Intelligent Bartender

As I sit here writing this article and enjoying the last days of summer, I’m thinking of things that are distinctly Canadian. A few come to mind – long weekends at the cottage, The Tragically Hip, maple syrup, and the Caesar.

There’s no question that Canadians are lovers of the savoury Caesar cocktail. As a nation, we consume three hundred million Caesars a year, which roughly means 10 per man, woman and child. This quintessential Canadian cocktail was born nearly 40 years ago when a man named Walter Chell was saddled with inventing a signature house cocktail for an Italian restaurant being built in the Weston Hotel in Calgary.

If you were asked to develop a signature drink for your restaurant, where would you start? Probably just like he did, with something you knew. He took the popular Bloody Mary and gave it a distinctly Canadian twist. He hand mashed clams and mixed them with tomato juice, Lea and Perrins and Tabasco, salt and pepper. He decided on the name Caesar to pay tribute to the great Roman emperor and to keep within the theme of the Italian restaurant. It’s unclear what inspired him to add clams to tomato juice, but the lesson here is that when creating a signature custom cocktail for your establishment you don’t have to reinvent the (lime) wheel.

Start with a popular cocktail that you already serve and try adding or substituting one or more of the ingredients. Try switching the addition of bar lime in a cosmopolitan with hand squeezed fresh lime juice. Using a splash of egg white (now available in handy cartons) in your whisky and amaretto sours will add a meringue-like topping to your drinks when you shake them,giving your guests the benefit of both visual appeal and texture to their drinks. The most important element here is the willingness to try new things. Chell may have tried dozens of other variations before finding something great.

In celebration of the 38th anniversary of the Bloody Caesar, I am offering some variations of the original recipe. By simply changing one or more elements, you can change the impression your cocktail has on your clientele. Although there is truly no messing with perfection, these offerings might just tempt your fancy.

At the same time, I’d like to issue a challenge. BartenderOne and FoodService News would like to hear about your cocktail creations. If you have a cocktail that you are proud of, submit the recipe in writing along with a digital image of your drink to info@bartenderone.com. Your drink may be featured in an upcoming column of Raising the Bar. All submissions will also be entered in the Menu Make-over competition for a complete staff retraining and menu make-over by BartenderOne.

Until next time, keep Raising the Bar, because if you don’t, someone else will!

L&P British Blitz
Rim a highball glass with coarse salt
Add ice, 4 dashes L&P, 2 dashes Tabasco, salt & pepper
Pour 1 1/2oz Beefeater Lime Gin and 5oz Heinz tomato juice
Garnish with a lime and celery

BucaMeisterWorcester Shot
Use a bar spoon (or a cherry) to slow pour equal, layered parts into a shot glass (in this order):
8 Dashes L&P
Sambuca
Jagermeister

Have you ever been to a bar where you feel like your bartender is just simply slamming a drink on a counter for you, rather than being able to give you an entertaining experience and a hand crafted cocktail?

There are many bartenders who noticeably carry around an attitude in which they really don’t care about the quality of the experience or drink they are serving their client; this needs to change.

The Four Seasons Hotel, located at 21 Avenue Road in the heart of downtown Toronto, has made and been able to maintain a name for themselves based on their admirable customer service and notable cocktail menu.

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, BartenderOne was asked to create an interactive bartender training program and team building workshop for the bartenders at The Four Seasons Hotel to help, provide in depth bartender training, open the minds of the staff of all the amazing possibilities within their menu, and of course to start to change the way cocktails are being formulated. Kick out the powdered barmix!

The workshop was built around the Four Season’s own drink menu, and also touched upon some of the most commonly ordered drinks, which were the hand-shaken Margarita, Fresh Cucumber Collins, Cosmopolitan with flamed orange zest garnish, Chocolate Mint Mojito, and the Classic Martini.

Modifications were discussed, such as as adding cucumber to the traditional Tom Collins, to create a fresh, current twist to the original Collins that left you wanting more! The cocktails were made, tasted, and discussed, with advice regarding the proper technique for making each cocktail. For example, the order of operations for a Mojito is commonly overlooked. It must be prepared: mint, limes, then sugar to ensure the mint remains intact and is not floating up into one of your guests’ pearly whites! The way in which a cocktail is developed is absolutely essential to the final product you are serving. Even the way it is shaken matters; you don’t want to shake for too long, or the drink becomes diluted, ten seconds is perfect.

