The Complete Bartender?

   This video came to my attention a couple weeks ago and annoyingly it has stuck with me.  This is not a flair bartending website and I don’t have the talent needed to fling full 750ml bottles into the air and catch them on my shoulder.  I practice a low level of flair, spinning shakers, glasses and small flick tricks with hawthorn strainers.  A certain percentage of professional bartending is entertaining; people tend to like just watching the bartender make drinks.  Now the question I’ve been debating in my head is how big is the “entertaining” percentage?  I’ve talked to some bartenders who treat the bar as a stage and of course sometimes it can be a very entertaining “act”.  I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in front of many well known bartenders and I feel the ones I read about most use very little “flair”.  So what does define an above average bartender and how big a part of that description is flair?  I’ve devised the following graph to what I think defines a well balanced bartender.

   The following video is of course fake in almost every way but you can’t deny the entertainment value.  For how ridiculous it is it has made me second guess what flair means and the real value a dexterous bartender can add to your imbibing experience.

By: Mark Sexauer

Taproot Sour

   I’ve been messing around with carrots a lot recently and find they mix excitedly well when used properly.  Carrots are second only to beets in sugar content and can easily be used behind the bar in a number of ways.  You can juice them, or buy high quality carrot juice at the store although I find that a carrot syrup of some sort is a great way to experiment with your own carrot cocktails.  Carrots work beautifully with gin, (especially genever), unaged rums and grape based spirits like brandy and pisco.

       Taproot Sour
       11/2 oz light rum (I used Cruzan)
       11/2 oz Carrot Simple Syrup
       1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
       2 dashes orange bitters (I used the “softer” fee brothers)
       1 or 2 basil leaves
       Combine all into a cocktail shaker and shake.  Double strain into a cocktail glass, garnish basil leaf and black pepper.

       Carrot Simple Syrup
       1 cup water
       1 cup cane sugar
       1 cup minced carrots
       2 oz of vodka (brings the alcohol content close to 20%, easily enough to preserve for 2 to 4 weeks.)
       One large carrot should be close to a cup, use a cheese grater or food processor to mince.  Bring the water to a boil or close to it, remove from heat and add sugar.  Once dissolved add the minced carrots and let cool.  Cover with food film and let sit in the refrigerator over night.  Strain through a strainer using a spoon or cheese cloth to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.  Pour into a nice capable bottle and enjoy for about a month before it won’t be usable.

   I’ve served this to unsuspecting customers and even chefs with fantastic feedback.  Try adding ginger, raisins, brown sugar and/or herbs to your carrot simple syrup.  Hope everyone had a good repeal day; I’m still recovering from mine…

By: Mark Sexauer

Gin Pairing Dinner with Simon Ford

   Simon Ford Rocks!
   Simon Ford was the host of a Plymouth Gin cocktail and food pairing event I attended at one of my favorite Seattle restaurants, Crush.  The menu was designed around the seven botanicals used in Plymouth Gin; the cocktail ingredients being intertwined with some of the food ingredients.  Andrew Lanier who shares some of his valuable time at Crush was the brain behind the menu listed below.  After five delicious courses I went home, relaxed, and contemplated my understanding of cocktail pairing.  Thanks to Danielle Ferris for putting on such a successful dinner, here’s the menu…

       Roasted Beet Salad & Farmstead Chevre
       Heirloom Navel Orange, Marcona Almonds & Watercress
       Crimson 75
       Plymouth, Chioggia Beet Essence, Citrus and Champagne

       Rabbit Loin and Matsutake Mushroom Consomme
       Bloomsdale Spinach, Rosemary & Douglas Fir
       Field, Forest & Vine
       Plymouth, Verjus, Hints of Pine

       Coriander Crusted Hawaiian Mero Sea Bass
       Sweetbreads, Winter Squash, Pancetta & Collard Greens
       Cornucopia
       Plymouth, Pumpkin Syrup, Pressed Apple & Egg White

       Juniper Scented Colorado Lamb Loin
       Celery Root, Black Trumpettes & Syrah Lamb Jus
       Sangria de Inverno
       Plymouth, Fig & Date Mulled Syrah

       Napolean of Seckel Pears
       Cardamom Tuiles & Ginger Caramel Semifreddo
       Cardamom Cappuccino
       Gently Warmed Plymouth, Pear Liqueur & Cardamom Froth

   I couldn’t get a good picture of the cappuccino but trust me, it looked, and tasted very very good.

