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.
Years ago I was taught that sangrita is a blend of tomato and orange juices, with the addition of something spicy (hot sauce, typically) for a little kick. But further research has convinced me that this American sangrita recipe, while still enjoyable and certainly prevalent, is not altogether authentic.
Real sangrita from the Lake Chapala region of Jalisco is made with Seville orange and pomegranate juices, with powdered chiles added for heat. Taking into account that even the most cocktailian bartender (professional or otherwise) doesn’t typically stock sour oranges or pomegranate juice behind the bar, I’ve worked up a recipe that should approximate the flavor of this spicy little sour orange and pomegranate chaser while still providing an authentic experience.
1 oz orange juice (freshly-squeezed)
¾ oz - 1 oz lime juice (depending on the sweetness of your oranges)
½ oz real pomegranate grenadine
3 dashes hot sauce or ¼ tsp chile powder
Mix ingredients, chill, and serve.
This is far from the final word on sangrita. I’ll still continue to enjoy the tomato varieties (1,2,3), but I think you’ll find a brightness and depth of flavor from this version that plays better with a wider variety of mezcals and tequilas than its heavier gringo cousin.
What’s your experience with sangrita? Chime in with your stories and recipes in the comments section.
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.
This was pretty exciting for me, as the reporter originally had no idea I had grown up there, he just happened to find me online as a sort of “expert” (yeah, I don’t know about that, either)
At any rate, it’s a great article and I’m thrilled to be quoted:
“I see cocktails as a form of cuisine,” he said by phone from his Oregon home. “A great bartender can elevate the mundane after-work drink into something more. It transcends the simple act of having a drink to calm your nerves. It’s sensory.”
WHAT:Tales of the Cocktail, the annual culinary and cocktail festival, features a Cocktail Competition to determine the “official cocktail” of the event. Bartenders local and nation-wide submitted recipes for the competition.
Moët & Chandon White Star Champagne was a required ingredient for the official cocktail. The official cocktail will be featured and served throughout the Tales of the Cocktail event, July 18-22, and on the website. Winners will receive cash prizes and be featured in Culinary Concierge Magazine and the book “101 Champagne Cocktails”
WHEN: Tuesday, April 17th, 3:00 p.m.
WHERE: Hotel Monteleone, Riverview Room (rooftop), 214 Royal Street , New Orleans
So what, right? Well, I mention this because it signals the fact that I have finally entered my first cocktail competition. I guess I got so inspired watching my friends compete in Vegas that I felt I was finally ready to throw my hat into a bigger ring than the Sexiest Bartender in Eugene, Oregon competition.
For the past year and a half, one of my favorite sites to read on the internet has been D.C. Drinks. Authors Isaac Washington and Lonnie Bruner brought some great writing and a huge dose of sarcasm to the cocktail blogosphere (I hate that word)
On Saturday, sadly, they posted their last article ever:
“I have written much less than most people who write; but I have drunk much more than most people who drink.” - Guy Debord
Thank you DCDrinks fans.
I asked them why the sudden end to such a great blog, and this was their response:
Yea, we’re done. We just got lazy with it and hadn’t posted in two months. Just don’t feel like posting to it anymore.
The links section of my website is the area that I spend the least amount of time concerning myself with. Sometimes it’s hard enough, between managing a busy bar and working four nine-hour shifts a week, to even try to think up a mildly entertaining article to write.
However, I’m an avid reader, and typically spend an hour or two every night before bed reading the latest from the mixology blogosphere. One of the weblogs I read regularly is called A Dash of Bitters, and it’s a beautifully-written and waaay-over-the-top in terms of cocktail geekery. So without further ado, I would like to introduce you to one of my personal favorites, A Dash of Bitters.
Newcomer Dr. Bamboo not only has (well, just two so far) some of the best articles on classic mixology, but he does his own fantastic illustrations to accompany his articles. Take a look at his site here.
Natalie at The Liquid Muse leads a charmed life. Cocktail Goddess to the Rich and Famous, she writes about all things cocktailian, and updates her site more regularly than I step behind the bar. You can visit the lovely Liquid Muse here.
When I want to know what’s really happening at the upper eschelon of mixology, I check in at Drink Boy. While the Drink Boy Forums can often be a hotbed of mixology fanboy madness, his blog is so brilliant and well-written that it makes me wish I had paid more attention in school. Take a look at what you’ve been missing here.
And don’t forget to come back, I’ll have more stories, opinions and recipes for you very soon.
America’s best bartenders are not those oh-so-talented men and women who can juggle three liquor bottles while singing country tunes. And they are not the folks who merely give you a free round (though that is indeed a wonderful thing). Mixing drinks has become an art form on the level of haute cuisine; better cocktails use fresh ingredients, pair unusual flavors and look as good as they taste. Serious mixologists (pretentiously known as “bar chefs”) have mastered the classics and strive to create new ones. In our search for the best bartenders we looked for pros you can actually see (and meet) mixing drinks. Our top 10 are assembled here alphabetically, along with their place of work and signature creation.
I was pleased to see the inclusion of Lucy Brennan, who was once the employer of my current boss, Katie Marcus-Brown!
The wonderful Joe at joebartender.com has posted an interview we did together…
How did you go about getting your first bartending gig? Was it tough to land your first one?
Through the campus job center, I found - and was hired for - two jobs on the same day. One was bussing dishes in a little mom-and-pop restaurant. The other was bartending during the day at a neighborhood tavern. I’m naturally very shy and wanted to overcome my fear of speaking in public, so I decided I’d be a bartender for the summer. It ended up being a perfect fit, so I stayed there for four years.
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. […]