Although the Four Seasons had already dabbled with liquor infusions before, they were thirsty for something new. We reviewed fat washing to produce bacon infused vodka, which can be incorporated into drinks like a BLT Caesar. Even using dill pickles to infuse vodka with dill and garlic adds an intense kick to your beverages.

The most important topic overall that was covered had to be tailoring the cocktail to your guests personal preferences, ensuring all, or most of the taste sensors were engaged. This could be done through things such as using bitters, which can be created at home. Balance is key.

Senses are an amazing part of the way that your guest feels about a cocktail. The taste, smell, looks, and texture all play a large role. To give a guest the full experience, all of these elements must have attention paid to them. Simple tricks like adding aromatics to a cocktail can make a world of difference. A flamed orange zest to a Cosmopolitan for example, takes a fairly simple drink and adds another level, now incorporating the olfactory, which intensifies the experience, and makes your guest feel like they’ve just received a cocktail that was tailored just for them.

The workshop was a great forum for the bartenders of the Four Seasons to bounce ideas off of each other, as well as expand their creativity to the boundless potential of their bar, and we were more than glad to help show them how BartenderOne constructs a cocktail!

Do you have unexplained losses in liquor or wine, in draught beer… in all three? If your restaurant is like most hospitality concepts, chances are your current bartender training is based on generations of bartenders who may not have been fully trained themselves. Most restaurants open with meticulous operational guidelines for how drinks are prepared, with detailed recipe lists that must be strictly adhered to along with opening and closing procedures, weekly checklists for cleanliness and follow up procedures. Does this sound familiar? Maybe it’s a distant memory…

What usually follows can be likened to a game of broken telephone, where each generation of bartenders passes on an adapted interpretation of your original training message. In the hospitality industry where employee turnover rates are commonly 50%-66% per year, it doesn’t take long before your original training standards are barely recognizable.

Perhaps your restaurant is okay and you have a good idea of how you can control the margins in the kitchen. Most managers have a good handle on food cost in the kitchen because many kitchens have portion-controlled menus. Use of a scale to measure consistency in portion size is common especially in prep areas, but there is no parallel on the bar side of the spectrum. Most bartenders freepour, although few have been properly trained to freepour accurately. You ask them to use a shot glass, which is slow and really offers no guarantee of accuracy during busy periods.

In the hospitality industry, there is a fine line between profit and loss. So fine in fact that after tax, profit margins in F&B often average less than 3% according to recent figures.

With margins like that, it’s hard to justify spending money on the business; however, it’s been said that you have to spend it to make it. There are a smorgasbord of liquor control systems available… at a price, and keep in mind you get what you pay for. Some bars that choose the ball bearing style pour spouts, which apparently stop automatically, may save money up front but you’ll pay in the long term. Most of these spouts will only pour accurately about 65% of the time. At the opposite end of the spectrum you could spend $100,000 or more on a high-tech liquor control system, however it may take years to see the return on your investment. Both of these systems, no matter how elaborate the programming, will limit your bartenders’ ability to create drinks that will truly satisfy your guests’ unique tastes and preferences.

At the very least you should make sure that all of your pour spouts are the same, and that you don’t have a mishmash of different colours, styles and pour rates. Not only does it look better, but if you find your liquor costs are out of line at least there is one less variable, and you can let your bartenders know that they’re pouring heavy.

The cost of not training your bartenders properly is astronomical. All licensed establishments have bartenders but few have truly mastered the craft. But when was the last time your bartenders had any real training? Are they accurate and efficient or are they pouring away your profits?

The bottom line is that your ability to manage your costs is directly linked to the degree to which you empower your staff to help you manage those costs. We’ve all heard that the best defense is a good offense… consider this. Keep things simple: Based on $10,000 in sales: Your current liquor cost is 25% = $2500 Your budget liquor cost is 23% = $2300 Simple math says that you’re running 2% above cost or at a 2% surplus. Your target liquor cost is 22% = $2200

This could be as a result of carelessness, spillage, spoilage, etc. As an incentive to keep costs in line, share these numbers with your staff regularly, and offer your bar team a quarterly party, or pay out a cash bonus to your bartenders if they hit a target 1% below your targeted liquor cost, in this case 22%. (Goals have to be within reason, and shouldn’t promote short changing the guest.)

