Interested in spirits, craft brews, cigars, fun, and helping your community? Bellingham Sunrise Rotary throws its inaugural “Sips and Cigars” event at Silver Reef Hotel Casino Spa on Saturday, May 31st, with all proceeds benefiting the many charities the rotary supports each year.
“I love it because it’s something different,” says Randi Axelsson, Bellingham Sunrise Rotary board member and hotel sales manager for Silver Reef. “We’re hoping it’s something we can do annually.”
“It’s an idea the Rotary came up with and it just dovetailed perfectly with us opening our new Cigar Lounge,” says Silver Reef food and beverage director Rian Greer.
Silver Reef is donating the function space and all of the food. “We really like supporting the community,” Greer continues. “We donate hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to charities.”
A limited number of tickets are now on sale for “Sips and Cigars” at www.SilverReefCasino.com. Each ticket includes a goodie bag and lanyard with punch card, allowing a choice of four premium cigars, six spirit samples, two beer samples, appetizers and a door prize entry.
“They then have the opportunity to purchase additional punch cards, if that isn’t enough,” Axelsson says with a laugh.
“They’ll be able to choose the cigars and spirits they want to try and the beers they’ll have,” she continues. “They’ll also get a raffle ticket for giveaways.”
Prizes include a new golf wedge, rounds of golf and a sleeve of balls from Shuksan Golf Course, Silver Reef hotel stays, Silver Reef Steak House and Wine Room dinners, and much more.
In addition to the individual cigars received with each punch card, participants have the opportunity to buy boxes of cigars at a hefty discount. With every box purchased come additional raffle tickets.
“We’re going to have four or five different cigar vendors, as well as some local folks,” says Greer. “We always like to involve local business as much as possible.”
Cigar samples will include those from popular suppliers My Father Cigars, Rocky Patel, CAO, Linga Privada, Undercrown, ACID, PSyKo and Project 805.
Jose Ortega, vice president of sales for My Father Cigars out of Miami, will be at the event. “He’s a super fun guy to talk to,” says Greer, “and hugely knowledgeable.”
Spirits will include Mount Baker Distillery, BelleWood Acres, Balvenie Single Malts, Monkey Shoulder Bourbon, Tullamore Dew, Hendricks Gin, Woodinville Whiskey, Casa Noble Tequila, and Crystal Head Vodka.
Beers will come from Widmer Brothers and Cigar City Brewing, Boundary Bay Brewery – who is crafting a special infused beer just for the occasion – and Kulshan Brewing, who will serve its Russian Imperial Stout.
J.D. Merris, head mixologist and co-owner of the Fireside Martini & Wine Bar, will be featured as guest bartender.
“He makes a heck of a Manhattan with Templeton Rye,” says Greer. “And Templeton is another of the liquor folks that will be there.”
Greer expects a total of 20 liquor vendors in attendance at the event.
This special evening is also a celebration of the brand new Silver Reef Cigar Lounge, a sophisticated space offering fans of cigars and spirits a spectacular place to enjoy both.
“And in February, who wants to sit outside and smoke a cigar?” asks Greer, cracking a smile. “Not me.”
After 12 years, it was time for Silver Reef to remodel its bar. “It had been heavily used,” Greer jokes. “We had served a lot of drinks.”
Rian and his team searched for a way to offer something new and different to their guests with the remodel. “There was a lot of interest in cigars from the local community,” Greer says, “and we have an exception to the indoor smoking ban, which is something the community doesn’t have.”
Greer went directly to a local cigar source to learn more, speaking with Mike Waters, proprietor of downtown Bellingham’s Senate Smoke Shop.
“When I first went in there, I was a little gun shy because, well, I’m going to be selling cigars,” Greer says. “I asked Mike if he wanted to help me and he was incredibly happy to do so. He said, ‘We absolutely need this.’”
Silver Reef plans to offer about 40 different cigars in its Cigar Lounge, while Mike Waters’ shop is stocked with hundreds.
Waters will also be on hand at “Sips and Cigars,” to talk with participants. “He’s such a great resource for cigars,” says Greer.
Silver Reef is building relationships with spirit and cigar folks to help make the Cigar Lounge a truly unique experience for its guests.
“We hope to regularly have vendors here and – first come, first served – those 21 folks in the room can then hang out and talk with the people making the products they enjoy,” Greer says.
The Cigar Lounge is schedule to open before the May 31st event, with “Sips and Cigars” as its official kick-off. The stunning new space will seat 21 guests and hold a limited number of private lockers in which regular guests can store their stogies.
Other sponsors of “Sips and Cigars” include Mancave Ministries, Wilson Motors Mercedes-Benz, and KISM Radio.
Tickets are $60 and available at www.SilverReefCasino.com. For more information, contact Randi Axelsson at 360.543.7142.
Sips and Cigars
May 31, 2014 from 6:00 pm to 10:00 pm
Silver Reef Hotel Casino Spa
Haxton Way at Slater Road in Ferndale
866.383.0777
