Also joining us is author of Beginner's Guide to Whiskey, Sam Green.

You can find WBSE on Facebook or their website.

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Thanks to the Beyond the Bar sponsors who are supporting the community:

Winebow

Sazerac

Los Vecinos mezcal

San Matias

Neft Vodka

Pitu

• Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s The Bar Book, Elements of Cocktail Technique  is always my #1 recommendation. (He was a guest on Episode 113.)
• Esquire Drinks, An Opinionated & Irreverent Guide to Drinking - David Wondrich (out of print, but is available used on Amazon for as little as $2.81!) An old book - 2002, but a goodie.  Mr. Wondrich, who is the end all authority on cocktail history wrote this book for Esquire Magazine.  If you ever want the definitive answer on the history of a cocktail, just google the name of the drink and "Wondrich". (He was a guest on Episode 110.)
• The Joy of Mixology The Consummate Guide to the Barternend’s Craft - Oh Gaz....I miss you. Originally published in 2003, there is an updated version of this book.  (He was a guest on Episode 175.)
• The Curious Bartender,  The Artistry and Alchemy of Creating the Perfect Cocktail - Tristian Stephenson.   Smart guy.  I love how in this book he presents a classic cocktail, gives the classic specs, and then his interpretation of an improvement on the recipe. (He was a guest on Episode 122.)
• Regarding Cocktails - Sasha Petraske (Foreword by Dale DeGroff), Shsah changed everything in our industry. (He's NOT been a guest on the show, he unfortunately passed away in 2015... I never had the opportunity to meet the man, but he influenced so many).

Benny’s Picks:

• Liquid Intelligence, The Art and Science of the Perfect Cocktail by Dave Arnold.  The Science of Cocktails?  Who would have thought?  A great and well thought out book.
• Smuggler’s Cove, Exotic Cocktails, Rum,and the Cult of Tiki by Martin and Rebecca Cate (He was a guest on Episode 186 .) A beautiful book full of great information and beautiful tiki drinks.
• Beach Bum Berry Remixed, Gallery of Tiki Drinks by Jeff Berry.  A real tiki book, full of old school tiki recipes.
• PDT Cocktail Book, The Complete Bartender’s Guide From the Celebrated Speakeasy by Jim Meehan (He was a guest on Episode 77.) Meehan is a true gentleman who created a perfect Speakeasy.  Every Bartender should own this book.

Also mentioned in this episode:

• Meehan’s Bartender Manual by Jim Meehan (Featured on Episode 89.)  If you ever even considered owning your own bar, you must read this book from cover to cover.
• The Flavor Bible, The Essential Guide to Culinary Creativity, Based on the Wisdom of America’s Most Imaginative Chefs by Karen age and Andrew Dornenburg.  An outstanding book on flavors - what goes with what.
• Cocktails Made Simple: Easy & Delicious Recipes for the Home Bartender by Brian Weber and Amin Benny.  What to make cocktails at home, or get a foundation for becoming a professional Bartender?  This book is authored by host of Bartender Journey, Brian Weber and co-author Amin Benny.

Here's a little jump start for you!

Before we go any further, please understand that while I am a professional Bartender, I am not a lawyer, doctor, financial planner or anything like that.  Please go to bartenderjourney.net/disclaimer to read our Disclaimer.

We have an interview with Andrew Rigie, Executive Director of the New York City Hospitality Alliance.  He’s also Chair of New York City’s Office of Nightlife Advisory Board.

THIS EPISODE AND RELATED WEBSITE MATERIAL IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES AND NOT INTENDED FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING MEDICAL or LEGAL ADVICE BY THE BARTENDER JOURNEY PODCAST TEAM.

PLEASE READ OUR FULL DISCLAIMER HERE,

The interview with Mr. Rigie  was recorded prior to the March 15th announcement of Mayor Di Blasio's executive order limiting restaurants, bars, and cafes to food take out and delivery; nightclubs, movie theaters, small theater houses, and concert venues must close effective Tuesday, March 17th. 

The NYC executive order was then superseded by NY State Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order the following day - March 16, 2020 - that all bars and restaurants in the entire state must go to take out & delivery only.  Interestingly though here in NY State, where to-go alcoholic drinks were a definite no-no for establishments like bars and restaurants with an on-premise license, it seems that it will now be allowed during the Corona-tastrophe.  So here in NY anyway we can sell to-go alcoholic beverages.   

The NYC Hospitality Alliance Group continues to remain a resource for our industry here in NYC - you can visit their site: the thenycalliance.org for the latest updates.

OUR FULL DISCLAIMER HERE FOR YOUR REVIEW.​

Tennessee was recently hit with a series of very destructive tornadoes. Nashville was hit very hard, which is a great town and one that has a lot of hospitality workers. 

Our love and thoughts are we those impacted by this tragedy, but we’d also like to provide information on relief efforts for industry professionals in need of assistance led by the Nashville USBG Chapter.

We shared the GoFundMe page and a list of businesses offering support and services on social media, we would also like to highlight two immediate avenues: the Bartender Emergency Assistance Program through the National USBG Foundation that provides emergency relief grants to bartenders, and a family charity partner, Core Gives, that provides assistance to service industry families.

Follow the Facebook page for Nashville USBG that provides up-to-date information on the list of places impacted and bars that are hiring for those displaced.

We, at the Bartender Journey, send our support and wishes for a speedy recovery. 

Bartender Journey Episode 293

Coincidentally, less than a week before the trip, I took a 6 Hour Tequila certification course sponsored by Hiatus Tequila and presented by the Tequila Regulatory Council or CRT. 

Listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast #291 for a Deep Dive into Tequila!

For this information in text form, see the blog post.

In that book he encouraged Bartenders to measure, to consider the glasswear carefully, to chill the glasswear, when to shake and when to stir. These things weren’t talked about much back then, but help lay the groundwork for where we are now. Then there are more important lessons in the book about BEING a bartender.

He updated The Joy Of Mixology in 2018.

Cheers to you gaz. You are sorely missed.

Check out the new book by host of this podcast Brian Weber:  Cocktails Made Simple!

Also what's the best way to cut citrus garnishes at the bar? 

I co-authored a book!  Cocktails Made Simple is available on Amazon.

Today we talk about cocktail photography with professional food and beverage photographer Anthony Nader.  His company is called 52 chefs. He is a lot of fun.  

I was lucky enough to be invited to his seminar recently that was specifically about taking great photos of cocktails with your phone.  It was sponsored by Tequila Avión - thank you very much for that Ms. Veronica Chaparro. It was at the roof top bar at the Park South Hotel, which is an awesome place, if you ever get a chance to go.  Bar Methods was going on while we were there, and I got a chance to say hello to friend Chris Bitmeed who runs Bar Methods which is a once a year, 3 day educational event.  I did it about 3 years ago, and I encourage you to look into that for next year - its an amazing educational opportunity. 

Anthony gave a great demonstration about how to take great photos, and then we paired up into teams of two - I pared with Hazel, and we had a photo and video competition.  There were lots of props and drinks. We had to submit one photo and one slo mo video. In the end my photo won the contest! It was a picture of a Tequila Avión Nigroni.  

We are excited to announce that the special project is our new book, Cocktails Made Simple: Easy and Delicious Recipes for the Home Bartender!  It’s coming out on October 15, 2019!

I think you'll find our book serves as a great guide to making drinks, with an explanation of tools and techniques, in addition to classic cocktail recipes.  

If you're a Home Bartender looking to entertain family and friends, you'll learn how to build a functional home bar with essential tools and cost-effective tips in order to craft cocktails in your own home.

It was a great experience writing this with co-author and our West Coast Bartender Journey associate, Amin Benny and a quick thanks to Hazel Alvarado for Back of House duties on this project.

The book is available NOW for pre-order on Amazon.  Click here to sign up for our email newsletter to keep informed about the book.  And please follow Bartender Journey on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Its @BartenderJourney on IG and FB, and on twitter I’m @BarKeepTips.

Cocktail Photography Tips:

• Be sure to Clean the camera lens.  It gets dirty. You can clean it with a soft cotton t-shirt or any soft cloth.

• Zoom in a little.

• Setting the exposure and locking in the focus. Click on the subject before taking the picture - the subject will be locked into both focus and exposure  Also, next to the yellow box surrounding your subject, there is a tiny icon of the sun. If you slide that up and down, you can change the exposure.  

• Display abundance - use props...use your imagination.  

• Get close -  I had always composed my cocktail photos very neatly, displaying the entire glass and garnish - usually shooting from slightly above the glass so that the surface is visible.  I would center the cocktail. Try getting in very close. Art can be a little messy!

• Focus on garnish - or on the little droplets on the outside of the glass or whatever - something specific in the drink - not the drink as a whole.

• Bounce light. A white paper menu is one way to do that.

• Use a friend’s phone with a white screen - I’d heard at other seminars, or maybe read somewhere, to us the flashlight from a friend’s phone for light when you are in a dark bar or something, but that light is harsh.  A white screen is softer - you can just go to google.com for instance. And of course on iPhone you can go to Settings / Display & Brightness to control the brightness of the screen if you need more light.

• Pay attention to other photos - what do you like?  When you see a picture that you like, think about what you like about it.  Some ideas for looking at great cocktail photos on IG, are Anthony’s stuff at @52Chefs and our friend Natalie @BeautifulBooze.  I would also encourage you to follow the #cocktails

• Speaking of IG when you are editing your photo in the IG app before posting - don’t use the pre fab filters - edit the settings individually.

  • When you first get to edit mode in the IG app, above you photo there is a little icon of the sun that is white on the left and black on the right.  This is the lux setting. I did not know about this! Its awesome. I don’t know enough about photography to explain what lux is, but its related to exposure.  Do this first.

  • Then Anthony recommends adjusting the settings in this order:

    • Contrast

    • Warmth

    • Sharpness

• Turn each setting all the way up to see what it does, then scale back from there.

I hope you learned something from the show today.  I’d love to see your cocktail photos, hopefully using some of the stuff you learned from listening.  Post your picture to IG and tag me @BartenderJourney.

I wanted to share one more thing with you - I just read an outstanding article on bourbonr.com.  Its called “What’s Malt, and Why is it Needed”.  It’s a really worth a read.  It not only does a great job of explaining the process of producing alcohol , but also some of the differences between scotch and bourbon and also the definition of a Single Malt.  I’ll have that link on bartenderjourney.net. We’ll have to try get the author of that article Mr. Henrik Brandt on the show sometime.

Bartender Journey has a special project in the works!  Please click here to sign up to be the first to know about it!  Yes, I'd like to be in the loop.

Also a chat with Attaboy alum Zachary Pease at his new bar in Manhattan called My Friend Duke.

• No standing water, anywhere!
• All drains including floor - sanitizer
• Plug beer taps
• Clean and plug beer drip tray
• Rinse and store empty beer bottles
• Cover liquor bottles
• Wipe down bottles
• Clean soda gun
• Bar mats must be clean
• Keep garnishes covered and cold.  Wash fruit before cutting.
• Don’t be surprised if fruit flies feed on the residue remaining on damp mops, moist cleaning rags and sponges, or near buckets of wastewater.
• Bottom of trash cans?
• Last resort - traps

For past outtakes on sustainability in the cocktail industry on the Bartender Journey Podcast,, listen to  Bartender Journey Episode No. 166  featuring a sample from a Sustainability Seminar from Tales 2015 with Mr. Lyan  (Ryan Chetiyawardana), who opened the first cocktail bar in 2013 to use nor perishables (i.e. no fruit, no ice), White Lyan in London and Bartender Journey Episode No. 219, You are Throwing Away Money!.

There were 1000’s of wines to try, plus a few sprits – I had some wonderful whiskey from France called Half Moon.

There were also classes and seminars. I attended a seminar sponsored by the Riedel company who makes beautiful glassware – mostly wine glasses.

In fact we use Riedel wine glasses at the Private Club where I work. The purpose of this seminar was to show that the glass has a substantial influence on your experience drinking the wine. Of course these glasses look beautiful, so that’s a great start. They feel great when you pick them up and are perfectly balanced…we all know to hold a wine glass by the stem yes? In fact it was said in the seminar “if a glass has a stem, use it!” This is of course so that you do not warm up your wine or whatever beverage with your body heat.

I caught up with Anne Koziara, who gave the seminar, on the exhibition floor after … we’ll talk to her in just a moment.

Our sponsor this week is CAKE POS from Sysco.

CAKE is the Point of Sale system that lets bar & restaurant owners focus on the guest experience. Stop worrying about tracking every sale  - CAKE does that for you.

CAKE is the Point of Sale system that lets bar & restaurant owners focus on the guest experience. Stop worrying about tracking every sale  - CAKE does that for you. You can automatically save information and review it later, from anywhere. That means maybe as the manager or owner can maybe actually take days off, which can be pretty rare in the restaurant business.

No matter where you are, you can check in on daily reports and know they’ll be up to date.

To get started with CAKE, check out trycake.com/bartender. For our Bartender Journey listeners, you can get $750 off the activation fee. That's a 75% discount. Go to trycake.com/bartender and request a demo!

Please feel free to get in touch for any reason. You can email me directly at brian@bartenderjourney.net. If you have an interesting story to tell, please get in touch. I’m looking to line up guests for the next few weeks.

Don’t forget about our sponsor CAKE POS.

Find our special link for our Bartender Journey listeners at trycake.com/bartender. You can get $750 off the activation fee. That's a 75% discount. Go to trycake.com/bartender and request a demo! Or just go take a look. It’s a big help if you just go to that URL so that our sponsors to see the Bartender Journey listeners are at least clicking through to check it out. trycake.com/bartender.

Toast:

May we always part with great regret and meet again with pleasure.

AROMA-FLAVOR TOOLS FOR SENSORY TRAINING: http://www.aromaster.com/ https://www.cicerone.org/us-en/products/beer-flavor-map https://www.aroma-academy.co.uk/pages/wset https://www.flavoractiv.com/beverage/spirits/   FRUIT CHEMICALS Kennedy Fruit Chemicals!  An easy way to quickly educate people about chemicals in fruit.  I highly encourage you to post this image with the link. https://jameskennedymonash.wordpress.com/2014/07/19/ingredients-of-all-natural-cherries/

Our sponsor this week is CAKE POS. CAKE is the Point of Sale system that lets bar & restaurant owners focus on the guest experience. Stop worrying about tracking every sale  - CAKE does that for you. No matter where you are, you can check in on daily reports and know they’ll be up to date.   To get started with CAKE, check out trycake.com/bartender. For our Bartender Journey listeners, you can get $750 off the activation fee. That's a 75% discount.

Irish Whiskey has such a tumultuous history.

There was the great rise and fall of Irish Whiskey and right now another great rise, or resurgence.

We’ll get into some of it with Philip during the interview.

CAKE is the Point of Sale system that lets bar & restaurant owners focus on the guest experience. Stop worrying about tracking every sale  - CAKE does that for you. You can automatically save information and review it later, from anywhere. That means maybe as the manager or owner can maybe actually take days off, which can be pretty rare in the restaurant business.

No matter where you are, you can check in on daily reports and know they’ll be up to date.

To get started with CAKE, check out trycake.com/bartender. For our podcast listeners, you can get $750 off the activation fee. That's a 75% discount. And with that discount, you get a user-friendly Point of Sale solution that includes cloud reporting and world-class 24/7 support.

Andrew’s Bacardi Legacy Cocktail is called Cubist. Recipe:

45 ml Bacardi Silver | 20 ml dry vermouth | 2.5 ml (or a barspoon) Pastis | 25 ml Prosecco | 20 ml Honey water (1:1) | 25 ml Lemon juice

Follow Andrew’s Bacardi Legacy journey:

• On Instagram
• On YouTube

Our sponsor this week is CAKE POS & Management system from Sysco.

To get started with CAKE, check out trycake.com/bartender.

Bartender Journey listeners get $750 off the activation fee. That's a 75% discount. And with that discount, you get a user-friendly Point of Sale solution that includes cloud reporting and world-class 24/7 support.

Dan's company is Liquor License Advisor.

One of the distilleries I visited while in Ireland was Pearse Lyons distillery. Dr. Pearse Lyons had deep family roots in Dublin. There was an old church that had fallen into disrepair and was abandoned for many years. In fact Dr. Lyons’ grandfather is buried there. Dr. Lyons purchased the property and his wife restored it into a beautiful distillery. Unfortunately Dr. Lyons’ passed away in 2018, but the distillery is lives on.  We have some pictures on bartenderjourney.net

If you are anywhere near San Antonio TX BarSmarts Advanced is coming to San Antonio, TX on April 2nd, 2019.  It’s a full day of education with the masters of the bar industry like Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Paul Pacul, Steve Olson, Doug Frost, and Andy Seymour.

You need to do the online component called BarSmarts first in order to qualify. The online segment is absolutely worth doing, even if you are not planning to do BarSmarts Advanced. The online course is only $29! BarSmarts Advanced is just $75.

Tullamore D.E.W. Whisky Ambassador Kevin Pigott shows us around, shares lots of Irish Whisky knowledge, and even mixes us up some cocktails!

Florence's Life Beyond Tourism inciative offers some interesting lessons. 

Is it possible to be too ambitious with your cocktail program.  I visited a bar/bistro/restaurant that I thought was trying to do TOO much.

I visited two vinyards in the Chianti Classico region:

• Casa Emma
• Fattoria Montecchio

Favorite bars:

• Prescription Cocktail Club (Cocktail Bar)
• Dirty Dick (Tiki Bar)
• Candelaria (Speakeasy)
• Little Red Door (Speakeasy)
• The Highlander (Scottish Pub)

What an amazing city. Full of friendly, hospitable people. A town with deep history and fascinating things to see. And lots of great whisky!

Next stop on the Bartender Journey tour - Paris!

I’m starting 2019with an epic trip. I Bartend at a private club and we are closed after New Years Eve for almost 6 weeks.

So I am taking my time off and going to Europe for over a month!

I am bringing my audio gear and hope to push out some podcasts from the road. I will be visiting some distilleries, and lots of bars and restaurants, so the plan is to have you follow along on the trip a bit.

The shows might not always be completely Bartending focused, but should be interesting.

I leave today, Jan 3, 2019 for Edinburgh Scotland. Then I go to Paris for 4 nights, I’ll take a train to a small town called Chambery, then ski in the French Alps for a few days. I’ll go to Geneva Switzerland, then on to Florence and Rome and last stop Ireland.

Follow me on IG at BartenderJourney for some pictures and hopefully you are subscribed to the podcast so you get the shows as they come out.

The Old Fashioned.

I was at a sitting at a bar the other day and there was a bartender, training a young lady who was obviously brand new to bartending. The younger one asked the one who was doing the training “how long have you been bartending”. She answers “nearly 15 years”.

A ticket comes in for an Old Fashioned. Here’s a learning opportunity for the newbie, right?

She explains how to make it:

• “Get a rocks glass
• Get an orange slice and a luxardo cherry and muddle it in the glass.
• Add ¼ to ½ oz of simple syrup and about the same amount of sweet vermouth.
• Add ice and then fill nearly to the top with whiskey, (usually you should ask what type of whiskey they would like).
• Top with club soda.
• Put 3 or 4 dashes of bitters on top”

There are a lot of problems here. Lets take them one by one.

• The muddled “fruit salad” Old Fashioned was an unfortunate variation on the classic recipe. Some people like them and even expect them that way, which is fine…the best cocktail for someone is the one made exactly the way they like it. But the classic recipe is water, sugar, bitters and whiskey…we’ll talk about where that description comes from in a few minutes. Somewhere along the road it became popular to muddle an orange slice and a red maraschino cherry with sugar and bitters.The muddling in an Old Fashioned is supposed to be to incorporate the granular sugar (or sugar cube) with a little water and the bitters.
• Moving on to the second mistake in my example. THERE IS NO VERMOUTH IN AN OLD FAHIONED!   There is sweet vermouth in a Manhattan…not an Old Fashioned
• Next…she says “top with club soda”. Yes we do want to dilute it a bit. Some books will tell you do this. Personally I add the water by stirring the whole thing in my mixing cup with ice. This chills the drink down and the melting ice adds water or “dilution”. I strain it into a glass with fresh ice.
• Next she said to “put 3-4 drops of bitters on top”. 100% wrong. I don’t like to flat out say somebody is doing something wrong, but no don’t do that.You want to incorporate the bitters into the drink. While there are drinks which call for drops of bitters on top, such as the Pisco Sour…not the Old Fashioned.

