Countdown to Seattle!

Details on Two Upcoming Amaro Events and Close Out Summer with a Fernet and Coke Float.

Aug 22, 2025

Countdown to Seattle

BTP Manning the Tableside Amaro Cart at the “Bitter Boozy Brunch/Haunted Hangover” party at The Carlile Room. Seattle, Washington, 2016. (Photo: Amy Weinstein)

Seattle friends, fans, readers, LAST CALL subscribers, buddies, bartenders, hospitality industry, media, and amaro aficionados! In just three weeks I’ll be back in the 206 for the first time since 2019 for the Last Call book tour. I’ll be partnering on two collaborative amaro events with Jamie Hunt, the founder and owner of Fast Penny Spirits, who makes Amaricano Bianca and Amaricano Rossa.

Whether you’d like to attend an amaro class featuring amaro-kissed bambino cocktails, a guided amari flight, cicchetti, and hearty Italian-inspired fare from Tom Douglas’ Hot Stove Society kitchen team, or an interactive and engaging experiential amaro including an “in conversation” panel at the Fast Penny Spirits Tasting Room, I hope to see you there!

Full details below. Gather your crew, pick up tickets, and let’s get bitter together.

Throwback to my 2016 “Demystifying Amaro” class at the Hot Stove Society. (Photo: Amy Weinstein)

“Demystifying Amaro With Author Brad Thomas Parsons and Fast Penny Spirits’ Jamie Hunt”

****SOLD OUT****

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 | 5:30PM - 7:30PM
Hot Stove Society
Location: Hot Stove Society
2000 4th Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98121 (located on the
2nd floor of Hotel Ändra)

• Purchase Tickets: $135

Join award-winning author Brad Thomas Parsons and Fast Penny Spirits founder Jamie Hunt for an evening exploring the rich world of amari at the Hot Stove Society. You’ll enjoy a Fast Penny Viola Spritz and Venetian cicchetti on arrival, followed by a guided tasting of seasonal cocktails and Italian-inspired dishes, all paired with both Italian and local amari. The Hot Stove team will serve hearty bites to match each drink in this festive, flavor-packed experience. Signed copies of Amaro will also be available for purchase from our friends at Book Larder.

On Deck to Drink and Eat:

Fast Penny Viola Spritz served with Cicchetti
Gnocchi con Crema Gorgonzola Dolce Latte
Bee’s Knees with Fast Penny Bianca
Arista di Maiale con Pancetta e Erbe, Ciammotta di Zucca, Zucchini, Pepperoni e Pomodoro
Amaricano Manhattan
Cannoli, Ricotta, Pistachio e Cioccolato
Tasting of Amari

Jamie Hunt, CEO and Founder of Fast Penny Spirits.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 | 5:30PM - 7:30PM
Fast Penny Spirits

Location: Fast Penny Spirits Tasting Room
1138 W Ewing Street, Suite B, Seattle, Washington 98119

Purchase Tickets: $25

Join us for an interactive evening exploring the world of amaro with a custom amaro tasting experience, a hands-on sensory exploration, an engaging panel discussion, and light snacks. The conversation will be moderated by Zach Geballe, writer and co-host of The VinePair Podcast and featuring Brad Thomas Parsons (James Beard Award-Winning author of Amaro), Dave Kaplan (co-founder of Death & Co. and CEO of Gin & Luck), and Jamie Hunt (Fast Penny Spirits founder).

Signed copies of Amaro and Death & Co. will also be available for purchase from our friends at Book Larder

Recipe: Fernet and Coke Float

Brad Thomas Parsons, Amaro | Brooklyn, New York (2016)

Fernet and Coke Float. (Photo: Ed Anderson)

Thanksgiving 2015 was the only Thanksgiving I ever celebrated at a restaurant rather than with my family back home, on the road at a girlfriend’s family compound, or cooking here in Brooklyn. It was by myself at the bar at Prime Meats (RIP) and I still think about that stuffing made with their incredible house-made Bavarian-style pretzels. I was leaving Brooklyn bright and early the next morning to meet photographer Ed Anderson in Seattle for a week-long photo shoot for my book Amaro, so it didn’t make any sense to cook at home and not be able to take advantage of the best part of Thanksgiving—grazing on leftovers for a long holiday weekend.

Though I had moved away in 2010 I always felt at home whenever I was back in Seattle, easily settling into familiar patterns, visiting my favorite bars and restaurants, and re-connecting with friends and former colleagues. We spent a lot of time shooting at bars including Herb & Bitter Public House, Damn the Weather, Barnacle, The Walrus and the Carpenter, Essex, and Rob Roy.

For both Bitters and Amaro, Tom Douglas and his team entrusted us to take over the bar at my beloved Palace Kitchen from early morning until the late afternoon where bartender, writer, illustrator Andrew Bohrer joined us to lend an assist with his expertise helping stir and shake up the many drinks on the shot-list while also selecting glassware and preparing perfect garnishes.

My dear friends Amy and Crasta also played a key role, letting us use their home kitchen during the day when they were both at work to prepare and shoot all of the frozen drinks and most of the food items featured in Amaro.

The thing is, we weren’t exactly alone in the house as their famously cantankerous tabby Rafaela set up base camp atop the refrigerator. Every time we opened the freezer or refrigerator door (which we did a lot shooting ice cream drinks), we were met with a firm swat accompanied by a hiss that conveyed, You do not belong here. Please leave. While we couldn’t stop laughing being held hostage by a hostile cat who truly wished us dead, the constant winces and resulting scratches on our arms were very real.

Thankfully, she dialed it down a bit once Amy and Crasta returned home from work and I ordered in Pagliacci pies and salads to thank them, though Ed and I both remained a on guard, clocking Rafaela’s whereabouts at all times.

Makes 1 Drink