TALK DRINKS

Build Your Cocktail From The Ice Up

Everyone talks about using premium spirits, fresh juices, quality ingredients, even the proper glassware, but what about the ice? Ice is probably one of the things most people (even bartenders) take for granted, but it is one of the most basic and important aspects of any bar. Surprisingly, ice comes in many different types and has numerous levels of quality. One type of ice may work for one cocktail, but not for another and this slight difference can make or break your drink. Here is a great article from the eXaminer.com about building your cocktail and a quote from our good friend and mixologist Jonathan Pogash about ICE. Happy Cocktailing - TALKDRINKS

But it all comes back to ice, and the importance of good quality ice. When you’re shaking a cocktail, you have two unique reasons for doing so: 1) diluting the drink with the proper amount of water 2) making the drink cold. Thus, ice that dilutes properly and alters the temperature of the drink to the perfect degree, is a must for any good cocktail bar or home bartender. The best kind of ice melts at a slower pace, while still ensuring the drink remains cold. Chipped block ice is best, or the ice cubes that come out of Kold-Draft ice machines, as they are thicker, larger, purer, and melt slower.

Congratulations to the Winner

Congratulations to Jacqueline Patterson of San Francisco, CA for being the US winner in the Heering Accessorize 2009 Cocktail Contest. Jacqueline's cocktail was the Star Cross Lovers. Good luck in Singapore Jacqueline. Cheers - Mindy, bartender, The Hilton Austin
Star Crossed Lovers
2 oz. Redbreast 12 yr. Irish Whiskey
1 oz. Cherry Heering
.50 oz. Small Hand Foods Orgeat Syrup
1 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
.50 oz. Fresh Organic Egg Whites

How to Taste Spirits - Lessons from the Pros

Recently, we attended a spirit tasting session with our good friends and master mixologists, Tad and Paul of the Tippling Bros. They gave a great presentation on how to properly taste spirits and we wanted to share the knowledge from these pros. Cheers - TALKDRINKS
How To Properly Taste A Spirit
1) Don't agitate the glass by swirling too much.
2) A spirit is strong; don't sniff too hard off the top because you will abuse your palate.
3) Gently sniff the top from a few inches away, and move in slowly. Take quick sniffs or breathe in through your mouth as you get closer. (Much different than wine tasting)
4) When tasting, take a small amount in your mouth and let it fall down your throat.
5) Breathe in through your mouth, out through your nose. If you get a heavy burning, it's not a good sign for the spirit. A good spirit will cool your mouth first, kind of like when you have a mint.
6) Repeat. Always take two tastes because you will get something different each time.

The Cocktail Spirit

Robert Hess (a.k.a. Drink Boy), one of America's leading mixologists and spirit experts, recently teamed up with Small Screen Network to create a series of podcast videos. These videos are very well produced and are packed with information useful for everyone from your professional bartender to the average person who just wants to learn a little more about spirits. Here is one about Absinthe, the mysterious "green fairy" spirit that was banned for most of the 20th century. There is a great brand called La Fee Absinthe that just launched in the US. Cheers - TALKDRINKS

(please click here to watch this video)

Hot Mixology - Mile High Adventures

Take a look at the Hot Mixology website.  The site is hosted by Dave Elger, the founder and owner of Muchote Tequila, and a seasoned drinker in his own right. It's dedicated to teaching the laymen and new bartenders the skills of mixing martinis, manhattans, and infused cocktails. Dave also teaches a series of classes here in Denver, Colorado that gives hands on training to people interested in learning the techniques of mixing the perfect cocktail. Enjoy the videos! - Scott, Bartender, Cigar Bar

A Throwdown Amongst Throwdown's!!!!

WOW, check out this slick intro video about World Class's new cocktail competition being held in 26 countries. The finale competition will be hosted in London this summer.
www.themagnificentsevenblog.com

To find out more about World Class and how to enter, check out
www.weareworldclass.com

Dolphin Trainer/Bartender: Damian Gray Windsor - L.A. Happenings

I had an interview with the FoodGPS blog and it was just posted it on Friday. They have profiles of a few other bartenders and mixologists in the L.A. area such as, Eric Alperin (The Varnish), John Coltharp (Seven Grand), Michel Dozois (Névé Ice), Matthew Eggleston (The Hungry Cat), Pablo Moix (One Group), Eric Tecosky (Jones Hollywood), Marcos Tello (The Edison) and Kylee Van Dillen. FoodGPS is a great site, especially for what's happening in L.A. Enjoy - Damian 
(Click here to read my interview.)