This is my recipe, and its written almost exactly like this in Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s The Bar Book, which is more or less the final word for me personally in all matters Bartending.

In mixing cup:

• 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• 1 dash of Angostura Orange Bitters,
• 2 oz of Bourbon

Stir with ice to chill and dilute.

Strain into an old fashioned glass with one large 2” ice cube. Express oils from an orange twist (use a Y-peeler to make orange twist to order). You could also use a lemon twist, which is delicious also.

Old Fashioneds can of course also be made with Rye whiskey or even rum. I’ve seen Reposado or Anão Tequila Old Fashioneds too.

In Sasha Patraski’s book Regarding Cocktails Sasha’s protégé Sam Ross shares his recipe for an Old Fashioned variation called the Tattletale. Its made with Angostura bitters, honey a blend of a Highlands scotch and a smoky Islay scotch.

So of course, there is no end to variations and methods, but I just feel like its good to know the proper traditional way of making things before going off on tangents.

History wise:

The earliest known printed definition of the “cocktail” appeared in the newspaper the Balance and Columbian Repository in 1806. It was written in response to a reader who asked for a definition of the word. It said a cocktail is “A stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water and bitters.”

Quoting from Wikipedia, “The first use of the name ‘Old Fashioned’ for a Bourbon whiskey cocktail was said to have been at the Pendennis Club, a gentlemen's club founded in 1881 in Louisville, Kentucky. The recipe was said to have been invented by a bartender at that club in honor of Colonel James E. Pepper, a prominent bourbon distiller, who brought it to the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel bar in New York City.”

Robert Simonson mentioned that it was simply referred to as a “whiskey cocktail” until the late 19th century. Mr. Simonson wrote a great book all about the Old Fashioned called The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World's First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore. I’ll have a link to that along with the other books I mentioned.

Speaking of prohibition, as I record this today Dec 5, 2018 it is Repeal Day! This is the anniversary of the end of Prohibition in 1933. Its an unofficial Bartender holiday, or at least excuse for a party! I happened to be almost at the end of binge watching Boardwalk Empire, which was a great show on HBO about the prohibition era. Its fictional, but a lot of historical characters are in the show like Lucky Luciano, Al Capone and Elliot Ness. The show is now available on Amazon Prime if you want to check it out.

So mix yourself up and Old Fashioned. I’d love to see your version. If you could post a picture on IG and give it the hash tag

#BartenderOldFashioned

Depending how many we get, I’ll try to mention them all on the next show.

I’ll be posting mine on my IG which is BartenderJourney.

Here’s a toast:

Here’s to everything that is old.

Old friends, old times, old manners and old fashioneds.

Unfortunately Dave passed away at age 62 on November 1 of this year, 2018 in San Francisco. He was there attending WhiskeyFest.

He was a big proponent of Rye Whiskey and played a huge roll in the resurgence of American Rye Whiskey.

Rest in Peace Mr. Dave Pickerell. You’ll be sorely missed.

Sother Teague's first book is informative, entertaining and filled with cocktail recipes. We catch up with him at his book release party at Boilermaker Bar at 1st Avenue and 1st Street.

Brian also attended a seminar presented by Marie Brizard and at Employees Only NY and competed in a cocktail competition.

Cocktail of the Week: Martini The Classic Martini is made with 1 part dry vermouth and 2 parts Gin.  It is stirred, not shaken.  The classic garnish is olives.  Superstition says it should be an ODD number of olives - an even number is bad luck.  James Bond orders a "Vodka Martini, shaken not stirred", because that is the exception to the rule.  If he just ordered a "Martini" it would be made with Gin and stirred, because that is the classic recipe. Try a great variation on a Martini - 1 part Dry Vermouth, 2 parts Gin a dash of Orange Bitters.  Garnish with an Orange Twist.

Be sure to use fresh vermouth.  Vermouth is aromitized wine and it goes bad after awhile.  Keep it in the cooler.  The VacuVin wine stopper system will help keep it fresh for longer.

We talk about that on the podcast this week.

Please let us know what you think about this on the Batender Journey Facebook Page!

Plus we speak with friend and Bartender Kyle McElfresh.

Here's a quick run down of what went on.  More from #TOTC18 on future episodes.

Cheers y'all!

“Martini, shake or stir”. Here’s my take on that.

James Bond ordered his Martini’s Shaken not Stirred because that is the EXCEPTION to the rule. If he had ordered just a “Martini”, it would have been stirred because that is the classic recipe.

If the guest requests it there is nothing wrong with shaking this drink, but you will never see a decent cocktail book that suggests you to shake a Martini.

The general rule is, if it has only spirits in it, you stir. If it has any type of juice in it, it is shaken.

When stirring a drink you are trying to chill it and also add water to it, or “dilute” it as we say. Try taking some gin and vermouth, put it in a bottle and put it in the freezer. Don’t stir (or shake) it with ice. That’s not a Martini. It will be too strong and it will not taste very good.

When stirring a drink with ice we are looking for a silky texture, which is desirable in a Martini or Manhattan style cocktail. When shaking a drink, like say a Margarita, you are looking to make a bright drink with some air bubbles introduced.

How long do you stir? I was at an event recently and in the swag bag was a bar spoon with a thermometer on the top. It was in Celsius so I was looking to get to about 0 degrees or a little colder. What I discovered was that I wasn’t stirring long enough.

You noticed I said “0 degrees or a little colder”. Interestingly enough, through some science that I may never understand, you can actually make the drink a little colder than the ice!

Dave Arnold, the upmost authority on the science of drink making, talks about that in his great book Liquid Intelligence. Tristan Stevenson also mentions it in his book The Curious Bartender. He and I talked about it when I interviewed him back in episode #122.

Dave Arnold’s Liquid Intelligence will be our book of the week. This book is highly recommended and a great resource. Dave is famous for using scientific equipment like rotovaps and centrifuges. I went a long time without reading this book, because I though “I’ll never have a centrifuge”, but he took what he learned using this equipment and uses it to teach interesting techniques and stuff you might not have though of otherwise.

In the book he also talks a lot about the effects of stirring and shaking. Interestingly enough, when stirring or shaking a drink, eventually equilibrium is reached and it wont cool anymore or dilute anymore. It will of course eventually start to warm up and the ice will start to melt, adding more dilution, but it can only get so cold.

This is helpful to know for a couple reasons, one of which is to keep in mind when building a large round of drinks. For instance if a Martini is the order, you might want to add the ingredients to your mixing cup, add the ice, but stir later. Or you can stir and let it sit there with the ice still in the cup while working on the rest of the round, then strain at the last moment. According to Dave Arnolds experiments, there won’t be much difference.

Does the size of the ice matter when shaking or stirring? It seems like the answer is, “not really” although that could be an entire podcast to itself. As a general rule it seems that once proper temperature is reached the dilution will be correct, no matter the size of the ice, although the one exception would be crushed or shaved ice.

The Martini is our cocktail of the week. What’s the best way to make it? The way your guest wants it! Ask a lot of questions when somebody orders one.

The history of the Martini is difficult to trace. David Wondrich, the ultimate cocktail historian will tell you so, and in fact does just that in his great book Imbibe!

In the late 1800’s the drink was usually made with Old Tom Gin, which is sweetened. Sometimes gum syrup was added. The “Dry Martini” appeared around the turn of the century, but it wasn’t dry in the sense that we think of it today. In fact one recipe published around that time period had a 1:1 ratio of Gin to Dry (or “French”) Vermouth.   The Gin was changed to a London Dry style gin or Plymouth Gin which is also not sweet at all.

Back in the day, Orange Bitters were always added, which is a really interesting addition to a Martini. Give it a try! I wouldn’t force it on an unsuspecting guest, but try it yourself, see what you think, and maybe suggest it to an adventurous customer.

Back to the amount of vermouth. I think the average consumer expects very little vermouth in their Martini, although it is becoming popular in Cocktail Bars to have a 1:1 Martini on the menu. It’s a wonderful drink this way, with the orange bitters and a lemon twist, but of course you need to have a quality vermouth that has been taken care of properly and is not too old. Please store your vermouth in the cooler! Write the day you opened it on the back label of the bottle. Ideally you don’t want to keep it more than a month after opening. At 2 months, throw it out! I use Vacuvin wine stoppers in my open Vermouth bottles. This is a very inexpensive item – about $12 – that pumps the air out of open wine bottles to help preserve it. They are perfect for Vermouth and other fortified wines as well.

Next thing to talk about is the glass. Those giant bird bath or “Steakhouse” martini glasses are ridiculous. Believe me I know. I Bartender at a Private Club, we use them. The Members expect nothing less. Those stupid things hold 8 oz if you fill it to the very top, which people seem to expect! That’s not one drink! That’s 4 drinks!

So what kind of glass is good? You often here me talk about a chilled coupe glass, which is ideal for a Martini.   For anyone who might not be familiar – it’s the old fashioned champagne glass that’s like a saucer or bowl with a stem.

Ideally we want the glass chilled in the freezer until the last minute, but if you don’t have a cooler to keep your glasses in, of course you can chill it with ice and water. Before you start making the drink, pack the glass with as much ice as you can fit and fill to the top with water.

For garnish, olives are traditional. If the guest doesn’t specify, its olives. One big or 3 small on a cocktail pic.   Always an odd number, an even number is bad luck. Ha. I don’t know why, but it is. I asked David Wondrich about this one time and he said “it’s a tradition and if you choose to perpetuate it, you should.” I said “I do! I do choose to perpetuate it!”

A lemon twist is my favorite. The best twists are made with a y-peeler. Then hold the twist over the drink and using both hands put it between your thumbs and index fingers and start to sort of fold it in half lengthwise. This expresses the oils from the drink into the glass. Its awesome. Personally, I actually like my Manhattan this way too.

So the Martini – seems like a simple drink on the surface, but there are some things to consider.

Dave Arnold, Don Lee and Greg Boehm, who founded Cocktail Kingdom, are opening a new bar in Manhattan. It should be opening any day now…that should be really interesting. Don Lee is a super smart dude and Dave really knows his stuff. Greg is a very interesting guy too. One innovation that I read about at this new spot is: those in a hurry can buy bottled cocktails from vending machines with a $15 token. I can’t wait to check this place out.

Your can still apply for Bar methods for the August 2018 session. I’m recording this on June 6, 2018 and applications are still open for a few more days. I did this course back in 2016 and trust me, you wont regret it. Its 3 days of education in Manhattan, with happy hours and dinners and parties. You stay in the awesome Park South Hotel and the price is extremely reasonable. Trust me. Apply at barmethods.com

Another great educational opportunity - BarSmarts Advanced is coming to Philadelphia on September 26. This is a full day of education for the likes of Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Paul Pacul, the list goes on. For this you need to do the BarSmarts online course first. Check that out at BarSmarts.com

There are a few more sessions of CITC for this year with Gary gaz Regan. Not sure if he has any room left, but that is a wonderful experience. You can find out about that at gazregan.com/cocktailsinthecountry

I’ve done all three of these educational experiences. I get nothing for telling you about them, but I just want you to know about them, because they are all amazing (and affordable).

I missed a few podcasts in the last few weeks. I have a lot on my plate right now family wise, I wont go into the details, but if you are interested you can scroll back in the feed to the show called “Real Talk From Bartender Journey”. It looks like things are starting to get better, so hopefully we’ll be back on track soon.

I am definitely going to Tales of the Cocktail this year – the trip is already booked, so I’ll have lots of great stuff for you from there as well.

Please follow me on IG. @ Bartender Journey

Here’s our toast:

May the chicken never be hatched that will scratch your grave.

This week on the show we talk with Walter Easterbrook who runs the Bowery Collective and is NY Brand Ambassador for Woodford Reserve. This show is also generously sponsored by The Bowery Collective. The Bowery Collective's yearly Arte Agave festival is coming up on June 29, 2018 at the Bowery Hotel in Manhattan. Arte Agave is a unique celebración of fine agave spirits + arts + entertainment inspired by the richness of Latino culture. Click for tickets.

Walter has been also running the Beyond the Bar series which helps Bartenders to advance their careers and move on to other opportunities if they wish.  If you'd like to get involved with future Beyond the Bar events, contact the Bowery Collective. Every year at Tales of the Cocktail there is a big awards ceremony called the Spirited Awards.  This year they have added a new category for Best Video, Broadcast or Podcast.  Please help out by nominating Bartender Journey for this category.  Everything you need to know about how to do this is on this page. Cocktail of the Week: Brown Derby This drink is named for a Hat Shaped restaurant that was once in Los Angeles called the Brown Derby. The classic recipe is: 2 oz Bourbon, I’ll use Woodford Reserve today. 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit Juice 1/2 oz Honey Syrup – 1:1 ratio Honey dissolved in hot water – its best to measure by weight, not volume. Shake with ice.  Strain into a chilled coup glass. Brian’s altered recipe: 2 oz Woodford Reserve Bourbon ¾ oz Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit Juice ¼ oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice 1/2 oz Honey Syrup ¼ oz of an olo sacrum syrup made with the rinds of the Grapefruit, (recipe below) Take the rinds of the Grapefruit before you squeeze it – peel it with a y-peeler or vegetable peeler.  Put in a zip lock bag and add some white sugar.  Mix.  Seal the bag, removing as much of the air as you can.  Let that sit for at least an hour at room temperature.  Add a little warm water to dissolve the sugar mixture and strain it.

Book of the Week: Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick.  The sub title is “A simple tasting guild for the savvy drinker”. We want to thank the Bowery Collective again for sponsoring the show.  If you are in the New York area, definitely check out their events, like Arte Agave on Friday, June 29th 2018 at the Bowery Hotel.  Go to bowerycollective.com/ and click on the Events tab to see all the events. As it says on the on the Bowery Collective’s web site “we create meaningful experiences.  If need help organizing a cool event, get in touch with Walter.  There is a contact button on bowerycollective.com/ Toast: Make everyday a Masterpiece.

This time on the podcast we talk with Bacardi Legacy Global Finalist Moe Isaza. Bacardi Legacy is one of top 2 or 3 most prestigious cocktail competitions in the world.

Also, coming up is Bar Convent Brooklyn. This is an industry conference and is the first time it is being held in The U.S. It is an offspring of Bar Convent Berlin. We speak with Paula November who tells us all about it.

We also want to let you know about an amazing educational opportunity. Bar Methods is run by friends Chris Bidmead and Suzanne Freedman - they do an amazing job.  Its held at the Park South Hotel in Manhattan this year the dates are August 26-29, 2018.   Applications are now open. You can register at barmethods.com

Book of the Week:

Bay Area Cocktails: A History of Culture, Community and Craft by Shanna Farrell. It’s an interesting read about the rebirth of Cocktail Culture. Obviously it focuses the San Francisco area, but it talks about the recent history of the craft cocktail movement

We’ll talk about cocktail photography and also hear about how she travels full time.

Listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast # 251 with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts,  Android or Stitcher Radio.

Check out Beautiful Booze on all social media and the web site: BeautifulBooze.com

Cocktail of the Week:

I was inspired by a post on Natalie’s Beautiful Booze web site. She did a Burnt Citrus Margarita.

I had a bag of Mandarin Oranges so I thought I’d grill a couple of those and juice them. I just cut them in half and sprinkled a little turbinado sugar and grilled them on the BBQ for a few minutes. I also made some Mandarin Orange round slices for garnish and grilled them as well.

Grilled Mandarin Margarita:

• 2 oz Reposado Tequila
• 1/2 oz Grand Marnier
• 1 oz Grilled Mandarin Orange Juice
• 1 oz of freshly squeezed lime juice.
• 1/2 oz Simple Syrup
• 2 Dashes Orange Bitters
• Black Lava Sea Salt for rimming glasses
• Grilled Mandarin Orange Round for garnish Rim outside of glasses with Sea Salt, leaving a portion of the glass unrimmed. Shake all liquid ingredients with ice. Add fresh ice to rimmed glasses. Strain drink into prepared glasses. Garnish with Orange Round.

Book of the Week:

Drinking Distilled – A User’s Manual by Jeffrey Morgenthaler.

Mr. Morgenthaler’s new book Drinking Distilled – A User’s Manual is, as it says in the title it’s a USER’S Manual. It’s mostly about how to drink like a grown up. There are sections on what to drink when, and for what occasions, how to act in a bar, (should you use your phone at a bar, is it ok send someone a drink at a bar?)

You may have heard me recommend his first book The Bar Book. It is the first book I recommend when someone asks me for a “learn how to Bartender book”. Not just recipes – it’s a manual of how to Bartend.

Jeffrey Morgenthaler was our guest on Bartender Journey on podcast #113

If this show has helped you out, entertained you, informed you, please consider supporting Bartender Journey with a small monthly pledge to our Patreon Campaign.  For the price of a Frappuccino each month you can show your support for this show and help keep it going.

Please follow Bartender Journey on Instagram @BartenderJourney.

Toast of the Week:

To the thirst yet to come.

Owner/Creative Director of Union Square Advertising which does Advertising, marketing, printing and social media strictly for the hospitality industry.

He has some great insights for us about Social Media for Bars and Restaurants.  You’ll definitely want to hear what he has to say.

We have TWO original cocktails for you this time, which were so generously given to us by fellow USBG (United Bartender’s Guild NYC members).

For the two orginal cocktail recipes, plus lots more info see the show notes for this episode here. (http://www.bartenderjourney.net/podcast/marketing)

    Book of the Week: Social Media: Marketing Strategies for Rapid Growth Using: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube

This book teaches you the strategies of using the social media to improve the income of your business, with clear concepts.  It covers the major Social Networks and can help you if you are trying to do social media for your business yourself.

If this show has helped you out, entertained you, informed you, please consider supporting Bartender Journey with a small monthly pledge to our Patreon Campaign.

Please follow Bartender Journey on Instagram @BartenderJourney

• Today on the show we talk Ilias Mastroganis, who makes Mastroganis Ouzo and Grappa out in Washington State.

• Book of the Week:

Road Soda Recipes and Techniques for Making Great Drinks Anywhere by our friend Kara Newman. This is a fun little book about making drinks in Planes, Trains and Hotel Rooms, or wherever you might be.

• Every year TOTC runs a competition to determine the official drink of the year for Tales. There is a cash price. They award the prize at the yearly Toast to Tales which is the official kick off of the event. This year the theme is the French 75. Enter here.
• Our sponsor this week is Shaker and Spoon cocktail club. They’ll send you a box of great ingredients every month – enough to make 4 portions each of 3 great craft cocktails. You just need to pick up one bottle of whatever spirit is called for that month. These are all original recipes sourced from awesome bartenders all around the US like our friend Cocktail Guru Jonathan Pogash, Souther Teige, Pam Wiz and lots more.

The next box is the Rum Wild box. Order by March 31 and you can get in on this. If you use the coupon code “Bartender” you’ll save $20! If you don’t get your order in on time, don’t worry, shaker and spoon will be doing another box next month! It’s a great way to open your cocktail making horizons.

Each box comes with all the syrups, bitters, garnishes, mixers, citrus you need to make some delicious craft cocktails. Plus you get recipe cards for each drink. The boxes are put together by Mike and Anna in Brooklyn and shipped out to you monthly. You can always skip a box if you prefer.   Go over to shakerandspoon.com – there are lots of great how-to videos to check out there and I hope you’ll sign up for Shaker and Spoon cocktail club and save $20 and show your support for this show by using the coupon code “Bartender”!

I went to a couple interesting events this week put on by our friend Walter Easterbrook and sponsored by Woodford Reserve. It was called Beyond the Bar. There was a life coach - Tom Summers, a really smart business woman named Natalie Freihon and Lynnette Marrero.

Walter is going to continue this series with small sessions of 10-12 bartenders where they will have interaction with the top professionals

- Finance

-Personal branding

- PR media  -Wellness and more

If you are in the NY area and want to get in on this, let me know and I’ll get you hooked up. Shoot me an email at brian@bartenderjourney.net

• Cocktail of the Week:

El Diablo

1½ oz. reposado tequila ½ oz. crème de cassis ½ oz. fresh lime juice 2–3 oz. ginger beer

If this show has helped you out, entertained you, informed you, please consider supporting Bartender Journey with a small monthly pledge to our Patreon Campaign.

