Intelligent Bartender

MxMo XLVI takes place Monday, February 22. Hosting this round is Sonja at Thinking of Drinking, and Sonja has chosen Absinthe as the theme.   Certainly one of Toronto’s best MxMo’s to date, and a thoroughly enjoyable excuse to get together and have some tasty beverages.  Some of us chose absinthe as a modifier, some as a base… some chose citrus and some cream, then we finished off with some fresh espresso and macadamia syrup to cap the night…  Enjoy from the t-dot

Elan Marks presents

“Two in the Pink”

1.5 oz alize red passion
1.5 oz absinthe
1 oz ameretto
1 oz egg whites
2 oz cranberry juice,
squeeze one fresh lemon wedge …
in a tin with ice add all ingredients, shake the shit out of it, till its nice and frothy

strain and enjoy,

Scott McMaster (aka Evil) presents “The Purp”

Makes 2.

60ml Zoladkowa Gurzka Bitter Vodka
10ml Hills Absinth
2-7 inch rosemary branches (no stems). 3 barspoons of blueberry jam
Muddle vodka, jam and rosemary in boston glass. Add absinth and ice, shake, fine strain in to tall thin glass. Flute would work as well as pictured glass. Top with Absenth foam.

Rob Montgomery

Ghostface Killah Cocktail aka Pretty Toney Tipple

Inspired by San Francisco bartender Camper English’s adaption of the Absinthe Suissesse Cocktail, I added a few changes of my own. Remake of a remake so to speak. I hope you enjoy.

50ml Hills Absinthe
15ml Macadamia Nut Syrup
1 egg white
60ml heavy cream or half-and-half
dash orange blossom water
pinch of 6 spice powder(5 spice plus ginger)

Combine liquid ingredients in boston glass, Fill with ice and hard shake. Strain over crushed ice in oldfashioned glass or straight into a chilled coupe glass. Sprinkle with 6 spice powder.
Serves 1.

Wes Galloway

Not bad for a first run, but needs tinkering:
Pour la Premiere Fois

1.25oz Calvados De Boulard
.75oz Italian Vermouth
.5oz Pernod Absinthe
.25oz Pama Pomegranate Liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud Bitters
1 dash Angostura Bitters
*Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass with ice and stir well.  Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

Nishan Chandra busts out the Snowbird

15mL Hills Absinthe
30mL Domaine de Canton
Juice of 2 Fresh Limes
20mL Orgeat
3 dashes Fee Bros Lemon Bitters
Shake all ingredients over ice, strain into 3 tall shooter or coupe glasses.
Add one dash of bitters to garnish.

Gavin MacMillan presented the GF Twizzler

45mL Juniper Green Organic Gin
30mL Cointreau
30mL Hills Absinthe
60mL Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice
2 dashes Peychauds Bitters
Brulee the outside of the glasses with absinthe for aromatics, then shake and strain into bruleed glassware.

Welcome to this months MxMo, before we start a special thanks to Cocktail Slut for hosting.  Schedules didnt permit as large a gathering in Toronto as we would have liked this month, but Rob Montgomery came through with flying colours with “God Save the King” aka “Royal Gin Fizz”

God Save the King with home made MacMonster Bitters

Adapted from the “Silver King” from Wylie Drufresne’s restaurant WD-50 in NYC. A deceptively simple drink that is truly greater than the some of it’s parts. The “Silver King” contained no tea, so I set about to add some. My first attempt of tea infused sweet vermouth was tasty, but lacked a little punch. Digging around the fridge I found a bottle of Lyles Golden syrup. Perfect (give it a try instead of regular simple syrup in your favorite recipe). Once the ratios were right, I added a few drops of vegetable based red food coloring to give the drink a nice royal glow.

60ml London Dry Gin (I used Brockmans but any top shelf will do)
30ml fresh lemon juice
30ml fresh lime juice
45ml Royal Red Sizzurp**
1 dash MacMonster ODB bitters
1 egg white (approx. 30ml)
30ml sparkling water
Orange slice (to garnish)

Combine first 6 ingredients in boston glass and fill with ice. Shake it like you mean it. Then shake some more. Strain over fresh ice in a collins glass. Top with sparkling water. Garnish with orange slice and a straw. Serves 1. Word.

