Signature Drink //
Fear the Deep » WHEN THE SEATTLE KRAKEN
played their first-ever hockey game at Climate Pledge Arena, the local fans went wild welcoming the new NHL team to the city. About a mile away, just steps from historic Pike Place Market, the 150-room Thompson Seattle hotel had its own way of making the Kraken feel at home with a specialty cocktail named after the team’s slogan “Fear the Deep.” The cocktail is “a tall glass of complexity and varied flavors that ring true to the slogan,” says Robert Almeida, lead bartender at The Nest, the hotel’s 3,500-square-foot rooftop bar and lounge. “As an homage to the term and to add to the depth of the drink and make it visually more appealing, we top the drink, served over crushed ice, with a tincture of Blue Curacao to create a varied hue of blue that carries through the cocktail.” He continues, “The flavor profile is
tart, sweet and refreshing with local touches. We use Big Gin, which is made in Seattle, and a local IPA as base ingredients. It is, as we’d say, a ‘calm in the storm’ cocktail because it’s reminiscent of a summer tiki drink garnished with pineapple fronds, punches of citrus and dry notes of falernum and IPA to keep the palate dancing.” INGREDIENTS
— 2 ounces Big Gin — ¾ ounce Velvet Falernum — 1 ounce pineapple juice — ½ ounce lime juice — ½ ounce simple syrup — ½ ounce Blue Curacao — pineapple leaves DIRECTIONS
Place all ingredients, except the Blue Curaco, in a shaker. Pour over crushed ice into a Collins glass. Float Curacao on top and garnish with three pineapple leaves.
New Venue //
LIFTOFF FOR WINGSPAN EVENT CENTER
» RECIPE COURTESY OF THE NEST, THOMPSON SEATTLE
» A PROJECT 20 YEARS IN THE MAKING, Wingspan Event & Conference Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, is finally opening its doors. Just minutes from downtown Portland and 30 minutes from Portland International Airport, Wingspan is located at the Westside Commons (formerly known as the Washington County Fair Complex). The state-of-the-art facility offers 89,000 square feet of total space, including the Expo Hall with 39,250 square feet of contiguous open space with no pillars or posts and an air wall that can divide the room into two smaller event spaces; the 10,225-square-foot conference room; and three meeting rooms that range in size from just under 700 square feet to 1,353 square feet. Wingspan also boasts an expansive lobby and gallery, featuring a 40-foot-long, highresolution screen; a large entry plaza and outdoor exhibit area; a spacious load-in dock; an on-site catering kitchen and concessions; on-site parking for nearly 500 vehicles; and a dedicated drop-off lane for transit and ride-share vehicles. LRS Architects utilized the site’s history and location when designing the facility. “The wing-like ‘butterfly’ form of the main roof was inspired by the building’s proximity to the Hillsboro airport and mirrors the profile of the coastal range nearby,” notes an architectural description of the project. “Cross-laminated timber reflects the rich timber heritage of the area. Distinctive planks in the plaza, inscribed with the cities in the county and their mottos, symbolize the wood planks that formed the original road from Portland, Oregon, to Hillsboro in the 1800s.” Wingspan promises planners and attendees “soaring experiences.” Get ready to fly! westside-commons.com/p/facilities/wingspan-event-and-conference-center | 503.648.1416
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