Please follow Bartender Journey on Instagram @BartenderJourney

Toast of the Week:

Laugh and the world laughs with you.

Weep and the world laughs at you.

Among other things, Adam and I will talk talk about cocktails on draft.  Also, a little bit about wine knowledge for Bartenders.

Book of the Week:

Adam Seger recommends Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Complete Wine Course.  You’ll hear him talk about it in the interview, so we’ll make that our book of the week.  

Please visit our Patreon page and consider supporting Bartender Journey with a small monthly pledge.

I went to an interesting seminar this week.  Dale DeGroff gave the talk called I’ll Take Manhattan.  It was sponsored by Woodford Reserve. Dale used the Woodford Reserve Rye to make a batch of Manhattan’s, but without bitters.  We each had 5 small portions of the Manhattan in front of us, and 5 small cups of 5 different bitters. We went through and smelled each of the bitters and added a couple drops of each to our Manhattan’s.  Then we tasted through them all and talked about what we all smelled and tasted. You’d be amazed how different each of these tasted! The Angostura Aromatic bitters were first, and actually, of the five, they were the least bitter, which interestingly made that Manhattan seem to be the sweetest.  Just as sour balances the sweet in a Daiquiri or Margarita, bitter works in a similar manner.

Dale’s point in all this was to show you don’t have to use a lot of ingredients or obscure ingredients; just put the right ingredients in your cocktial.

Cocktail of the Week:

Manhattan experiment.  

Try this experiment:  Make a batch of Manhattans with no bitters - you can do 2:1 whiskey of your choice, use 2 parts of that Woodford Reserve Rye or other whiskey.  

1 part red vermouth.  

(Or you can do as Dale did for us:  4 parts Rye, 1.5 part Dolin red vermouth and .75 Dolin white vermouth).

Stir with ice until very cold.  Then strain it into 4 glasses. Add one type of bitters to the first 2, and a different to the second 2.  Then do 2 different garnishes. Cherry and Orange twists are the most popular. I happen to love my Manhattan with a lemon twist.  Of course expressing the oils from the citrus is key. Using a Y-peeler is the best way to make a twist where you can express the oils really well over the top of the drink.  

Use the Y-peeler to cut your twist.  Myself and many other bartenders cut twists to order for freshness.  Put it between your thumb and index finger and pinch it slowly to spray the oils into the drink.  If you want a fun party trick - hold a match or lighter and express the oils through the flame. It flares up for a second like a magic trick.  If you do this over your drink it will of course give a different flavor. Dale DeGroff revived that trick in the 1980’s when he was running the bar program at the Rainbow Room.  It was reportedly invented by bartender Pepe Ruiz in Beverly Hills for the Flame of Love cocktail created for Dean Martin.

The point of all this is to show how one small change to a cocktail can make a big difference.  I think it also points out just how important every single ingredient is to the final drink.

Toast of the Week:

Don’t walk in front of me,

I may not follow.

Don’t walk behind me

I may not lead.

Walk beside me

And just be my friend.

Consider taking the T.I.P.S. course.  It’s about responsible serving.  There are live classes around the country, but you can do it online at tipsalcohol.com  Its only $40.

Let’s talk Irish Whiskey!  The first thing to know about Irish Whisky is that it is spelled with the “e”, as is generally done for American whiskeys.  One way to remember which have the “e” and which don’t is:

• Countries that have E's in their names (UnitEd StatEs and IrEland) tend to spell it whiskEy (plural whiskeys)
• Countries without E's in their names (Canada, Scotland, and Japan) spell it whisky (plural whiskies)

We talk Irish Whiskey this week with Teeling Irish Whiskey.

Cocktail of the Week:

Irish Coffee

• 1 ½ oz Irish Whiskey
• 4 oz Strong Black Coffee
• Lightly Whipped Heavy Cream
• Grated Nutmeg

Our Sponsor this week is Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club.  They’ll send you a box each month with everything you need to make 4 portions of 3 different craft cocktails, (except the booze), you just need to buy one bottle...with everything in the box, you can make the 3 different drinks.  The box for March was called “Kiss Me I’m Whiskey!” for St. Patrick’s day. Hazel did a cocktail party with that box with some non-bartender friends and did it as a FB Live event. You can still see those videos on the Bartender Journey FB page.  

Use the coupon code “bartenderjourney” at Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club for $20 off!

Book of the Week:

The Whiskeys of Ireland

Toast of the Week:

May the leprechauns be near you,

to spread luck along the way,

And may all the Irish angels smile upon you

On St. Patrick’s Day

Eric’s podcast is interesting and well researched. We discuss bitters and the effect that hobbyist Bartenders are having on the cocktail industry as a whole.

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast #244!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Hazel is doing a FB live cocktail party using the Shaker and Spoon Cocktail Club’s “Kiss Me, I’m Whiskey” box.  So I hope you’ll tune in for the fun and check out the live event on our FB page. It’s Sunday March 11, 2018 at 5pm Eastern, please join in and make yourself a drink and help support the show! The bigger the numbers, the better when we go pitch this to potential sponsors! More details on our Facebook page.

Cocktail of the Week:

Snow Globe Mandarin Margarita

• 2 oz Patron Silver
• ¾ oz Grand Marnier
• ¾ oz Lime Juice
• ½ oz Mandarin Orange Juice
• ½ - ¾ oz Simple Syrup
• 4 drops Orange Bitters
• 8 drops Sea Salt Saline Solution

Shake and serve up.

Last year I was honored to be chosen to take a trip to visit the Patron Hacienda.  That’s a trip that USBG members can apply for. You can hear all about that trip on show #202, (web site link), or look back in the podcast feed for the show titled Hacienda Patrón - Tequila from Farm to Glass (Apple podcast link).  I hope you’ll check that show out if you haven’t already.  There’s lots of great info in that show about how tequila is produced.

Eric Kozlik sent over a coupon code for our listeners - if you’d like to order some of the Embitterment Bitters use the code BARTENDERJOURNEY (all one word, not case sensitive), for 15% off your order.  That’s at modernbarcart.com

If you’d like to support this show, please check out our Patreon campaign.  All the info is at bartenderjourney.net/Patreon

Toast of the Week:

You are bound by nothing.

Well we continue to talk about TOTC, as it became official last week, (Mid February 2018), that Gary Solomon Jr,Neal Bodenheimer of Cure and Cane & Table have taken over leadership of Tales.

We spoke to Gary Soloman and Neal Bodenheimer about all this on show #241, just 2 episodes ago. 

First, l want to thank some great people that chose to help support this podcast. As I mentioned on the previous episode, my family suffered a devastating loss recently. Things are pretty complicated right now…I have a special needs son, and all of a sudden there is one less parent to take care of him, so I wont be returning to my Bartending gig for awhile. I kicked off a Patreon campaign to help support this show. I want to thank Zeke from Chicago, Ryan, PM - Pooch. Also, our friend David Eden-Sangwell from the Bartender HQ podcast, Dylan, Hazel and the Gnarly Gnome from the Cincy Brewcast, a podcast about the Cincinnati craft beer scene.  And I also want to thank Dean and Leonardo for helping out.

If you’d like to support this podcast, go to bartenderjourney.net/patreon, where you can hear the previous episode, with more details and find a link to the Patreon campaign.

Cocktail of the Week:

St-Germain brand ambassador Marlo Gamora turned me on to this drink. Its an upside down martini with a splash of St-Germain.

• 2 oz of a good quality Dry Vermouth (fresh)
• 1 oz Gin
• ¼ St-Germain Eldeflower Liqueur
• Lemon Twist

Delicious and low ABV.

Book of the Week:

How to Drink French Fluently: A Guide to Joie de Vivre with St-Germain Cocktails

Tales on Tour will be in Edinburgh Scotland April 7-10, 2018. Tickets are on sale now.

 Toast of the Week:

I wish you all the joy you can wish.

• As you probably know, Tales of the Cocktail is one of, if not the, biggest and most important cocktail conferences in the world. Tales is going through a transition. After much controversy, which we wont rehash, but reported on extensively first in episode #203, Tales is in the process of being reorganized as the Tunermans are selling their shares.
• Listen to Bartender Journey Podcast No. 241 by clicking on the player on this page or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.
• This week we will talk to the two gentlemen that are in the process of purchasing those shares and will take over management, Gary Soloman and Neal Bodenheimer. We’ll hear about their plans for Tales.
• And next week we’ll continue the conversation about what is being called “Tales 2.0” with Mr. Philip Duff. I hope you are subscribed so that you get the new episodes as soon as they become available, downloaded directly to your phone. For free!

Cocktail of the Week:

Sazerac – The official cocktail of New Orleans as proclaimed by the Louisiana House of Representatives in a 62-33 vote in 2008.

• We’ll use David Wondrich’s recipe from his great Esquire Drinks
• 2 ½ oz Rye Whiskey.
• 3 drops Peychaud’s Bitters
• Dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• Cube of Sugar
• Absinthe rinse

Method:

• Muddle the sugar cube with a few drops of water and the bitters. Add the whiskey. Stir well with ice.
• Put a little Absinthe in an Old Fashioned glass. Roll it around and discard (or drink!) Strain Cocktail into the glass. This drink is unusual in that it’s served in an Old Fashioned glass without ice.
• Express the oils from a lemon twist over the drink and drop twist into the glass.

• This is of course a variation on an Old Fashioned.
• We spoke extensively about the Sazerac cocktail with Elizabeth Pearce, Drinks Historian and author of The French Quarter Drinking Companion way back in episode #132
• First I’ll remind you, I am Brian Weber. Please follow me on IG at Bartender Journey. Also visit our web site at bartenderjourney.net. You can find the show notes and lots of other recourses there. Please consider visiting our Tip Cup page and help support this show. If this show has helped you out at all, entertained you or just kept you company, please go to bartenderjourney.net/tipcup and leave a little something to help support this show.
• We are going to have to figure out how to pay for the trip down to Tales this year…you know I did some work for them for 3 years, recording seminars and producing another podcast for the Tales 365 members, but our arrangement has come to an end. I always get great content for the show at Tales – last year I think we got 4 show’s worth of great material.

Speed Rack, was founded in 2011 by Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero.

This from speed-rack.com:

“The service industry can sometime be thought of as a man’s world.

"Mix and Marrero have been able to shine a spotlight on female mixologists thriving behind bars around the country; and while they are at it, raise money for breast cancer research, education, and prevention.

“The idea was to create a cocktail competition for the ladies -one that celebrated women, was created by women and supported women; in and out of the spirits industry. In their first year, Speed Rack met over 200 bartenders across the country and raised over $69,000.”

That was the first year. This is now the 7th season of Speedrack!

The competition is held in cities all over the country with the final held this year on May 8, 2018 in Chicago.

We really encourage you to attend, volunteer or even enter the competition.

It is such a fun time. Its like a rock concert for Bartenders!

The brand sponsors have tables set up all around the venue offering cocktails and samples of their products.

For Dry January, our friend Mimi Bernham made a delicious N/A punch with Perfect Puree ingredients. Perfect Puree makes great pureed products, mostly fruit, which are awesome in cocktails. The Carmelized Pineapple is one of my favorites! Perfect Puree is really good about shipping samples btw. This is for foodservice professionals only, but they will ship some frozen samples to your bar or restaurant if you go to their website.

Cocktail of the Week:

January Punch 

Courtesy of Mimi Bernham

• 40 oz water 
• 7 Rosehip Tea bags (Onno Behrends Brand) 
• 24 oz The Perfect Puree Prickly Pear 
• 18 oz Ginger Beer 1
• 6 oz seltzer 
• 12 oz pure Acai Juice 
• 5 oz lemon juice 
• 3 oz grapefruit juice 
• 3 tablespoons Sorghum Syrup

• Method: Allow tea bags to steep for 40 minutes.  Squeeze tea bags, and discard. 
• Combine lemon juice and sorghum syrup and shake well to thoroughly blend. 
• Add all ingredients, except for the Ginger beer & seltzer, to a punch bowl and stir to blend. 
• Add seltzer and ginger beer, and gently stir as to keep some bubbles. 
• Add ice to chill the punch; 
• Make an ice ring with rosemary, lemon wheels and fresh cranberries. The aromatics from the ice ring further enhance the punch. 

Makes approximately 3.5 liters of punch

Mimi was our guest on Bartender Journey #161

To attend speedrack its only $25 (or $30 at the door), 100% of which goes to 9 different Breast Cancer charities. According to the speedrack website, approximately $100k is now donated each year.

You can also go as a volunteer.

The format of the competition is this:

In each city 8 ladies are chosen to compete in the semi-final.

It’s a round robin format, so in the first round the ladies are on stage 2 at a time in 4 heats. There are 4 that move on, and again they compete 2 at a time until there are 2 left for the final.

There are 4 judges who call out what drink they would like.

Both competitors are making all 4 drinks per round. Like it says in the title Speedrack, its all about speed. The ladies are timed.

In one round Becca Pesce was up against Samantha Casuga.

Both ladies Bartend at Dead Rabbit. Becca is our good friend from USBG NY. Becca also works for Angel’s Envy as a Whiskey Guardian, as they call their Brand Ambassadors.

The 2 bars are on the big stage and the contestants build their round of drinks as quickly as possible. And these are not simple drinks! There are drinks like the Lion’s Tail, the Cooper Union and the El Diablo. At least it’s a finite list – the competitors are given a list ahead of time of possible cocktails they may be asked to make.

And taste counts too! The judges can add penalty time based on taste, presentation, technique etc.

Becca won her first round, but unfortunately Becca her next round to Haley Traub.

Haley moved on to the final round.

As I record this in mid January 2018 there are 4 dates still to come, plus the final in Chicago. The 4 remaining semi-finals are in New Orleans, Phoenix, Washington D.C. and Boston.

Book of the Week:

Julie Reiner was one of the judges. She wrote:

The Craft Cocktail Party: Delicious Drinks for Every Occasion

I spoke to Julie way back in 2015 at Tales of the Cocktail.

In the final round Celeste “Lucky” Dittanmo of Whistle & Tins in Maplewood NJ was up against Haley Traub of Dutch Kills in Queens. Haley was victorious and moves on to the finals in Chicago.

I hope you’ll attend, volunteer or compete. All the info is on speed-rack.com and there are lots of videos on facebook – just search for speedrack (one word - no space).

I hope you checked out the previous episode of Bartender Journey. Podcast #239 is all about the Classic Daiquiri. I spent a lot of time on that episode and I think it came out pretty good, if I do say so myself! So please go back and listen to that one if you haven’t already.

Toast:

Here’s to God’s first thought, “Man”!

Here’s to God’s second thought, “Woman”!

Second thoughts are always best,

So here’s to Woman!

What the Bartending community sometimes refers to as a “Classic Daiquiri” is a very different drink than the slushy artificially colored and flavored thing many people think of as a Daiquiri.  While a frozen Daiquiri can be delicious, a “Classic Daiquiri” is  simply 3 ingredients, shaken until very cold and served without ice in a chilled cocktail glass. It is arguably one of the most important drinks for any Bartender to master. 

This wonderful cocktail, (I start to crave one as I write this at 10am), is a delicate balance of Rum, freshly squeezed lime juice and simple syrup.

Just as the simple omelet is considered a gage of a Cook’s talent, a Bartender’s Daiquiri is a clue into a Bartender’s skill, methodology and education.

What makes this drink so important?  For one, the Bartender must perfectly balance the three ingredients.  Too much lime juice, or not enough sugar and the drink will be too tart and make your face pucker.  Too much sugar and the result will be obvious.  Not enough Rum and the drink will be “flabby”.  As it is shaken, a fourth ingredient is added - water.  Diluting the drink with the perfect amount of water from the melting ice is a technique that takes skill, precision, instinct and experience.

There is another reason that this cocktail is so important for the Bartender to understand and be able to prepare properly.  This drink is a basic “sour” style drink, like a whiskey sour.  Just as the culinary world has 5 “mother sauces”, we have categories of cocktails. The sour is the basis for countless drinks. 

For more details and cocktail recipes please visit bartenderjourney.net/daiquiri

We’ll also talk to Sorab Silawri from Filibuster Distillery. Filibuster put on a nice Holiday gathering at Club Macanudo, with some nice cigars and great Filibuster whiskey.

Book of the Week:

Bourbon Curious by Fred Minnick

This book gets into serious detail about Bourbon, with an exploration of many brands broken down into categories: Grain-Forward, Nutmeg-Forward, Carmel-Forward, Cinnamon-Forward, and Select Limited Edition and Special Releases.

Very helpful is the chapter “How to Taste Bourbon”. This chapter gives great practical information about improving your tasting skills and even gives some homework! There are worksheets, for example, what are your top ten memories and what are the aromas associated with them? There is also a long list of flavors that you can expect to smell and taste in Bourbon – everything from Allspice to White Pepper.

Cocktail of the Week:

New Yorker

This is from the Speakeasy book from the Employees Only Bar, but Bar Manager Robert Krueger found it in an book from the 1930’s called Booth’s Cocktail Book.

1 ¾ oz high proof Rye, such as Wild Turkey 101

1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice

¾ oz Simple Syrup

Place above ingredients in a Collins glass with ice and give a brief shake, (“short shake”).

Top with 3 oz Club Soda and then float ¾ oz of dry Red Wine on top.  (Try using an iSi Soda Siphon for the Club Soda)

This is a variation on the New York Sour with the addition of Club Soda. A nice drink and very festive looking.

Toast of the Week:

From the book Toasts

Here’s to the present – and to hell with the past.

A health to the future and joy to the last!

It details how to layout a bar from start to finish. The section called “The Physical Bar” is extremely specific, starting with the location for your establishment – considering everything from the population density to income levels and more. Then the theme of the bar, or even, “do you really want one of those”. Then moving on to building the interior, the book gives detailed measurements of the ideal distance from the back edge of the bar to the front of the back bar, where the ice bins, coolers POS and more should be placed.

The book gives specific case studies and detailed technical drawings of famous bars such as the NoMad and Dead Rabbit.

There are pages about the sequence of building one round of 11 particularly complicated cocktails. I’ve been thinking about that section constantly at work, trying to maximize my workflow.

Information about icing, stirring, shaking, tasting and much more.

Then there are also 100 great cocktail recipes.

Honestly, this is a must-have book. There are many important details on designing a bar, service plus spirit & cocktail knowledge.

Plus the humble Gin and Tonic - how can we change things up a little?

Tonic began as a medicine many years ago.

According to Wikipedia:

"Quinine was added to a drink to protect against malaria. It was originally intended for consumption in tropical areas of South Asia and Africa, where the disease is endemic.

"Quinine powder was so bitter that British officials stationed in early 19th Century India and other tropical posts began mixing the powder with soda and sugar, and a basic tonic water was created. The first commercial tonic water was produced in 1858.[1] The mixed drink gin and tonic also originated in British colonial India, when the British population would mix their medicinal quinine tonic with gin."

Many bars are making there own Tonic syrups, which are then mixed with seltzer to make Tonic water.  Brands like El Guapo Bitters also sell great bottled Tonic syrup.

There are many possiblities for a G&T.  I love a healthy dash of fresh lime juice in my G&T.  You can add some of Chet's Kuma Turmeric Liqueur, or some El Guapo Rose Cordial, (which is up for a 2018 Good Food Award btw).

Another option is to serve your G&T with fresh herbs & fruit in a big wine glass, the way they often do in Spain.

Book of the Week:

Ed McMahon's Barside Companion

Upcoming Episode - Classic Daiquiri.  Your chance to be involved!

We are planning a future episdoe dedicated the Classic Daiquiri. We’d love for you to be involved! Record your favorite Daiquiri recipe or story with a voice recorder on your phone and email to brian@bartenderjounrey.net

If we have any subscribers that represent a Rum brand and would like to send some samples along for us to play with, please get in touch! You can use the same email address brian@bartenderjounrey.net

So get your input for the Daiquiri show to me by 12/20/17 and we’ll aim to release that episode as the first Bartender Journey episode of 2018.

Toast of the Week:

Here’s to our guest! Friends of our Friend’s is double our friend. Here to them!