   Plymouth is a gin held in high regard among most bartenders and with 400 years of history there is much to appreciate.  Plymouth by law can only be distilled in Plymouth, England and starting in 1793 Plymouth was an operating distillery making the first clear (white) gin at the time.  The company Coates & Co operated the distillery for most of its history and in 2008 Pernod Ricard took over.  If you want to experiment with pairing food and cocktails, gin is a very versatile spirit to work with.  Plymouth is made with Juniper, Coriander, Angelica Root, Sweet Orange Peel, Lemon Peel, Orris Root and Cardamom, all of which are readily available at places like Tenzing Momo.  Now if I can only get my hands on a case (or even just one bottle) of Plymouth Navy Strength, I’ll be really happy… Cheers!
   P.S.  If anyone is interested enough to have one of the above cocktail recipes I have them all and would be happy to print it in the comments section.

Getting Published

     Let’s say you’re a bartender. 
     You spend a vast majority of your time thinking and talking about cocktails and their relative ingredients.  Your passion has caused a number of life problems from failed relationships to chronically disastrous kitchens.  How do you nurture this insane passion into a career?  One great way is to become published.  Writing skills are not necessarily um… necessary (have you read some of my other posts?  It’s like 4th grade English…) Pictures, presentation and the most important ingredient, great cocktail recipes are much more important.  From some research I’ve been doing into the world of publishing, people are buying novels less and graphic, fun, special-interest books more.  I am working on a cocktail book that I am hoping will be wrapping up by 2010 and wanted to share one of the best resources I have come across for amateur cocktail book writers.  It’s called “How to Write the Perfect Book Proposal,” this how-to by Jeff Herman flew under the radar but has everything you need to move forward with a book idea.

     It’s hard to find in stores, in fact the closest Barnes and Noble to carry it in Seattle, Washington was one in Austin, Texas.  So fire up the search engine and check online, I got mine for about 7 bucks.
     The publishing industry isn’t being bailed out by the government but it’s not the thriving money maker it once was.  A lot of publishers are moving forward with non-print alternatives and more authors are self publishing (Gary Regan.)  Like a good cook, a good bartender accumulates recipes and techniques over time and a book is a good way to show the world what you know and open a few doors for yourself as well.  Good luck and I’ll post about my cocktail book when it’s completed.

By: Mark Sexauer

How to Turn Fruits and Vegetables into Powder

   No magic words or tricks for this one, just basic cooking skills and a little time.  When using certain fruits and vegetables as ingredients for drinks sometimes the flavor is covered up or lost completely.  Using a fruit or vegetable dust is a different way to add that flavor component by rimming, mixing with sugar/salt or even sprinkling on the top of the drink.
   For example I love carrots; cooking and trying to make drinks using them. But sometimes I’m looking for much more concentration of flavor, so I’ll dig out the ol’ cookie sheet and make carrot dust.

       Carrot Dust
       3 cups (about 4 medium whole carrots), peeled clean and julienned (a cheese grater works great)
       Cookie sheet
       Parchment paper
       Preheat oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.  Place parchment paper in a cookie sheet and spread around the julienned carrots evenly.  Place in the oven for about 4 hours, checking periodically to make sure they don’t burn.  Put dried carrots into a mortar and pastel or for even better results, a cleaned out coffee grinder and turn it into a fine dust.  You may want to sift the resulting dust, I get about 3 tablespoons worth from the above recipe of creamy and distinctly carrot tasting powder.

   Of course not everything is going to dehydrate well.  Avocados have a high fat content and will only become pliable and weird.  You can also grind up other herbs and spices with your fruit or vegetable dust for added complexity.  With carrots try a little dried ginger, pink peppercorn and lemon zest, grind all of it together and rim a cocktail glass, Salud!

By: Mark Sexauer

Snobby Bartenders

   I had a friend tell me the other day that there is quite a bit of snobbery surrounding the cocktail world. 