Each year, based on these numbers, you are rewarded with $1200 in teambuilding and staff incentives. Your staff retention and job satisfaction goes up, turnover goes down and you empower a team of people to work toward meeting your budget goals. Win, Win.

Until next time, keep “Raising the Bar” in your establishment because if you don’t someone else will. Cheers!

If you look up the word “brand” in the dictionary, you will discover that a brand is, “a mark or symbol to differentiate one’s cattle from another’s.” The key word in that definition, as it relates to your establishment, is differentiate. It takes courage to be different and faith in your vision to be successful in the long-term.

In today’s highly competitive world, developing and promoting your difference or brand is increasingly difficult, almost as difficult as it is to find adequate bartender training. There are a few companies that have done it well and have enjoyed the rewards of successful branding. For example, when you think of the Bellini, most people think of Milestone’s. The company has a great cocktail menu, yet the Bellini is their flagship cocktail, and the one that they are known for. Why is this drink so successful? Consistent quality and eye-catching presentation … you know that the drink is going to look great and taste great at the same time.

To that end, it’s worth noting that 76 per cent of all purchases are made at the first place we think of in a given category – that might be McDonald’s for burgers, Tim Hortons for coffee (two brands that have based their success around consistency). If you are to earn a position in the minds of your prospects and customers, you must firmly and consistently establish your
difference.

So how do you do it? This part is tricky, and sadly there is no overnight key to success. Branding and association takes time, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do it, in fact, it means that you must do it now! You may choose to be known for having the coldest beer, or cocktails made with the freshest ingredients, or making a drink using a method that makes it uniquely your own. Deciding what you want to be known for is the easy part, making the commitment to stand behind your decision is considerably harder.

At the Bier Markt, located on the Esplanade in Toronto, they have made a commitment to have a huge variety of premium beer, over 100 brands from 24 countries. They impeccably maintain their draught system to ensure that you get the best beer every time you come in. They understand that maintaining the number one position in the minds of beer drinkers is paramount to their success. In short, they stand by their commitment.

The Keg Restaurant is well-known for keg-sized cocktails, most notably, the Caesar. Over time they have created an association between this uniquely Canadian cocktail and their brand, and wisely so, Canadians consume over 30 million Caesars annually. They are so passionate (and well-known) for this drink that they have concocted their very own Keg Caesar Mix version of Clamato juice, to put their own unique stamp on the cocktail that makes it almost impossible to replicate.

Each of these concepts made the choice to do one thing better than everybody else. This is not lip service in their training, they live their brands. This doesn’t mean that you have to be the best in the country or the best in the world (although a commitment like that would work wonders for any brand). It just means that you are going to provide the best beer, cocktail, service, or combination in your specific market. Trying to be everything to everyone quite often results in mediocrity across the board. Do one thing really well and consistently and your guests will come back for it again and again. Pick your area of expertise or focus and own it! I recently heard that the secret to success in any business is to do the things that others aren’t willing to do. The choice is yours. Until next time keep ‘raising the bar’ in your establishment, because if you don’t, someone else will!

Remember every time Norm walked into the bar on Cheers, the entire bar would call out in unison “NORM!” It didn’t matter who was behind the bar, they knew what he drank, and it was ready and waiting for him as he assumed his position at the end of the bar. Norm embodied the “regular,” the men and women who frequent your establishment regularly. They are the ones who more often than not, tip well, and don’t ask for any special kind of service. In many cases they are the types who spend thousands a year in your establishment. They are the cornerstones of your business, you certainly can’t afford to lose them, so the question clearly is how do you keep them and how do you get more of them?

I’ve seen lower volume establishments where regulars are praised and glorified, and high volume bars also where they are overlooked with the attitude that “it doesn’t really matter what kind of service they receive, they’ll come back anyway.” In an industry where service and proper bartender training is paramount to the success of your business and your frontline service, staff are often on a career stopover on the way to something better. Operators need to actively empower their staff to make sure that they you are cultivating long-term relationships with as many clients as possible, and creating experiences that they’ll remember, and come back for.

Rob Montgomery, Bar Chef and Manager of Toronto’s Vertical Restaurant insists that details are the key. “I have operational systems covered so my staff can focus on guest experience details. Our philosophy is that we treat customers like they were a guest in our own home, I empower my staff with the same ethos and give them the tools to accomplish it.”

