motown, soul, and early R&B, so we chose to build a playlist with anyone from Otis Redding and Ruby Johnson
to Ella Fitzgerald and Tina Turner. And boom! The doors open. If I’m bartending, that’s my entire evening: serving up delicious beverages and making sure everyone has what they need.

6 P.M. EVENING HOURS

If I’m not bartending but I’m there all night, I’ll be out on the floor making sure the guests are happy. Sometimes I’ll have to run into the back and prep something, or get extra bottles for the bar. Then it’s back to doing the busy work. I try to make good use of my time since we’re open until 2 a.m.

2 A.M. CLOSING TIME

Depending on the level of business we have some clean-up to do. By the time paperwork is done, we lock up the doors and I jump on my bike and ride home.

3 A.M. LATE NIGHT

The tricky part is getting home because I’m still wound up, especially after riding a bike. I’ve been trying to be better at winding down directly in bed because the dangerous part is falling asleep on the couch and trying to quietly walk up the stairs. I try to read something online or grab a book. But if the lights are totally off, I fall asleep much faster.

EAT

March 1: Steve Irwin Day

Jimmy’s Famous Seafood, 6526 Holabird Ave. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Free.

This Friday, trade the Inner Harbor for the Australian swamplands in honor of America’s favorite crocodile hunter. During this Steve Irwin-inspired bash, don your best khakis-and-bucket-hat ensemble and spend the day snapping pictures with baby kangaroos and an American alligator, testing your stomach with gator and Foster’s Beer specials, and supporting the Irwins’ Australia Zoo Wildlife Warriors cause.

DRINK

March 3: Baltimore Bartenders Guild’s “Ryes Up”

Kimpton Hotel Monaco, 2 N. Charles St. 5-8 p.m. $75.

Although scientists are closer than ever to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis, there’s still about 30,000 people nationwide living with the genetic disorder. Now in its eighth year, this rye whiskey-inspired fundraiser brings some of the city’s top bartenders under one roof to revel in the amber-colored spirit and support the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. With more than 20 concoctions, eats from 15 local restaurants, and a silent auction, it’ll be hard to tell whether the warm feeling in your chest is from the whiskey buzz or helping to find a cure.

SEE

March 2: Jonathan Van Ness

The Hippodrome Theatre, 12 N. Eutaw St. 7 p.m. $55-$149.

I mean, can you believe? Star of the Netflix series Queer Eye and the Getting Curious podcast Jonathan Van Ness is gracing Charm City with his spunk, sass, and show-stopping locks for one night at the Hippodrome Theatre. There’s no telling what this stop on the Road to Beijing tour will bring because while he’s happy to set you up with a new do, this grooming guru is always ready to talk politics and social justice. Come for the comedy, and stay for the tea, honey.

HEAR

March 2: Ed Schrader’s Music Beat

Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St. 8 p.m.-12 a.m. $13-15.

After a year of touring around the U.S. and Europe, this Baltimore-based, post-punk duo is returning to their roots with a performance at one of city’s most intimate venues. Fans have been hungry ever since last year’s release of the band’s latest album, Riddles. Joined by poet-musician Param Anand Singh and local artist Infinity Knives + Randi, this lively line up has all the makings of a standout show.

DO

March 2: Greater Goods Market

R. House, 301 W. 20th St. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free.

R. House is known for being a one-stop shop for all things delicious, so why not indulge in a trinket or two while you’re at it? After grabbing lunch in the food hall, swing by the garage to browse through this monthly market packed with wares from more than 70 local makers while jamming to tunes by D.J. Discuji from Better on Foot. With a portion of the proceeds supporting the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, this pop-up adventure will keep your shopping impulses heartwarmingly local and completely justified.

Since 2015, local cocktail enthusiasts and art lovers alike have packed into the sculpture court at the Walters Art Museum for its annual Rye Rocks event. There, a handful of bartenders from the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild (BBG) served various rye whiskey cocktails for guests to imbibe while perusing the museum’s collections.

On Saturday, December 9 from 7-10 p.m., the event is returning to the museum—but with a new twist. Instead of highlighting regional rye, organizers with the Women’s Committee of the Walters Art Museum have decided to feature vodka and other international spirits in celebration of the museum’s new exhibition Fabergé and the Russian Crafts Tradition: An Empire’s Legacy.

“It’s interesting to see a vodka event because people have moved away from vodka over the past few years,” says BBG president Brendan Dorr. “It’s still very popular, but whiskey has overtaken vodka as the number-one spirit right now. It will be interesting to see what everyone comes up with.”

Now named On the Rocks, the evening will offer an array of Russian-influenced cocktails from a dozen BBG bartenders, hearty fare from Catering by Uptown, and an up-close look at the new Fabergé galleries.

The exhibit, which opened earlier this month and runs throughout June 2018, centers around two imperial eggs that were designed by famed goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé, and given to Russian czars as Easter gifts during the early 1900s. In addition to the rare eggs (the museum estimates that only 50 were ever made), the show displays more than 70 other art objects including lavish jewelry and carved stones.