**Royal Red Sizzurp

360ml Strong Brewed Earl Grey Tea
120ml Lyles Golden Syrup
30ml Sweet Vermouth (I used Martini)
6 drops veg based red food color
Combine in a small pot and warm slightly to speed dilution
Will keep in the fridge for 3 weeks before losing freshness.

You can reach Rob at www.themiller.ca where he presides over the bar, or also at kidcampari@gmail.com

If you twit, you can keep up to speed by following @kidcampari, @mcmasterlive, ar @bartenderone

Great topic this month, Money Drinks!

Present at this months drink tank… Nishan Chandra of Blowfish, Renata Clingen ex. Teatro, Gavin MacMillan of B1, Rob Montgomery of the Miller Tavern, Scott McMaster, consultant. Cheerleader…Caitlin Mason

Click here to see this months host - http://beersintheshower.blogspot.com/

First to the bar for Money Drinks…
Rob Montgomery - KFC Sazerac
Kentucky bourbon, Fig jam and Caramel liquer

Rollo double straining his KFC Sazerac

I had seen a version of this cocktail on the menu @ Lab in London, England circa 2000. Having never tried it I continued to experiment with variations over the years. This is now my go to recipe when people say they don’t like whiskey or whiskey cocktails. 60% of the time it works all the time. Scratch that. It always works. The fig jam and Caramel liquer take the place of the sugar in a traditional Sazerec, while adding complexity and depth with their respective flavours.

The KFC Sazerac in all its glory... delish!

Splash of water
1 Barspoon of fig jam
50ml Bulleit Bourbon
15ml Caramel liquer
1 drop Peychaud bitters
10ml Absinthe
orange twist (to garnish)

Take 2 double old fashioned glasses and fill 1 with ice. In the other combine the fig jam with the water and stir well to combine. To the jam slurry add the bourbon, caramel liqueur and Peychaud’s bitters. Add 2-3 lumps of ice and stir well. Jettison the ice from the second glass and add the Absinthe. Coat the inside of the glass and throw the rest out. Fine strain first mixture into the prepared glass and garnish with an orange twist.

Serves 1

Up next was Gavin MacMillan - Million Dollar Manhattan

Gavin's Million Dollar Manhattan

Frankie from Bar Chef does a version of this one with a cold smoker, I like it just as is…

75mL Crown Royal XR
25mL Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes JT Decanter Bitters
3 Amarena Cherries for Garnish

Stir over cold fresh ice, strain and enjoy

Renata Clingen - Winter Mojito

Renata preparing the Winter Mojito

45mL Angostura 1919
15mL Maple Syrup
6 Cranberries Muddled (plus 2 for Garnish)
12 mint leaves
120mL Ginger Beer
30mL Soda Water

The Winter Mojito - Festive and Delicious

Scott McMaster - Rising Star

Scott McMaster shakes up the Sake Cocktail converter - Rising Star

60mL Soju or Nigori Sake
30mL Umeshu “Choya 23″
2 spoons Kiwi Mango Preserve
1 dash Grapefruit bitters

The Rising Star dispells a lot of pre-conceptions about Sake

Nishan Chandra - Flying Grouse

Nishan Chandra of Blowfish with the Flying Grouse

60mL Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whiskey
3 dashes Lemon Bitters
30mL Roses Lime
60mL Lime Juice
30mL Agave Nectar
Top with Sparkling water

As our first attempt at joining in with Mixology Mondays globally we had a good time, and look forward to hosting one in the future!  Thanks to all who participated!  Until next month…

MxMo (short for Mixology Mondays) is a global online meeting among bartenders who work towards making great cocktails around a specific theme (Hard Drinks, Punches, Vermouth Based Cocktails etc.)

Rob Montgomery and I have been keeping an eye on MxMo for the past 18 months, and have had many conversations about starting up one of our own to boost cocktail culture in Toronto.  We finally thought that it was time we stopped paying lipservice to making better cocktails and actually did something about it.

On Movember 30th, (yes Movember, check it here www.movember.com) a small group of bartenders from around our city gathered to work on some interpretations of “Holiday Cocktails.”  The timing seems relevant as we move into the busy holiday event season, who wouldnt want an excuse to have a great holiday cocktail?

