One advantage I have in my career – and believe me, I thank my lucky stars every day for my good fortune in this regard – is that I travel a lot. And when I do travel, I get to visit the greatest bars in the world and spend time picking the brains of the world’s greatest bartenders.
The most recent drink to grace our cocktail list is the result of my travels.
Taking inspiration from many sources, my initial interest in bitter, sour and sweet with a distinctly tropical bent was taken directly from the ever-brilliant Giuseppe Gonzalez and his now-famous Trinidad Sour.
While I, and the rest of the world, was taken by the combination of bitter, herbal, sweet flavors, it never really struck me as a an extensible sort of drink style until I came across Andrew Bohrer’s amaro-based Mai Tai variation called the “Elena’s Virtue”. Now here was a drink with legs, and a hint of what was to come in the world of cocktails, in my humble opinion.
But what New York and Seattle do well, San Francisco often does better, and usually with a lot more Fernet Branca, and that’s the conversation I had with Josh Harris while competing in the Domaine de Canton finals in St. Maarten this spring. And after tasting his simple concoction of ginger liqueur, pineapple and Fernet Branca I knew it was time for me to get my feet wet and try my hand at the herbal tropical sour.
The result has been a smash hit at the bar, as it very much follows in the style of our restaurant bar, a reflection of the crafted European style of cooking that emerges from the kitchen on a nightly basis. In other words, earthy, sour, herbal flavors do very, very well where we work.
Put all of this together, throw in a desire to explore the dusty, neglected bottle of Drambuie, and an early morning racking one’s brain to come up with a drink name (the original intent was Brixton Club) and a star was born:
Kingston Club
1½ oz Drambuie
1½ oz pineapple juice
¾ oz lime juice
1 tsp Fernet Branca
3 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake ingredients with ice and finish with 1 oz soda water. Strain mix over fresh ice into a chilled collins glass and garnish with an orange twist.
A side project, an experiment or just a simple curiosity that turned into a delicious phenomenon that we're still serving to much delight at our bar, barrel aged cocktails explore the gentle manipulation of a drink's flavors over time. This post details the inspiration, the history and the methods behind my barrel aged cocktails.
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.
Turned off by the glop you find in the grocery store, and unable to endure another long egg and cream whipping session, I set out to build an egg nog recipe from the ground up that retained the character of the orginal formula, was easy to make in a few minutes at home or at the bar, and tasted absolutely delicious. See if you agree with the result.
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 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'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.
I was in Portland again this weekend, taking a tour of House Spirits Distillery and meeting with some West Coast cocktail luminaries. I’ve been a big fan of the House Spirits products for quite some time, so this was quite the excursion for me.
I was met there by some other like-minded enthusiasts:
Kevin Ludwig of Park Kitchen fame and the original king of housemade tonic water here in the Pacific Northwest (maybe you remember him from Imbibe Magazine earlier this year?).
We started with a quick tour of the distilling process given by owner Lee Medoff, while House Spirits bar master Matt whipped up some Aviation cocktails made with two parts Aviation gin, one part fresh lemon juice and one part Maraska maraschino liqueur.
After the tour, and a few more cocktails by Matt, we all took turns behind the bar whipping up our specialties using Aviation.
Kevin made a round of Salt and Peppers for us using Aviation gin, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice and a touch of simple syrup, served up in a glass with a salted rim. Just a touch of spice and refreshing as hell.
I stepped in and made a Pink, one of our El Vaquero house drinks made with Aviation gin, creme de cassis, fresh lemon juice and a touch of simple syrup. I’ve always liked this one because it doesn’t hide the Aviation under a lot of other flavors and lets me really taste the unique flavors found in the gin.
But what happened next took us all by surprise. Erik, the only one of the group not a bartender, stepped behind the stick and deftly produced a round of ATTY cocktails, straight from the Savoy Cocktail Book, using Aviation gin, maraschino liqueur, Lucid Absinthe, Martini and Rossi dry vermouth and a twist of lemon. Perfect exploration of the flavors found in the Aviation, and a great use of the ingredients we had on hand. Nice work, Erik!
The hour was getting late, so we raced across town to meet Siobhan Crosby of Imbibe Magazine at Clyde Common, Portland’s newest food and drink hotspot. Bartender Charlie Hodge had us eating out of the palm of his hand as he poured us Mint Juleps made with mint-infused bourbon…
…and Anemic Marys made with Serrano chili, sun-dried tomato vodka, celery juice and fresh citrus sour.
But, as all good things must come to an end, so did we begin the long trip back down the Interstate to our humble home. Thanks again, Portland, we’ll be seeing you all very soon!
Comments
9 Responses to “House Spirits Distillery Tour and Cocktail Tasting”
Making drinks for bartenders was pretty nerve racking.
I’m just glad I didn’t completely blow it!
The ATTY is a pretty fiddly cocktail, and the brand of Violette, Gin, or Absinthe can make a big impact.
