Jeffrey Morgenthaler


  • Home
  • Resumé
  • Recipes
  • Press
  • Contact Me

Latest Drink Recipe

Mint Julep

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.

mintjulep.jpg

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.

More Recipes »

Most Popular Articles

Ten Books Every Bartender Should Own »

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 Dos and Donts of Mojitos »

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 Richmond Gimlet »

The Richmond Gimlet

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.

How Not to Make a Mint Julep »

How Not to Make a Mint Julep

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.

Ten Myths You've Probably Heard in Bars »

Dave and Jeff

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.

Crack or Strain »

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.

How to Make an Angostura-Scorched Pisco Sour »

Angostura-Scorched Pisco Sour

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!

How to Write a Bartending Resume »

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.

A Gallon of Margaritas by the Gallon »

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.

How to Make a Daiquiri - The Bartending School Way »

How Not to Make a Daiquiri

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.

A photo of me behind the bar.

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.

Holdin’ Steady at Number Two

Thursday, October 25th, 2007
Permalink

Yours truly has been voted Second Best Bartender by the good people of Eugene. I bow graciously to my longtime friend Ty Connor, who came in first, and apparently invented the Vodka Rickey (Ty, I knew you were quite a bit older than I, but wow!)

Also coming in second place was this very website! I also bow graciously to my good friend Ken, who writes the wonderful Mr. Random’s Blog of Randomness, which - oddly enough - is not a blog about cocktails, but rather music (I guess there are people out there who like that kind of stuff, who knew?)

The Richmond Gimlet tied for third place in the Best House Drink category as well. I haven’t had the pleasure of trying the other winners, but those who know me are aware of the fact that I need to get out more.

A heart-felt thank you to everyone in Eugene who voted for me, my little website, and my silly drink.

6 Comments

Join Me at the Great American Distillers Festival!

Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007
Permalink

gadf-logo-white_350x169shkl.jpg

For those of you in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, this weekend is the Great American Distillers Festival [PDF at rogue.com] in Portland.

I’ll be hanging out and blogging the festival all day on Sunday, so if any of you want to meet up and tour the booths with us, drop me a line and let me know!

3 Comments

You’re Running Out of Time, Slacker

Saturday, July 28th, 2007
Permalink

imageimg_350x168shkl.png

If you didn’t get on the ball almost two months ago when I first mentioned it, your time is almost up to enter the Ultimate Cocktail for a Cure Competition over at Ultimate Bar Chef. Your drink entry is due on July 31st.

Look, this could be a really great thing to get on tomorrow. You have the opportunity to:

  • Have your very own drink judged by Tony Abou-Ganim, Sean Bigley, Charlotte Voisey, Ann Rogers, and Bridget Albert.
  • Possibly win $1,750.
  • Help raise awareness for Y-Me, an organization that helps women and their families help cope with the day to day life of breast cancer.

So what are you waiting for? Send your recipe in [PDF] right now! I, for one, sent mine in a few days ago - I’m not planning on suffering the humiliation I endured with the rest of you last time.

Comment on this Article

The Latest Imbibe Is Here!

Wednesday, July 4th, 2007
Permalink

blogspot_current-cover.jpgMy friend Paul Clarke just published a fantastic article about bartenders making their own liqueurs in the latest Imbibe magazine, and El Vaquero has the honor of representing falernum.

Click here to continue reading »

5 Comments

The Spirit and Cocktail Advertising Network is In The House!

Tuesday, June 26th, 2007
Permalink

Over the past few weeks, my friend Darcy over at The Art of Drink has helped lash together the rafts and bring together the best in spirit and cocktail writers (for some reason he felt I could be included in that category) and create a new form of advertising superpower: the Spirit and Cocktail Ad Network.

Click here to continue reading »

2 Comments

Enter the Ultimate Bar Chef Competition!

Sunday, June 3rd, 2007
Permalink

I’ve got some good news and some bad news.