   I, for one, was blown away! 

   Not really, I’m guilty of going through a phase of cocktail snobbery myself and I’m guessing it’s the norm.  First of all, before I go any further it should be noted that my friend is a prospecting sommelier (wine expert).  You could destroy entire forests writing about the snobbery in the wine world so trust me, I wasn’t offended, but it did bring up a good point.  Like being a sommelier, a bartender has to have an ability to explain the product behind the bar and make suggestions.  One of the side effects of being an “expert” in these fields is that the amount of product knowledge is overwhelming to the average guest.  I know sommeliers and bartenders whose knowledge is disgustingly vast but the social aspect of relating that knowledge into a short, informative suggestion is horrible and sometimes even embarrassing.  A good bartender will always have a way of walking the guest (quickly) through some drink suggestions, and preferably pushing them in a direction that pleases everybody.
   I’ve heard bartenders tell guests that their drink order is a tasteless waste of money (Grey Goose Vodka, chilled, up). While I agree to a point, it is also the most unprofessional and rude statement to come out of a bartenders mouth.  It puts the guest on the defensive and they are likely to (at the very least) talk bad about you after getting their drink and worst of all, most likely will never return.  Here’s the bigger point; being a cocktail snob turns people away and hurts this exciting movement we are all a part of.

   This happens to me on a daily basis, almost.

   “Hey man, I’ll take a Lemon Drop please.” says the guest.

   The cocktail snob in me is thinking “This guy sucks!  What a d-bag!  Our cocktail menu is world-class, not one wine is from America and you have 60 Tequilas and 7 Mezcals staring you in the face…”

   What I really say, “I’ll make you a great Lemon Drop, how’s Hanger One sound?”

   “Fine…. Sounds good” says the guest.

   Then you go and make the best damn lemon drop you can possibly make and win these guys over to either come back again and again or in the best case, get to the point you can work some “cocktail dork magic” on them and make them think twice about habitually ordering the lemon drop.
   As in any field that you have a passion for, you want things to be perfect and right.  The bar environment is so many things to so many people but feeling like your stupid when you order a drink should not be part of that experience.
   Cheers, let the countdown begins to December 5th….

By: Mark Sexauer

Moving on up… Again!

   So another change in venue for me?  I am moving on from the fine dining environment at Chandlers and entering another phase in my bartending career.  On to the east side of Seattle, a place called Barrio, in Bellevue.  If you live on the eastside and don’t want to make the drive to Seattle for a good drink, come on down.  Barrio Bellevue will be home to the fourth Kold-Draft machine in Washington State.  Located in brand the new Bellevue Towers  (go to this website…) building on the ground level and has an incredible interior.  The bar manager Casey Robinson is well known in bartender circles and extremely talented.  He is the author of the bar menu which is fresh, ever evolving and offering as many as thirteen new signature cocktails including the flagship Margarita using orange Muscat.  Some classics include the corpse reviver #2 and pisco sours… I’m losing sleep thinking about getting behind this damn bar.  Pictures to follow and many more posts as summer comes to an end.

 

By: Mark Sexauer

O Hops!

   I love making, drinking, talking and imagining cocktails but my interests in the world of alcohol move into the realm of beer and wine quiet often.  I just got done picking this year’s first batch of Cascade hops and plan to clear the vine in the coming weeks.  In the works will be a hops tincture for sure but the main focus is a batch of homemade I.P.A.  If you have not made beer at home before, now maybe the perfect time because hops are in season and are readily available along with everything else you need being fairly cheap and easy to get at any beer and wine supply shop.  There are a number of resources online to get you started as well as countless books and magazines devoted to the craft.  I’m starting this first batch of hops as a tincture then I’ll move on to beer, stay tuned.
   My hops tincture will consist of two mason jars and aged about three days or to taste.
   
       Hops tincture #1
       1 cup lightly packed hops
       11/2 cup gin

       Hops tincture #2
       1 cup lightly packed hops
       11/2 cup everclear

   As far as the beer goes, who knows, I’ll post when I make the batch.  Hopefully it turns out better then my buddy’s Dave’s Ass Ale?