First up was a welcome cocktail called the Honey Julep, a recipe of mine featured in the recent Drambuie re-launch recipe book.  The sweet and sour pink grapefruit juice complements the Drambuie really well and allows the freshness of the elderflower and mint to shine through.  This drink is perfect for summer, or a winter holiday getaway to a place that reminds you of summer.

Honey Julep

50ml Drambuie

15ml St Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

15ml Lemon Juice

30ml Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

2 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters

8-10 Mint leaves

Directions: Muddle mint leaves and bitters in a Boston Glass, add remaining ingredients and shake over cold fresh ice.  Double strain over crushed ice in a highball glass, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Next up was Ryan Powell with another Scotch based drink, his Maple Movember Manhattan.

Cocktail #2: Maple Movember Manhattan
2 oz Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
¼ oz ice wine maple syrup
¼ oz egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Dry shake ingredients vigorously to properly froth the egg white then add ice and shake again.  Double strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice and sprinkle nutmeg on top to garnish.
Optional: Brule a misted Aberlour 12 Year Old on top.

This cocktail was inspired from a Manhattan.  For me, winter holidays and scotch go hand in hand.  I replaced the sweet vermouth with the ice wine maple syrup because that’s I wanted something a little sweeter and the maple syrup pairs well with the apple notes in the Chivas.  The egg white was added to bring a creamy texture to the cocktail, which again is popular amongst holiday cocktails.  The Angostura bitters adds a fantastic holiday spice to the cocktail as well as the nutmeg sprinkle on top.  For a little more showmanship and to add a little more strength to the cocktail, you can mist Aberlour over the cocktail and gently brule it.  The sherry notes from the Aberlour adds a nice touch to the nutmeg, maple, apple and spice.

Next up was Alejandro Giraldo with a Spanish inspired Cazadores Saludable.

50ml Cazadores Tequila
20ml Pama Pomegranate liquor
60ml Pink grapefruit juice
20ml Lemon juice
15ml Agave nectar

Shake ingredients vigorously with ice then double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh mint leaf.

Rob Montgomery stepped up with his “Ho Ho Ho…. It’s Brown Butta YO!”

30ml fresh lemon fresh lemon juice
15ml Gomme Syrup
50ml Brown Butter “washed” Jack Daniels
Lemon twist(to garnish)
Combine liquid ingredients in Boston glass and fill with ice.
Stir well for 60 seconds.
Strain into chilled coupe glass. Spritz twist over the top, wipe around the rim and float skin side up.

Scott McMaster (aka Dr. Evil) took to the bar with Cocktail #4 An Evil Christmas

30ml Skinos
15ml jager
5ml lime juice
30ml White cran

Combine in boston over ice and shake
Garnish with frozen cranberry

The boys from Skinos were kind enough to drop off a couple of bottles of their product back in the summer, and Evil thought it would be a good opportunity to try using the pine flavour of the Mastica in a holiday cocktail.  It is the best cocktail we’ve had with Skinos which has an admittedly unusual flavour profile.  If anyone else has had success with Skinos, we’d sure like to hear about it, as I’m sure the boys from Skinos would as they make their foray into the cocktail world.

Finally. in the spirit of getting away for the holidays, we thought it would be nice to end with an Aviation Cocktail.  I really like the flavour of Creme de Violette, and Maraschino Liqueur is hard to hate at the best of times.  Although they can sometimes be hard to find, I’m sure if enough people ask for it, they’ll become more readily available… they’re certainly worth the effort.

Present at the innaugural Toronto MxMo were: Alejandro Giraldo, Ryan Powell, Rob Montgomery, Caitlin Mason, Gavin MacMillan, Jessica Klug, Scott McMaster.

Absent: Elan Marks, Nick Nemeth, Renata Clingen, Nishan Chandra

For more tips on setting up a great holiday bar Click here

and if you’re really serious about getting into bartending and want to train with some of the best bartenders in the business, click here to see the next training dates with BartenderOne

The next global Mixology Monday will be taking place on December 14th… same bat time, same bat channel.

Click here to see the next event on Facebook

It`s not every day that a bartender gets to work with the likes of Dale DeGroff, much less get to share some drinks and listen to his stories. This past weekend I had the pleasure of both at the Canadian Restaurant and FoodService Association (CRFA) show in Toronto.

