Blend Ultra Lounge owner Michael Thorpe opened the Lodi nightspot three years ago and with his team, General Manager Alexys Reno and Mixologist Amin Mozeb, hey focused on creating a unique setting for people to enjoy big city night life with small town prices. The “one stop shop” according to Thorpe includes beers on tap, wine, unparalleled craft cocktails, dancing, DJs in two different rooms, bottle service and a VIP experience.
“Our motto is food, drink, nightlife so we are celebrating and blending all those together,” explained Thorpe on how the name was created. “You can come here and eat some food, have some really cool cocktails, and dance; you absolutely get a big city vibe for small town prices.”
Liquid caterer, bartender, mixologist Mozeb has been in the business for many years. He has participated in and won various cocktail competitions like the Best Cocktail in San Joaquin County for his creation called Monkey Business. Mozeb has traveled to different areas of the world perfecting his craft and creating his very own concoctions using an assortment of ingredients, passion and imagination.
Here he shares a few of his craft cocktails:The Burning Mandarin is a crowd favorite with Grey Goose Lorange, a delicious blend of tropical juices shaken and strained into a martini glass rimmed with house made chili sugar. The sweetness is just right in this cocktail with a refreshing orange flavor that is sure to please.
He created a cocktail called Monkey Business due to his love of monkeying around and it is a rendition of a classic old fashioned with banana infused Jameson, roasted pecan simple syrup, a dash of orange and chocolate bitters that is garnished with an orange peel and three Luxardo cherries. The hint of banana and the smooth finish makes this classic cocktail a treat indeed.
Specially made for the 209 Magazine by Mozeb was the “Something Special” made with Ciroc French vanilla, wild berry bitters and Godiva white chocolate liquor that is garnished with two raspberries in a cocktail glass dusted with silver sugar sprinkles. This fun tasty cocktail has a blend of flavors that are complimentary and delightful.
“We are pretty meticulous for what we have done and how we created everything here,” said Thorpe. “We wanted to give everybody a cool experience.”
Blend hosts paint night parties, private parties and other social events.