A good rule of thumb is that management should always be where the money is. If the restaurant is operating, management needs to be making regular rounds checking on guest experiences, not just server problems. Quite often guests will deal with sub-standard service by leaving little or no tip, and leave feeling dissatisfied. Management can circumvent this experience with a quick chat with each table. Guests are quite often more apt to give negative feedback to someone who is empowered to change the situation. “Mistakes and mishaps are inevitable in any restaurant; if they are handled correctly the guest will take notice. Fixing mistakes promptly and properly can impact guests greatly. Some of our longest running guests started off on the wrong foot, problems were solved and the guests were impressed enough to return again and again,” says Montgomery.

Everyone wants to feel special. Cristina Maria Morelli service ambassador of the Irish Embassy says that many servers overlook the simple things like a smile and a genuine interest in a guest’s well being. Anticipating the needs of her clientele is the surest way to make people feel special. “Having a drink or menu ready for them before they have to ask shows them that I’ve got their needs in mind. I try to treat everyone who walks through the door like they were the owner’s best friend!” People respond to that kind of service, and with this philosophy every guest is a potential regular. “My regulars have afforded me a lifestyle that others only dream of,” says Morielli.

It is important that the servers are focussed on providing service tailored to the guest’s needs. Obviously a birthday party and a solo businessperson require different styles of service. Montgomery echoes Morelli’s sentiments, “We see our regular guests in many situations. A business lunch one day, then out with friends for drinks the next day. It is important to handle their needs appropriately in each situation, and regardless, we never take regulars for granted. We ALWAYS make time to say hello and check the quality of their experience.”

I recently ate at La table du Chef in Sherbrooke, QC. The meal was terrific, but to complete the experience, chef Alain Labrie visited our table at the end of the meal for a 30 second chat and quality check. The added touch of a personal visit from the chef went above and beyond my expectations, and made our whole table feel special. It may not always be possible to chat and check with every table in your establishment, so creating an atmosphere where your service staff feel comfortable approaching management to resolve guest issues in a timely manner is crucial to your ability to turn any negative experiences into positive ones. The bottom line is that when the service (with appropriate bartender training) and food are good, I’ll probably come back for seconds, maybe even become your regular. If things go wrong and the problem isn’t addressed, you’ll never see me again. If there’s a problem and you address it you guarantee that I’ll come back with my friends. Maybe they can be your regulars too.

Until next time keep Raising the Bar in your business, because if you don’t someone else will!

Walk into almost any hip Toronto, Vancouver or Montreal restaurant and the cocktail menu you’re handed will likely describe mouth-watering concoctions that use fresh herbs, organic fruit and other top-notch ingredients.

Using cucumber in a cocktail may sound ridiculous at first. Until recently, only a few trained bartenders would even consider using cucumber as a garnish on a Bloody Ceasar or Mary, but all of that is about to change. Cucumbers have somehow made the transition from a low-cost garnish to a top-shelf ingredient – bar chefs have embraced cucumbers as a hot, or cool, new addition to menus, along with a host of other ingredients that are making the migration from the kitchen to the bar.

Although signature cocktails are being whipped up in other big cities like New York and Los Angeles, Toronto’s gastronomic culture has inspired bartenders to raise the bar and take their cues from the kitchen. Anyone who is willing to seek the right bartender training will have their mind opened up to all of the possibilities. Bartenders are becoming known as “bar chefs” as they search for fresh ingredients, visit farmers’ markets, source artisanal spirits, and size up the competition in other cities.

Most restaurants today aim to provide no less than the best when it comes to the food produced in the kitchen. Fresh vegetables make the best salads, and with a push towards healthy eating, many of our guests are opting for the healthier side salad versus fries or a baked potato. When we prepare drinks on the bar or food in the kitchen there should be more than a few similarities in our method. It seems more than a little ironic that we will accept nothing less than the best on the culinary front, and accept just about anything when it comes to the bar.

New York’s “King of Cocktails,” Dale DeGroff, head bartender of The Rainbow Room, is credited with reviving upscale specialty cocktails, having invented some 400 cocktails with fresh juice and no mixes. He emphasizes the importance of approaching a bar the way a chef approaches his/her kitchen. He believes that cocktails, like food, are about ingredients.

