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.
Although there are only three states on the West Coast of the United States, many people can only name California. Few people east of the Rocky Mountains can even pronounce Oregon (Or-uh-gun). Yet in the world of alcoholic beverages, bartending and mixology, Oregon is becoming a strong force, alongside such historical greats as New York, Louisiana, Kentucky and California. Here’s why.
Jennifer sends along this article about the Beverly Hills Trader Vic’s that I had the pleasure of visiting last year closing its doors and making way for a Waldorf-Astoria hotel.
There’s some sort of classic-versus-tiki debate sitting there, but I wouldn’t dare touch that one - I’ve gotten into enough trouble lately.
I can’t believe I forgot this one. It should be right up there in the top ten bar myths, ever. Read on.
11. You have the right to a free drink on your birthday.
I wish I knew how this one got started. It seems really bizarre to me, and it’s something that some people are very passionate about. I’ve had people curse at me, throw things, and storm out of my bar in a rage when I told them I wasn’t going to buy them a ten-dollar drink for their birthday.
It’s especially shocking when it’s someone I’ve never seen before. Sure, if a hardcore regular confesses that it’s their birthday I’ll probably buy them a little something. Hell, I even have a small expense account provided to me by my bosses for just that purpose. But when a complete stranger walks in to my bar and demands a free shot, they’re probably going to go thirsty.
Much like trying to stay and drink for free after the bar closes, I wonder why people aren’t doing this in other businesses. Can you imagine walking into the grocery store, filling up a cart and taking it to the checkout aisle?
“It’s my birthday! Do I get these groceries for free?”
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.
I spend a lot of time hunched over a VitaMix blender, so I feel like I know my blenders. And the BlendTec (for real) Total Blender looks like one hell of a blender.
Now, you may not ever have the opportunity to blend a wallet full of stolen credit cards or a stolen tilapia, but if you do, wouldn’t it be nice to know that you’ve got the power to do it?
Here’s a great video showing how they make shitty low-grade alcohol in a giant factory. The methods may be suspect - making rum out of corn, for instance - but the general idea is the same in smaller batches. Watch the video and then try to forget about having seen tonight’s pork fed offal from the Monarch corn-gin distillery.
Although I don’t care for some of their drink recipes, video podcast Art of the Drink (no relation to the previous post) has a great little class on how to present wine in a bar or restaurant setting. This is a great video to watch for service industry people and restaurant-goers alike, as he covers some key points - my favorite being this: it is not okay to reject the wine simply because you don’t like it. Yes, once you’ve okayed the bottle and the server has opened it, that wine is yours unless it’s gone bad in the bottle. It shocks me how many servers and customers don’t realize this.
You all know how I feel about vodka martinis, if you’ve read this blog for any length of time. Well, Darcy over at The Art of Drink put it better than I ever could:
People seem to fear the vermouth, when in reality vermouth is your friend. It is the vermouth that adds the flavour to a martini and not the vodka. But the “monkey see, monkey do” principal applies. Ordering a plain old martini was boring, so it became a dry martini, which sounded better and made the purchaser look more “in the know.” Then the extra dry vodka martini became all the rage because it seemed sophisticated. The reality is that if you give an alcoholic a bottle of vodka and jar of olives this is about the same level of sophistication.
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. […]