• Bar Institute was in NY last week. Lush Life is the organization that puts this on and they do an amazing job. They also produce Camp Runamuck and Cane Camp. Bar Institute is classes, parties, tastings, and networking.
• The speakers at the Bar Institute classes are all amazing and all volunteer - great people that want to help raise the industry.
• One amazing class taught by Jackie Summers, Alexandra Farrington and Joanna Carpenter was An Intersectional Guide to Dismantling Systemic Racism and Sexism in Hospitality #YouToo
• This week on the show we talk with Josh Davis who works with Lush Life in addition to being Bar Manager at The Bureau Bar in Chicago.
• Book of the Week comes to us from Hazel Alvarado. The Thinking Girl's Guide to Drinking: (Cocktails without Regrets)
• We are looking for sponsors for the Bartender Journey Podcast. If you know of anyone who might be a good fit, I’d love to hear from you. You can email me directly at brian@bartenderjourney.net.

2 dashes Peychaud's bitters 2 dashes Angostura bitters

Brooke shares a great discount code with us for 50% off an order of $150 or more of paper straws from the Aardvark Straws Company. Use the discount code ANGELSENVY50 at checkout.

We also speak to our friend Willie Mack who we met at Bar Methods. Willie is a Bartender at the Barclays Center.

It’s the Bartender Journey Podcast #234. Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.

We chat with Monika Elling, author of Wine 123: All you need to know about wine in 90 minutes or less

It’s the Bartender Journey Podcast #233. Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Over the past 232 episodes of Bartender Journey we’ve only talked about wine once.  Way back in show #105 we spoke with Elizabeth Schneider of the Wine For Normal People podcast.

Wine 123 packs a lot of knowledge into a small package that is very easy to digest.

Of course Monika Elling’s Wine 123: All you need to know about wine in 90 minutes or less is our Book of the Week.  It’s a perfect crash course on wine.

For our cocktail of the week I suppose we could have come up with something obscure, but Sangria makes people so happy.  Searching for a way to make it à La Minute, I found the answer on Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s site.

He uses Red Wine, Grand Marnier, Fresh Orange Juice, Simple Syrup and a dash of Angostura bitters.  Brilliant!  It’s delicious and a real crowd pleaser.  I’ll let you experiment with the proportions for making one glass.  Suffice to say, a little bit of each modifier goes a long way - the drink should be mostly wine in the end.  Mix it all in a big wine glass, and an orange, lemon and lime wedge and then add ice at the end.  This same recipe works with white wine, for a nice White Sangria.

If this show has helped you, entertained you, etc and you’d like to see it continue, please consider leaving a little something in our Tip Cup.  Please help support this show and help keep the audio flowing.

Also, if you work for a brand or other business that would benefit from reaching our community of Bartenders and Enthusiasts, please get it touch to find out about sponsorship opportunities.  Use our contact page.

Toast of the Week:

Here’s to water...water devine-

It dews the grapes that give us wine.

It’s the Bartender Journey Podcast #232. Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Alan Katz was also at the meeting. His NY Distilling Company is just a few blocks away from The Counting Room, and he invited me to visit, as I had not been to his place before. He may have gotten more than he bargained for because I dragged about 10 friends along with me! Of course he was a very gracious host and we had a nice time checking out the distillery and the great attached bar.

Along for the ride was our great friend Craig Shiedlo who in turn had a friend in tow that he met at a cocktail competition. Enrico Gonzato who is a Bartender at Dandelyan in London. Dandelyan, of course has won many awards, including “World’s Best Cocktail Bar” at the Spirited Awards during Tales of the Cocktail in 2017. Dandelyan was founded by our friend Ryan Chetiyawardana, who we spoke with at the Dead Rabbit on episode 150.

Book of the Week: Ryan Chetiyawardana’s Good Things To Drink, with Mr. Lyan & Friends. This is a beautiful book filled with tons of innovative recipes and gorgeous photography.

Cocktail of the Week:

Perfect Manhattan. It’s the beginning of November and that sounds like just the thing. The Perfect Manhattan splits the vermouth 50/50 sweet and dry. It makes it a little lighter and brighter.

2 oz Rye Whiskey.

½ Dry Vermouth

½ Sweet Vermouth

Dash of Orange Bitters.

Lemon Twist

Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week: Brought to you by Sudio Bluetooth Headphones, making great sounding and great looking headphones in Sweden. Go to sudiosweden.com and use the discount code “bart enderjourney” for 15% off your Sudio wireless headphones and to show your support for the Bartender Journey Podcast. The Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week :

Star Talk with Neil DeGrass Tyson.

Dr. Tyson is an Astrophysicist. He has a wonderful approachable and entertaining way of getting really fascinating information across. He always has a professional comedian as a co host on the show, and you laugh while you learn. Give it a try! Its called Star Talk.

Toast of the Week:

May your blessings outnumber

The shamrocks that grow,

And may trouble avoid you

Wherever you go

Cocktail of the Week "Done Got Wise" 1 1/2 oz Drambuie 1 oz creme de cacao 1/2 oz Monkey Shoulder 1 1/2 oz espresso 1 Dash Angostura Aromatic Bitters National Drambuie Brand Ambassador Vance Henderson makes an appearance on the podcast this week explaining the Drambuie Cocktail Competition.  (We spent an entire episode to speaking with our friend Vance on Bartender Journey Podcast number 207).

Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week: Brought to you by Sudio Bluetooth Headphonesout of Sweden making great sounding and great looking headphones. Go to sudiosweden.com and use the discount code “bartenderjourney” for 15% off your Sudio wireless headphones and to show your support for the Bartender Journey Podcast. The Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week is No Such Thing As A Fish.   In this podcast 4 or so people get together each week with a strange fact and talk about it. The hosts are hysterical and smart and the shows are always very entertaining.  You can take some of these goofy facts and use them to start conversations at your bar.  The hosts are English and it is what I guess you’d call modern English humor. Check it out!

Book of the Week: The Old-Fashioned: The Story of the World's First Classic Cocktail, with Recipes and Lore by Robert Simonson Well the Old Fashioned is everywhere these days and this is a comprehensive guide to the whiskey, sugar and bitters classic. There is history plus more than forty cocktail recipes, including variations, regional twists, and contemporary updates from top bartenders around the country.

It is officially New York Rye Week as declared by the Governor and State Legislature of New York. In honor of this, there are many events happening in NY, especially New York City including two special industry events from Allen Katz at the New York Distilling Company. (As you may recall, we interviewed Allen on Episode No.225.)

The Bartender Journey team was fortunate enough to attend The Renaissance of Rye, the trade day kickoff event on Thursday, October 19th. This event not only featured one-of-a-kind discussion and tasting with agriculture experts in the field of grain science who specialize in so-called, 'Small Grains'.

In addition to the Rye panel, a batch of their own Horton Rye seven years in the making from an initial planting of 10 seeds was fermented and distilled. Additionally, every guest that attended was given the opportunity to sign the barrel, post it on social media and then return to claim a bottle of the whiskey from the barrel in 4-5 years. Friday, October 20th will be the trade tasting event from 2-4 pm featuring 20 great rye whiskies from North America.

On Saturday, October 21st is the Wild Rye Rumpus event that will feature the world premiere of Empire Rye, a new category of rye whiskey, a project began a few years ago as an homage to New York State’s pre-Prohibition rye whiskey-making heritage. To be considered an Empire Rye, the whiskey requires New York state grain and a minimum age statement of two years as mentioned in this week's New York Times article. The nine New York founding distilleries that will be releasing expressions at the event are

Black Button Distilling (Albany), Coppersea Distilling (New Paltz), Finger Lakes Distilling (Seneca Lake), Kings County Distilling (Brooklyn), New York Distilling (Brooklyn) , Tuthilltown Distilling (Gardiner), Van Brunt Stillhouse (Brooklyn) and Yankee Distillers (Saratoga County).

Author's Table Event featuring Jim Meehan in Brooklyn - Thursday, October 26th

The Author's Table is a monthly literary series featuring authors with a passion for spirits and food that share through writing. Jim will be discussing his new book, Meehan's Bartender Manual. $5 fee includes admission, $7 all night cocktails and happy hour specials. It’ll be held at The Shanty 79 Richardson St, Brooklyn. Proceeds will benefit the Brooklyn Public Library.

Industry Kickball Tournament

The Bartender Journey team is participating in the annual Industry Kickball Tourney sponsored by William Grant & Sons. Our host will be New York's own, Jen Marshall of Momentum, the brand agency for William Grant and former Beverage Director of Butter & Scotch. This all day field trip to MCU Park (Home of the Coney Island Cyclones) will include the bus ride, kickball, corn hole, cocktails and food. Monies raised goes towards disaster relief. 

Bartender Journey wants YOU to come with us so we are hosting an Instagram cocktail contest to kick off the holidays. Rules are as follows: 

1. Follow the Bartender Journey on Instagram.
2. Create a holiday (e.g. Thanksgiving, Hanukah, Christmas, etc.) cocktail featuring a William Grant & Sons brand.  
3. Take a beauty pic and post on YOUR Instagram account with #bartenderjourneycocktail by Monday, October 30th, midnight EST. 
4. We will reach out to you directly by November 1st to let you know that you've won and get your details to send you your ticket.
5. Your cocktail will be featured as the Cocktail of the Week.

Further details will be available on the Bartender Journey site!

A few days left to enter the USBG Bacardi Legacy Cocktail Competition!

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast Number 229!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts, Android or Stitcher Radio.

First, let’s talk a bit about garnishes.

Cutting that fruit - It’s something we do everyday behind the bar, but nobody really talks about it!  I say - take some pride in that task!  You need a sharp knife to cut good looking garnishes.  I carry all my bar tools with me in a bag and I have 2 really sharp small paring knives in there. It makes cutting the fruit a pleasure. These knives are very inexpensive and a worthwhile investment.

The pith - the white parts of the fruit - are bitter and can impart a odd flavor after it sits in a drink for awhile.  Try to remove as much as possible.

Of course when cutting the lemons and oranges you want to remove as many seeds as possible.  What’s worse than getting a lemon seed in your mouth when you are sitting at a bar, trying to make conversation?

It takes a little longer, but what you end up with is some nice fresh looking fruit.

How about twists?  I love to do my twists a la minute’ or “to order”.  I use my y-peeler and get a nice long thick piece of zest with no pith and express those oils over my drink.  

A well done garnish gives a visual cue to your guest that this we put some attention and care into making that drink.   

Herbs are tough to keep fresh.  I’ve come up with this method for my mint, which does keep it pretty good looking for a while, but what I really want is a little garden just outside where I can cut mint right out of the ground more or less as I need it!  

ASAP after the mint is delivered, I cut off the very bottom of the stem like you would if you had flowers you were going to put in a vase, so that it will drink up as much water as possible.  Then place that bunch of mint in ice water, stem side down. Let it sit there around 20 minutes or so, but less time seems to be ok too.  The cold water “shocks” the herbs, “setting” the color.  Then drain the mint, but not bone dry. I’ll make small bundles that will fit nicely and fold the bottom of a paper towel over the cut stems then gently roll it all up so that the everything is covered. I’ll take my small bundles of wrapped herbs and put them in a resalable gallon plastic bag. Every day or two I’ll change the paper towels, to keep it from getting mushy.

As for cherries and olives - well luxardo cherries are just awesome and impressive in your drink. The luxardo cherries are expensive, that’s for sure, so if you are using them, don’t forget to factor that into the price of your cocktail. 

In Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s great  The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique he says that he likes to remove the cherries from their liquid and store them in brandy.

As for olives, he removes them from the brine, which of course is saved for making Dirty Martninis and he store the olives in Dry Vermouth.

Book of the Week: The Bar Book: Elements of Cocktail Technique by Jeffrey Morgenthaler

Cocktail of the Week Brown Derby This is a delicious cocktail.  I first had one at the Flatiron Lounge many years ago, it was a real ah-ha moment for me.  It was absolutely delicious … I had never had one before.  It just made me realize that a drink made with just 3 ingredients, if they are perfectly balanced and high quality ingredients to begin with is really what a perfect cocktail should be.  I add a small amount of lemon juice to the classic recipe, which “brightens it up” a bit.

• 1 3/4 oz Bourbon
• 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Grapefruit Juice
• ¼ oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Honey Syrup (1:1 honey dissolved in hot water)
• Shake.  Grapefruit twist.

Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week Brought to you by Sudio Headphones, makers of high quality Bluetooth headphones. Use the coupon code “BartenderJourney” for 15% off and to show your support for this show.

• Our Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week is Jordan, Jessie, Go. They are trained in improv comedy and really know how to make funny out of nothing...which is a skill that is very helpful behind the bar.  So give those guys listen on your new Sudio Bluetooth headphones.

The tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas this week have people realing.  It was just an awful, disgusting act, but you don’t need me to tell you that.  We send our best wishes to those affected,directly and indirectly.  I would imagine among other repercussions that this will affect tourism  in Las Vegas for some time, and will hurt our brother and sister Bartenders and other Hospitality workers in the pocketbook.

This is not the place to discuss the event itself. One issue that we have never talked about on this show is security.   I am certainly no expert on this subject, but it needs to be discussed.

Bars, restaurants, music venues etc are so called “soft targets”.  They are vulnerable, large numbers of people gather there.  We saw this in the Paris attacks, in Orlando now Las Vegas.

Ideally every business should write a disaster plan.  There are security consultants that can help with this, or you can write something up yourself, and I’m going to give you a free tool that almost automates the process.

One easy and practically free thing every bar should have, but many don’t is a LOG.  Everyday at the end of a shift the manager or bartender or both should write in a log book.  Even if nothing unusual happened, write that!  This is really important for legal reasons, for example - if you have to cut somebody off, or there is a fight or whatever.  There needs to be documentation.  Some places will even include things like the weather or seemingly unrelated details, but they can become important in the future.   The reason to do old school hand written logs in a physical notebook, as opposed to Google Docs or some other computerized solution is that these notes thoreticly can’t be altered after the fact.  The book needs to have pages that are not easily removed, so it needs to have bound pages - a spiral notebook is no good.

Next we can talk about exits. In the Las Vegas attack many many of the injuries were attributed to people getting trampled or hurt while trying to climb walls and other things like that.

I was watching a lot of CNN, in the hours and days after the Las Vegas attack.  One expert pointed out that human nature dictates people will always try to get out the same way they came in.  As I’m sure you know, the Las Vegas shooting occurred at an outdoor venue.  There were 4 gates used for entering, but 3 other large exits on the opposite side.  As in an airplane always locate the exit nearest you, keeping in mind it may be behind you - or maybe the opposite way from where you came in.  I heard one security expert say, “when I enter a place I’m already trying to figure how to get out”.  In fact the advice from a US Government document that I’ll talk more about later, suggests finding the closest 2 exits.

Keeping this in mind, if there were ever an incident where you work and you had to evacuate your guests, you may need to direct them to exits they are not aware of, including possibly through the back of the house.

Here in the U.S. we have the Federal Government agency OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) and according to their officail web site “Almost every business is required to have an emergency action plan (EAP).” 

Luckily on their web site you can Create Your Own Emergency Action Plan (EAP).  This is the free tool I mentioned a minute ago, and of course we will have a link on BaretenderJourney.net

This is their description of an EAP:

“An emergency action plan (EAP) is usually a written document required by particular OSHA standards. For smaller organizations, the plan does not need to be written and may be communicated orally if there are 10 or fewer employees.  The purpose of an EAP is to facilitate and organize employer and employee actions during workplace emergencies. The elements of the plan must include, but are not limited to:

• Means of reporting fires and other emergencies
• Evacuation procedures and emergency escape route assignments
• Procedures to be followed by employees who remain to operate critical plant operations before they evacuate
• Procedures to account for all employees after an emergency evacuation has been completed
• Rescue and medical duties for those employees who are to perform them
• Names or job titles of persons who can be contacted for further information or explanation of duties under the plan”

It goes on to say that most small and medium-sized entities will get their basic plans from this system in 10 to 15 minutes.  There is no charge for this.  So that’s a great resource and of course we’ll have links in the show notes.

This is just the tip of the iceberg with this stuff.

I referenced a Federal Government document a few minutes ago.  Its from the Department of Homeland Security and its called “Active Shooter - How to Respond”.  The conventional wisdom in this situation is Run, Hide, Fight.  This document details that.  Also if you go to youtube and search for Run, Hide, Fight you’ll find a video that is definitely worth watching.

Back to the document - it says “Remember that customers and clients are likely to follow the lead of employees and managers during an active shooter situation”.

I’ll read through some of this, and of course link to it on BartenderJourney.net

Evacuate So this is Run part.

If there is an accessible escape path, attempt to evacuate the premises. Be sure to:

• Have an escape route and plan in mind
• Evacuate regardless of whether others agree to follow
• Leave your belongings behind
• Help others escape, if possible
• Prevent individuals from entering an area where the active shooter may be
• Keep your hands visible
• Follow the instructions of any police officers
• Do not attempt to move wounded people
• Call 911 when you are safe

Hide Out:

If evacuation is not possible, find a place to hide where the active shooter is less likely

to find you.

Your hiding place should:

• Be out of the active shooter’s view
• Provide protection if shots are fired in your direction (i.e., an office with a closed

and locked door)

• Not trap you or restrict your options for movement

To prevent an active shooter from entering your hiding place:

• Lock the door
• Blockade the door with heavy furniture

If the active shooter is nearby:

• Lock the door
• Silence your cell phone, and I’ll add consider turning off vibration too.  It takes a few steps and might be difficult to remember in a stressful situation.  In iOS 9 and above you can go to Settings/General/Accessibility/Vibration/Off.  You probably don’t want to shut the phone off completely because  you’ll want the option of communication, plus sometimes the phone makes a bunch of noise as it turns off...so just something to keep in mind.  Back to the list of “If the shooter is nearby”
• Turn off any source of noise (i.e., radios, televisions)
• Hide behind large items (i.e., cabinets, desk)
• Remain quiet
• Try to Remain calm
• Dial 911, if possible, to alert police to the active shooter’s location
• If you cannot speak, leave the line open and allow the dispatcher to listen.  

I’ll add that as I record this in October 2017 the ability of 911 operators to pinpoint the caller’s exact location seems to have vastly improved over the last 3 or 4 years.  In an article I read on a website called govtech.com the operator is get the location of the cell towers within seconds of a call coming in.  A 911 dispatch trainer named Matt Langley is quoted as saying “If a phone is Phase 2 compliant -- most newer phones are -- the phones have better capabilities in sending cell towers GPS coordinates”.  “Then, dispatchers communicate with that tower, which communicates with the phone”.  “The caller's location if found from the cell tower is shown on an online map in front of the dispatcher. Not all states or counties have that capability”

Back to the Homeland Security Document.  Last resort - Fight.

Take action against the active shooter

As a last resort, and only when your life is in imminent danger, attempt to

disrupt and/or incapacitate the active shooter by:

• Acting as aggressively as possible against him/her
• Throwing items and improvising weapons
• Yelling
• Committing to your action

Disclaimer:  Remember this is not me telling you to do this, its the US Federal Gov’t’s Department of Homeland Security.

When Law Enforsement Arrives

There is more on the document - I won’t read it all, but basicly raise your hands - these guys just got here, they don’t know what’s going on - we don’t want to put them in a situation where they have to make a split second decision resulting in a mistake.  Of course follow their commands.  Understand weird stuff could happen, like they could potentially throw you to the ground or something for your own safety.  Don’t get in their way by yelling or screaming at them for help, just quickly exit the same way they came in.

There are more recommendations for Preparing for and Managing an Active Shooter Situation.  I’ll let you read through them all, but the one that stuck out to me is to “activate the emergency notification system when an emergency situation occurs”.  Now in a small bar its going to be pretty obvious to all that something is going on, but imagine a Hotel or even large restaurant with multiple floors and a noisy kitchen in the back.  Something to think about.

Alright, last week I started a segment called “Unrelated Podcast Suggestion of the Week”.  Well we are changing it already.  This week its a related podcast and more than a suggestion I’m going to call this homework for you.  The podcast is Nightclub Security.  It looks like they only produced 21 episodes with the last one posted in 2014, but its a great show from the guys at Nightclub Security Consultants, who I met at the Nightclub & Bar Show a few years back.  In particular, I’d like to you listen to episodes 4 and 5  called 6 Important Tips to Manage a Major Violent Incident in Your Venue and Ep. 005 – How to Document a Major Incident in Your Venue respectively.