Classic cocktails such as manhattans, martinis and sidecars are on the rise at white table cloth restaurants in Toronto, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York, he says, adding, “People are taking the classics and being more creative with them with their own twist, maybe fresh fruit or seasonal herbs.” Increasingly, chefs are working with mixologists to create new and interesting drinks that contain ingredients not previously found in cocktails. Cucumbers have been a great addition to the cocktail list – they are not sweet, but lend a very refreshing taste.

Many restaurant patrons will have a cocktail to start the meal, and then move on to wine with the meal. The challenge is to create a cocktail that is good enough to prompt the order of a second round before the bottle of wine hits the table. Quite often it’s a little more than the smell of freshly muddled mint that prompts a run on mojitos. Working in an industry where the up sell is fundamentally important to profitability, fresh seasonal cocktails that sell themselves are worth their weight in gold. Until next time, keep ‘raising the bar’ in your establishment, because if you don’t, someone else will.

Cocktail of the Month : Cool as a Cucumber
1 oz. Bacardi Big Apple Rum
1 oz. melon liqueur
1/2 oz. simple syrup or 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 oz. cucumber puree
Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously over ice. Garnish with a slice or spear of cucumber and a fresh squeeze of lime juice.

With the diversity of liqueurs on the market today it is possible to make a drink taste like virtually anything. Distillers have made it easy for mixologists to shape the profile of a drink. With base flavours like vanilla, cacao and hazelnut, it’s no wonder drinks like the Crispy Crunch shooter are consistently popular. I often wonder how long it will take before we see a chocolate martini dessert, where the kitchen begins to mimic the flavours being produced on the bar instead of the other way around. Perhaps the service of fusion dishes in traditional bar glassware like wraps in oversized shooter glasses and dessert mousses in martini glasses is an indication that it’s already
happening.

There is definitely an attraction to sweets that makes drinks like the chocolate martini popular. Everyone has a sweet tooth, but most people can’t have more than a few sweet cocktails before they need a change of pace and flavour profile. With a myriad of sour liqueurs on the market, it’s hard to know which flavours will complement each other. Sour peach or blueberry have vibrant eye catching colours, but too often, these ingredients find their place on the back bar and never move possible because of improper bartender training or no one has taken the time to experiment. Current bar books and recipe manuals will give you an overview with some recommendations. Some manufacturers will also include token recipes on the bottle itself, but there is no better way to find out what fits with your concept or client base than being properly trained and spending some time experimenting for yourself.

Regardless of whether you’re a bartender, bar manager or concept director, (or perhaps you’re all three) a little bartender training and the willingness to experiment can go a long way towards creating some great custom cocktails. Before you spend any more money on additional ingredients like sour watermelon liqueur, look at what you can make with what you’ve currently got on your bar. There are lots of drink engines on the Web, including a good online cocktail cabinet for free at www.bartenderone.com where you can check-off the ingredients (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) from a huge list and it’ll generate a list of all the cocktails you can make with your current ingredients.

I find that quite often the bottled sours have a bit of a laboratory look and taste to them, and if using sour liqueurs is not your speed, I encourage you to experiment with traditional sour cocktails made with raw ingredients. I guarantee that it will render better results than the bottled concoctions available, and you may just find a new favourite cocktail in the process. Whisky and Amaretto Sours are definitely the most common in Canada. South of the border, Bourbon, Midori (melon liqueur), Pisco (brandy) and Tuaca (vanilla) sours are all very popular. If your bar makes an amaretto sour with a shot of Amaretto and barmix, try taking a few extra seconds to craft one from scratch using the sour recipe that follows and then do a taste test. The results are like night and day. The sour recipe below can be modified into many different variations simply by
changing the alcohol.

This month, the Frangelico Sour is the cocktail of the month courtesy of bar chef Rob Montgomery of Toronto’s Vertical Restaurant. “The amaretto sour is so last year!” he says with a sarcastic laugh. When I first heard the name, I couldn’t help but say ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ and after trying it, I’m certain that this is one of my new favourites. It’s a well balanced drink that is light, refreshing and easy on the palate. Give it a try and you’ll never go back! A willingness to experiment and a little bit of time are two keys to some of the most fun and rewarding research and development you’ll ever do. You’ll find that you can easily broaden your knowledge base about the products you serve and great ways to serve them.

