“Here, see if you can make me something with this”, the liquor rep taunted as he dropped a bottle of aquavit on the bar. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I don’t really work that well under pressure. I try, but it literally takes me weeks to come up with a new drink that I’m happy with. Maybe I’m slow, maybe I’m a perfectionist, doesn’t matter: I hate it when I have to work under pressure.
So I was especially vexed when this particular wiseass handed me a bottle of aquavit. For those of you who don’t know, is a traditional Scandinavian liquor flavored with caraway and - typically - other herbs such as fennel and anise. It’s delicious, but it’s unique and isn’t known for its superb mixability.
However, I knew the liquor boob was insinuating that I might not be able to rise to the challenge, so I whipped this up (after about three false starts). A small handful of visitors to the bar at Clyde Common have suggested that it might be one of the best drinks I’ve come up with so far, but I’ll let you be the judge of that. I just think it tastes delicious.
1 oz aquavit
1 oz applejack
¾ oz sweet vermouth
¼ oz yellow Chartreuse
1 dash Angostura bitters
Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Garnish with a large twist of lemon peel and serve.
My problem with homemade tonic water has always been a flavor profile that was too esoteric for the general audience. This recipe takes some of the positive qualities people have come to understand from commercial tonic water and updated them with fresh ingredients.
One question I'm often asked is "Do you have any drink-related book recommendations?" Well, funny you should ask, I've compiled a list of the ten books every professional bartender or home mixologist should own. I keep every one of these close at hand and have read most of them several times. I suggest you do the same.
The problem with living in Oregon is the absence of little wooden shacks by the sea that sell cases of fresh ginger beer stacked on back porches. But with some readily-available ingredients, a recipe I've been revising for several years - and a few free minutes - I can easily transport myself to a little fishing boat on the ocean as I sip a Dark and Stormy made with fresh, house-made ginger beer.
It's always mojito season somewhere, so this advice is timely in your area about half the year. Wether you're making them or simply enjoying them, this advice will help you look like a pro in no time at all.
The flavors of the Richmond Gimlet are imbued with sunshine. Fresh mint mingling with the herbaceousness of gin and the tartness of lime have made this drink a Eugene classic for many years now.
You'll get a lot of snarky advice on this site about how to make a proper drink, but if you ever need to know what not to do, this is the video for you.
Not to be confused with the Spanish wine-and-fruit-based alcoholic beverage sangria, sangrita (meaning "little blood") is a traditional accompaniment to a tequila served completo; a non-alcoholic sipper that cleanses the palate between fiery doses of agave.
The world of booze can be mystifying to people that don't work in bars or around alcohol all the time. I hear a lot of assumptions about the industry I'm in that are - much like 90% of what you hear in bars - completely false. Here are a few you've probably heard yourself.
The debate rages on: Should we try to look cool and crack open the Boston shaker or be tidy professionals and use the Hawthorne strainer the way God intended? Be sure to leave your two cents in the comments section.
The traditional garnish for a Pisco Sour is a couple of drops of bitters in the foam, but I've never been particularly impressed with the way these few paltry drops of bitters sat in their little egg-white mattress and didn't play along with the rest of the drink. I envisioned a Pisco Sour with a uniformly-distributed bitters-scorched foam: slightly crisp as the fire burnt the sugars, and slightly warm as the foam insulated the rest of the frosty cocktail from the heat. A pisco creme brulée in a glass!
I get so many visitors looking for tips on how to write a bartending resume that I thought I should finally post a tutorial on how to write your own. Click the headline to read more.
I always love showing up to a party with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas, so I've decided to share my recipe. This margarita recipe is the perfect blend of strong, sweet, and sour. But be warned: this recipe packs a serious punch.
There isn't much I can say about this video that hasn't been said already. If you've read anything I've written about cocktails, you'll understand why this video symbolizes everything wrong with the state of bartending in America today. Watch and learn, but be warned: this one isn't for the feint of heart.
About Me
My name is Jeff Morgenthaler and I'm the head bartender at Clyde Common in Portland, Oregon.
I'm 37, I've been tending bar since 1996 and writing about it since 2004. Mixing drinks has become something of a passion for me in recent years, and I strive to elevate the experience of having a drink from something mundane to something more culinary.
The writing I do here is intended as a work in progress. My recipes are like my opinions: they are constantly being revised and refined as I work them through my mind and my fingers. Comments and participation are encouraged, so please don't feel the need to tread lightly here.
If you’ve been reading this website for a while, you probably know that I spout the virtues of fresh ingredients and encourage people to eschew the use of pre-made drink mixes.