As the name implies, they do Security Consultancy as well as bouncer training both in California and online.  You can find them at nightclubsecurity.com

Our “Related Podcast Homework of the week” is brought to you by Sudio wireless bluetooth headphones.  Use the coupon code “BartenderJourney” for 15% off these great headphones at sudiosweden.com or use the link in the show notes.  These headphones sound great, look really sharp and are well made.  I’ve been wearing the over ear model constantly in bluetooth mode when listening to music and podcasts.  They come with an aux cord so you can plug them in if you want to, which if you think about it is a great feature, because if you are on a long trip and you exhaust the batteries you can plug them in and they will work until you get a chance to charge them again!  They have wireless in ear or earbud models too.  Check them out and remember to use coupon code “BartenderJourney” for 15% off and to show your support of this show.

Don’t forget to do your homework - I’ll be grading it!  Listen to the Nightclub Security Podcast Ep 4&5. 

We didn’t do a Cocktail of the Week, because after watching the news this week, I think I’ll just have a whiskey..neat.

Here’s our toast:

Here’s a health to everyone,

Peace on earth, and heaven won.

• Take a listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 227 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio
• But first there’s plenty of other stuff to talk about.

I told you last week that I heard from the fine people at Johnnie Walker.  They are releasing just 39,000 bottles of Johnnie Walker Black The Director’s Cut in conjunction with the release of the film Blade Runner 2049, starring Harrison FordThe film is directed by  Denis Villeneuve who collaborated with Master Blender Jim Beveridge to create this wonderful variation on Johnnie Walker Black.  It’s absolutely delicious.  Smokey like the original, but a little richer, rounder and even a bit fruitier.  Its 49% ABV as opposed to the 40% of the original.  Johnnie Walker Black is a great scotch...a classic, and I really enjoy this riff on it.

It comes in a really interesting futuristic bottle.

The original Blade Runner Movie was based on the book by Philip K. Dick called:

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? So we’ll use that amusing name for our Cocktail of the Week!

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

• 1 ½ oz Johnnie Walker Black Label The Director’s Cut, (or substitute Johnnie Walker Black Label)
• ½ oz Barrow’s Intense Ginger Liqueur
• ½ oz Grilled Pineapple Juice (Juice from slices of Pineapple that have been grilled on each side for 3 mintues.)
• ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Honey Syrup (1:1)
• 1 Dash Fee Brothers Molasses Bitters (or substitute Angostura Aromatic Bitters).
• Freshly Ground Nutmeg

Shake all ingredients except Nutmeg with ice.  Double strain into an Old Fashioned glass with one large ice cube.  Grate a small amount of Nutmeg on top.  Garnish with a wedge of grilled Pineapple, preferably skewered on a Hip-Stirrer Metal Robot Swizzle Cocktail Stirrer.

Industry news from Bar Institute:

“This unrelenting hurricane season has already caused unspeakable damage from Texas to the Caribbean. And, as our dear friends in Puerto Rico prepare for another very serious storm in Hurricane Maria, we have made the choice to postpone Bar Institute San Juan in the interest of everyone's safety and out of respect for the limited resources (including power, water and food) that are now available on the island. 

The new dates are 1/29-1/31 2018”.

Oct 23-25 – Portland, OR

Nov 13-16 – New York, NY

Jan 29-31 – San Juan, PR

We have posted last week on BartenderJourney.net about NY area industry events for hurricane relief. Look for the link under the show notes on the site for this episode.  If you are doing something too and would like to let us know about what your bar is doing to help, let us know on the contact page.

I think as a Bartender (or even an enthusiast who throws a lot of cocktail parties), being a great conversationalist is a great skill to have.  You need to have lots of stuff to talk about – knowing a little about a lot can help your conversation skills.    Podcasts are a great way to learn stuff – and you listen to podcasts!  I know that for a fact because you can hear me talking right now!

So I thought we’d try out a new segment called Unrealted Podcast Suggestion of the Week.

We’ll do a podcast suggestion that has nothing to do with Bartending, cocktails or spirits.

And since you listen to podcasts and most likely do a lot of that listening on headphones, our Unrealted Podcast Suggestion of the Week is brought to you by a great headphone company called Sudio.  They make great quality wireless Bluetooth headphones, which btw, if you are still using headphones that you physically have to plug into your phone you are nuts!  

These Sudio headphones sound great!  It’s a shame that over the last couple of decades we’ve been increasingly sacrificing sound quality for convenience. Sudio also has a wireless earbud style model.  And if you use my coupon code BARTENDERJOURNEY you can get 15% off any model.  Go to sudiosweden.com and make sure you use coupon code BARTENDERJOURNEY for 15% off and to show your support for Bartender Journey!

So our Unrealted Podcast Suggestion of the Week is Showcase from Radiotopia, a new podcast from Radiotopia featuring original series from emerging and leading radio producers around the world. The current series, Ways of Hearing, is a six-part series about listening in the digital age from acclaimed musician Damon Krukowski. It’s a really interesting and podcast about the transition from analog to digital. It’s a fascinating discussion and expertly produced and I hope you’ll enjoy it.  It’s a limited run series and all 6 episodes.  If you have a suggestion for Unrealted Podcast Suggestion of the Week I’d really love to hear it!  Send me an email at brian@bartenderjourney.net with “podcast suggestion” in the subject line.

Oh hey!  I was a guest on another podcast.  As you may know, I bartend at a Private Club.  I was recently featured on the podcast called Private Club Radio.  If you are interested in hearing me on another podcast, or if you happen to work in a Private Club, check out Private Club Radio.  We’ll have a link to my episode in the show notes on bartenderjourney.net.

If you are a Bar or Restaurant owner, this week on our resource page, we have a link to a couple articles about insurance.  Not the “sexiest” of topics, but definitely an important and necessary one. Learn about General Liability Insurance, Business Property Insurance and Workers Comp from Embroker Insurance.

We’ve also included the Northeast contact information for additional questions.

And here’s some legalese: The article posted is not an endorsement and is for information only; rules may vary by jurisdiction.

Oh boy, here we go again with TOTC drama.  If you remember, back in March 2017 there was a huge uproar in the Cocktail community about a picture Ann Tuennerman, founder of TOTC posted.  She repeated an insensitive remark made by her husband Paul Tuennerman, and in the photo, Ann was wearing blackface.  It’s an old Marti Gras tradition and I won’t get into the details, but I covered all this very thoroughly back in episode #203.  I’ll have a link with the show notes or search back in the feed for the episode called Diversity Awareness (& Some Turmoil) in the Cocktail World       

Shortly after all this happened, Paul stepped down from his position at TOTC. Tales formed a Diversity Council. Which according to their web site:  “This Council composed of professionals from across the industry and outside of the industry, will work towards implementing progressive initiatives and monitoring their progress over time. This process will be completely transparent, and each initiative will be documented and made viewable to the public”.   Paul didn’t attend Tales this year as far as I could tell and the 15th TOTC was awesome as always.  It was feeling like the healing was beginning.

Then last week, 9/22/17 the website Neat Pour broke the story that Paul would be returning to the organization.  Ann announced this to the Diversity Council in an email.  The Council was not consulted at all and in fact Diversity Council Co-chair Colin Asare-appiah publicly resigned his post immediately.   There was uproar and lots of posts on FB.  People were pissed off again.

Our friend Jackie Summers, member of USBG NY and proprietor of Sorel Artisinal Liqueur sits on the Diversity Council.   He posted a very detailed note late friday night/ saturday morning that begins “Time for some facts.  Hopefully this will add some clarity”.  I won’d read the entire post but it is clear that Paul’s reinstatement, just 7 months after the original incident was very disturbing to the Diversity Council as well as the community as a whole.   Later in Jackie’s post he says “While I consider whether or not to continue my own future involvement, my concern is that this sequence of actions may prove more divisive than the incident itself.”

 As I said, all this happened on Friday.

One day later, on Saturday evening  9/23/17 the following email

Tales of the Cocktail Co-Founders Step Down

“Co-Founders, Ann and Paul Tuennerman, will be transitioning away from their roles in producing the world’s renowned cocktail event, Tales of the Cocktail, effective immediately.

Melissa Young, who has served as Director of Operations for the past nine years will assume the reigns of the operating company behind the event, MOJO911, LLC, as President.”

The press release goes on with a quote from Ann:

"We have devoted our professional careers to the hospitality industry even before the formation of Tales of the Cocktail and the New Orleans Culinary and Cultural Preservation Society).  Our goal has always been to create something lasting that can benefit the industry and the people of New Orleans well beyond our years. This allows that to continue," said Ann R. Tuennerman.)

There is another quote from Paul, but no mention of the controversy or the timing of this decision.

“It has been an honor to spend the last fifteen years working within the industry to create something extraordinary. I am fortunate in that I have had the opportunity to work alongside some amazing bartenders, spirit producers, authors, and educators, from around the globe. While Ann and I have mixed emotions, we are excited about the next chapter in our lives, and look forward to watching the event continue to evolve and flourish,” said Paul G. Tuennerman.

So congrats and best of luck to Melissa Young.  She’s a super nice and smart lady and it will be very interesting to see what the future brings for TOTC as the baton is passed to the next generation!

Toast of the Week:

May we get what we want,

May we get what we need,

But may we never get what we deserve.

• Cocktail of the Week: Singapore Sling This is one of those drinks that everybody has heard of, but doesn’t get ordered very often and a lot of people have no idea what’s in it. I borrow this recipe from Tristan Stevenson’s Book The Curious Bartender: The artistry and alchemy of creating the perfect cocktail 1 ¼ oz London Dry Gin 2 oz Cherry Heeing Liqueur Barspoon of Benedictine ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice 2 dashes Aromatic Bitters Club Soda to top Build in a Highball glass (or sling glass). Stir with ice. Top with Club Soda. Lemon garnish.

Warren Bobrow, Mezcal: At Suite Silenceo & House of Elyx

• We talk with our friend Warren Bobrow. We caught up with Warren at a pool party on the rooftop of Hotel Montelegone during Tales of the Cocktail 2017.
• Also, we travel to Suite Silenceo and House of Elyx for two amazing Tales of the Cocktail events, and learn more about El Silenceo Mezcal and Absolute Elyx.
• Take a listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 224 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!
• A yearly Tales event that is just awesome every year and gets better all the time is the House of Elyx. Elxy is Absolute’s high end expression. We’ll talk with Jonas Tåhlin.
• House of Elyx was also at a new location this year: Latrobe’s on Royal, (Royal Street that is).

At House of Elyx they serve drinks in unbelievable copper vessels. The first drink I was handed was the Silly Rabbit, and it was served in a life sized copper rabbit!

Cocktail of the Week:

Silly Rabbit 

1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx

½ oz Manzanilla sherry

½ oz Fresh pineapple cordial*

½ oz Freshly squeezed pineapple juice

¼ Freshly squeezed lime juice

2 oz Perrier Jouet champagne 

Vessel: Copper Rabbit

Garnish: None

Method: Shake all ingredients except Champagne in a cocktail shaker. Add Champagne. Strain into copper rabbit over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice.

• The team was generous enough to share all the recipes of the cocktails served at House of Elyx this year and we have them for you below. The recipes and lots of professional photos from the event can also be found at BartenderJourney.net/elyx.

Toast: A glass in the hand is worth two on the shelf.

Elyx House at TOTC 2017 cocktail specs

The Elyx Martini 

2 ½ oz Absolut Elyx

½ oz Lillet Blanc

Vessel: Cocktail coupe

Garnish: Lemon zest 

Method: Stir all ingredients over cubed ice in a mixing glass, strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and garish

Elyx Spritz

1 oz Absolut Elyx

1 oz Lillet Rose

Top Fevertree Elderflower tonic

Vessel: Highball glass

Garnish: Lemon wheel

Method: Build in highball glass over cubed ice, top with Elderflower Tonic, stir gently and garnish

Pimp My Mule

1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx

½ oz Fresh Raspberry Cordial*

½ oz freshly squeezed lime juice

Top Ginger Beer

Vessel: Copper mule cup

Garnish: Fresh raspberry and candied ginger

Method: Build over cubed ice in a copper mule cup and top with ginger beer. Cap with crushed ice and garnish

Cold Fashioned 

1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx

½ oz Oloroso Sherry

½ oz Cynar

½ oz Demerera syrup

1 oz Cold brew coffee

Vessel: Rocks glass

Garnish: Orange zest 

Method: Stir all ingredients over ice in a mixing glass. Strain over ice in a rocks glass and garnish  

Bloc Party 

(Compliments of Leo Robitschek)

1 oz Absolut Elyx

1 oz Cream sherry

1 oz Fino sherry

½ oz Yellow chartreuse

½ oz Red bell pepper juice

½ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice

¼ oz Fresh Vanilla Cordial*

¼ oz Fresh Passionfruit Puree

Vessel: Copper Squirrel

Garnish: None

Method: Shake all ingredients and strain into copper squirrel over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice and garnish

Fennel Countdown 

2 oz Absolut Elyx

¼ oz Suze

¾ oz Fresh Fennel Cordial*

2 oz Freshly squeezed pink grapefruit juice

½ oz Freshly squeezed lime juice

Vessel: copper coupe

Garnish: grapefruit zest

Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, strain into a chilled cocktail coupe and garnish

Tangerine & Olive 

1 oz Absolut Elyx

1 oz Italian bitters 

1 oz Sweet vermouth

½ oz Freshly squeezed tangerine juice

1 oz Tonic water

1 dash Rhubarb bitters

Vessel: Rocks glass

Garnish: Dehydrated orange & green olive

Method: Stir all ingredients in a mixing glass, strain into a rocks glass over ice, top with tonic water and garnish

Silly Rabbit 

1 ½ oz Absolut Elyx

½ oz Manzanilla sherry

½ oz Fresh pineapple cordial*

½ oz Freshly squeezed pineapple juice

¼ Freshly squeezed lime juice

2 oz Perrier Jouet champagne 

Vessel: Copper Rabbit

Garnish: None

Method: Shake all ingredients in a cocktail shaker, strain into copper rabbit over cubed ice, cap with crushed ice.

Butterfly

2 oz Absolut Elyx

1 oz Lillet blanc

4 oz Jasmine needle tea

1 oz Freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 oz Orange blossom & jasmine honey

½ oz Butterfly pea flower extract

Vessel: Rocks glass 

Garnish: No garnish

• Method: Freeze in a slushy machine and serve

• We will talk with Jane Bowie from Maker’s Mark. During Tales this year, I was invited to a Maker’s Mark event at Dicky Brennen’s Bourbon House. The Bourbon House had purchased a full barrel of Maker’s 46.
•  Quoting from the invitation I received to the event, The Bourbon House is “the first in Louisiana to have created its very own Maker’s Mark® Private Select™. This is a first-of-its-kind barrel program that allows retail customers to customize their own personal Maker’s Mark by finishing fully-matured cask strength Maker’s Mark Bourbon in a single barrel made up of their custom selection of ten total oak staves, resulting in over 1,000 possible selections”.
• Take a listen to Podcast No. 223 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!

• Patron is sponsoring an educational event.  It’s in Cleveland on September 12, 2017 at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center.  It’s a full day of education with Breakfast, Lunch and Happy Hour included and there is no cost to you! RSVP here.

• BarSmarts Advanced will be conducting daylong sessions, providing education and hands on mixology instruction, plus testing and certification. Its taught by Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Paul Pacult, Steve Olson, Doug Frost and Andy Seymour.  At the end of the day you do a practical exam where you prepare three drinks for one of these gentlemen, so you might be making drinks for Dale DeGroff or in my case David Wondrich.  To qualify you have to do the online course first.

Cocktail of the Week:

Maker’s Boulevardier

1.5 parts Maker’s Mark Bourbon

0.75 part Sweet Vermouth

0.75 part Campari or Aperol

Maraschino Cherry for garnish

Stir with ice, strain, garnish and serve.

Book of the Week:

The Alcohol Textbook by T.P. Lyons $299.95

Whisky: The Manual by Dave Broom $12.34

Let’s go to Dicky Brennen’s Bourbon House.

• I toast you with a very special bottle that I have not tasted yet.  It is a Maker’s Mark Private Select.  “Exclusive Oak Stave Selection By Bill Samuels Jr.”  Hand written on the label it says “110.9 Proof/55.45 % Alcohol by Volume”. On the back it is hand signed by Bill Samuels Jr.  

Toast:  

Here’s to the bottle which holds a store Of imprisoned joy and laughter! Here’s to this bottle Many more bottles, And others to follow after.

Tasting Notes

Color:  Amber to Orange

Nose:  Strong alcohol right away. Chestnuts.  Stone Fruit - Plums, Fresh Cut Wood, (like a beautiful brand new Bar!)  Rugged Leather, Fresh Herb or Grass

Taste:  Toast.  Burnt Orange Peel.  Peach Pie.

Mouthfeel:  Luscious.  Silky.  Refined.

Finish:  Strong alcohol.  Carmel.  Toasted Oak.

Impressions:  Wonderful and sophisticated Bourbon.  Adding a little water makes this something I want to drink everyday! Too bad the bottle will run out eventually.

• We will talk with 2 very interesting ladies:
  • Laura Bellucci – Lead Bartender at Sobu in New Orleans
  • Aisha Sharpe – Brand Ambassador VDKA 1600
• Take a listen to Podcast No. 222 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!

Cocktail of the Week: Courtesy of Aisha Sharpe and VDKA 6100 Spicy Kiss

• 2 oz VDKA 6100
• 4 Chunks Watermelon
• 1 slice Jalapeno Pepper, plus some for garnish
• ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• ½ oz Simple Syrup

Muddle the Watermelon and Jalapeno. Add the remaining ingredients & ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Brian’s Note: Or try it as a tall drink, served over ice in a highball glass with some seltzer.

Book of the Week: The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic, with Recipes for Brunch and Beyond

During Tales Absolute a Bloody Mary Bar and I met author Brian Bartels who is passionate about this Brunch Staple. The book is filled with variations on the timeless Bloody Mary, plus history and tips for setting up for a Brunch party. There are ideas for Infused vodkas, like Cilantro, Bacon, Shiitake and more. Great book for getting ideas about upping your Bloody Mary game!

At the Absolute Bloody Mary Bar there were four or so variations on the Bloody Mary. I choose a green one. There were tons of garnishes to choose from and customize your drink. There displayed them cleverly in hanging mason jars, with a little hand written chalk board behind each.

If want some great online Bartending education, check out the Mixology Certification Program from our friends at the Mixology Talk Podcast. Enter the code “BartenderJourney” for 20% this extreemly detailed on-line course.

Bartender Eductaion Opportunity:

If you are anywhere near Cleveland Ohio Patron is doing a Full Day class for you to learn about all Tequila. There is no cost to attend. You just need to RSVP and get yourself there on September 12, 2017. It will be held at the Cleveland Marriott Downtown at Key Center. Suggestion: get yourself a room at the hotel. Enjoy yourself, learn a lot, and be safe!

Toast of the Week:

One sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits in delight beyond the bill of dreams.

Take a listen the podcast with the audio player on this page, or on: •Apple Podcasts *Google Play Music *Stitcher Radio  for a slice of the Tales experience!

We also talk to Jeff Quint, founder and owner of of Cedar Ridge Distillery in Iowa, who is making farm to glass spirits.  We caught up with Jeff at Dicky Brennen's Bourbon House in the French Quarter during Tales.  We ate some oysters, sampled some whiskey and chatted about Jeff's Journey from Accountant to Distiller.

The American Distilling Institute named Cedar Ridge “Distillery of the Year", for 2017.

Plus, we catch up with Hazel Alvarado, as she tells us about the many industry events she has attended in NYC this summer, including the grand opening of the new Oscar Wilde-Themed Bar in the No-Mad neighborhood of Manhattan.

Book of the Week: Beach Cocktails: Favorite Surfside Sips and Bar Snacks Summer may be ending in a few weeks, but there's still time to up your "thirst aid" knowledge and add a few summery cocktail recipes to your cocktail library.

Cocktail of the Week: El Presidente

• 1 ½ oz Aged Rum Real McCoy 5 year
• ¾ Dry Vermouth
• ½ oz Orange Curacao
• Bar Spoon Grenadine Stir with ice.  Strain into a chilled coup glass.  Orange twist.