Rob, Leo, Gavin, Dale and Scott closing the last show at CRFA 2009

Widely credited with bringing the modern Cosmopolitan recipe to market, Dale has been a true shaper of the beverage industry and was making handcrafted cocktails long before it was in “vogue” to make them.

It reminds me of an interesting story that Dale told, about the “re-birth” of the Cosmopolitan, when we were sitting in Canoe’s Bar 54 floors above Toronto. The story started in the early 90’s, the first time that the Grammys had been held in New York instead of in Los Angeles. The after party was at the Rainbow room where Dale was tending bar. For those who never made it, the Rainbow room was one large room with plenty of table seating, 3 large VIP areas, and a large central revolving dance floor. In VIP 2, sat Frank Sinatra and a few dozen friends sat drinking magnums of Dom Perignon. Over in VIP 3, Bob Dylan and his boys (and girls) drank Jack Daniels. But all eyes were on VIP 1 where Madonna and her entourage drank Dale’s Cosmopolitans.

The New Yorker magazine snapped a picture of the Material girl that night with the caption, “Madonna drinks Cosmopolitans at the Grammy afterparty, Rainbow Room, New York.)

The next day when the picture was circulated to magazines around the world, Dale DeGroff’s phone started to ring. I don’t think it ever stopped. Dale used this as one of many platforms to build the DeGroff Brand, a cocktail empire, and a following that continues to shape cocktail culture almost 20 years later.

King Cocktail and BartenderOne enjoying the drinks and the view at Canoe

As Dale tells it, the Cosmopolitan was originally Vodka, lime cordial and cranberry juice, and while he thought the name was great, Dale modified the recipe to the one we know today, made with citrus vodka, cointreau, fresh lime juice and cranberry juice topped with a flamed orange zest.

It was a pleasure working with both Dale and his son Leo, and we look forward to seeing them again.

Creating unusual cocktail combinations from scratch is the hot new trend for 2009!

The National Restaurant Association has identified the culinary cocktail as the number 1 trend for 2009. BartenderOne partnered with Bacardi Canada to show a short list of invitation only media VIP’s exactly how powerful the culinary cocktail could be at a recent event held at the Local on the Danforth Avenue in Toronto. The room was filled with the who’s who of Canadian Hospitality and journalists from almost every major lifestyle magazine in Canada. We even had television crews from CBC’s Living in Toronto and Global News.

The communal mis en place

Among the hit cocktails of the day were the Oscar themed was the Mumbai Millionaire, made with Bacardi Superior, saffron infused Lemonade, and topped with Ginger Beer, The Pineapple Express, a pineapple and Black Pepper Mojito, and the Benjamin Button Backwards Mojito a molecular mojito that reverts back to it’s original form over time. All Oscar themed cocktails were created exclusively for Bacardi by the bar chefs at BartenderOne.

Mumbai Millionaire

1 1/4 oz Bacardi Superior
2oz Saffron infused Lemonade
1oz Ginger Beer

Shake Bacardi Superior and Saffron infused lemonade over ice.
Serve over crushed ice in a lowball glass and top with Ginger Beer.

To make Saffron Lemonade, add 1/2tsp of saffron to 1 litre of Lemonade.

Benjamin Button Backwards Mojito

1 1/4 oz Bacardi Superior
4 Mojito Ice Cubes
Serve in a chilled Martini glass.
Garnish with a disciplined mint sprig.

To make Mojito ice cubes, add the juice from 12 room temperature limes, 4oz of spring water, to a saucepan on low.
Add 12 tbsp granulated sugar, and 30 mint leaves, stir for 5-6 minutes or until sugar is completely dissolved.
Remove from heat and strain liquid into ice cube trays and set in freezer.

Makes 2 ice cube trays, enough for 8 Benjamin Button Backwards Mojitos.

Pineapple Express

1 1/4 oz Bacardi Superior
6 small pineapple chunks
12 whole black peppercorns
8-10 mint leaves
Juice of half a lime
1 tsp of granulated sugar
1oz soda

Muddle 6 small chunks of pineapple and 12 whole black peppercorns in the bottom of a highball glass.
Add mint, lime juice, sugar and Bacardi Superior.
Muddle lightly a second time.
Add ice to fill, top with soda and churn with a spoon to distribute muddled ingredients.
Garnish with Pineapple fonds and a mint sprig.