The good news is that my dear friend (and one hell of a bartender) Sean Bigley over at Ultimate Bar Chef is hosting a cocktail competition this summer and he wants you to participate. And, if you win, you can take home a cool $1,750.

Click here to continue reading »

7 Comments

The Richmond Gimlet in Wine Enthusiast Magazine

Friday, May 11th, 2007
Permalink

0507_cover_0.jpgI was pleasantly surprised this morning to see that Gary Regan had included the Richmond Gimlet in his lineup of drinks for a superb article in Wine Enthusiast magazine this month.

The article centers on some of the wonderful new gins that are being released right now from all over the world. The Richmond Gimlet is proudly representing Tanqueray 10, one of my favorites.

You can see the article here and my recipe for the Richmond Gimlet here (I think I sent Gary an old version of the recipe - oops!)

Thanks, Gary!

9 Comments

I’m Interviewed by My Other Hometown Newspaper

Monday, April 30th, 2007
Permalink

nw_blogger_0430_350x525shkl.jpg

Jeffrey Morgenthaler, head bartender at El Vaquero restaurant, is the author of a well-read blog on mixology.

The Register-Guard here in Eugene ran a piece about local area bloggers today, featuring a humungous photo of yours truly. Lewis Taylor did a nice job editing out all of my ums and uhs from the conversation we had on the phone last week, therefore saving me further embarassment (thanks, everyone, for the heckling phone calls, text messages and emails today).

Click here to continue reading »

8 Comments

« Previous
Next »

Tales of the Cocktail

Latest Product Review

Tools of the Trade: Knives

I own a small library of books on the subject of bartending. Some of these books are geared toward the professional bartender, while others are written for the home mixologist. But regardless of the intended audience, almost every book I own heartily recommends that we use paring knives for cutting fruits and garnishes. […]

Read full review here »

The Sections

  • Announcements
  • Ask Your Bartender
  • Experiments
  • General
  • Helpful Advice
  • Mixology Monday
  • My Cocktail Recipes
  • Oregon Bartenders Guild
  • Product Reviews
  • Repeal Day
  • Required Reading
  • Stories
  • Travel
  • Vegas 2007

Syndication

By using this link, you may subscribe to this site in your favorite newsreader software.

Alternatively, you can subscribe to my email edition below and have new articles sent to you as they're published.

Offsite

Amazon Wish List
MySpace Profile
My Facebook Page
Oregon Design Collective
Tony Figoli

  • Bartenders

      Bar Stories
      Drinks Companion
      Lance Mayhew
      Maxologist
      Miss Charming
      Moving at the Speed of Life
      Spirits and Cocktails
      Joe Bartender
      Jimmy Patrick
      The Art of Drink
      Shawn Soole
      The Thinking Bartender
      Ultimate Bar Chef
  • Cocktails

      Alcademics
      Cocktailnerd
      Days That End In ‘Y’
      D.C. Drinks
      Drink Boston
      Explore the Pour
      Imbibe Magazine
      Intoxicated Zodiac
      Lamb Martini
      Sloshed!
      My Bar, Your Bar
      Oh Gosh!
      Rookie Libations
      Slakethirst
      The Spirit World
      Underhill Lounge
      A Dash of Bitters
      Ardent Spirits
      Brilliant Cocktails
      Cocktail Chronicles
      Cocktailians
      Dr. Bamboo
      DrinkBoy
      The Gumbo Pages
      Kaiser Penguin
      MotoTails
      Liquid Muse
      Yes, Have Some!
  • Events

      RepealDay.org
  • Food

      Accidental Scientist
      Tea and Cookies
      28cooks
      Accidental Hedonist
      Brownie Points
      Chow
      Food and Wine
      Married with Dinner
      Megnut
      Portland Food and Drink
      Slashfood
  • Spirits

      Nonjatta
      Scottes Rum
      Whiskeyfun
      Infusions of Grandeur
      The Scotch Blog
      Whisky Grotto

    • Archives:
    • 2008
    • 2007
    • 2006
    • 2005
    • 2004
    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.