There may well be better Bartending/Drink/Cocktail/DrinksIndustry blogs out there. However this one is published by a rank and file cocktail bartender still on the wrong side of the bar. I have a passion for my industry and I hope I can share it with anyone who cares to check it out.
This blog is for anyone who's interested. Bartenders or drinkers, educate yourselves and remember that drinking is an art, not a sport. Better a few quality drinks, than many shitty ones. I hope this blog will help to broaden some drinking and tending horizons in every good bartenders quest to create adventurous drinkers.
Molecular mixology is sort of taking off, in the larger cities at least. I haven’t had the chance to sample it yet, but it’s on my ‘to do’ list. It might just be a fad, but an interesting one. I happen to be very fond of the liquidity of my drinks. This is something that Shaker Bar School put out. It’s a mango Pina Colada disguised as a boiled egg. How fucking cool is that?!
Very…
This is a French table from the 1950s…with a sliding top and a hidden cocktail bar within!
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The cocktail barman controls every aspect of the drinks they serve. Taste is paramount, but temperature, aesthetic, garnishes, balance of flavours are important as well as various other accoutrements depending on the drink. Hence, if your bartender forgets a straw or takes longer than 90 seconds mix your martini have a little common decency and patience.
On this subject though, in terms of the aesthetic, the home bartender should take note. Even if you can bang out a great cosmopolitan, if your serving it in a wine glass, some of that cocktail chic is lost. It might as well be pink lemonade. The luxury you have at home is that you aren’t burdened with the high volume of the professional bartender. Therefore, splash out on some nice glass-wear. LSA produce some really nice ranges, of which, I believe the ‘Jazz’ range to be the sharpest. Unless your a sloppy drinker these should stand the test of time. Worth the money, they are all hand blown and hand painted so wash with care.
Remember always serve cocktails in clean, chilled glass-wear.
P.S. There are lots of other ranges and brands of glasses. Particularly in vogue right now are slanted glasses or warped stems. Check them out too, but beware, after a few stiff drinks they may be more of a hazard to the carpet than they’re worth.
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Many bars I find myself in subscribe to the school of clean lines, white and black, stainless steel etc. I find this clinical and dull. Spanish cocktail bars retain the stripped back, dark wood, dusty bottle, gloomy nook look that I think lends itself to the cocktail atmosphere. Bring back these bars to the UK, I want beaten leather couches, candles dripping wax and a rum old fashioned please!
Simon Diffords 9th offering contains an encyclopaedic guide to all things cocktail. If you are an aspiring bartender this book is the only must have. His passion and knowledge for various libations is infectious and bleeds through the beautifully formatted A-Z. The pictures are fantastic and the sheer volume of recipes (well clear of 2500) means this is more for the professional than the hobbyist. Apart from recipes and in depth information on ingredients, it also contains the history of drinks culture in an easy to digest format. Whether you want to broaden your knowledge or use it as a reference for that difficult to please customer, it will not let you down.
PS. As if all that is not enough it acts as a travel companion, with the best bars in most major cities around the world all listed and reviewed.
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The True Originals ad campaign from Bacardi is fucking awesome. However, of the four this is my favourite, see them all, but Number four and Number one are the best.
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Well excited about this exclusive 24 year old Rye whiskey that ‘The Bitter Truth’ just released. Unfortunately, they’ve sold out and I’m guessing it’s gonna be fairly hard to come by. Anyone who knows where one can avail oneself of a bottle….answers on a postcard.