This month’s Move of the Month is a show stopper that must be practiced. It works on the same premise as throwing a candy in the air and catching it in your mouth. It’s important to start with a few cherries in your hand in case you miss the first one… you don’t want to be searching for garnish with an audience. World Champion Christian Delpech says it best… “You throw the cherry and then you pray!” Under the right circumstances you may choose to lean across the bar and feed the cherry to the guest who ordered the drink. Use discretion before garnishing a drink with something that has been in your mouth, no matter how often you brush your teeth! Until next time keep Raising the Bar!

MOVE OF THE MONTH : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-kwK9iwaZc

FRANGELICO SOUR
1 1/2 oz. Frangelico
2 teaspoons of Turbinado Sugar
2 Key limes cut in half and squeezed or muddled
1/2 oz. of pasteurized egg white Shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass

“I’ll have a Sex and the City martini please,” she tells the bartender. There’s no denying that the cocktail revolution is in full swing; and no beverage has single handedly changed the way we view cocktail culture like the Cosmopolitan. While Carrie Bradshaw sipped reddish pink Cosmos in chic New York watering holes on television’s popular “Sex and the City,” the rest of us wanted to taste that lifestyle, and the Cosmopolitan takes you there…

Martini purists will insist that nothing other than vodka or gin and a dash of vermouth belong in a martini, but the quintessential symbol of the martini glass has transcended generations of drinkers and represents a kind of stylish elegance that so many of us yearn for. Today’s cocktail martinis have come a long way from the time James Bond coined “Shaken… not stirred!” Following the trends of Smirnoff Ice and the RTD (Ready to Drink) caesar, Martini Brand recently launched “Bellissima,” its version of the pre- packaged RTD cosmopolitan - no bartender training required. However, whether you’re making it yourself or having one made for you, there’s no substitute for a handcrafted classic cosmopolitan. From it’s original classic formula made with premium vodka, cointreau, freshly squeezed lime and cranberry juice, to this month’s featured cocktail, the rum based specialty Caribbean Cosmo, the options for creating a great tasting cocktail of your own are only limited by your imagination.

From cocktails traditionally served in tumblers, to frozen classics like the Strawberry Daiquiri, restaurateurs are jumping on the martini bandwagon, with “martini lists” rather than “cocktail menus.” These days, it seems like nothing is sacred. Anything that can be served in a martini glass will be served in a martini glass. If you’re one of the privileged few who gets the honour of designing your martini list, or if even if you’re playing home bartender at your next party, for the love of all things boozy, have some fun with it! Try and stay away from the Hurricanetini. In other words, try to be more creative than simply taking an existing cocktail and adding the letters T-I-N-I on the end of its name.

If you consider the basic elements of cocktail synergy, creating your own custom cocktail from simple ingredients is really quite easy. Like any good chef will tell you, the key to fine cuisine is balance. The same holds true for cocktails - balance is essential. If your cocktail contains an abundance of sweet liqueurs, add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice, to cut the sweetness. If your cocktail is high in alcohol content, add a weaker element, such as juice, a mixer or maybe something as simple as ice to dilute your liquor and keep your drink both cold and palatable. In the case of savory cocktails like a caesar, the reason it’s garnished with a celery stalk (bitter) is to balance the salty taste of the rim. Here are the simple rules of thumb.
Balance sweet (sugar) with sour (citrus)
Balance strong (liquor) and weak (juice or mix)
Balance salty and bitter (savory cocktails)

The man’s man has often avoided the martini because of the long stemmed glass and feminine appeal. Libbey’s Glassware has made martinis more attractive to men by creating a hybrid rocks/martini glass with no stem and a heavy stable glass base (pictured in this months cocktail of
the month).

While braving the Canadian winter doesn’t often inspire chilled cocktails, this year’s record setting temperatures might have you thinking twice about heading south for warmer climates.

So if the Caribbean is calling your name for March break but your wallet is telling you to stay home, take a budget friendly vacation with this rum based twist on the classic cosmo.

In case you were wondering, Island Originals is the new brand name for the popular Island Oasis. The name was changed in September 2005, to create a buzz around their brand and to further dissociate themselves from their competitors. The brand remains Island Oasis south of the border and internationally, but in Canada they have a new name and new packaging and should be complete by fall.

Caribbean Cosmopolitan
2oz Malibu Pineapple Rum
1oz Island Originals Passion fruit
1oz Island Originals Mango
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Top with Club Soda.
Method: Pour the Malibu Pineapple Rum, Island Originals Passion Fruit Mix, Island Originals Mango Puree and Cranberry juice into a cocktail shaker, half-filled with ice (never add a carbonated beverage to a cocktail shaker, you’ll end up wearing the cocktail!). Shake vigorously 4-5 times to insure that the cocktail is properly mixed. Pour into a chilled martini glass, top with soda and garnish with a kiwi slice.