Toast of the Week: (From the book Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces)

• May you have peace in you igloo, oil in your lamp and peace in your heart.

Brian is just back from Tales of the Cockail 2017 with a fresh perspective! 

"If we knew what to do with it, it wouldn't be waste any more!"

I’ll be presenting along with Kara Newman, our guest author on Podcast 193, Sother Teague, a friend and propritor of the new socially conscious bar, Coup, that donates all profits to charities and Damon Boelte, of Speakeasy Radio. Special thanks to our sponsor, Brooklyn Gin!

If you’re headed down, make sure to stop by my session, Wednesday morning and if not, why aren’t you going? We’ll make sure to post details both for Tales and session tickets on both our blog and Facebook page.

The Bartender Journey Podcast will be taking a production break for the next few weeks and will return with a full length episode on July 26th.

We have lots of great interviews already recorded, plus I’ll be collecting lots of great audio at Tales, including an interview with the great whiskey writer Lew Bryson.

Meanwhile, this week we’ll kick off the Bartender Journey Summer (School) Social and will be posting and sharing valuable content on our blog, www.bartenderjourney.net and Facebook page, Bartender Journey Podcast on spirits education, cocktail competitions, industry events and more, especially during Tales. Make sure you follow Bartender Joueny on IG and FB.

If you would like to contribute in any way you can, by writing a piece for Bartender Journey, leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing the show with a friend, we welcome your input. You can go to BarternderJourney.net/contact to get in touch. We’d love to hear from you and maybe feature something you wrote on BJ. There is also our Tip Cup page BJ.net/TipCup.  If this show has helped you out at all or entertained you…if you’ve learned a little something, please consider contributing to our Tip Cup at /tipcup.

We will have another podcast for you on July 26, 2017. Lots more great content to come. 

Its a short show this week, but we think you'll learn a little something, or at least learn how to learn!

Cheers!

This time on the Podcast we talk to Colby Frey who is doing great work out in Nevada making spirits from “ground to glass” as he says. We’ll talk to Colby about his gins and some of the other spirits that he is producing at Frey Ranch Estate Distillery.

• Cocktail of the Week:

The Pegu cocktail is a wonderful Gin drink. Great for summer. According to wikipedia the Pegu cocktail was “the signature drink Burma's Pegu Club. The club was located just outside Rangoon, and its members were those Britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen. The club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river.” According to David Wondrich “We're not sure precisely when it was invented, but it had to be before 1927, when it turns up in Harry MacElhone's Barflies and Cocktails.” That book has been re-released with a forward written by Mr. Wondrich.

This is David Wondrich’s recipe from Esquire.com

• 2 ounces gin – Frey Ranch dry gin.
• 3/4 ounce orange curacao - I used Mandarin Napoleon
• 3/4 ounce lime juice
• 1 dash Bitters -- Angostura bitters
• 1 dash orange bitters.

Shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe. Lime wheel garnish.

Speaking of shakers, if you are in the market for a great shaker set, our friends from the Mixology Talk podcast just released a great one. The large tin is weighted and the small one is un-weighted, which is a great combo. They fit together perfectly.

If you would like to take your Bartending to the next level and get some extremely detailed training…you can do it online from anywhere, in your own time and we have a discount code for 20% off! The Mixology Certification Program, also from our friends Chris & Julia at Mixology Talk is an amazing resource. Enter the code “BartenderJourney” and you’ll get a 20% discount!

There’s been a lot of talk about Sustainability in our industry lately. Our friends on the Bartender HQ just did a second episode dedicated to the issue and I highly recommend you check that out. They had a lot of great ideas for cutting down on waste on their recent episode.

Tales of the Cocktail is doing a full day Sustainability Summit for the first time this year. Its on the Tuesday of Tales, and I’ll be sure to attend as much of that as possible and report back to you.

Toast of the Week:

To the Holidays…all 365 of them!

• It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 215!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes,Android or Stitcher Radio.
• Use the hashtag #worldginday to tell the world what you are doing to celebrate Gin.
• This week on the podcast we talk with Tristan Stephenson, Bartender, Bar Owner & Author from England. He wrote among others, The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace, which is an amazing resource for gin knowledge.
• Also, later in the show we’ll talk to the Frey’s who are producing wonderful Estate Grown Gins in Nevada. This is delishous stuff and so interesting that they are producing they are doing a grain to glass gin. Its rare for a gin maker to grow their own grain and distill and bottle it onsite.
• The Cocktail of the Week has to be the Martini since we are talking all about Gin!
• Martini’s are of course classically made with gin. Many consumers these drink vodka Martinis, in fact as a Bartender you can not assume one way or the other. Its best to determine first Gin or Vodka and then ask if there is a brand preference. Vermouth? If its good quality and fresh vermouth, its wonderful. On the other hand, if its not good quality and its been sitting in the well for 6 months, you can’t blame someone for requesting an extra-extra dry Martini, because it tastes terrible.
• Ganish? Olives are the default, but a lemon twist is awesome! An orange twist is great too, and is traditional.
• Bitters? Orange bitters are in the classic Martini recipe.
• Glasswear? Of course the glass should be chilled, but what shape glass? The giant “Steakhouse Martini Glass” has become what many consumers expect these days, but do we really want to give our guests so much alcohol all at once? The martini glasses are difficult for servers to transport when full, and are no good for guests at a stand up cocktail party. Plus the drink gets warm.
• Here’s how I made mine.
  • 2 oz Frey Ranch Gin
  • 1 oz Imbue Bittersweet Vermouth (from Oregon)
  • 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters No. 6
  • Stir with ice
  • Stain into a chilled cocktail coup
  • Express oils from a lemon twist into drink. Rub lemon twist on rim of glass. Drop twist into drink.
  • Every time I get somebody trying to be clever at the bar and brings up “shaken not stirred” I always say “the reason James Bond ordered it ‘shaken not stirred’ is because that’s the EXCEPTION to the rule. It should really be stirred”. I was once served a Mantini in an airport bar that looked like a slurpy from 7-11. This guy shook that drink within an inch of its life! There was so much ice in the drink that it had more in common with a pina coloda than a martini. Some people will say shaking “brueses” the gin…I don’t know what the heck that means, BUT there should be no shards of ice in your Martini.
  • Another point of interest with a Martini – are we stirring this drink with ice just to make it cold, or is there something else going on here? Well do an experiment…mix up a batch of Martinis with what ever proportions you like – with no ice. Put half in the freezer to chill for IDK lets say 2 hours. Save the other half…keep it covered at room temperature.   After the one in the freezer is super cold, take the room temperature one and stir it with ice in a mixing cup for a good 20 seconds or so. Now taste the 2 side by side. The one from the freezer is going to be cold, but HOT from alchol…its too strong! The stirred one should be velvetly and pleasant to drink. Its been chilled, but also diluted from the melting ice…you are adding water to the drink. It’s an interesting experiment, and I hope you’ll give it a try. It helped me understand the Martini a lot better.
• Speaking of experiments, we got lots of great feedback on last week’s lime juice experiment! Also on the sustainability in bars angle…and we thank David Eden-Sangwell from the Bartender HQ podcast for being our guest on that show and for bringing up the sustainability issue on his show. This is important stuff…to try to reduce waste behind the bar and lesson our environmental impact. David and his co-host Sam did an entire episode about it recently and are already planning another. I’ve been inspired by those guys to talk about it more and put it into practice at my bar.
• I even heard from a listener who is working on a brand new bar program and he told me that he now plans to look into efforts to incorporate sustainability into the new bar he is working on!
• Please help support the Bartender Journey Podcast by contributing to our Tip Cup Page!
• Next week on the Podcast we will keep the Gin conversation going! We’ll talk to the proprietor of Frey Ranch Gin.

Freshly squeezed lime juice is one of the most important ingredients in a good Bartender’s arsenal. Pre-packed bottled stuff is no comparison.

But HOW is the juice being produced? A Motorized Commercial Bar Juicer is certainly faster, more efficient and produces a higher yield than a hand press, but is the resulting juice the same?

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 214!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Our guest on the show today is David Eden-Sangwell of the Bartender HQ Podcast. We’ll discuss the results of the lime juice experiment, plus the issue of sustainability and waste in bars.

Lime Juice Experiment:

I was curious about the effects of using different types of juicers on the finished juice. I had no idea just how dramatic the results would be.

In the Bartending Community we often talk about how the white pith of citrus is bitter, and should be avoided.

With the rotating cone of the Motorized Juicer, we must be pulverizing some of that pith, which will get into the juice, right? The oil from the zest will not be utilized at all, and will end up in the garbage.

When we use a Citrus Hand Press or stand up lever operated Commercial Citrus Juicer we smash the zest quite a bit. The oils from the zest must be incorporated into the juice.

I used the following method to make my comparison.

I squeezed total of 18 limes – 6 each with the 3 different methods.

To evaluate the effect of the zest, I used a Y-Peeler to remove the peels from the limes for method #2.

Method #1: Waring Commercial Bar Juicer

Method #2: Hand Pressed – No Zest

Method #3: Hand Pressed – With Zest

Juice Yield (after fine straining):

1. 6 ½ oz
2. 5 ¾ oz
3. 5 ¼ oz

Color of juice:

1. Darkest green – a little muddy
2. Most pale of the three
3. Green hue

Aroma of juice:

1. Citrus, yet “flat”.   Smells of over ripe melon, not so much like lime.
2. Lime & citrus. Acidic.
3. Light, flowery, alive, bright.

Taste of juice:

1. Acidic, unappealing, not a strong taste of lime – just acid.
2. Lime & acid.
3. Saline, Lime, Fresh, The most balanced of the three. Vibrant.

I made Daiquiris that were identical, with the exception of the lime juice.

Daiquiri Test Recipe: -1 oz Real McCoy Silver Rum Aged 3 Years -½ oz Lime Juice - ½ oz - less 10 % - Simple Syrup

Taste of Daiquiris:

1. Lime flavor not very pounced. A little artificial tasting. Bitter on the back palate.
2. Fresher, but a little flat. Acidic.
3. Sweetest of the three, yet most appealing and complex. Fresh and interesting. Adding .75ml (=0.4oz) more lime juice, (with an “eyedropper”), made it perfect…the best of the three by far!

Conclusion:

The difference was striking. Method #3 produced far superior results over the others. The Daiquiri was vibrant, fresh, and complex. Method #1 was flat, one dimensional and less fruity.

So, it looks like the motorized juicer will be gathering dust in my bar, and we’ll be setting the lime juice oils free with the hand juicer!

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast # 213!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

• At Bar Institute in Brooklyn, we spoke to Mr. Josh Davis. He’s a Bartender, and a fine Gentleman from Chicago who also recently started working with Bar Institute.
• We also talk to Mr. James Menite who is a Bartender at the iconic Plaza Hotel. Another fine Gentleman from NYC, who also is the vice president of the local USBG Chapter. We talk to James on a USBG day trip to the Dad’s Hat Rye
• Book of the Week: Cocktails: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Klaus St. Rainer. Mr. Rainer is owner and bartender at The Golden Bar in Munich Germany. This is a nice book with lots of great cocktail recipes and some good advice too.
• Cocktail of the Week: Smooth Criminal(Bartender Journey variation) From our Book of the Week
  • 1 Large Chunk Fresh Pineapple - Grilled
  • 1 ¾ oz Rye
  • 2 tsp Orange Curacao
  • 1 tsp Luxardo Maraschino Liqueur
  • 1 tsp Simple Syrup
  • 1 Dash Angostura Bitters
• Muddle the Pineapple. Add remaining ingredients. Shake with ice. Double strain into a Highball glass filled with Fresh Ice. Grarnish with a piece of grilled Pineapple and a sprig of mint.
• How do you take care of your mint behind the bar? If you have a good method, please let us know! Post your ideas on the Bartender Journey FB page!
• USBG NY had a great time spending the day with the very small team of great people that produce the delicious Dad’s Hat Pennsylvania Rye. As mentioned, we spoke to John Cooper from Dad’s Hat Rye on Bartender Journey #102
• You can get more information about the USBG at org
• Bartender Journey really wants to get you involved and get to know more about you. PLEASE visit net/survey. You can record the answers to the questions with a voice recorder app on your phone and email the file to brian@bartenderjourney.net. Alternatively, on that same page, there is a link to a google form where you can just enter your answers. We’d really appreciate it!
• Toast of the Week:

The Lord gives us our relatives,

Thank God we can choose our own friends! -From the book: Toasts: Over 1,500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces Compiled by Paul Dickson

• Next time on the Bartender Journey Podcast a lot more about the United States Bartender’s Guild James Menite, who is the vice president of our local USBG NY chapter. We’ll talk about some of the great benefits of joining and also about his job – bartending at the the iconic Plaza Hotel.

Cocktail of the Week - from our guest on the show this week – Craig Schiedlo The Wind Tunnel:

• 2oz Cedar Ridge Rye
• 1/2 oz Marie Brizzard Anissete
• 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
• 3/4 oz Simple Syrup
• Orange Flower Water. Strain over a Collins glass garnished with a lemon wheel anise star and a spray of orange flower water.

Book of the Week: The World of Spirits and Cocktails: The Ultimate Bar Book 2011 by André Dominé

Amazon Review: “This book thought me more than I imagined it would. It got me through some of those Customer interactions that I knew we're coming my way. It filled my brain up with facts and information that I would not have found elsewhere.

Unfortunately, this book is out of print and its about $85 on Amazon! But maybe try The Bar Book, or The Complete Cocktail Manual: 285 Tips, Tricks, and Recipes

Bar Institue:

One Fair Wage Campaign

• According to com: “The restaurant industry is America’s fastest growing economic sector; it's also among it’s lowest paying. Tipped workers are paid a separate, lower minimum wage that starts at $2.13 an hour at the federal level — a rate that hasn’t changed since 1991.”
• “Although employers are legally required to “top off” a tipped worker’s pay when tips don’t add up to at least the minimum wage, enforcement is so lax and disorganized that wage theft has reached epidemic levels.”

One point that was brought up at Bar Institute was that many consumers are now interested in where their food (and beverage) was grown - was it organic, local, even how were the farm workers treated & paid enough? Maybe the conversation about “how are the restaurant workers treated and are they paid enough?” will open up.

There is a well known shortage of good bartenders, so just please make sure you are getting paid what you are worth…obviously being a real asset to the establishment puts you in a good spot. Find out more onefairwage.com.

Apparently its World Gin Day on Saturday June 10, 2017. On the next show we’ll talk all about gin with Tristan Stephenson, who has a new book called Gin Palace.

We have a special 20% discount on VIP tickets to the Whisky X in NYC! Join Hazel on June 8th  for whiskies, food trucks, live music and more! Use offer code WHXHAZEL to get these perks:

• Meet and greet 60+ whisky ambassadors and distillers and enjoy premium pours
• Chocolate Whiskey truffles  from Louisville’s Art Eatables
• Complimentary cigar at the Club Macanudo onsite lounge
• Swag from Hudson Made personal care products
• Free cocktail and a haircut from Blind Barber
• Access to the Food Truck caravan
• Access to the onsite US Barrels Cooperage pop up
• VIP area access to Grammy winner Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys live concert

Free shuttle bus from local train stations and the first 500 attendees get a $25 Uber Voucher.

Buy your tickets at www.thewhiskyx.com and use offer code WHXHAZEL to get your $60 VIP ticket.

Hazel hopes to see you there!

• Which best describes you?
  • Working Bartender
  • Working Bar Back
  • Aspiring Bartender
  • Cocktail Enthusiast
  • Spirits Enthusiast
  • Other?
• If you are working Bartender, how many years experience? 
• How did you discover Bartender Journey?
• Where in the world are you? 
• Do you have any suggestions for the Bartender Journey Podcast, subjects you'd like covered, or questions you'd like answered on the show? 

Go to bartenderjourney.net/survey for the list of questions, then record the answers on your phone with a voice recorder app. Email it to me at brian@bartenderjourney.net and you will probably hear yourself on the show! And don’t worry if you mess up…just start over or keep going…we’ll edit it to make you sound good.

• Which best describes you?
  • Working Bartender
  • Working Bar Back
  • Aspiring Bartender
  • Cocktail Enthusiast
  • Spirits Enthusiast
  • Other?
• If you are working Bartender, how many years experience? 
• How did you discover Bartender Journey?
• Where in the world are you? 
• Do you have any suggestions for the Bartender Journey Podcast, subjects you'd like covered, or questions you'd like answered on the show?  

Go to bartenderjourney.net/survey for the list of questions, then record the answers on your phone with a voice recorder app. Email it to brian@bartenderjourney.net

• Toast: To Days of Ease and Nights of Pleasure!

• Cocktail of the Week: George Bressler enjoys Jack Daniels on the rocks, (Jack Daniels Master Distiller Jeff Arnett was our guest on Bartender Journey # 204). Technically Jack Daniels on the rocks is not a “cocktail”. The original definition for “cocktail” was “sugar, bitters and spirits of any kind”, but we’ll go a little off the deep end this week and enjoy some Jack Daniels on the rocks as our cocktail of the week!
• Book of the Week: Toasts, Over 1500 of the Best Toasts, Sentiments, Blessings, and Graces compiled by Paul Dickson. Dickson quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson in the introduction to this book: “Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it”. Mr. Dickson goes on to say says in the introduction: “There are a number of old thinks that we are well rid of – child labor, the Berlin wall, scurvy, glass shampoo bottles and too many others to mention, but there are still others that we are foolish to let slop away. Toasting is one of the latter”.
• Toast of the Week: “I would rather be with the people in this room, than with the finest people in the world”. -Steve Martin as Cyrano in Roxanne

1886’s Mamie Taylor Cocktail The Raymond 1886 is a Bar & Restaurant in Pasadena CA

The cocktail is basically a Scotch Buck:

• 2 oz Blended Scotch Whisky Black Bottle
• ½ oz Lime Juice
• Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• Top with Ginger Beer
• Candied Ginger Garnish You could build it in a glass, but I think its best to put the Whisky, lime juice and Bitters in a shaker, give it a quick shake, add the Ginger Beer to the Shaker, and stain that into a glass filled with fresh ice.
• Book of the Week:

The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies by Tristan Stephenson

Tristan’s books are so well researched and well laid out. There is so much valuable information in these books…he talks about the different classifications of whiskey, processes of how its made, has specific brand recommendations and then cocktail recipes. The Curious Bartender is a series of books by Tristan Stephenson … he has a new one about Gin, which we will talk about on an upcoming episode and maybe even get him back on the show again. He was on episode 122 of Bartender Journey.

Don’t forget about our TipCup Page – its time to pay the folks who host out Podcast audio files again! Thanks!

We are pursuing new Sponsorship deals - please get in touch. You can email me personally at brian@bartenderjourney.net

• CORE supports the children of food and beverage employees who are navigating life-altering circumstances or conditions.  Find them at org. You can also reach them on the phone at 404-655-4690
• You can also donate to CORE on their site or sign up to be a CORE Ambassador, and do some good! A Bartener Journey listener heard about CORE through the podcast and signed up to be an Ambassador the other day!
• Bar Institute is on tour this spring. They are touring to a bunch of Cities in the U.S. – hopefully one near you! Its only $5 to attend classes, which is donated to charity. There is also a pop up event in the evening, where cocktails are only $5. See the tour dates here.

Toast of the Week:

May our faults

be written on the seashore,

and every good action prove a

wave to wash them out.

• This week we talk with Vance Henderson - National Brand Ambassador for Drambuie.
• Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 207!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.
• Cocktail of the Week #1: Drambuie Honey Sour
  • 5 oz Drambuie
  • ¾ oz Scotch (not too peaty)
  • ¾ oz Lemon Juice
  • 1 egg white
  • 3 slices ginger
  • Muddle ginger with Drambuie. Add remaining ingredients. Dry Shake. Wet Shake. Fine Strain. Garnish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters.
• Cocktail of the Week #2: Drambuie Collins 1 Part Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice 2 Parts Drambuie 4 Parts Seltzer Build in a Collins glass.  Stir well, (or toss).  Lemon garnish.
• Book of the Week: Contraband Cocktails – How America Drank When It Wasn’t Supposed To by Paul Dickson

Mr. Dickson’s was recognized by the Guinness Book of World’s Records for collecting the "Most Synonyms" for any term in the English language. He compiled a list of 2,231 terms meaning "drunk"–beating out no less than Benjamin Franklin, who published his own list called The Drinker's Dictionary. Mr. Dickson’s then beat his own record and published a book called Drunk: The Definitive Drinker's Dictionary containing 2,964 terms for tipsy, blitzed, roasted. The Native People of Alaska had 1000 worlds for snow…Bartenders have 2231 words for Drunk, and we’ve seen them all right?

