“Blue Jeans and Business Cards” was the name of the happy hour held a few weeks ago at the ultra-hip Seven Lounge (2002 Bagby, no. 103, 713-523-9088). And judging by this party, the 12-week-old bar-scene newcomer is fast becoming the place to see and be seen. Everything about Seven says downtown: the pulsating music system, the stylish bar and definitely the clientele. True to the invite, just about everyone in the place was sporting their most stylish denim. But these were not your ordinary, kick-around, Saturday-afternoon blue jeans; these were long, lean, hip-hugging, head-turning blue jeans. As I looked about the room, it seemed like the only drink the bar was serving that night was a blue cosmopolitan of some sort. The bartender told me the Blue Jean Martini was invented earlier in the evening by the hosts of the event. Essentially, it’s a kamikaze in a martini glass with a maraschino cherry floating at the bottom. They must have made at least a hundred of these things in the short time I was there. What killed me was not the drink but the price — at seven bucks a pop, these wicked little concoctions weren’t even made with top-shelf booze!
Seven Lounge’s Blue Jean Martini:
1 3/4 ounces McCormick vodka
Half-ounce blue curaçao
Half-ounce sour mix
Maraschino cherry
In a metal shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients but the cherry and shake until chilled. Pour contents into a cold martini glass and drop the cherry into the bottom.
This article appears in Aug 22-28, 2002.