Passion and Spice

It’s not such a huge leap when you are thinking about creating culinary cocktails especially with a spirit as versatile as Bacardi. Dont be afraid to try unusual combinations… you may be surprised with the results!

Next we’re off to Montreal on April 23rd to Suite 701 to treat the french media to a little Bespoke Experience of their own.

Until next time!

Cheers!

Bartenders are no longer bartenders, they are mixologists; and yesterday’s mixologists, the people who really took the craft seriously, need a way to differentiate themselves from the mainstream. Many of these mixologists followed in the footsteps of our culinary brethren, we have finally arrived at the latest buzzword and title for those who are truly committed to beverage excellence…Bar Chef.

In Toronto, Frankie Solarik believes in the concept so much, that he has opened a bar to pay tribute to the philosophy, and aptly named it “Bar Chef.” http://www.barcheftoronto.com Each cocktail is hand crafted from a massive variety of ingredients presented fashionably on the bar, bringing the guest into the experience as their cocktail is being created.
I dropped by on his second day of operation and had a cocktail made with style and passion that I haven’t seen in this city. While it takes a little longer to get a beverage like the Cold Smoked Manhattan that I ordered, the presentation is impeccable and the final cocktail is well worth the wait.

Cold Smoked Manhattan

It seems that a lot of people are getting their noses out of joint about the term molecular mixology, the press certainly seem to love it. Whatever you choose to call it, molecular mixology doesn’t have to be difficult, and really has to do with changing states. From a liquid to a solid, or liquid to a gas most commonly, but something as easy as a flamed orange zest, or an infused foam, by definition is molecular mixology. Whether you consider yourself a molecular mixologist, a bar chef, bartender, or simply someone who enjoys mixing at home, the recipes that you enjoy were at one point simply an experiment.The hallmarks of a good Bar Chef are their commitment to fresh, hand crafted ingredients and infusions, and consistent experimentation. Fresh ingredients make great cocktails. While pop guns and towers are certainly convenient, their cost effectiveness days are numbered. Post mix syrup, is made up of 80%-90% corn syrup, and with global demand for ethanol (a corn based alternative fuel) continues to rise at an unprecedented rate, the days of fountain soda are numbered. With cost effectiveness in question and real quality benefits to using fresh squeezed juices, the choice is really simple. If you need more convincing, find a local bar chef and compare your fluorescent green amaretto sour to their version made with fresh lime, simple syrup, bitters and egg white. There is no comparison.

The eternal question… what came first, the chicken or the egg… in cocktail terms, I’m reasonably certain that eggs were used in beverage applications long before chicken was ever thought of in a beverage sense. Molecular Gastronomy is certainly bleeding directly into the bar as establishments like Singapore’s Tippling Club continue to raise the bar on many levels. In cocktail terms the process of converting the physical state of a liquid drink into a solid, or a mist is often called molecular mixology. Whatever you choose to call it, cocktails served in an altered state can certainly have an element of cool to them, but before you go converting an entire menu to molecuar recipes, make sure that they’re executable at your level of business.
This is the first bar that I have seen that rivals Der Raum in Melbourne in both style and pure commitment to stretching the way we think about cocktails.

The Kitchen Truly meets the Bar

You be the judge. What came first, the chicken or the egg?

No need for a speedrail or back bar. You also dont have to worry about another bartender putting the bottle back in the wrong place!

Bars like Der Raum and Tippling Club get that people will pay for and tell their friends about experience, and this blog post proves it. When was the last time you read a story about Burger King or Dairy Queen that didn’t have something to do with salmonella… and here we are back again at the chicken…

When considering bartending as a career there are a few things that one should keep in mind.  It’s not all glitz and glamour, and although you can make gobs of cash doing it, the real money, as in most businesses goes to the ones who are truly committed to practising and perfecting the craft.

Are you a bartender?  Is bartending for you? Are you a member of the mixology camp or is flair your thing?

The reality is that there are few careers that give you the opportunity to network, make money and develop your own personal clientele with no upfront investment other than your knowledge of a well built cocktail.

Whether you chose to engage your guests with conversation, cutting edge cocktails or flair, creating a buzz is a surefire way to leverage viral marketing and have your guests coming back for more.  Here’s an example of a Melbourne bar called Der Raum, that entertains not only in cocktail theatre and molecular mixology but also by pure design ingenuity.