What do nautical outfits, Hall & Oates, a magician, Edible Baja Arizona and white wine spritzers have in common?
You’re right. Nothing. However, for the past 6 years, local magician and sommelier Magic Kenny and Jared McKinley, associate publisher of Edible Baja Arizona (as his alter ego, party boy Kitty Katt) have thrown the Yacht Rock Party every summer. Attendees dress up in their best nautical-themed outfits, or in their “70s sleaziest”, and dance to the best music the late 1970s and early 1980s have to offer.
The cocktail of the night is always the white wine spritzer (because why not). In a special twist, Magic Kenny and Kitty Katt have decided to offer their own wine this year, created specifically for spritzers
The Yacht Rock White, a blend of sauvignon blanc, semillion, and Chenin Blanc is a smooth wine, complimented best by soda water and soft tunes. The wine was sourced locally from the Dragoon Mountains and produced by Cellar 433.
“When combined with soda water, the carbonation gives the wine that little bit of edge.” said Kenny and Katt. “Like in a yacht rock song, that one slightly dissonant note bathed in a gauzy matrix of consonant chords and rhythms. That dissonant note that reminds you the smooth moment is being insulated by the slightly tipsy feeling you get from the wine. Soft, but cerebral.”
The wine release party – a precursor to the actual Yacht Rock Party – will take place at Tap & Bottle on May 27 from 6 to 9pm. If you’re a dedicated fan, Magic Kenny and Kitty Katt will be available to sign bottles.
The official Yacht Rock party will take place on June 19 at La Cocina Cantina from 9pm to close. For a $5 cover, guests will be treated to a real boat photo booth, live band and DJ, and, of course, white wine spritzers.