From the classic long island iced tea to start off your evening, to a warm and comforting blueberry tea after a good meal, tea flavoured cocktails have been around for forever. The recent surge in popularity of green tea, coupled with the fact that teas are included on more and more cocktail menus, is a great indication that we’re all about to get a healthy dose of antioxidants. In North America, high quality tea products are now more accessible than ever. With its highly publicized health benefits, wholesale tea sales have grown more than 600 per cent in the last 15 years. Trailblazing restauranteurs are noticing the trends from the Far East and incorporating what was once considered a very ceremonial ingredient into today’s cocktail revolution. Matcha is one of the latest types of tea to hit the Canadian marketplace. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of it, few people, or bartenders for that matter, have. With both Starbucks and Booster Juice recently adding matcha to their menus, it won’t be long before it’s a household name. Just know that matcha is the new chai, and it’s a buzzword that may just turn the industry on its ear.

Most will agree that few things are more refined than relaxing after a meal with a digestif or specialty coffee warmer. While Spanish coffees and monte cristos have long been staples on the after dinner coffee list, the one and only after dinner tea cocktail on the vast majority of our menus is the quintessential blueberry tea. The classic recipe calls for a curious mix of the orange flavoured Grand Marnier, and almond flavoured amaretto (the jury’s still out on where the blueberry reference comes from). Sadly, that seems to be the end of our creativity when it comes to tea cocktails.

The recent rise in popularity of green tea martinis or “greenteanis” has opened a floodgate of opportunity in Asian inspired cocktails. While Central and Eastern Canada seem to be a bit behind the times, British Columbia has had a long love affair with a myriad of green tinted Japanese culinary delights. From the almost fluorescent coloured wasabi, (try a little mixed into your next caesar) to the light green textured aloe vera juice, to the deep green nori (seaweed) to the brightly coloured edamame (soybean), it seems like it’s easier than ever to be green. The latest addition to the family of popular green ingredients is matcha. Although there are some subtle differences between matcha and green tea, (types of leaves used and the method of harvest) quite simply, matcha is powdered green tea in a concentrated form.

Restauranteurs have been using this brilliant green ingredient in culinary applications for quite some time. Matcha ice cream, matcha cream cheese, matcha chocolate and energy bars, parfaits and cheesecakes… the list goes on. Chefs like Toronto’s John Lee of OMI Sushi suggests matcha’s slightly bitter flavour balances well with sweet or chocolaty desserts, which is why it works so well in sweeter cocktails. He adds that it’s not only matcha’s unique taste, but its many health benefits that are making it an increasingly popular ingredient to work with. With as many as eight times the antioxidant properties of regular green tea, a little dose of matcha can go a long way.

Powdered Matcha is available in a few different varieties. For cocktail applications look for sweetened matcha, which often comes in the form of a matcha latté mix. The unsweetened powder is fine, but I find it too bitter to be used without the addition of simple syrup. Mixology Canada Inc. offers powdered matcha in both varieties along with an extensive line of Tea Fuzions concentrates created specifically for cocktails.

This month, I’m offering up two suggestions, one for before the meal and one for after. First, the emerald matcha martini, made with premium Vodka, lychee liqueur, aloe vera juice (another unique ingredient available in most Asian grocery stores) and matcha tea. You’ll find it best to dissolve your matcha in hot water before adding it to your beverages. Try 1 tsp. of matcha powder to 1oz. of hot water. The second is the lychee matcha latté. With both soothing and digestive qualities; it’s made just like it sounds, with lychee liqueur, a shot of matcha and steamed milk, and it’s the perfect way to end a meal.

One thing is certain, Asian inspired cocktails including tea-based creations are here to stay. With a curious consumer base thirsty for a healthy excuse to have a cocktail, and extensive bartender training, these drinks could just be the way to raise your bar!