S.E.T. - Spirit Enthusiast of Texas

Now just about anyone can go behind a bar and become a bartender these days. These "drink makers"; as I like to call them, aimlessly wield bottles and tins in pursuit to create some concoction that cannot be explained. In an effort to educate and bring the art of mixology to San Antonio and Texas, a few of my colleagues and I have created the Spirit Enthusiast of Texas or S.E.T. We meet twice a month and the goal of our organization is to cultivate a cocktail culture by the means of education of spirits and cocktails. We are here to help inform people so that they can broaden their perspective on all sorts of liquors, beers and wines. We will combine and utilize our collective knowledge and begin to create cocktails that can be shared and sipped with the rest of the drinking world.

We at the S.E.T. do not limit ourselves to accepting only bartenders. We happily accept anyone who is genuinely interested in cocktails, spirits and mixology. On the other hand, we do believe ourselves to be an elite group (not elitists) who want to align ourselves with people of like minds. At S.E.T., we are not just bartenders; we are mixologists, aspiring mixologists and spirit enthusiasts who believe in bringing back the integrity to bartending. At the turn of the 20th century, bartending was considered a highly prized profession that required at least 3 years of training. We will bring the art and science of mixology back with education and ultimately create a more enjoyable experience for ourselves and our customers.

I am the founder and president of the organization. I will be organizing events here in San Antonio to create an awareness of mixology and cocktails. These are a few photos from our very first inaugural meeting. Much more news to come. Happy Cocktailing - Jeret Pena, San Antonio

How About A Little Fluff? - What Happens in Vegas ....

Happy New Year!!! Foams are a big trend in cocktails nowadays and thankfully are pretty easy to do. They can be as diverse as a nutmeg non-alcoholic foam for coffee to being as high as 20% ABV. Whatever type you use, it’s a great addition to any cocktail program.
First, you have to decide on what cocktail you want to enhance with a foam then pull a flavor component out of the drink and make a foam out of it. A great example is the Margarita using the standard 100% Blue Agave Tequila, fresh lime juice, agave nectar recipe and put the orange curacao in the foam. I like to use Grand Mariner. It has a natural sugar content and a powerful orange flavor that will stand up in the mixture. All you would do is make the cocktail as usual and leave the Grand Mariner out. Then apply the foam to the top and you’re in business.
There are quite a few methods for making foams the easiest way is to use egg white. Here is a basic formula for making a Grand Mariner foam.
4 oz pasteurized egg whites
1 oz simple syrup
1 table spoon of powered sugar
0.5 oz fresh lemon juice
1.5 oz Grand Mariner
Mix all together and put in an ISI whip cream dispenser and charge with No.2 gas. You can add a little more fluff by charging it twice. Remember this is just a starting formula you will most likely have to adjust amounts depending on temperature, altitude, PH levels and sugar content. Also you can add gelatin to the mix to help stabilized it if it won’t hold up. Just follow the directions for the gelatin.

Another way is by using Soy Lecithin. There are 2 types that I play around with and both can be found at GNC. It comes in liquid and granules and I use this for higher proof foams. The main thing is you need some kind of emulsifier (egg white, gelatin or lecithin) a stabilizer (sugar) PH or citrus (lime or lemon juice) and a flavor. Whatever you do, remember that it will end up loosing its fluff so make sure when you get your recipe down to test it and let the cocktail sit for a few minutes. Drink it down slowly to see how it looks after being handled and drank. You don’t want this great looking libation that will turn into something that resembles a swamp pond in 2 minutes. So go and see what foam can do for your cocktails! Cheers - Anthony Alba, Liquidity Global

Calling all NYC Bar Chefs

Next Monday (Nov. 24th) is the USBG & Flor De Cana Master Mixologist Contest at Aspen Lounge. All bartenders and mixologists are invited to participate and demo their skills. Top prize is a TRIP TO NICARAGUA!!! Submit your best Flor de Cana 18 recipe to [email protected] and cross your fingers. Hope to see you next week. Cheers - Elba, Pranna Restaurant