So, I was a little taken aback when I received a package containing two bottles of Dirty Sue Dirty Martini Mix in the mail this week.
Now, part of my taken-abackedness came from the fact that they didn’t include one of their awesome chocolate brown t-shirts, in a large (L). Ahem.
But what really struck me was:
A. Why would someone send me, of all people, a martini mix? B. Who needs a dirty martini mix anyway? It’s just olive juice and gin, right?
But once I started thinking about dirty martinis, with their brine seasoned by an evening’s worth of some bartender’s fingertips, open to the elements and festooned with dead fruit-flies, I realized the true brilliance of this stuff. Olive brine in a bottle! Of course!
Well, being the consummate taste-tester, I brought a bottle to the bar and tried it out on some of the staff and customers. The verdict? Strong. And wonderful! It took some getting used to, as this is very potent juice, but once we got our proportions down, we were cranking out the most consistent, clean, delicious dirty martinis we’ve ever made.
Now, the website recommends 3 ounces gin (I’m sure the vodka was a typo) to .75 ounces of Dirty Sue, but I found that a mere half ounce worked just fine for us.
So there you go. Dirty Sue is available in 8 states (not Oregon, but you can buy it online) with more to come soon.
I’ve definitely got to try that hot and dirty sue…of course with gin instead of vodka. I don’t know, Maybe I’ll do one of each….. Or maybe one with tequila….
Gee, I thought I was special. I also received two bottles of Dirty Sue this week.
Mine however, included a check made to Y-ME Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure. Big thanks to the Dirty Sue guys. It’s always nice when smaller companies step to the plate. I love to support those who support people in need.
I’ve never liked using the juice from the garnish tray for dirty martinis (dirty martini has always been an amusing double entendre to me) but, we don’t have Dirty Sue at the bar I tend. Here’s what we do: Fill a small squeeze bottle with olive brine, even if you have to sacrifice some olives to do it. Then keep your squeezy bottle refrigerated. Top it up whenever you have some spare brine and you’ll have fast, dirty martinis that don’t gross anyone out. Having the brine cold doesn’t hurt the drink either.
I don’t mean to poo-poo Dirty Sue. While I’d love to try this stuff and possibly use it at work, most of the time us grunts don’t have much control over what makes up our mise-en-place.
I absolutely hate it when someone sends me a box full of sex toys in the mail. Sure, it might sound like fun to some of you (you know who you are), but receiving a big box of free sex is much more trouble than it’s worth. Believe me. So I get a [...]
13 Jul 2007 at 7:39 pm 1. Mark Fleser
I’ve definitely got to try that hot and dirty sue…of course with gin instead of vodka. I don’t know, Maybe I’ll do one of each….. Or maybe one with tequila….
14 Jul 2007 at 3:51 am 2. Sean Bigley
Gee, I thought I was special. I also received two bottles of Dirty Sue this week.
Mine however, included a check made to Y-ME Breast Cancer Foundation on behalf of Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure. Big thanks to the Dirty Sue guys. It’s always nice when smaller companies step to the plate. I love to support those who support people in need.
Cheers!
14 Jul 2007 at 11:22 am 3. Mark Fleser
I’ve got to try that hot & dirt sue, with gin of course. Maybe I’ll try it with vodka too…. then maybe one with tequila.
14 Jul 2007 at 11:58 am 4. Jeffrey
Wow, Sean, that’s fantastic. The company was formed by a 15-year bartending veteran, so you know they’re good people, right!?
14 Jul 2007 at 9:17 pm 5. Eric Tecosky
Thanks for the good cheer guys.
If anyone has a quote, I will definitely put in on the website - with a link to a site if you’d llike.
Best,
Eric
04 Dec 2007 at 6:52 am 6. Jim Russell
First, I know my comment is a little late.
I’ve never liked using the juice from the garnish tray for dirty martinis (dirty martini has always been an amusing double entendre to me) but, we don’t have Dirty Sue at the bar I tend. Here’s what we do: Fill a small squeeze bottle with olive brine, even if you have to sacrifice some olives to do it. Then keep your squeezy bottle refrigerated. Top it up whenever you have some spare brine and you’ll have fast, dirty martinis that don’t gross anyone out. Having the brine cold doesn’t hurt the drink either.
I don’t mean to poo-poo Dirty Sue. While I’d love to try this stuff and possibly use it at work, most of the time us grunts don’t have much control over what makes up our mise-en-place.
By the way, great site!
Cheers,
Jim