Latest Drink Recipe
I’ve you’ve never made - or enjoyed - a mint julep before, be sure to check out this post, with lots of information from myself, and videos from the real experts.

In the bottom of a 10-12 oz glass (or a silver julep cup, if you’ve got one on hand) gently muddle together:
12 mint leaves
¼-½ oz simple syrup
Add to this mixture:
2 oz bourbon
Stir to combine ingredients, and fill glass with finely crushed ice. Garnish with the prettiest mint sprig you have, and serve.
Most Popular Articles
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.
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.

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 Bel Ami in Eugene, Oregon.

I'm 36, I've been tending bar for 12 years and writing about it for 5. 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.
13 Aug 2007 at 9:19 am 1. Mark Fleser
I didn’t have to got to the website to view the video…
Why not just use a channel knife, that just seems like a lot of work for something that doesn’t really do much other than garnish and a teeny tiny bit of flavor. Using the channel knife you also get the spray of oils into the dring from rupturing all those little oil cells.
And please, turn on some lights, it was really, really hard to see.
13 Aug 2007 at 9:34 am 2. Jeffrey
Mark
I use a channel knife all the time, but it only puts out an eighth-inch strip of citrus. Sometimes I like to use a larger garnish, especially with larger glassware.
I’ll see what I can do about lightening up the video.
13 Aug 2007 at 11:04 am 3. Anita
Nice! We make our ‘big’ twists with a Y-peeler (as opposed to little ones made with a channel knife). I think yours looks a lot more festive.
13 Aug 2007 at 1:20 pm 4. Gabriel
Nicely done, jeffrey! I think that has some very good uses in both wide-bowled cocktail glasses and chimney-style glasses alike.
I can see bracing it against the side of a collins glass with ice, having it stick out the top a bit, and then topping it with a cherry tucked into the top. Is it hefty enough or any thoughts on that?
13 Aug 2007 at 1:25 pm 5. Jeffrey
Oh, it’s hefty enough. And if you can find some larger lemons (right now isn’t really the time for huge, juicy lemons, however) it makes a wonderful garnish for a Horse’s Neck!
13 Aug 2007 at 1:31 pm 6. Alex
You should make a DVD, but this time with dancers to your left and right.
Any kind of dancers will do, really.
13 Aug 2007 at 1:50 pm 7. Rick
Jeffrey,
I loved the instructional video. I think there are a lot of cocktail methods that are simple that people make into mystical and crazy processes. You know, like Pearl Diver’s Mix … oh, wait. That is mystical and crazy.
In short, make more instructional videos!
13 Aug 2007 at 3:10 pm 8. Smach
Yes, DANCERS! And perhaps a bad Russian accent.
14 Aug 2007 at 10:04 pm 9. Scooter
Wow. That bar looks really clean.
16 Aug 2007 at 11:03 am 10. Natalie (aka: The Liquid Muse)
Hey Jeffrey-
Love the vid! It’s almost like we’ve actually met, in person, now!
And, of course, your twist is a marvel to behold.
xo The Liquid Muse
23 Aug 2007 at 12:49 am 11. Ardenstone
Thanks for the video, I’ll totally have to give that a try! Video format works great for something like this, and thanks for sharing it.
If we’re lucky enough that you’re thinking of doing more you might want to keep your moves relatively slow. Good for instruction, but mainly lets the camera-person track your movements a little easier.
Thanks and cheers!
28 Aug 2007 at 9:02 am 12. Jeffrey
I will definitely slow the next one down and turn the lights up. Now if only I can think of something to take a video of, I’d be in great shape!