From time to time, I will get a call from a publication asking me to speak about bartending and cocktails. While it may seem that I just love to see my name in print (well, sure), I also enjoy being given the opportunity to spread the word about craft bartending and the growing movement that is taking place in this country.
Click the article name to reveal a snippet of the article and a link to the full story, if available.
Cecchini, Toby. “Case Study | Vintage Cocktails” The New York Times Style Magazine | Blogs June 2010
“
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, who runs the bar at Clyde Common in the Ace Hotel in Portland, Ore., and also writes an engaging cocktail blog, was in London for Rumfest last October and found himself sitting at 69 Colebrook Row, appreciatively sipping one of Conigliaro’s vintage manhattans. “Being American, I thought to myself, ‘How can we age this more, and faster, make it taste really different?’””
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Adams, Jenny. “Go List: Our 100 Best New Food and Drink Experiences” Food and Wine Magazine May 2010
“Instead of just buying aged spirits,
Jeffrey Morgenthaler ages his own cocktails in oak barrels. Negronis (a mix of gin, vermouth and Campari) acquire a sweet, oaky finish after six weeks in Tuthilltown whiskey casks.”
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Condon, Josh. “The Mixologist’s Guide to Furnishing Your At-Home Bar” Esquire.com May 2009
“
Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common in Portland, Ore., says: “There are two basic principles to muddling. The most common technique is to get in there and really bash things apart — using a little force breaks up the fruit entirely and gets the most flavor. The other technique is reserved for citrus segments and peels, and requires a more gentle touch — muddle just enough to release the essential oils that will flavor the drink, but not so much as to pulverize the rind. Citrus peel, when abused, can bring unwanted bitterness.”
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Grossman, Liz. “The A-List: Top Ten Mixologists” Playboy.com April 2009
“When
Jeffrey Morgenthaler of Clyde Common got fed up with commercial tonic water, he made his own. “I don’t like the sweetness,” he says. “There’s a lack of depth in the flavor profile.” For his housemade version, he boiled cinchona bark with citrus peel, citric acid and lemongrass to extract the quinine, then filtered it and cut it with agave syrup. “The final product, to me, is that flavor, not the thrill of [making] it,” he says. Morgenthaler lists this recipe on his blog, along with how to make ginger beer and how not to make a mint julep. “I’m constantly [traveling] and talking to people, I go to bars, sit back and watch,” he says. During a recent visit to Hamburg, Germany’s Le Lion had Morgenthaler in awe of freezer-stored glassware, a practice he’s still trying to implement at Clyde Common. He came to the Portland bar in early 2009 armed with a preference for gin (“Vodka is too much of a blank slate while gin provides a neutral spirit with a mild starting point”), a stash of orange bitters aging in a Madeira wine cask and his charm. “What I fell in love with was bartending, not just the search for flavors, but the hospitality, that social aspect. I want to continue moving forward and keep learning.”
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Soole, Shawn. “Advanced Mixology: Featured Mixologist” Chilled Magazine Spring 2009
“Not many people can attest to creating a classic cocktail that epidemically spread across the USA and then the world, but
Jeffrey Morgenthaler has done just that. His Richmond Gimlet has become a modern day classic on which he can put his claim to fame. When googled, the Richmond Gimlet comes up with over a thousand links, true testament to a drink that was created purely by chance. Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an Oregon based bartender with a penchant for blogging, organizing events and overseeing the Oregon Bartenders Guild. All of this from a guy whose passion grew after jumping behind the bar one summer while studying for his degree in Architecture.”
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Stern, Steven. “Punch: It’s Not Just for the Holidays Anymore” The New York Times. December 23, 2008
“Eggnog, that other holiday favorite, has a separate lineage as well: technically it is a “flip,” as
Jeffrey Morgenthaler notes on his cocktail blog, at www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com. He devised a streamlined version for Bel Ami, a restaurant in Eugene, Ore., and serves it from Thanksgiving to New Year’s. “I really wanted to have eggnog in a bar,” he said. “It’s not something you ever see. People go crazy for it.”
“A serious student of classic drinks, Mr. Morgenthaler happily bucks tradition with his nog, whipping up small batches in that clever anachronism, the blender. He’s convinced that his recipe — which is creamy but not gelatinous, and doesn’t require separating the eggs — improves on the original. There are times, he said, when “it’s O.K. to go against history.””
