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I'm a bartender. Well, most call what I do mixology, but I really don't like that title. I work at Scott & Co in Tucson, Az. Proper cocktailing is what I do. You bar kit, should at the very least include the following: One or more large mixing tins, with accompanying smaller (cheater) tins. I prefer a cheater tin with a smaller capacity for the feel in my hand when I shake and it makes techniques like the hard shake a little less cumbersome. One or more Hawthorne strainers. I usually have on hand four or five at work; try to have one for each set of mixing tins. One or more barspoons. I use Japanese style teardrop barspoons. I like the feel and weight of the teardrop versus a layering spoon or even a forked spoon. If you are serious about cocktailing, don't have a spoon that has holes in it. It's unnecessary for the mixing process, and your spoon is actually a very important measuring device. One or more mixing pitchers. These are used for stirring drinks, and while optional, I recommend a pitcher against a mixing glass. One or more julep strainers. Much like your Hawthorne strainers, have as many of these as you have either mixing pitchers, or as many as you may want or need. I have five or six. Jiggers. I recommend using a graduated measuring cup unless your environment prevents. I work in a very dimly lit bar, so when there I use traditional fluted jiggers. If you are going to use fluted jiggers, I suggest pairing of 1oz & 2oz and 3/4oz & 1 1/2oz. A smaller graduated flute with indicating ridges is nice for smaller measurements of 1/4oz and 1/2oz. A wooden muddler. That one is simple. Wood only, and don't you dare wash it. Knives. I use paring and channel knives for garnish, as well as a fruit peeler for twists and zests. It is entirely optional for most home bars, but a zester for fresh nutmeg or cinnamon (for garnishing flips primarily)also does you well to have on hand. Depending on your level of interest, ice tools are also nice to have. I have a saw, hammer/pick, and cracking hammer all on hand. The saw and hammer/pick being used to prepare the larger pieces of slow frozen dense ice blocks we serve at work, but can be used for the same at home. The cracking hammer is entirely a tools for service ice. We have a Kold Draft ice machine that creates dense 1in cubes that need to be hand cracked in order to effectively dilute a stirred drink. Swizzle sticks and crushed ice bags are also nice to have around for, well, swizzles; thought they have their place for juleps, mai tais, or anything else you want to serve en frappe (might I suggest aAngostura/Fernet snowcones). Books? Imbibe! by the amazing Dave Wondrich is a must and in a lot of ways all you really need; everything else is supplementary. Jeffery Morganthaler has a great list of required reading on his blog. Recipes, spirits, technique, you name it, I can talk for pages about it. PatMarshall posted:Great OP! I've just moved to a new city, and most of my glasses were broken in transit, so I've been starting over from scratch with a few tumblers. Do you find that cocktail (i.e. "martini") glasses make a difference for drinks served up (no ice)? Or can I just use my wine glasses? Glassware is glassware, but I hate drinks served in wine glasses, it's so clumsy to drink. Do yourself a favor, go to Goodwill and buy all the champagne coupes they have for 40cents a piece, and use those. The biggest problem with using a wine glass is temperature of the glass itself. You can chill wine glasses, but that's why they are so clumsy. You always want to chill your glassware, and unless your drink is frappe, doing so with a wine glass is a joke. As for the second part of your post, keep in mind the spice and drier nature of rye. I prefer Italian sweet vermouth for a Manhattan. Carpano Antica is my go to, but Punt E Mes will do just fine as well. My recipe is 2oz spirit, 3/4 vermouth, 2 dash Ango, thick orange zest. I enjoy ango as much as the next, but 6-8 dashes in a Manhattan goes from enthusiastic to overboard. Also, if you haven't already, do yourself a favor and make a Left Hand, the rye variation of a Negroni. Garnish it with an orange zest in lieu of the grapefruit however. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 05:31
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So called "Martini" glasses are not actually called that. They are cocktail glasses. I actually prefer, as I mentioned before, champagne coupes for most drinks. If it's a smaller stirred cocktail like say, an Alaska, Saratoga, or Negroni, I prefer California glasses. And sours need an extra ounce or so of capacity so a larger, commonly 6oz, champagne coupe is ideal. Klauser, Manhattans rarely get any sort of cherry garnish traditionally, though contemporary recipes usually call for them, and need at least some element of citrus to really round out the aroma. And Negronis are not part of the Martinez family. Nor the Cosmo, but what family does it deserve in the first place? I totally forgot. For everyone looking to construct themselves a nice home bar, 12 Bottle Bar is a great starting point. Did I mention you should read Imbibe!? You should read Imbibe!. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 06:02 on Sep 22, 2011 |
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Sep 22, 2011 05:51
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Klauser posted:Any other Averna drinks I should try? 2 Averna, 1 Stout, 1 whole egg. Garnish with nutmeg. You suggested the Defend Arrack before. It's good, but of everything in Beta, it's a little more unbalanced than the rest. I like making Arrack Caipirinhas with the addition of an ounce or 2 of a hearty IPA.
