Rye Rocks – Baltimore Magazine

On The Rocks at The Walters Pays Homage to New Fabergé Exhibit

Lauren Cohen — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:09:00 +0000

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.”

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Weekend Lineup: March 31-April 2

Lydia Woolever — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 10:49:05 +0000

Weekend Lineup: Jan. 15-17

Lydia Woolever — Thu, 14 Jan 2016 16:45:00 +0000

Five things to eat, drink, see, hear, and do with your Charm City weekend.

EAT

Jan. 15: Art After Hours at the BMA

The Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Dr. 7-10 p.m. $20-25, with cash bar. 443-573-1700. thebma.org.

Nothing says its the weekend like drinks after work on a Friday night. This weekend, the BMA is offering you the best new way to get rid of your work week, as the museum launches its all-new Art After Hours events, with an evening of eats, drinks, and activities inspired by the BMA’s impressive collection. It’s a hot ticket, with the party selling out just one week after it first went on sale, but it’s no surprise with delicious bites from Blacksauce Kitchen (including the roasted apple, cheddar, micro green biscuit sandwich that we drool over at the JFX Farmers’ Market), micro-brewed beers from the recent Woodberry addition of Waverly Brewing Company, and a mix-your-own-spicy dry rub with local condiment maker Haute Mess Kitchen. Listen to live music from The Crawdaddies, help build a giant fort (a giant fort!) made out of pillows, and browse the Imagining Home exhibit, now open in the BMA’s new education center.

DRINK

Jan. 16: Rye Rocks at The Walters

The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St. 7-10 p.m. $75. 410-547-9000. thewalters.org .

Call it a comeback, but rye whiskey is all the rage these days. You might not know it, but from the 19th century through the 1970s, the spirit had a major moment in the Maryland sun with a bounty brands like Boulevard, Browne Jug, Hunter, and our still-going-strong Pikesville Rye. Vodka and rum took over in the ’80s and ’90s, but in recent years, thanks in part to the craft cocktail trend that has consumed our country, rye’s future is once again shining bright. In fact, volume has grown 536 percent over the last half-decade. So toast to its local roots this Saturday at the second annual Rye Rocks party at The Walters, whose founders had ties to the early whiskey trade, as seen in the museum’s “From Rye to Raphael” exhibit. Warm up with wintry cocktails mixed with some 12 American-made whiskeys (from Copper Fox Distillery of VA to High West Distillery of UT) and craft by 12 of the city’s most beloved bartenders (from Aaron Joseph of Wit & Wisdom to Chelsea Gregoire of Pen & Quill), alongside hearty artisan fare. As the event is co-sponsored by Kevin Plank’s Sagamore Spirit, you’ll also get a first look at the upcoming plans for its Port Covington distillery.

SEE

Jan. 17: B’More Bowie

Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. 7 p.m. $10-12. 410-276-1651. creativealliance.org .

If you’re anything like us, or the rest of the world for
that matter, you’ve been listening to “Heroes” on repeat
all week long, letting that swirling guitar pull at the strings of your breaking
heart. Just days after his 69th birthday and the release of this 26th album, Blackstar,
David Bowie passed away from cancer this past Sunday, and fans came out in hoards to
show their love, grief, and tributes to Ziggy Stardust, Thin White Duke, The
Goblin King. This weekend, celebrate the rock icon’s legacy in true Bowie fashion—with a
dance party at an all-are-welcome, outside-the-box art house, the Creative
Alliance. Come dressed in the lightning bolts, pant suits, and hairdos of your
favorite Bowie-era and listen to local bands perform their own Bowie best, featuring Guides By Wire, Home, and bandmates from Future Islands, Animal Collective, the Jennifers, and many more. But leave your sorrows at home;
he may be gone, but he’ll be a hero, forever and ever.

HEAR

Jan. 15-16: Lower Dens

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. 8 p.m. $13-20. 410-662-0069. theottobar.com .

Over the past year, Lower Dens has been making quite an international name for itself, with an acclaimed new album, Escape From Evil, a big tour, and frontwoman Jana Hunter speaking with everyone from Pitchfork and CNN to Cosmopolitan and the BBC about topics like gender, race, and politics. The local indie rock band’s third record is robust and undeniable—a warm, aching album of echoing guitar, shadowy synth, and Hunter’s inimitable voice full of hope or heartbreak, falling away in abandon or howling out in despair—and we think “Sucker’s Shangri-La” is one of the best songs of 2015. See for yourself this weekend, as the Baltimore band returns home for two nights at the Ottobar. On Friday, they perform with futuristic R&B artists Chiffon and Elon, as well as electro-experimentalist Cex. On Saturday, also hear local Bmore Club artist Abdu Ali, improv jazz trio Microkingdom, and DJ Isabejja.