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Smith, Robert. “Cheers To 75 Years Of Drinking Legally” National Public Radio. December 5, 2008
“Bartender and blogger
Jeffrey Morgenthaler has been pushing the idea of a true drinking holiday for 10 years now, and he says this year it took off exponentially. But Morgenthaler says you really need to do it right by drinking American craft beers and cask-aged spirits.
‘Seek out your local microbrewed beer. Seek out your small American distilleries. Seek out your local wineries,” he says. “It’s important that we celebrate the day because it marks the return of those American traditions that were almost lost during Prohibition.’”
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11 O’clock News, Elissa Harrington KVAL Eugene. December 3, 2008
Schwaner-Albright, Oliver. “Let 100 (O.K., 8) Bartending Philosophies Bloom” The New York Times. December 2, 2008
“At the Bel Ami Lounge in Eugene, Ore.,
Jeffrey Morgenthaler serves a gin and tonic made with his own recipe for agave-sweetened quinine syrup. Daniel Shoemaker at the Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Ore., crafts his own vermouth, falernum, blueberry shrub (a kind of cordial) and 15 bitters.”
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Felton, Eric. “Celebrating Cinco de Drinko” The Wall Street Journal. November 28, 2008
“The demise of Prohibition, 75 years ago this coming Friday, is something of a cause for celebration, and it will be treated as such with Repeal Day parties in Washington, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, New York and elsewhere. The trend got started a couple of years ago, when Oregon bartender and blogger
Jeffrey Morgenthaler promoted the anniversary as an informal holiday suitable for quaffing. You could say the goal of the cocktail crowd has been to make Repeal Day a sort of Cinco de Drinko.”
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“Best of Eugene: Best Bartender” Eugene Weekly. October 30, 2008
“It seems appropriate that it’s this year that
Jeffrey Morgenthaler tops the list as your favorite drink-mixer in town. In the last year, Morgenthaler’s had drink recipes appear in Playboy (the Bourbon Renewal) and Food and Wine Cocktails 2008 (the Batida Rosa, an “interpretation of a classic style of Brazilian beach cocktail”); his writing has spread beyond his popular blog to Germany’s Mixology magazine, where he’s now a regular contributor; and recently he gave a presentation on using the web to connect to the global bar community at the Berlin Bar Conference (the Germans, it appears, like him as much as we do). Voters love his Richmond gimlet, which won Best House Drink; unprompted, one of our writers penned an ode to his gin and tonics; personally, we like picking something new from the ever-changing cocktail list for the first drink — the Autumn Leaves is a current favorite — and asking Morgenthaler what else he’s got up his sleeve for the second. And third.”
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Szaszko, Gabriel. “Gintastic Refreshment” Oklahoma Magazine. September, 2008
“Let it never be said that drinking can’t be a transcendental experience. About half the time I serve someone their first Richmond Gimlet, their response is, “That’s just a little slice of heaven, isn’t it!” The other half sit mutely in admiration of the drink, their faces lit by the greenish hue of an up-tipped cocktail glass. Until they come up for air and ask for another, that is. Created by
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, an architect cum bartender who blogs about cocktails at www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com, the Richmond Gimlet is quickly becoming a modern classic, and for good reason.”
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Templeton, Molly. “Much More Than a Mimosa” Eugene Weekly. May 22, 2008
“It all started with one drink.
Or rather, it started with the idea of a drink, with the recipe Bel Ami bartender
Jeffrey Morgenthaler posted to his blog one afternoon. Morgenthaler was fudging a little with a ‘Mixology Monday’ topic: fruit liqueurs. Rather than using a fruit liqueur exactly, he’d created a drink that used Bombay gin, lemon, St. Germain elderfl ower liqueur and a syrup made from Sweet Cheeks 2006 Estate Pinot Gris.
East of Eden wasn’t just a delicious drink with perfectly layered flavors, though. It was an introduction, albeit a rather roundabout one, to an oft-neglected sub-category of cocktails (using the general definition rather than the one that specifies certain ingredients): those made with wine.”
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Bjornstad, Randi. “Mixologist Lets It Pour” The Register-Guard. May 12, 2008
“
Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a man on a mission, and he’s carrying on his crusade these days from behind the well-stocked bar at Bel Ami Restaurant and Lounge at Midtown Marketplace, on Willamette Street in just-south-of-downtown Eugene.
The mission — and not only has he already accepted it, he helped start it — is “to put Oregon on the map by being on the forefront of ‘craft’ bartending,” which means “putting out world-class cocktails” and getting bartenders all over the state to sign on to do the same thing.”
