Jeffrey Morgenthaler


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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.

Flor de Caña 18 Year-Old Centenario Gold Rum

Tuesday, March 6th, 2007
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Next I stopped by the Flor de Caña booth to sample a product I’d heard a lot about, but had never tried: Flor de Caña 18 Year-Old Centenario Gold Rum.

fdc.jpg

Although the company is headquartered in Nicaragua, they own sugar cane plantations and distilleries all over Latin America. The company has been alive for seventy years.

The Centenario Gold has a lot of spice on the nose: cinnamon, nutmeg and anise. The rum sips easily, with a minimal amount of fire. I got a lot of dark, luscious caramel and butter on the palate, with just a touch of vanilla.

Try this with your Centenario Gold: take a snifter and give it a quick rinse of Licor 43, and dump out the excess. Add two ounces of Centenario Gold and three espresso beans. I think the vanilla, caramel and coffee flavors work perfectly together.

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Angostura Rums

Tuesday, March 6th, 2007
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I met up with Marv Ali from the Angostura company at the show. We go through a lot of Angostura bitters at my bar - a lot - but I’ve never had the pleasure of trying any of their other products because my very controlled state doesn’t let us have them.

Marv Ali

First I tried the 1919 rum. It’s an anejo, aged eight years and made from a blend of light and dark rums. The flavor is slightly hot, and it’s a big butterscotch blast with a wave of vanilla coming up right behind it.

Next I tried the 1824 Limited Reserve, a much more sophisticated product, with the heat removed by an extra four years of aging. The flavor is another butter bomb, with some toasty chocolate riding shotgun.

Both of these rums are sippers, perfect for a snifter. But the I could see mixing the 1919 with the juice of a fresh lime and a splash of brown sugar simple syrup for the perfect daiquiri.

Just the way Hemmingway used to take them.

3 Comments

My Review of Patrick Henry’s Cocktail Mixers

Wednesday, February 28th, 2007
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A while back I was contacted by Whit Whitley of Revolution X Mixers, a new brand of bottled mixers. He sent me some samples in the mail, and although I’m usually opposed to pre-made cocktail mixes, I was excited to try some new stuff.

You see, at my bar, we make everything from scratch. Sours, Bloody Marys, mojitos - everything. The only other alternative here in Eugene, Oregon is poorly-made crap full of chemicals, colorings and flavoring “agents”. But after looking at the Patrick Henry’s website, I decided I would give Whit’s products a try.

Click here to continue reading »

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Creepy Juicers for Sale

Thursday, August 31st, 2006
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creepy head juicers

The Mr. and Mrs. Jones Juicer Set by Polly George would be a fine addition to your Adamms Family-inspired bar. Simply cut your fruit in half, and ream on the lifelike small head and torso that protrudes from the bowl. The copy doesn’t mention how to get the juice from the bowl, or how easily a head might become lodged in a lemon as you wrest it from its tiny torso, but if you’re looking to do a lot of work and maximize your creepiness at this year’s Halloween party, this might be the best hundred you’d dropped in a while.

Mr. and Mrs. Jones Juicer Set, $90 at Velocity

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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 »

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