• “Things I’ve picked up along the way”: It is important to change the way you shake every so often to avoid damaging joints and ligaments – what’s known as repetitive stress syndrome. Also, please keep in mind that shaking near your ear can damage your hearing!
• PSA: CORE - Children Of Restaurant Employees.  CORE supports the children of food and beverage employees who are navigating life-altering circumstances or conditions. We just want you to be aware of CORE in case you ever need them.  Find them at coregives.org You can also reach them on the at 404-655-4690
• Toast of the Week: To wine-those plump grapes' immortal juice
 That does this happiness produce.

It is Bartender Journey Podcast # 206!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Cocktail of the Week – El Presidente

1½ oz. rich white rum


1½ oz. Dolin Vermouth Blanc

1 barspoon orange Curaçao or Grand Marnier


½ barspoon real grenadine
*

• Stir ingredients well with cracked ice and strain into a chilled glass. Express oils from an orange twist over the top and drop in or discard. Garnish, if desired, with a cherry.

• *Real Grenadine
:

  2 cups fresh pomegranate juice or POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice

  
2 cups unbleached sugar

  
2 oz pomegranate molasses


  1 tsp orange blossom water

  Warm juice just enough to dissolve sugar.  Add pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water.  Keep chilled.

  Morgenthaler Article on grenadine

• This drink was was apparently named in honor of Mario García Menocal, president of Cuba from 1913 to 1921. Of course in 1920 when Prohibition took effect in the US, many people would fly down to Cuba for the weekend to get some legal booze and live it up a little. The cocktail spread around, and was soon found in some of the illegal US Speakeasies during Prohibition.

It is Bartender Journey Podcast # 205!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Sam Ross who was one of original bartenders at Milk and Honey who worked under Sasha Petraske, (Sasha’s name has been coming up so often on the show lately, and as you probably know, he left us way too early, but his inspiration lives on through the industry. ) Monkey Shoulder invited us to a press event at Diamond Reef while it was in pre-opening phase. (Official opening: March 1, 2017)  Diamond Reef is a project from the Attaboy team, owners Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy and bartender Dan Greembaum and the first of three new spots scheduled to open this year. If you don’ t know aobut Attaboy..Sasha Petraske opened its predecessor, the original Milk & Honey bar on Eldrich Street in the Lower East side neighborhood of Manhattan on December 31, 1999.  It was an iconic bar, inspiriting an entire industry.

Cocktail of the Week: Monkey Jam Sour 2 oz Monkey Shoulder Scotch Whiskey 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juiceo ½ oz Simple Syrup 2 Bar Spoons Jam Dash Orange Bitters Shake well with ice.  Double strain into a Collins Glass filled with fresh ice.  Top with a little club soda.  Stir.  Express oils from orange twist into glass.  Add twist to glass.

Book of the Week: This week's book and review comes to us from Hazel Alvarado (who helps me out so much on the show.)  Malt Whisky Yearbook 2017: The Facts, the People, the News, the Stories by Ingvar Ronde The Malt Whisky Yearbook is published annually and contains current information on 400+ whisky distilleries around the world, whisky shops, whisky websites and new bottlings. Part reference guide, part Industry commentary, this 12th edition includes chapter such as “Watch Out! The Millenials Are Coming”, “Global Giant – Diageo, the First20 Years” and “Whisky Pricing – the Elephant in the Room”. Its paperback format featuring concise distillery summaries, tasting notes on choice expressions and current industry statistics makes it a  perfect addition to your spirited reading library!

Toast of the Week: May you live all the days of your life. Cheers Get Involved! Share a suggested book or Cocktail of the Week Write a guest blog post.  It could be about your local cocktail scene, or your bar, or a trip you’ve been on. Reach us on our Contact Us page! Tell a Friend Tell a Stranger  Leave  us a review on iTunes and give stars!  (5 Stars is the most!) You can leave ratings and reviews right from your iPhone...just go into the podcast app and use the search function on the bottom to find Bartender Journey.  Click on the purple Bartender Journey icon, then/ "Reviews"/ "Write a Review" Shout out:  Thank you Barback Jedi for the 5 star review: "Excellent focus on cocktail and spirit education Hey Brian. Big fan of the show! Loved seeing it evolve over the last couple of years. It was a huge help to me when I got started. Thanks for doing it. "

Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 204!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Jack Daniel’s is such an iconic brand with so much history. Jeff shared some great information with us, including facts about why Jack Daniel’s is not called “Bourbon”. He said, in fact it legally could be classified as Bourbon.

But when the man who started the brand, Mr. Jack Daniel in the mid 1800’s he decided that he wanted to differentiate his whiskey and embraced the classification of Tennessee Whiskey.   Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 whiskey follows all the requirements of Bourbon, with the addition of a charcoal filtering process. This filtering is legally called the "Lincoln County Process,” by the state of Tennessee. It is also known as “charcoal mellowing,” and occurs before Barreling.

Cocktail of the Week:

I was trying to come up with interesing & sophisticated cocktails for St Patrick’s Day and came up with this one. I first called it the Emerald Sour, but after hanging out with my friend Hazel and describing the drink to an Bartender Carl at Swift Hyberian Lounge, it was decided that the name would be changed to “Man in the High Castle” which the name of a book that Carl had just finished. There is also a TV show on Amazon Prime Video by the same name. The two appear not to be related.

“Man in the High Castle” Cockail:

• 2 oz Knappogue Castle 12 year old Irish Whiskey
• 1 oz Myers Lemon Juice, (freshly squeezed – peel lemons before juicing to make Oleo Sacrum and Twists).
• ¾ oz of Myers Lemon Oleo Sacrum syrup*
• Dash of Salt

Shake with ice. Strain into an Old Fashioned glass containing fresh ice.

Garnish with Myers Lemon Twist and a Sprig of Fresh Thyme, (slapped to release aromatics).

(If you don’t have Myers Lemons you can use regular ones).

*Myers Lemon Oleo Sacrum Syrup

• Peel 2 lemons before juicing them: Use a Y-peeler and try to get only the yellow zest – as little of the white pith as possible.
• Put them in a sealable container, or better yet use a if you have a vacuum sealer, place in a vacuum sealer bag. Cover with ½ cup sugar. If using the vacuum sealer…seal it. Otherwise cover tightly.
• Let sit for at least 4 hours at room temperature, or overnight.
• Add ½ cup warm water and stir to dissolve.
• Use a fine strainer and discard all the solids.

Book of the Week is A Spot at the Bar: Welcome to the Everleigh: The Art of Good Drinking in Three Hundred Recipes By Michael Madrusan & Zara Young

Michael’s Bar The Everleigh is in Melbourne Australia. He studied under Sasha Patraski and worked at the original Milk and Honey. His goal with Everleigh was to bring the Milk and Honey concept to Australia, and in fact Sasha was his business partner on this venture. As you may know Sasha left this world way too early in August 2015. But Sasha inspired a generation of Bartenders, not only those who were trained by him, but many, like myself that never had the opportunity to work with him. This Book, A Spot at the Bar is another wonderful offshoot of Sasha’s Legacy.

There are many great recipes and photos in here, but a lot of other useful stuff as well. There is an entire section on Bartender’s Choice. This can be challenging for a Bartender. In the book Michael talks about how to do it best. There is a series of questions to ask - in a certain sequence - to figure out what this guest would enjoy.

Michael said in the book that Sasha taught his students that “working hard behind the scenes allows you to look effortless in front of your guests”. Wise words from a wise man.        

Cocktails in the Country is a great experience, which I was honored to attend in the Summer of 2016. It is run by the man I call the Yoda of Bartending Gary (gaz) Regan.

It normally costs $250, but I’m going to tell you how to get it for only $100.

Its 2 days of education, learning the gaz approach to “Mindful Bartending”. Plus, practical skills making original cocktails behind the bar. It takes place in the Hudson Valley, just over an hour north of Manhattan.

Included in the cost is transportation from Manhattan, lodging for the evening, most meals, classes with gaz and cocktail making with your 9 new best friends.

Here’s how to get your discount

• Email gaz at gazregan@gmail.com
• Put the code BUY-BACK in the subject box.
• Please mention to gaz you heard about it from me, Brian Weber of the Bartender Journey Podcast!
• Please cc me on the email so I know you are going! My email is brian@bartenderjourney.net

To participate in CITC you have to be a working Bartender and have worked in the Hospitality Industry for at least 3 years.

Bar Institute Econo

• Bar Institute is hitting the road for a six week tour stopping in 25 cities in the US and Canada this Spring. In each city, they will be hosting a one day Bar Institute session featuring 3-5 classes and a popup event, which will incorporate the information from the classes into service each night. They’ll be asking for only a $5 donation for admission to the classes and the drinks in the evening. All proceeds will benefit charity. 
• Along the way, they've identified social justice issues that will serve as the centerpiece of the weekly focus for each region. This is so awesome! They will be in a bunch of mid size cities – many of which (I’m guessing) don’t have cocktail conferences very often.
• CONTEST! Win some swag: Go to bartenderjourney.net/bi for details on the swag give away.
• Toast of the Week: In Beer there is strength In Wine there is wisdom In Water there is bacteria

Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 203!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Ann Tuennerman and her Husband Paul Tuennerman, who was co-owner and chief business officer of Tales, were on prepairing to ride on a Float in a Mardi Gras parade. They rode with the Zulu, Social Aid and Pleasure Club, when they went “Live” on Facebook.

The video was pulled off the internet of course, but someone got a screenshot of Ann in the blackface and Ann's comment on the for the video which said “Paul G Tuennerman, interviewing me on Mardi Gras Morning from the Zulu Den. As he said ‘Throw a little Black Face on and you lose all your media skills.’ He did his best as the interviewer”.

Ann said in her first of 2 pubic apologies:

“Earlier this week, I rode in a Mardi Gras parade with the Zulu organization, in which participants, both people of color and of all races, traditionally wear blackface makeup, and shared photos of myself in costume on social media. I now recognize how deeply offensive this is to many, and I am sincerely sorry. It was a naive and inconsiderate action, the consequences of which have made it clear that I have much to learn”.

Many people were deeply offended. Josh Davis, who apparently posted the original screenshot that quickly went viral, wrote the following as a Open Letter:

“This has been one of the most emotionally draining weeks, as a black man who has dealt with the daily trauma of racism throughout my life. At this point I thought I had become desensitized to the hurtful actions of others, but this week proved that the pain I have often displaced and neglected is still present.

Ann’s second public statement titled Gratitude from Ann Tuennerman and a Determination to Embrace Change begins: “Through publicly acknowledging the pain Paul and I have caused to many in our industry, we hope to demonstrate our sincerity, transparency and commitment to facing this head on.

Living up to this promise, on Monday 3/6/17, Ann did a live Facebook video interview with Ashtin Berry. Ashtin is a Bartender in New Orleans and happens to also be a female person of color. Ashtin has really taken great steps toward moving this conversation forward in a productive manner. You can find this video on the Bartender Journey Facebook page.

In his resignation note, Paul wrote, “My comment to Ann about blackface prior to the Zulu parade was meant to be a husband’s innocent teasing of his camera-shy wife, not a belittlement of others. In retrospect, the words were insensitive, hurtful and just plain dumb and I feel horrible for the pain they have caused.”

We’ll go back to my New Orleans Bartender friend to wrap this up. He said “I think Tales is a great thing and I hope the dust will settle. That being said…maybe the silver lining is the realization that black people as demographic are under represented in the Cocktail World".

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast #202!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

A group of 25 Bartenders from all over the U.S. and Canada were treated to an amazing experience on this trip. We saw one of the farms that Patrón contracts with to supply them with harvested agaves. We were treated to lunch at the beautiful Hacienda Patrón, and then given a thorough tour of the distillery, (more about this later).

Cocktail of the Week: Margarita

• 2 oz
• 1 Lime Juice
• ¾ oz Grand Marnier
• ¼ Simple Syrup

Shake with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, or a double old fashioned glass with fresh ice. Lime garnish.

Book of the week ¡Tequila!: Distilling the Spirit of Mexico

Director of Eduction for Patrón Chris Spake – was our host and guide for the trip.

Patron works with about 10 agave farmers to source their agave.

Tequila can only be made in 5 regions of Mexico and must be made from at least 51% Blue Weber Agave (yes Weber…that’s my last name…no relation unfortunately to the botanist Frederic Albert Constantin Weber who this plant was named for in the early 1900s. So, as I said tequila must be made from AT LEAST 51% Blue Weber Agave. Quality tequilas such as Patron are made from 100% Blue Weber Agave. If you see the word “Mixto” on a tequila bottle…run away! This means they are mixing lower quality sprits into that bottle or adding raw sugar before distilation to save money. To make it even more confusing, a mixto tequila does need to state “Mixto” that on the label. It is usually labeled “Tequila”, (as apposed to “Tequila de 100% Agave”, (or similar wording)

There is a certain extremely popular tequila that is behind almost every bar, which will remain unnamed here, that IS a Mixto, but does not state it on the label. Carmel coloring may also be added.

The “jimador’s” use a tool called Coa to harvest the Agave plants by hand. They separate the leaves and roots from each agave

Patron contracts with these farmers and guarantees them a price per kilogram when they plant…they do not necessarily need to do this, but Patron thinks it’s the right thing to do, and it ensures a reliable supply in the future. These plants take at least 5 years to grow, and like any commodity, the price fluxuatues. It can be difficult for the farmers to plant something, and take care of it for 5 years, and not know how much they will be paid for it when it finally matures.

The agaves are split by hand with axes into 4 pieces and immediately fed into an oven where they are cooked with steam for exactly 79 hours.

It gets a little complex because after coming out of the oven the agaves are split into two different, but similar methods for the remainder of the process. For the silver Patron that everyone knows (their most popular SKU), its blended together at the end. For simplicity’s sake we will just follow one path here…which is the Tohana method, (Patron does produce the Roca line, which is the Tohana only product and are amazing).

So following the Tohana process – as I said the agaves are cooked for 79 hours. A Tohana is a giant heavy wheel made from Lava Rock. It goes around and around in a circle crushing the cooked agave. Its basically shredding the agave, but it forces the juices in and out of the fibers.

The fibers are then separated from the liquid. The fibers will be sent to the composting area. The liquid is mixed with yeast and then sent to 10,000 liter pine barrels where it will ferment for 3 days.

This liquid will be strained and sent to copper pot stills. Patron uses quite small stills for the first distillation, and even smaller ones (with a slightly different shape), for the distillation.

After the second distillation, we have Patron Silver. It is sent to the bottling facility where each bottle is packaged by hand. Its pretty reparative work, but the people that work in the bottling facility are very fast and efficient. Interestingly, the assembly line stops for 15 minute out of each hour so the workers can stretch and get a quick break. This is of course to avoid repetitive stress syndrome.

Tequila styles:

• Silver - which can legally be aged up to 6 months, but many producers, including Patron, choose not to age their Silver Tequila, (also can be referred to as to “blanco” or “un-aged”
• Reposado - aged a minimum of 6 months in oak barrels.
• Ano - aged a minimum of 1 year.
• Extra Ano – aged a minimum of 3 years

This week on the show we’ll talk to Brian Hoefling, author of Distilled Knowledge: The Science Behind Drinking’s Greatest Myths, Legends, and Unanswered Questions.

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast #201!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

This past Monday - just a couple days before recording this podcast was recorded - I did not know that in less than a week I’d be traveling to Mexico as a guest of Patron Tequilla! I’ll be staying at the Patron Hacienda where they actually make the Tequilla. I’ve spoken to other people who have made this trip and every one of them tells me its an amazing experience.

Of course I’ll have the portable audio recording rig with me and will be bringing you my adventures down there on future episodes of the show.

We have so much coming up for you on the show – we’ll be talking with Master Distiller of Jack Daniels Jeff Arnet, Sam Ross of Milk and Honey Fame, a really interesting and smart gentleman named George Bressler, we’ll talk to the Brand Ambassadors from Monkey Shoulder, Drambuie and Black Bottle Scotch, plus author and bartender Lou Bustamante.

Please Subscribe to the Bartender Journey Podcast so that you get the new episodes as soon as they become available.

Book Of The Week:

Distilled Knowledge: The Science Behind Drinking’s Greatest Myths, Legends, and Unanswered Questions, by Brian Hoefling

Cocktail Of The Week:

• 2 oz Patron Silver Tequila
• ¾ oz of the Frutations Grapefruit syrup
• Pinch of fine sea salt
• Selzer

Add the Tequila, syrup and salt to a highball glass. Stir well to combine. Fill with ice. Top with Seltzer and stir again. Squeeze the juice from ¼ lime into the glass and add the lime to the drink.

Toast Of The Week:

Until we meet again – wishing you celebrations, learning and good spirits.

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast #200!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Join us for some clips from past shows, (Dale DeGroff, David Wondrich, Jim Meehan, Gary 'gaz' Regan, Dave Pickerell) plus a discussion with fellow bartender and podcaster Ozeal, (No Permission Needed podcast).

Cocktail of the Week: Negroni Equal Parts

• Gin
• Sweet Vermouth
• Campari

Build in an Old Fashioned Glass over ice.  Stir.  Express oils from an orange twist.  Drop twist into glass.

Book of the Week: The Negroni: Drinking to La Dolce Vita, with Recipes & Lore by Gary Regan

Toast of the Week: To Longevity, Good Friends, And a Glass That's Never Empty

• This week on the Bartender Journey Podcast, we talk with Meagan Doorman, the bar director at the two Raines Law Room locations, Dear Irving and The Bennet, all in Manhattan.
• We’ll also talk to Tom Richter. Tom Bartends at Dear Irving and also has a company that makes Tonic syrup called TomR’s Tonic.
• Michael Rodgers organized the Dear Irving Pop Up during SACC. He’s the treasure of the SA chapter of the USBG.
• Book of the Week: Boston Official Bartender's Guide: 75th Anniversary Edition. The Mr. Boston Bartender Guide was my very first cocktail book, way, way back. I wish I could find that old book I bought when I was probably 17 years old!
  • There have been many editions since its debut in 1935, and the most recent version is edited by our friend Jonathan Pogash. This is an iconic book with tons of cocktail recipes.

Cocktail of the week: Bronx Cocktail:

• 2 oz. gin
• 1/2 oz. dry vermouth
• 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth
• 1 oz. fresh orange juice

Glass: Chilled Coupe

Garnish: orange twist

• Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice, shake, strain into a chilled glass and garnish.
• Toast of the week: "May you have the hindsight to know where you've been,
 The foresight to know where you are going,
 And the insight to know when you have gone too far."

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast #198!  Listen with the audio player on this page, on the Bartender Journey web site, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

• Book of the Week: Amaro The Spirited World of Bittersweet, Herbal Liqueurs, with Cocktails, by Brad Thomas Parsons
• Amaro is such a fascinating category that we don’t talk about enough on Bartender Journey.  First of all, what is it?  According to Brad’s book it’s “the collective class of Italian made aromatic, herbal, bittersweet liqueurs, traditionally served as a Digestif after a meal”.
• To sum it up into a short sound bite:  it’s a bittersweet, herbaceous liqueur.
• Amari (plural) are an acquired taste, but  once you go down the rabbit hole, you open up into a world of  new and interesting flavors.
• Cocktail of the Week:  Aperol Spritz.  It’s a very popular drink right now.  Its low ABV and very tasty.  Its also quite festive looking if you build it in a big wine glass – that how I do it at my bar. 
• The recipe is easy to remember its 3-2-1. 
• Ingredients: 3 oz Procecco (or other sparkling wine) 2 oz Aperol 1 oz Sparkling Water
• Build in a big wine glass with ice, or you can do it in a double old Fashioned glass or even Highball glass.  Stir.  Garnish with an orange slice.
• Toast of the Week: "To making it count."
 - Jack, "Titanic"

Listen to our overview of this great event!

Lots more from San Antonio Cocktail Conference will be coming up in the next few weeks!