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“Drink of the Month: Bit of a Fix-You-Upper” Playboy. May 2008
“Jeffrey Morgenthaler is our kind of guy: an obsessive practitioner of lost arts and an inventor in his own right. He toils behind the bar of the Bel Ami Restaurant & Lounge in crunchy Eugene, Oregon, mixing, remixing and improvising, and he documents his findings at jeffreymorgenthaler.com.”
Kirstin Henninger. “Cocktail Movers and Shakers” Forbes Traveler. December 2007
“Another drink-slinger who’s putting the Pacific Northwest on the cocktail map is
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bartender at El Vaquero in Eugene, Oregon. “There are amazing drinks being made in this region right now and people don’t really know about it.” He’s doing his best to change that. Of late, his favorite drink is an Old Fashioned using house-made orange bitters and his own brandied cherries.”
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Cox, Louanne. “However you like your gimlet, it kicks a hell of a punch.” Helium. August 2007
“2001 saw the introduction of the Richmond Gimlet by mixologist extrodinaire
Jeffrey Morgenthaler. His recipe is 2oz Tanqueray No. 10 gin, 1oz fresh lime juice, 1oz simple syrup and a large sprig of mint. Place all the ingredients plus ice into a cocktail shaker and shake, then strain into a chilled cocktail glass.”
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Neuman, Steven. “El Vaquero Dishes Up Latin Spice” The Oregon Daily Emerald. July 13, 2007
“This actually stands in stark contrast to the excellent and detailed bar menu created by legendary Eugene mixologist
Jeffrey Morgenthaler. It’s been said before, but if you have the cash, drop some for a few Richmond Gimlets – the perfect cocktail to beat summer swelter.”
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Fauchald, Nick. “The Mojito Rules” Food and Wine. July 12, 2007
“Oregon-based mixologist/blogger
Jeffrey Morgenthaler … recently posted an excellent list of mojito dos and don’ts, which should be posted behind every bar in America, along with his recipe for a proper mojito, which has given me hope that the mojito still has a chance.”
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Clarke, Paul. “Gone But Not Forgotten” Imbibe. July/August 2007
“At El Vaquero in Eugene, Ore., bartenders have also taken to using house-made falernum instead of the commercial versions. “I think the reason we’ve been pursuing the do-it-yourself approach is because we’d like to turn the clock back to a time when there were so many more flavors available to mixologists,” says Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager at El Vaquero. Morgenthaler found a falernum recipe online and has been using the syrup in Rum Swizzles, Corn ‘n Oils and other drinks, with a good response from customers. “Nobody’s ever tasted anything like it,” he says. “People have been going crazy for the falernum ever since we introduced it.”
Sparks, Lance. “El Vaquero: Riding High in the Fifth Street Market” Eugene Magazine July/August 2007
“Bartender Jeff Morgenthaler is a skilled mixologist with distinctive charm and a talent for invention. His “senuous cocktails” (each $8) include special selections of classics (43 Manhattan, Planter’s Punch) and Morgenthaler’s own ideas (Red Agave, Pink, Irish Laundry). The revival of interest in the cocktails couldn’t have come at a better time. Morgenthaler’s corner of El Vaquero is mighty popular during cocktail hour.”
Regan, Gary. “Gin Cocktails” Wine Enthusiast. May 2007
“The Richmond Gimlet, adapted from a recipe by
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, Head Bartender, El Vaquero, Eugene, Oregon. … Fill a cocktail shaker two-thirds full of ice and add the ingredients. Shake for approximately 15 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.”
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Taylor, Lewis. “Boundless Blogs” The Register-Guard. April 30, 2007
“The great thing about blogs is they’re so specialized,” says
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, head bartender at El Vaquero restaurant in Eugene and author of a mixology blog. … “(The best part) is being able to connect with like-minded people. My area is so specific. There aren’t a lot of people in town that I can talk to about this stuff.” Although Morgenthaler is interested in a highly specialized area – namely mixology, the more artful side of bartending – there are lots of other uses for blogs.
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Hale, Mike. “Bar Talk” The Monterey Herald. April 19, 2007
“A great bartender is like a great chef,” said
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the bar manager at El Vaquero in Eugene, Ore., and the author of a well-read blog on the subject. Morgenthaler, who grew up in Toro Park and graduated from Salinas High School in 1989, is a certified expert on the subject of “mixology,” and is quoted as such in several newspapers and magazines. “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.”
