No animals were harmed in the opening of Olympia’s new all-vegan martini bar

The already-crowded Cheeky Martini Lounge is Olympia’s only vegan cocktail bar. The cozy lounge opened two weeks ago in the tiny space formerly occupied by Rumors Wine Bar.

The debut of Cheeky, co-owned by Rumors proprietor Stephanie Perry, doesn’t just provide Olympia with another option for vegan food: It also means vegan chocolate martinis, made with plant-based milk and served with a cocoa-dipped rim.

The cocktail lineup, which leans toward the sweet side, also includes the alluring-sounding Blue Hawaiian Martini, made with Midori melon liqueur, triple sec and pineapple juice and a splash of grenadine.

Perry of Lacey and co-owners Lori Schumacher of Lacey, Rachel Rutherford of Shelton and Debbie Vessey of Olympia plan to add a small selection of beer and vegan wine. (That’s right: Not all wine is vegan; some of it is clarified with casein, egg whites, gelatin and isinglass, collagen from the swim bladders of fish.)

Meanwhile, the cozy lounge — decorated with string lights, plants and a painting of Cheeka, the dog who helped to inspire the name — focuses on mixed drinks and dishes ranging from olives, nuts and cashew “cheeze” to hearty fare such as rice-and-bean-based bowls, chana masala and black bean tacos. The full menu is available until 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Thursdays and until 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with snacks available anytime.

Rutherford, a vegan and a student in South Puget Sound Community College’s Baking and Pastry Arts program, is in charge of the restaurant’s food, which is also peanut free, a rarity inspired by Rutherford’s husband, Ladd Rutherford, who has serious allergies to peanuts as well as eggs and dairy.

Every item on the menu is prepared in a kitchen about the size of one in a studio apartment, which limits options and necessitates the use of prepared foods, including the cashew cheeze. Some menu items include conventionally processed cane sugar, shunned by strict vegans because it is filtered with bone char, made from the bones of cattle.

“My vision for the restaurant is about doing what we can with what we have,” Rachel Rutherford told The Olympian. “My thought was it’s better to do something and have this available to the community and expand when we can.”

She and Schumacher envision the menu evolving, including moving towards using organic ingredients, fair-trade chocolate for that martini, and vegan sugar.

Meanwhile, the Cheeky quartet — or as Schumacher puts it, “Cheeky gals” — is focusing on working together to handle all the details of a fledgling business, including hiring staff, getting a phone line and coming in on weekends to serve customers.

“It’s an all-for-one, one-for-all atmosphere,” she said.

The women — all of whom have other jobs, except for full-time student Rutherford — are keeping a sense of humor about things.

The lounge opened on Friday the 13th, Rutherford pointed out.

“And it was a full moon,” Schumacher added.

No superstitions, then?

“No,” Rutherford said. “It was lucky — an auspicious day.”

Cheeky Martini Lounge

• What: The new lounge is Olympia’s only vegan cocktail bar.
• Where: 203 Fourth Ave. E., Suite A, Olympia
• Hours: 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays and 4-11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays
• More information: 360-754-4527, facebook.com/pg/CheekyMartiniLounge, cheekymartinilounge@gmail.com

This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 6:00 AM.