This recipe is part two of my New Orleans Mixology Monday post. For the complete story behind this drink, please click here.
¾ oz Wild Turkey rye
¾ oz Clear Creek apple brandy
¾ oz Carpano Antica Formula vermouth
¼ oz Strega
2 dashes cinnamon tincture*
1 large strip orange peel
Stir ingredients over cracked ice. Strain into an ice-filled old fashioned glass and garnish with orange peel.
*To make cinnamon tincture, soak 4 ounces whole cinnamon sticks in 16 oz grain alcohol for three weeks. Strain solids and bottle.
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.
You see younger bartenders doing this a lot. I even did it my first week or so, until someone told me to know it off. It was too hard to describe, so I had to take a picture. Here, it’s this:
Yeah. The filthy-bar-rag-in-the-back-pocket thing. It’s so gross it makes me want to puke all over the place when I think about that thing. Twirling around, spraying bar mess all over the bottles, rubbing up against the glassware, and drizzling down the backside of that bartender’s leg.
Soooo gross. I might get a lot of hate mail from The-Filthy-Bar-Rag-in-the-Back-Pocket-Bartenders-Association, but if I save just one person from this horrible habit, it’s worth it.
Comments
One Response to “The Eighth Thing You Never Want to Catch Your Bartender Doing.”
02 Mar 2007 at 7:25 pm 1. P.S.BarChick
I tend to agree with you on this point, but it did raise a few questions when I read this post. First, I think you are based in OR, if I’m not mistaken. I’m not familiar with your state’s health dept and how strict they enforce compliance.
Here in CA, they are notoriously harsh (as well they should be in most cases!).
They recently paid my bar a visit, and while I pride myself on keeping a clean and orderly bar, I did learn two things we were not compliant with. 1st - we are not supossed to have damp bar rags at the ready, for easy clean ups. If we do, we are supposed to have them submerged in sanitizer or bleach solution. Which means finding a spot for the bucket, changing the solution, and wringing out the towel every time I need to use it. And keeping a second one at our outside bar. It’s a huge pain, even though I understand the reason behind it. 2nd - we can no longer use the towel (on a towel rack!) to dry our hands with, or any other cloth. Yep, paper towels only! Mind you, we have no dispenser, or any room for one, so we’re to walk to the other side to get them, then to the trash to toss them, then back to what we were doing. Plus, keeping them stocked. Between cleaning and squeezing fresh limes and lemons, and doing dishes in the sink, my hands are ALWAYS wet! Not my favorite rule, although I have been complying.
Is OR the same? I’m not sure but I can tell you, even I’ve been tempted to do the towel in pocket thing on my busier shifts! Not really, but I do wish there was an easier way to dry my hands and clean my bar!
This post made me wonder about the different state’s health depts, and I wonder how their rules and enforcement vary.
Sorry I vented so much! And thanks for the informative and entertaining blog. I always look forward to reading it!
Things are really starting to ramp up for the 75th anniversary of the Repeal of Prohibition on December 5th! Today I received a package from the folks at Old Forester bourbon, who are showing their support of my favorite day by releasing a limited edition Repeal Day bottling of their whiskey.
From the press release:
“Repeal [...]
02 Mar 2007 at 7:25 pm 1. P.S.BarChick
I tend to agree with you on this point, but it did raise a few questions when I read this post. First, I think you are based in OR, if I’m not mistaken. I’m not familiar with your state’s health dept and how strict they enforce compliance.
Here in CA, they are notoriously harsh (as well they should be in most cases!).
They recently paid my bar a visit, and while I pride myself on keeping a clean and orderly bar, I did learn two things we were not compliant with. 1st - we are not supossed to have damp bar rags at the ready, for easy clean ups. If we do, we are supposed to have them submerged in sanitizer or bleach solution. Which means finding a spot for the bucket, changing the solution, and wringing out the towel every time I need to use it. And keeping a second one at our outside bar. It’s a huge pain, even though I understand the reason behind it. 2nd - we can no longer use the towel (on a towel rack!) to dry our hands with, or any other cloth. Yep, paper towels only! Mind you, we have no dispenser, or any room for one, so we’re to walk to the other side to get them, then to the trash to toss them, then back to what we were doing. Plus, keeping them stocked. Between cleaning and squeezing fresh limes and lemons, and doing dishes in the sink, my hands are ALWAYS wet! Not my favorite rule, although I have been complying.
Is OR the same? I’m not sure but I can tell you, even I’ve been tempted to do the towel in pocket thing on my busier shifts! Not really, but I do wish there was an easier way to dry my hands and clean my bar!
This post made me wonder about the different state’s health depts, and I wonder how their rules and enforcement vary.
Sorry I vented so much! And thanks for the informative and entertaining blog. I always look forward to reading it!