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Weaver, Tea Austen. “Do Women Drink for Free?” Chow. February 14, 2007
“Is it true that women never pay for their own drinks in bars—having their tabs picked up instead by obliging men? This is the latest question at
Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s Ask Your Bartender column on his blog.”
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Regan, Gary. “Scintillating Citrus” Wine Enthusiast. June 2006
“
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, head bartender at El Vaquero, in Eugene, Oregon, hosts a regular customer who favors Cointreau on the rocks with a single dash of orange bitters in the glass. … Bartenders and consumers nationwide all have their own favorite orange liqueurs—some for cocktails, some to sip neat. Morgenthaler, for instance, uses Patrón Citrònge, a Mexican triple sec, along with Presidente Mexican brandy and fresh lemon juice when he makes his Mexican sidecar at Vaquero, a Latin-American steakhouse.”
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On the Scene with Sarah Simpson KMTR NewsSource 16. March 31, 2006
Templeton, Molly. “Minty Fresh: The Eugene Origins of a Trendy Cocktail” Eugene Weekly. March 9, 2006
“The Richmond gimlet, though certainly not the only gimlet variation in the world to use mint, is the particular creation of
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, a bartender at El Vaquero whose blog turned up on that Google search — complete with Richmond gimlet recipe and sightings in other Eugene bars. I clearly had to try more.”
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Everybody’s Talking About… Spin Magazine. December 5, 2006
“To honor the repeal of the 13-year-long national nightmare known as Prohibition, a mixologist from Oregon,
Jeffrey Morgenthaler, has been drumming up support for Repeal Day: An authentic alcohol-centric holiday, as ‘it is the only day which truly has any connection with alcohol,’ he wrote on his blog. Morgenthaler argues that Cinco de Mayo and St. Patrick’s Day are played out and are a bit exclusionary (‘Being French on Cinco de Mayo is about as cool as being British on the Fourth of July’), but that Dec. 5 is ‘a great time to get together with friends and celebrate our constitutional rights.’”
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Weaver, Tea Austen. “I’ll Have What He’s Having” Chow. November 27, 2006
“Blogger and mixologist
Jeffrey Morgenthaler is a man on a mission. His goal: to help spread the news of Repeal Day, the only holiday devoted solely and entirely to drinking. Celebrated on December 5, Repeal Day marks the anniversary of the day the 18th Amendment (that would be Prohibition to you and me) was repealed, thereby allowing all God-fearing Americans of a certain age to drink legally again.”
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Salvia, Vanessa. “Back to Basics” Eugene Weekly. March 10, 2005
“I don’t drink much. Between being a student and a parent, I can’t bring home the bacon or fry it up in a pan if I’m soused half the week. But when my editor told me to taste and write about popular cocktails, with the emphasis on tasting the cocktails, I said “Hell yeah!” My first thought was to find out what
Jeffrey Morgenthaler serves a lot. He’s the hunky guy behind the bar at Red Agave, and I completely trust his opinions about alcohol. Morgenthaler says drinkers are returning to the classics like Manhattans, Sidecars and Martinis – the kinds of drinks you can get at almost any bar in the world. “I think people are getting a little overwhelmed by all the exotic ingredients,” he said. “I’ve been selling a lot of nice, simple drinks lately.”
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Smith, Giselle. Best Places Northwest. 2005
“Voted best new restaurant by the Eugene Weekly in 2003, Red Agave is a distinctive blend of Nuevo-Latino cuisine. … The high ceilings and warm yellow walls make the open floor plan feel lively and vibrant. … Mixmaster Jeff Morgenthaler adds his own special twist to the full bar, and desserts range from spiced Mexican chocolate cheesecake with warm caramel-arbol chile sauce to an aged manchego cheese plate served with quince paste, cayenne, toasted almonds, and Palace Bakery baguette.”
Fogelson, Ben. “Why Red Agave’s So Damn Good” Eugene Weekly. October 10, 2002
“Don’t forget
Jeff Morgenthaler, prodigy bartending mixmaster, who brings extraordinary life to one of Eugene’s newest and finest dining establishments. … The drink menu rides hard the trend of interesting concoctions containing fresh-pressed juices, sometimes-exotic spirits and always colorful names, such as the Red Agave and the Blood Orange. Foreign liquors sit against a mirror.”
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