Emerald Matcha Martini
1 oz. premium vodka
3/4 oz. lychee liqueur
1 tsp. Tea Fuzions matcha latté powder (dissolved in 1 oz. hot water)
2 oz. aloe vera juice

Lychee Matcha Latté
1 oz. lychee liqueur
1 tsp. Tea Fuzions matcha latté powder (dissolved in 1 oz. hot water)
6 oz. steamed milk

Who could forget Meg Ryan’s performance in “When Harry Met Sally.” Whether she’s having a Screaming Orgasm (one of this month’s featured cocktails), or your own house specialty, one thing is for sure – your cocktails need to sizzle! Cocktail presentation and felicitous bartender training can make the difference between your guests leaving after one drink, or having your clients buzz around the water cooler about the amazing cocktail creation they had the night before.

Companies like Milestones and TGIFriday’s have made cocktail presentation and proper bartender training a cornerstone of their beverage program, not only by dressing up their cocktails, but by “parading” a tray of drinks through the dining room at eye level to take advantage of a little free on-site marketing. So what can you do to dress up your beverage program?

1. Glassware: There are literally hundreds of different types of glassware that you can use to customize and personalize your drinks. Typical rocks glasses are fine but something as simple as a gin and tonic in an asymmetrical tumbler can make your guests feel distinguished while drinking something very ordinary. Libbey Glass has a wide variety of fun and funky glassware to help you set yourself apart. Check out www.libbey.com for ideas.

2. Glassware Treatment: Chilling or heating your glassware ahead of time will help the drink stay at its optimum temperature for longer. If you don’t have the fridge space, frosted glassware is a great visual(unfortunately non-functional) alternative. Rimming your cocktail glasses is a fun and easy way to add elegance and decadence to your drink program. Keep in mind that if you’re going to rim a glass properly, you only moisten and rim the outside edge of the glass. This ensures that the rimming ingredient stays on the rim and doesn’t become an ingredient of the drink.

3. Garnish: Exotic garnishes like lychee and starfruit lend sophistication, and something as simple as a caramel drizzled apple slice floating atop a martini, as prepared by Milestones, is simply decadent. Michael McGillin, president, Olive it and more…, recognized a market for specialty stuffed olives. He’s created a custom line of hand stuffed olives, 19 different types to be exact. His site www.olivelovers.com has some great tips and recipes for both culinary and cocktail applications.

4. Name and Colour: Provocative sounding cocktails often sell well just based on their name, the same way as blue, purple and red drinks sell well because of their vibrant colours. Mixology Canada Inc. (formerly Island Oasis) makes an extensive line of 17 all natural premium mixes that both look and taste great. For all of the flavours and solutions for your cocktail menu visit www.mixology.net. Assuming you’ve done your homework and you’ve got some great tasting cocktails on your menu, something as easy as substituting Blue Curacao for it’s cousin triple sec, can turn a blasé looking cocktail into eye candy.

5. Add some Flair: Each month, Raising the Bar will feature a new and exciting flair bartending move that won’t sacrifice your bottom line, but will leave a big impression on your guests. This month, I’m featuring two exotic cocktails each with a unique eye catching presentation. The first is a Screaming Orgasm with chocolate syrup drizzled around the inside of the glass. The second is a Blue Skyy Kamikaze - an eye catching twist on an old favourite, cool and refreshing for the beginning of patio season. Next month, I’ll be looking at the more exotic flavours that will be dominating the summer refreshments list… until then, keep RAISING THE BAR in your establishment because if you don’t, someone else will!

MOVE OF THE MONTH; Cocktail Napkin Toss: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Y2JqkxHVkM

SCREAMING ORGASM
1/2 oz. Amaretto
1/2 oz Baileys Irish Cream
1/2 oz. Kahlua
1/2 oz. Skyy Vodka
4 oz. Island Originals Ice Cream Mix Chocolate Syrup Strawberry
Method: Measure and pour ingredients into a blender cup and add 1/2 cup of crushed ice. Blend for 5-10 seconds. Drizzle chilled chocolate syrup around the inside of your glass and pour the blended drink into the middle of the glass (not down the side) to freeze the chocolate syrup in place from the bottom up.

BLUE SKYY KAMIKAZE
1 oz. Skyy Vodka
1/2 oz. Bols Blue Curacao
4 oz. Island Originals Sweet and Sour Mix Orange Wheel and Cherry
Method: Add Skyy Vodka, Bols Blue Curacao and Island Originals Sweet and Sour Mix to a cocktail shaker half filled with ice. Shake vigorously 4-5 times to ensure the cocktail is properly chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and garnish with an orange wheel and a cherry.