DO

Jan. 16-18: MLK Weekend at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum

Reginald F. Lewis Museum, 830 E. Pratt St. Sat. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Sun. 12-5 p.m., Mon. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $5. 443-263-1800. lewismuseum.org.

This weekend, the Reginald F. Lewis Museum devotes three full days to the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. In light of the country-wide events of the last year, there’s no better time to pay homage to the civil rights leader and his calls for peace, justice, and equality. Spend your Saturday celebrating MLK’s birthday (he would have been 87 on Friday) with cupcakes, craft activities, choral performances, a film screening and discussion of Profiled (a documentary about racial divide in America), and the opening of the museum’s annual High School Juried Art Exhibition, featuring works by teenage students from throughout the state. There will also be a presentation of “Da Up Raise,” a choreographed poem by Baltimore’s Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts, combining theater, spoken word, dance, and song aimed at understanding, healing, and hope. On Monday—Martin Luther King Jr. Day—attend one of two readings of The Meeting, a play by Jeff Stetson about an imagined conversation between MLK and Malcolm X, and stick around for afternoon films on the Civil Rights Movement. Throughout the weekend, be sure to swing by some of the many other events taking place throughout the city.

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Rye Rocks Returns to the Walters for Second Year

Jess Mayhugh — Mon, 11 Jan 2016 16:17:27 +0000

Fun fact: The reason that William and Henry Walters were able to afford so much fine art? The museum founders made their fortune selling rye whiskey.

For the second year in a row, the women’s committee of the Walters Art Museum is celebrating that spirited history with an event called Rye Rocks, taking place this Saturday, January 16, at 7 p.m. The event features 12 rye whisky distillers pouring samples in the sculpture court, as well as a dozen bartenders from the Baltimore Bartenders’ Guild (BBG) making creative rye cocktails.

“This event is a great way to highlight our exhibit From Rye to Raphael: The Walters Story,” says event chairwoman Maki Uchida. “During the event, guests can go up to the fourth floor and view the exhibit. They’ll be able to see the history of the distillery and artworks related to that era.”

Of course, the main action will be taking place in the sculpture court, where guests can enjoy drink samples, a barbecue dinner from Chef’s Expressions, and Korean-inspired snacks from Dooby’s in the adjacent map room.

Participating distilleries include High West, Copper Fox, Templeton, Filibuster, and NY Distilling Company. Taking a quick peek at the menu, it’s easy to see there is no lack of innovation and outside-of-the-box thinking from bartenders this year. Aaron Joseph, formerly of Wit & Wisdom and now at Bookmaker’s, will be taking NY Distilling’s Rock & Rye (like a sophisticated Fireball) and combining it with apple cider, lime juice, kumquat-spiced cider, and whole milk for his cocktail. Bartender Anna Kent from Le Garage is doing an Asian-inspired concoction with Templeton Rye, Chinese tea, and Asian pear beer. Chelsea Gregoire from Pen & Quill will combine the potent High West Double Rye with amaro, Italian vermouth, grenadine, orange bitters, and Wildflower mead from Charm City Meadworks. Just to name a few.

“The process is pretty simple,” says BBG president Brendan Dorr. “I call up my distilling friends or ambassadors’ reps or whoever has rye in their portfolio. I then go to the bar guild and ask which rye they want to select. At events like this, they’re going to be turning out so many cocktails. We told them to prepare to make 500 drinks, so I do not recommend egg-white cocktails. You’d be hurting by the end of the night.”

Aside from the creative recipes, Rye Rocks will also feature a “first look” at Sagamore Spirit, Kevin Plank’s planned whiskey distillery in Port Covington. At Sagamore’s table, they’ll be giving out 3-D goggles for guests to try on and experience a virtual tour of the new distillery.

“They’ll be using 3-D renderings to make people really feel like they’re moving through the space,” Uchida explains.

Expected to attract 500 guests this Saturday, event organizers stress the importance of educating people about our state’s local connection with rye whiskey, a liquor that has been gaining popularity in the past few years.

“[Rye is] on the return nationally, but it originated in Maryland and Pennsylvania,” Dorr says. “Only five or six years ago, I had a couple of ryes on the shelf. And now I have about 20 different ryes. That’s a small scratch on the surface, nationally speaking. But these events are a great driver to explain the history and variety of this great spirit.”

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