The Cocktail of the Week:

Classic Daiquiri

• 2 oz Silver Rum
• 7/8 oz to 1 oz Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice (to taste)
• 1 oz Simple Syrup
• Shake with Ice. Strain into a chilled Coupe glass

Book of the Week:

• Regarding Cocktails by Sasha and Gorgette Patraski. Gorgette finished the book after Sasha passed and it’s a wonderful book. I highly recommend that you buy it!

• This week on the podcast its a "dueling podcast"! We talk to David Eden-Sangwell.  He is from England and has a podcast of his own called Bartender HQ.  He works for a restaurant group and oversees the bar program for about 8 bars and restaurants.  
• We chat about the wide-ranging Beverage Program that David manages, Cask Conditioned Beer and Cocktail Conferences.
• If you would like to hear the Bartender HQ side of this "dueling podcast", you can hear it here. David is planning to attend Tales of the Cocktail On Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017, and asks for advice on surviving Tales.
• • This week on the podcast its a "dueling podcast"! We talk to David Eden-Sangwell.  He is from England and has a podcast of his own called Bartender HQ.  He works for a restaurant group and oversees the bar program for about 8 bars and restaurants.  
  • We chat about the wide-ranging Beverage Program that David manages, Cask Conditioned Beer and Cocktail Conferences.
  • If you would like to hear the Bartender HQ side of this "dueling podcast", you can hear it here. David is planning to attend Tales of the Cocktail On Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland in 2017, and asks for advice on surviving Tales.

    It's the Bartender Journey Podcast Number 196!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes or on Android.

  Book of the Week:

  • Flavor Bible.  This is not strictly a cocktail book - its aimed more at chefs - but its extremely useful for creating cocktails.  It allows you to look up an ingredient and see a long list of flavors that complement it.  For instance, if you need to make a cocktail containing Kumquats, this book will give you about 40 ingredients that enhance the flavor.

   Cocktail of the Week:

  Brown Derby

  • 5 oz 
Bourbon 

  • 1 oz 
Fresh grapefruit juice 

  • .5 oz 
Honey syrup*

 Shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

   Modified Brown Derby

  • 2 oz Bourbon


  • 1 oz 
Fresh grapefruit juice
  • .5 oz Fresh Lemon Juice


  • .5 oz 
Honey syrup*
  • 
.25 oz Grapefruit oleo sacrum syrup

                          Shake with ice. Double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast Number 195!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes or on Android.

• This week on the show, we continue on with our Repeal Day adventures. On the last podcast we chatted with Kara Newman, author of Stir. Sip.
• From there we move on to the East Village to a Bar called Miss Lily’s and met up with Ben Jones, who just launched an interesting Brand called Rhum Shrub JM.
• From there we will move downtown even further to Dead Rabbit, where Jack Daniels sponsored an event with 3 bartenders from the UK who won a trip to NY and then onto Tennessee to see the Jack Daniel’s Distillery.
• Book of the Week. It’s a great one – the Canon Cocktail Book by Jamie Boudreau. Jamie owns the Canon Whiskey and Bitters Emporium in Seattle Washington and has put together a fabulous book. Its not just recipes, although there are plenty. There is a very valuable section in the book titled Starting Your Own Bar: Tips and Advice. This section is worth the cost of the book alone and talks about everything from “are you sure you want to do this?”, to finding partners, the bar name, concept locations, and so on.   I was hoping to get Jamie on the show, but so far we just haven’t been able to work it out. He is a very busy man. He’s also involved in the Small Screen Network – if you haven’t heard of that, check out Jamie’s channel, called Raising the Bar. Morganthalar and Robert Hess have channels as well.
• So honestly get this book – you will not regret it! The recipes are great as well.
• Cocktail of the Week: Jungle Bird, (Tiki, and festive!)
  • 1 ½ oz Rum
  • 1 1/12 oz Pineapple juice
  • ¾ oz Campari
  • ½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
  • ½ oz Simple Syrup
  • Shake
  • Strain – crushed ice or oldfashioned glass with one large ice cube
  • Garnish Pineapple leaf or wedge
• At The Shepherd & the Knucklehead of Hoboken our friend Craig Schiedlo is doing an event on Jan 24, 2017.
• “Its an Industry Party and Educational Event. There will be 3 hour long classes, followed by a party after. One of those classes BTW will be tought by yours truly and Hazel Elvarato! Starting at 12 will be Brockmans Gin, followed by a presentation by Melleti about how liquors and amaros are made and used, ending with what you and hazel will be teaching which is personal branding. My goal is to get all the bartenders to attend all classes. The party will go as follows: there will be a list of spirits. Each Bartender gets to choose one spirit and be the only bartender to do so. By choosing their spirit they are choosing to bartend for 30 minutes to showcase what they are capable of doing by crafting their favorite cocktail with that spirit. Bartender must bring lemon or lime juice and all sugar syrups. I will supply all listed liquor. Party will start at 4:30pm until 8:30pm”.

The word Scofflaw apparently comes from a contest that was run in 1923 by a rich Prohibitionist, who offered $200 (which was a lot of money back then!) to whoever could come up with the best word to describe “a lawless drinker of illegally made or illegally obtained liquor”.

• 2 oz Catoctin Creek Roundstone Rye
• 1 oz Dry Vermouth
• ½ fresh lemon juice
• ½ oz grenadine (make your own!)
• 2 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters #6

Shake with ice. Double Strain into a chilled Couple Glass. Express oils from a Lemon Twist into Cocktail. Discard Twist.

• Our Book of the Week: How to Win Friends and Influence People.  Seeing things from the other person’s point of view / how to change peoplel without causing offense or arousing resentment / making the other person feel like the idea was his or hers.

Its a short Bartender Journey this week as there are Thanksgiving activities and Thanksgiving Bartending to do!

For more info about our upcoming online event on December 13, 2016 please send a request for more information on our Contact Page.

Book of the Week:

Once again our BOTW comes to us from Hazel. You’ve heard me talk about the mysterious Hazel before on the show, well next week, we are going to get her on the show and talk about Personal Branding for Bartenders. She’s a Marketing Guru, and it promises to be a great discussion.

Here’s our Book of the Week from Hazel:

The Cocktail Chronicles: Navigating the Cocktail Renaissance with Jigger, Shaker & Glass by Paul Clarke who started writing about the craft cocktail movement even before the term “craft cocktail” became commonplace and is a recipient of the Tales of Cocktail Spirited Award for Best Writer about Spirits and Cocktails.

The Cocktail Chronicles covers the beginning of the modern cocktail renaissance, offers classic recipes and their modern takes and also features a chapter called “Bottles, Tools, and Tips” that discusses stocking your liquor cabinet and the best tools.

Jim Meehan provides the foreword and each recipe is preceded by its history. The book is an accessible guide to both professional bartenders and cocktail enthusiasts featuring over 200 cocktail recipes written in a fun and engaging manner and is a great reference guide to have on hand.

Paul’s a good guy – we’ve got to get him on the show one of these days.

Featured in the book is the classic cocktail the Blood and Sand, and that will be our Cocktail of the Week.

The recipe for the Blood & Sand first appeared in print in Harry Craddock’s 1930 The Savoy Cocktail Book.

This is an equal parts cocktail:

.75 oz

Single Malt Scotch Whisky

.75 oz

Sweet vermouth

.75 oz

Cherry Heering

.75 oz

Orange juice

Put all the ingredients in your shaker and fill with ice.

Shake, and double strain into a chilled coupe glass.

Garnish with an orange peel. Very nice cocktail indeed.

Dr. Michele Summers Colon is not only a Podiatrist, but A physician, surgeon, health coach, yoga teacher, anatomy instructor, author and overall health & wellness expert. We are very happy to have her on the show to talk about something that many Hospitality workers struggle with – foot pain!

Lots of useful information there. I hope it helped you out a bit…I know it did for me.

Toast of the Week:

Here’s to those who have seen us at our best,

And seen us at our worst,

And can’t tell the difference!

Cheers.

• We had the very exciting Bar Institute event here in NY this week.
• It's the Bartender Journey Podcast number 189!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes,  Android or Stitcher Radio.
• On Monday before Bar Institute, I attended Diageo World Class Labs. This is an awesome opportunity.
• Diageo World Class is one of the top 2 or 3 cocktail competitions in the world. Competitions like this can literally change your life.
• To enter the competition you have to be a USBG member, in the US anyway. But through World Class you can get a free 30 day USBG membership which allows you to get your application in. If you decide to keep your USBG membership after that, its only $125/year, which is a real bargain, but that’s a subject for another day.
• To enter the World Class competition you have to take at least one World Class Lab class, or you can do it online, but the live events are awesome (and free). They travel to different cities doing the class and I really encourage you to look into it. We had a great class about Taste. It was run by Andy Symore. We had samples of various cocktails to demonstrate the power of different variables like temperature, sweet, sour, bitter and salty.
• It was a blind tasting, so Andy didn’t tell us what we were drinking until after we tasted and talked about it. The first sample was a room temperature Martini and the second was the same exact Martini, but chilled. It was diluted with the same exact amount of water. We also had a Negroni with and without salt added and so on. It really demonstrated the power of altering just one ingredient and the importance of every single thing that goes into your cocktail. You may sometimes hear that your cocktail is only as strong as the weakest link, so its important that every ingredient is high quality.
• Then there was lunch, (free btw) and a second session, which I didn’t stay for because I wanted to get downtown for Bar Institute. Taking just one session is enough to qualify for World Class although you are welcome to stay for both
• So even if you don’t enter the competition, (and why not?) you could still take one of these classes. I think you’ll find it to be a great experience and very educational.
• Next stop was Bar Institute at Pier A, in Manhattan, right next to where the ferry leaves for the Statue of Liberty.
• We spoke with Kevin Vanegas during Bar Institute about Herradura Tequila and about their new cocktail competition.

The Book of the Week:

A Proper Drink: The Untold Story of How a Band of Bartenders Saved the Civilized Drinking World by Robert Simonson.

• Robert takes us through the craft cocktail revival over the past two decades through the personal stories of bars, bartenders,  patrons and visionaries. Filled with modern classic recipes and their origins, A Proper Drink invites you to learn how we got here and where the craft cocktail industry is headed.

Cocktail of the Week:

Bourbon Stone Sour A Stone Sour is a Sour with the addition of Orange Juice-Freshly Squeezed preferred!

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 1 oz Orange Juice
• ¾ oz Lemon Juice
• ½ Simple Syrup Shake with ice. Pour into an Old Fashioned glass filled with fresh ice. Garish with a piece of Orange and a Cherry.

• There are lots of videos from Bar Institute on the Bartender Journey Facebook page. Thanks to Hazel for this!

Toast of the Week:

My friends are the best friends
 Loyal, willing and able. Now let’s get to drinking! All glasses off the table!

• Tickets are still available for Bar Institute NYC.
• If you will be attending, please let us know!
• Attend the Bar Institute Kickoff event: For bartenders and other industry people in the NYC area on Sunday, November 6th 2016, join us for a pregame Bar Institute industry kick off party in Hoboken at The Shepherd & The Knucklehead. Mix, mingle and share knowledge in a casual setting over complimentary punches and spirits. Welcome all bartenders, servers, bar managers and liquor reps! For more information email:  hazel@whiskeywithme.com
• We'll be "going live" on Facebook during Bar Institute, so please Like the Bartender Journey Facebook page for live video from the event in NYC!

Book of the Week: The New Single Malt Whiskey Book This book is focused mostly on Single Malt whiskeys NOT made in Scotland.  This is a really interesting category that is evolving quickly. “Single Malt” whiskey is one that is produced from Malted Barley at a Single Distillery.   Many producers around the world have begun producing this style of Whiskey.  For instance Westward Single Barrel Oregon Straight Malt Whiskey which is a wonderful whiskey.  You can read Brian's tasting notes on Westward here.

Cocktail of the Week: Old Pal Since we are talking whiskey this week, we should do a whiskey cocktail.  If you listen to this show regularly you know that I love a Negroni and I love a well made Boulevardier.  Here’s another variation.  Its similar to a Boulevardier, but calls for Dry Vermouth rather that Sweet Vermouth.  Its also heavy on the whiskey, so 2 parts Rye Whiskey, (I used a very nice Rye from Maine called Gunpowder Rye), 1 part Campari and 1 part dry vermouth.  Stir it with ice and strain into a chilled coupe or Nick & Nora glass.  Its usually served up, unlike the Negroni which is generally served over ice, unless otherwise specified.

Old Pal Cocktail Recipe:

• 1.5 oz Rye Whiskey
• .75 oz Campari
• .75 oz Dry Vermouth Stir all ingredients with ice. Strain into a chilled Coupe glass or Nick & Nora glass.
• Express oils from a Lemon Twist into glass.  Drop Twist into glass.

Toast of the Week: May you have warm words on a cold evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.

• 1 1/4 oz Bourbon
• 3/4 oz Linie Aquavit
• 1 1/4 oz  Honey
• 1 1/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 3 raspberries
• ½ tsp good quality raw liquorice powder

Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio.

Book of the Week:

Smuggler's Cove: Exotic Cocktails, Rum, and the Cult of Tiki by Martin and Rebecca Cate

This book contains lots of great Tiki cocktail recipes, tons of great knowledge.  There are sections about Understanding Rum, the History of Tiki and Tiki Cocktail Techniques

Cocktail of the Week:

Mai Tai

·      2 oz Aged Rum

·      ½ oz Orange Liqueur (I used Mandarine Napoleon)

·      ¾ oz Fresh Lime Juice

·      ¼ oz Orgeat Syrup (I used Small Hand Food brand)

·      ¼ oz Rich Demerara Syrup 

Shake all ingredients with crushed ice.  Pour all ingredients (including ice) into a Double Old Fashioned Glass.  Garnish with a half lime shell (ie: lime used to produce lime juice) and a sprig of mint.

There are many types of Rum.  The old classifications of Light, Amber, Dark and Overproof just don’t cut it anymore.  We now talk more specifically about the production methods and materials:

·      Raw materials that will be fermented - most commonly Molasses, but sometimes Pressed Sugar Cane Juice.

·      The Still it was produced in – Column or Pot Still

·      The Aging Process

• Composed of the same type of spirits and produced from the same class of materials
• Produced in a single distilling season by one distiller at one distillery
• Stored for at least 4 years in wooden containers
• Reduced in proof with by the addition of only pure water to exactly 100 proof
• The label must bear the real name of the distillery and the plant number where it was produced and where it was bottled

• 2 oz Bourbon
• 2 dashes Angostura Aromatic Bitters
• Ginger Ale
• Long “ribbon” of lemon peel

• Using a channel knife, peel a lemon in one long spiral. Twist around your finger or a barspoon to create a coil.
• Drop the lemon coil into a highball or Collins glass leaving the end hanging over the lip and fill with ice.
• Add bourbon and bitters. Top up with ginger ale.

·      Book of the week: The Big Man of Jim Beam: Booker Noe And the Number-One Bourbon In the World.  Recommended by F. Paul Pacult.

C

C

C

• 1 ½ ounces bourbon
• ½ teaspoon Turbinado sugar
• 1 teaspoon good Balsamic Vinegar
• 5 Basil Leaves
• 2 ounces Ginger Beer
• Muddle sugar,  vinegar and 4 basil leaves in a cocktail shaker. Add bourbon and ice and shake to dissolve sugar.  Strain over ice into old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.  Top with ginger beer and garnish with basil.

Listen to the show with the audio player on this page or Subscribe on iTunes, on Android, or listen on Stitcher Radio.

Cocktail of the Week, (and Brian Weber’s entry in the Real McCoy contest):

Three Miles Off Shore

• 1 oz Real McCoy 3 Year Old Silver Rum
• 1 oz Real McCoy 5 Year Old Aged Rum 
• 1/2 oz Campari
• 1 oz Fresh Grapefruit Juice (strained)
• 1/2 oz Fresh Lime Juice (strained)
• 3/4 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)
• 5 drops Bar 40 Salt Bitters
• 5 drops Bar 40 Sour Bitters

Shake with ice.  Double strain into a chilled Coupe glass.

We chat with Black Dirt Distillery co-founders and managing partners, Jason Grizzanti and Jeremy Kidde and tour the distillery.   Best of all, we get to taste some Bourbon straight out of the barrels!

Listen to the show withthe audio player on this page or Subscribe on iTunes,  or on Android, or listen on Stitcher Radio.

• 2 oz. blended Scotch whiskey

• ¾ oz. fresh lemon juice

• ¾ oz. honey syrup
• 2-3 quarter-size slices fresh ginger

• ¼ oz. smoky Islay single-malt Scotch whiskey or Westland Peated American Single Malt Directions:  Muddle ginger in mixing glass.  Add honey syrup.  Muddle again briefly.  Add blended Scotch and lemon juice.  Shake with ice.  Double strain into an old fashioned glass with fresh ice.  Float smoky whiskey on top.  Garnish with candied ginger or lemon twist.

Foot Problems for Bartenders and others who stand at work. Spending long periods of time on your feet can cause discomfort or worse! Find quality work shoes at Shoes For Crews and get $10 off your first order by using this link. Other helpful ideas:

• Make sure you have rubber mats on the floor behind the bar.
• Change your socks, and maybe your shoes halfway through your shift.
• Alternating shoes one day to the next may help.  Shoes take up to 48 hours to dry out completely.
• Compression socks
• Remember, shoes don’t last forever.  It might be time to buy new ones!
• Stretch and exercise - especially core muscles.
• Raise up one leg when possible.  The reason for the rail that runs along the front of the bar is to make it more comfortable to stand for long periods of time so that patrons will stay longer.  The same concept may be useful behind the bar.
• Losing weight can help.
• OSHA Document: Stay Safe in the Restaurant

Toast of the Week: May your home always be too small to hold all of your friends.

• 1 Pear
• 1 Green Apple
• Small Bunch Fresh Basil
• 1/4 oz Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 oz Gin
• 1/2 oz Pear Ginger Syrup Place first 3 ingredients in a juicer.  Add to mixing tin and add next 3 ingredients.  Shake with ice.  Strain into a glass (no ice in glass).

Toast of the Week: "Out with the old.  In with the new.  Cheers to the future and all that we do."

Nominate the Bartender Journey Podcast for "Best Radio Show or Podcast" for the Taste Talks Food & Drinks Awards. Click here to Nominate.

The Caipirinha cocktail is a delicious drink, is quite easy to make and is quite impressive to serve to your guests.

Novo Fogo makes many different expressions of Cachaça. Novo Fogo produces Cachaça that is certified organic, and they describe their distillery as “zero-waste” facility.

Listen to the Bartender Journey Podcast # 167 with the audio player on this page or Subscribe on iTunes or Android, or listen on Stitcher Radio.

Cocktail of the Week:

Caipirinha

1/2 lime

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 ounces 

old-fashioned glass

Slice the lime into 1/2-inch rounds, cube them, and muddle them in an Old-Fashioned glass or small tumbler with the sugar. Add a couple of ice cubes. Pour in the cachaça. Short Shake.

Toast of the Week:

Here's to our wives and sweethearts, let's pray they never meet.

·     Cocktail Kingdom

·     Monkey Shoulder’s Ultimate Bartender Challengeat American Whiskey

·     Chartreuse Day with Tim Master at Dear Irving

•KettleOne happy hour at Plug Uglies

·     Listen to the show with the audio player on this page or Subscribe on iTunes, or on Android,or listen on StitcherRadio.

·     We also hear from Jillian & Jessie –Bartenders at Dead Rabbit about some cocktails they were serving up at BarInstitute in Baltimore recently.

·     Brendan & Alex tell us all about Martin Miller’s Gin.

·     Cocktail of the Week – Fruitations Tangerita:

·     2 oz Silver Tequila

·     1 oz Fruitations Tangerine

·     ¼ oz Fresh Lemon Juice

·     ½ oz Simple Syrup

·     ½ oz Fresh Lime Juice

·     Shake with ice.  Add 1 oz Seltzer. Strain into  Highball glass filled with fresh ice.

·     Book of the Week:  Cosmopolitan, A Bartender’sLive by Toby Cecchini

·     Thanks to my friend Shane Boyle, originally from Billybegs, counry Donegal, Ireland for inspiring the title of this week’s show!  Shane is an awesome Bartender and now works at O’Reilly’s at 54 W. 31 Street in NYC.