By: Mark Sexauer

Fig Sangria

   I have been extremely busy the last month and haven’t been able to post.  A cocktail book I am authoring is taking shape though and I am very excited about it, more details to come…
   Sangria’s are tough to nail down perfectly because there is no perfect sangria!  There is so much room for experimenting which makes them so much fun to make and can be the staple of a party, bbq or any get- together.  Sangria’s originated the same way most wine based drinks originated early in history by adding herbs and fruits into low quality wine or wine going bad to make it drinkable.  The word sangria means bloody in both Spanish and Portuguese (the regions where the base recipe originates) and has now evolved into countless recipes and techniques (typing sangria into Google returns over 3.5 million results).
   I have put together a fig sangria for a Spanish themed party I bartended with fantastic results.  The wines I like to use for any red sangria are a Tempranillo, Grenache or a blend of the two.  Give this a try and then move on to your own experimenting.  Sangrias are fast sellers behind the bar and perfect for parties, cheers.

       Fig Sangria
       1 bottle Spanish wine (I used a Granacha)
       1/2 cup simple syrup
       1/2 cup brandy (I used Christian Brothers)
       2 cups (or so) Fig Puree
       1 lime sliced into very thin wheels
       1 lemon sliced into very thin wheels
       1 orange sliced into very thin wheels
       Add all into a bowl and very gently press down on the fruit wheels with a muddler to release just a little of the citrus juices.  Refrigerate over night to let all the flavors infuse into the wine.

       Fig Puree
       10 mission figs cut in half
       1 1/2 cup water
       Put figs and water in together then bring to a boil.  Once boiling, cover and turn heat down to a simmer.  Simmer for 15 or 20 minutes then remove from heat.  Dump all into a food processor leave on for a couple minutes until it is one uniform puree.

   Ice is key in a punch or sangria.  We need to keep this cold but diluting it too much can ruin all your hard work.  A great way to solve this is to add 2 cups of water into a pot.  Bring to a boil and then let cool.  Pour the water into a freezer safe bowl that won’t crack and then freeze.  When frozen, put the bowl in hot water for a minute, remove the mini ice berg and add to your sangria.  The large ice cube will keep the sangria cold but its density will keep it from melting to fast.  If you want to be really cool you can let this freeze a little then add some more figs (or any fruit) into the water and freeze them into your huge ice cube.

By: Mark Sexauer

The Pese

   I received a bottle in the mail the other day with a very nice surprise… Ron Abuelo Anejo 7 year.  Hailing from the Varela Hermanos distillery in Panama, this is one of the better aged rums I’ve tried in a while.  I’ll be honest; I have yet to fully dive into rum and everything it has to offer.  I love the spirit but it is not really a “go-to” for me, although these sorts of products are changing my mind, and quickly.
   Giving myself some time I sat down and opened the bottle to taste test this Panamanian gem.  Pouring an ounce into a snifter and smelling it lends itself a sweet, alcohol and spice scent.  The first sip was surprisingly soft; the nose presents you with vanilla, fruitiness, molasses and spice.  It rounds home plate with the familiar oak elements and a spicy mellow finish.
   Poking around online to find information on the rum and its producer I found a quote that said it was too “refined” to use in a cocktail… it was on, and I love this new cocktail which is perfect for the spring/summer thing we have going on here in Seattle (we’re having an awesome spring).

       The Pese
       11/2 oz Ron Abuelo 7 year Rum
       1/2 oz Simple Syrup
       1/4 oz Amaretto
       1/4 oz Lime juice
       1/4 oz Orange Juice
       1/8 teaspoon Whole Fennel Seed
       5 (or so) Toasted Almonds
       2 dashes Peychauds Bitters
       Combine the toasted almonds, fennel seed and simple syrup together and muddle hard until all is broken up and mashed.  Add the rest of the ingredients with ice and shake hard.  Double strain into a cocktail glass and garnish with an orange zest length.
       To toast almonds add sliced raw almonds into a pan and heat to med-high.  Stir frequently and toast to taste but watch out because once these start toasting it happens fast, Cheers.

I couldn't get a picture with the glass full... weird:-)

 By: Mark Sexauer