“This is the first time that the Walters has put all of its Russian stuff in one place like this,” says co-curator Jo Briggs, the museum’s associate curator of 18th and 19th century art. “We’re trying to put the eggs in a much broader context of Russian decorative arts—more than just Fabergé and the czars.”

Even more specifically related to the On The Rocks event is the exhibition’s array of silver and gold drinking vessels, as well as two shot glasses, and an antique vodka carafe in the form of a gryphon with an inscribed Slavonic proverb that reads: “Drinking is not a hindrance, but youth’s diversion.”

“A lot of these luxury drinking objects were used to show off wealth when people would have guests over at their house or palace,” Briggs says. “When you think about Russia, there’s no way you can’t think about vodka.”

In keeping with the theme, On the Rocks will offer plenty of vodkas for sampling. Guild members including Verde’s Christian Stoddart, R. Bar’s Josiah Dells, freelancer Aaron Joseph, and Alex Dang of Ida B’s Table have all chosen from a diverse list of international and domestic spirits to incorporate into their cocktail recipes.

Dorr mentions Cathead vodka, Stoli Elit, Bar Hill gin, Filibuster Bourbon, and St. George’s Spirit vodka as examples of what guests can expect. To add to the fun, there will be a people’s choice competition to see which bartender’s cocktail reigns supreme.

“Vodka is a little more of a white wall,” Dorr says. “You can paint it with any color you want, and therefore it makes it a little more difficult to feature the spirit. But that’s what gets the bartenders thinking outside of the box.”

Proceeds from the party will aid in funding transportation to the Walters for students at Maryland’s Title I Schools. Aside from introducing the exhibition to additional eyes, Briggs says she’s excited to see how art can influence its surrounding community.

“One of the nicest things about working in a museum is you can inspire people,” she says. “That’s always really rewarding—to put it out there and see where they take it.”

On a balmy evening last summer, a dozen of the area’s most talented bartenders gathered beneath the waterfront pavilion at the Baltimore Museum of Industry to put their skills to the test in Baltimore magazine’s inaugural Southside Stakes competition. The contest paired each bartender with a local distillery, and tasked the teams with creating a unique spin on the classic Southside cocktail.

Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild (BBG) treasurer Amie Ward—who took home the People’s Choice award for her Southside that combined Sagamore Spirit Rye, rhubarb amaro, lavender sorbet, and lemongrass syrup—was so inspired by the experience, that she decided to keep the event going this year.

“I didn’t want it to go away,” says Ward, co-beverage director at R. Bar inside Remington’s communal food hall R. House. “It feels good to be able to maintain something that’s super Baltimore-focused.”

Local industry professionals will once again gather to craft their versions of the country club concoction in the second annual Southside Stakes competition at R. House on Sunday, October 1 from 7-10 p.m. Though veteran bartenders and guild members have been involved in organizing the event, Ward says that the BBG is hoping to attract industry newbies to participate this time around.

“This one’s for the new guys and gals,” she says. “Baltimore’s bar and restaurant scene is growing exponentially, so we wanted to make sure that we’re letting all of that fresh blood come through.”

Each contender will be assigned a regional spirit— including Baltimore Whiskey Company, Lyon Distilling Co., Catoctin Creek Distillery, and Belle Isle Spirits—and will be required to incorporate sugar, herbal, and citrus sources. Aside from those key ingredients, Ward is encouraging the participants to get as creative as possible.

“It has such a refreshing impact,” she says of the classic cocktail. “Regardless of what you use, the citrus and herbal sources combined together make something that’s just mind-blowing.”

With roots that trace back to the Prohibition era, the traditional Southside—made with gin, sugar, mint, and lemon—is thought to have originated in Chicago, but gained popularity locally amongst Maryland’s Hunt Cup crowd.

“We obviously weren’t going to do a Manhattan competition,” Ward says. “The locality and history of it all plays a huge role in this.”

In keeping with the local feel, the BBG will be donating a portion of all ticket sales to House of Ruth Maryland. The organization, which benefits victims of partner violence, aligns well with the guild’s mission to reduce harassment in local bars. Ward says that the guild members voted on which local charity they wanted to partner with, and House of Ruth was the overwhelming winner.

“The big drive within the bartending community worldwide right now is providing safe spaces for our patrons and peers,” she says. “And, specifically, being able to recognize things like sexual harassment and assault. People have become so much more cognizant of what’s happening in the atmosphere.”

Throughout the past six years, the guild has donated more than $50,000 to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation with its annual Rye’s Up fundraiser. Ward hopes that the Southside Stakes competition mirrors that event’s spirit, not only in the charitable sense, but also in the way that it brings the community together. 

“Rye’s Up is always referred to as bartender prom for us, so this is like our homecoming” she says, with a laugh.  “But it’s not just about the comradery of our community. It’s also great for the regulars who we provide solace to from a long day of hard work. Whatever is happening in their life, they know they can come to us to escape it.”