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Dec 4, 2011 14:38
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Klauser posted:Also on repeal day, I read about a Cherry Bounce. Inspired, I poured some of the liquid from my jar of brandied cherries into a glass to sip. I was dubious but I wound up really liking it. We make our own Cherry Bounce at work. It's pretty simple and very tasty. New menu came out this week, here's the recipe for my cocktail: Hastings Cutoff One High West Oat Silver One home made "Double Black" Imperial Black IPA liqueur. Half Aquavit Half Maple Pipette home made Citric Acid Three to Four Dashes Fee's Old Fashioned bitters Shaken to aggravate the remaining yeast in the liqueur and create a dense head. Served rocks with a big lemon twist. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Dec 19, 2011 |
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Dec 19, 2011 01:05
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TapTheForwardAssist posted:So basically you just soak tart cherries in bourbon with sugar for a 2-6 months? I add sugar to all of my liqueurs after the fact. Vegetable Melange posted:And how are your shoulders holding up? It's not that bad making a Ramos. I'm at a consistent inch and a half or more of head outside of the glass on mine now.
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Dec 19, 2011 13:06
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silvergoose posted:Pisco sour? Sorry, that's kind of snarky, but definitely one of the best drinks I've had is a traditional pisco sour. A thousand times this. There are so many egg white recipes I could share, but the first should always be a proper Pisco sour. Mister Macys posted:On that note, what's the goon opinion of El Jimador? (blanco specifically, reposado optionally) It's very good. Here's a drink to try with it: Sonoran Old Fashioned 1.5 Jimador Repo or Anejo .5 Cielo Rojo Bacanora Blanco .5 Agave Nectar 1 Dash Angostura 1 Dash Regan's Orange Grapefruit twist If you can't get the Bacanora, and you probably can not, just use all Jimador. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Apr 2, 2012 |
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Apr 2, 2012 07:25
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air- posted:Can anyone suggest a reasonably priced cocktail bar in DC that makes quality drinks? It seems like every place is upwards of $10-15 a drink around here. So far Darnell's, Wonderland Ballroom, and The Passenger sound like they may be good, and I get a good feeling about looking in neighborhoods like U-Street, Columbia Heights. I want something along the lines of Windmill Lounge in Dallas or Poison Girl in Houston if anyone's been to either. Total dive of a place and very dumpy, but the drinks speak for themselves. Those are reasonably priced cocktails in most places. Our menu in Tucson bottoms out at 8$, but we're in Tucson. kwantam posted:I was out at one of the best mixology bars in town last night and asked the bartender to do something strange for me. I have a daiquiri like this. Sub the 2oz of rum for 1oz on Cynar and 1oz of Peychaud's, sub simple syrup for Falernum (.75) and maintain the lime. When you hear a bartender describe a drink they are serving as a "take on", they are doing exactly what you refer to here. Hell, I have an inverse Manhattan that calls for two parts Bonal Quinine Wine for the whiskey, and 1 part aged rum for the vermouth. Try an Angostura Cocktail. Ango as the base spirit, demerara syrup as the sweetener with a rye or scotch washed glass and/or atomized over the finished drink. Or an Ango sour. The options are endless. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 06:29 on Apr 19, 2012 |
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Apr 19, 2012 06:20
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I just won my regional Don Q contest. On my way to New York for MCC. Meet me at Painkiller, I'll get your first round.Vegetable Melange posted:Off to the Campari competition. My drink is basically a negroni fizz, wish me luck (luck has nothing to do with it). My coworker and good friend won our Campari contest with something very similar. I hope you win, I'll see you at MCC if you do. Choom Gangster fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Apr 24, 2012 |
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Apr 24, 2012 06:39
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