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.
After a brutal weekend of making drinks for what seemed like every single graduate of the University of Oregon this weekend (and their parents), I’m propping myself up at my computer to once again take part in the Mixology Monday festivities.
I did some advance planning (a first) and started working on this recipe last month. The theme of this Mixology Monday is cocktails that use cream-based liqueurs, but I’m going to go out on a limb and show you how to make your own Irish Cream instead.
I cobbled this recipe together from a variety of online sources, and then tweaked the recipe to satisfy my palate and the palates of those I work with and serve. I think it’s a success.
I like to use Bacardi Silver rum in my mojitos. Since they were a Cuban company before the tide of revolution sent them packing for Puerto Rico, I feel it’s the closest I’m going to get to real Cuban rum in my mojito during this pointless embargo.
While working on a host of new drinks for the El Vaquero drink menu, I found several references to a Nacional Daiquiri, created at the Hotel Nacional in Havana, Cuba using apricot brandy.
Never able to leave well enough alone, I fooled around with proportions and flavors until I came up with this twist on the hotel’s famous daiquiri. It’s been a huge hit this spring.
1.5 oz Bacardi Superior rum
.75 oz apricot brandy
1 oz fresh lime juice
.75 oz simple syrup
2 generous dashes Fee Brothers Peach Bitters
Shake ingredients well over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a lime wheel.
I’ve kicked myself many times for never participating in the brilliant Mixology Mondays that Paul over at the Cocktail Chronicles put together last year, but my lack of participation has more to do with the fact that Sunday is my one day off - the one day I never seem to have a computer in my lap. But with my sweetie working Mother’s Day brunch today, I’ve got a little time to put together something very special for my first (and hopefully not last) foray into Mixology Monday. Here we go!
I’ve been playing with making my own bitters lately. I love bitters and have a small collection of them in my liquor cabinet, from Gary Regan’s Orange Bitters, to Fee Brothers’ Mint Bitters. After reading this article online about making grapefruit bitters, I decided to try it, with my own variations.
The origin of the Bee’s Knees cocktail is lost to history, but we do know that it popped up sometime during Prohibition. The recipe doesn’t appear anywhere in my copy of The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book by Albert Stevens Crockett, but my Trader Vic’c Bartender’s Guide shows two recipes, one for a Bee’s Knees made with applejack, and one for a Bee’s Knee made with gin. Both recipes, however, call for honey and lemon.
We’ll never know if I came in fourth or dead last in the Tales of the Cocktail Drink Competition yesterday, but we can gaze longingly at the winner’s circle regardless.
Congratulations to those who won, and I hope the rest of you losers will post your own recipes in the comments. Here’s mine, the Brazil ‘66 (with apologies to the great Sergio Mendez and the venerable French 75):
1 large or 2 medium strawberries, hulled
.75 oz cachaça
.75 oz orange liqueur (Cointreau or Citronge)
.5 oz grenadine (preferably high-quality)
3 oz champagne
Muddle strawberries and grenadine in bottom of a mixing glass until berries form a smooth paste. Add remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Stir ingredients until cold and strain into a chilled champagne flute. Garnish with a strawberry slice and mint sprig.
Created by bar manager James West at Marché Restaurant, Eugene, Oregon
I had this drink tonight and was completely blown away. You won’t find many drinks on this blog that were created by bartenders other than me (it is my website after all) but this drink deserves to be the exception to the rule.
I don’t normally reach for the amaretto when I’m mixing, but this drink is the very definition of balance. Think of it as an amaretto Manhattan with a kick, but rather than stirring this one, shake it to tame the flavors and break up the star anise - releasing its delicate oils.
1.5 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon
.75 oz DiSaronno amaretto
2 dashes peach bitters
1 star anise seed
Shake well over cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a star anise seed and a brandied cherry.
If you ever find yourselves in Eugene, be sure to stop into Marché’s bar and have James make this incredible cocktail.
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. […]
After a brutal weekend of making drinks for what seemed like every single graduate of the University of Oregon this weekend (and their parents), I’m propping myself up at my computer to once again take part in the Mixology Monday festivities.