It did seem like a very nice fit for the Aviation Gin.
ATTY Cocktail
3/4 oz French Vermouth
1 teaspoon Absinthe
1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
A bit more than 1 teaspoon Creme de Violette
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.
11 Sep 2007 at 9:11 AM 3. Lance Mayhew
Damn, I didn’t realize we were doing Aviation gin cocktails or I would have knocked out a Corpse Reviver #2. I love the way Aviation provides some backbone to that cocktail.
Maybe it was all of the previous cocktails that threw me. I was pretty buzzed by that point. And I was really hoping to play with their rum, not the cruzan (although I was happy with it).
Erik, I was going to post the recipe, but I misplaced my copy of the Savoy after the last cocktail summit. Thanks for the proportions.
Lance, I thought your rum departure was a nice break from all of the gin we’d been drinking. But I agree, I would have liked to mix something up with the House rum.
We (including your crack team of Eugene researchers) had dinner last Saturday at Clyde Common. Brilliant. Jenaya had the Anemic Mary and the rest of us Jim Beam Rye Manhattans. The beer selection is pathetic, but that made choosing cocktails that much easier. Great great place to eat and drink.
Wasn’t that great? They did a wonderful job with that drink, and it’s certainly been quite the buzz – from what I’ve heard all the way down here, anyway.
Would have loved to have had you join us on the tour, Siobhan, but it was great to see you guys at Clyde Common!
23 Oct 2008 at 10:36 PM 9. Evan
I noticed your Pink cocktail, I have a drink similar to this but with the addtion of just a touch of fernet Branca, you should give this a try.
Harmony-
1 1/2 oz. Gin (I use Plymouth)
1/2 oz. Creme de Cassis
1/8 oz. Fernet Branca
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
shake and strain
garnish with lemon twist
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10 Sep 2007 at 4:15 PM 1. Will Haynes
Great write-up! I’m especially inspired by the Anemic Mary and the mint infused bourbon.
10 Sep 2007 at 5:55 PM 2. erik_flannestad
Thanks Jeff!
Making drinks for bartenders was pretty nerve racking.
I’m just glad I didn’t completely blow it!
The ATTY is a pretty fiddly cocktail, and the brand of Violette, Gin, or Absinthe can make a big impact.
It did seem like a very nice fit for the Aviation Gin.
ATTY Cocktail
3/4 oz French Vermouth
1 teaspoon Absinthe
1 1/2 oz Aviation Gin
A bit more than 1 teaspoon Creme de Violette
Stir well and strain into cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.
11 Sep 2007 at 9:11 AM 3. Lance Mayhew
Damn, I didn’t realize we were doing Aviation gin cocktails or I would have knocked out a Corpse Reviver #2. I love the way Aviation provides some backbone to that cocktail.
Maybe it was all of the previous cocktails that threw me. I was pretty buzzed by that point. And I was really hoping to play with their rum, not the cruzan (although I was happy with it).
11 Sep 2007 at 9:29 AM 4. Jeffrey
Erik, I was going to post the recipe, but I misplaced my copy of the Savoy after the last cocktail summit. Thanks for the proportions.
Lance, I thought your rum departure was a nice break from all of the gin we’d been drinking. But I agree, I would have liked to mix something up with the House rum.
12 Sep 2007 at 5:21 PM 5. Jeff Frane
We (including your crack team of Eugene researchers) had dinner last Saturday at Clyde Common. Brilliant. Jenaya had the Anemic Mary and the rest of us Jim Beam Rye Manhattans. The beer selection is pathetic, but that made choosing cocktails that much easier. Great great place to eat and drink.
13 Sep 2007 at 8:57 AM 6. Jeffrey
Jeff, I was pleasantly surprised to find Hoegaarden on tap, so I personally wouldn’t call the selection ‘pathetic’, but maybe ’small’.
But I do agree, the food and drinks were all brilliant.
20 Sep 2007 at 12:49 PM 7. Siobhan
I’m late to this post,…but great wrap up! I wish I could have come to play at House Spirits…next time.
I think I have to make that Anemic Mary pic my desktop. I love that drink.
21 Sep 2007 at 9:58 AM 8. Jeffrey
Wasn’t that great? They did a wonderful job with that drink, and it’s certainly been quite the buzz – from what I’ve heard all the way down here, anyway.
Would have loved to have had you join us on the tour, Siobhan, but it was great to see you guys at Clyde Common!
23 Oct 2008 at 10:36 PM 9. Evan
I noticed your Pink cocktail, I have a drink similar to this but with the addtion of just a touch of fernet Branca, you should give this a try.
Harmony-
1 1/2 oz. Gin (I use Plymouth)
1/2 oz. Creme de Cassis
1/8 oz. Fernet Branca
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
1/4 oz. Simple Syrup
shake and strain
garnish with lemon twist