Reflections on Bartending

As mentioned in my earlier post, I recently spent three nights behind the bar covering for a friend. I've never been behind the bar professionally before - only at events & parties that I planned. I have been known to make several hundred drinks in a day, but they're all the same drink and I make it in batches. Plus I don't have to ring it up in the computer, etc. and take care of everything else.

To prepare, I went in a couple of nights beforehand to try and learn the computer system, menu, kitchen setup, etc. I was nervous, because I wasn't working just any weekend, it was Valentine's Day weekend. As Erik put it in the comments to my last note, I "jumped in with both feet."

Here are some highlights of what I learned, now that I've had a chance to look back at the experience a bit.

Bartending is Physically Hard Work
I found I was running (well, OK, I'm exaggerating - I was walking very fast and hustling) pretty much from 6.30 pm until the end of the night on Friday and Saturday. Whether pouring drinks, entering food & drink orders into the computer or taking payment, carting dishes to/from the kitchen, drying glassware, or whatever, I was extremely busy, even with a coworker (who was just as busy, if not more so). I came home exhausted each night.

On Saturday night (V-day), we had a third bartender, who pretty much ran circles around me in term of speed on the service bar and dishes (he has worked in several high-volume bars). And to be honest, he wasn't very nice about it either. I've come to understand that's pretty common in the bar business too.

Bartending is About Service & Hospitality
Even though one's interests might lie in coming up with a new cocktail, or in certain types of drinks, bartending is primarily about service. And this is especially the case on a holiday like Valentine's, where people are out to have a nice, romantic evening, and your job is to facilitate that experience. I remembered a post I'd seen on Neyah White's blog awhile back about lessons for a new bartender, and he was spot on.

On Valentine's day, I was assigned to take care of all patrons at the bar on Saturday night, and I knew I was in for a challenge. I would be not only the bartender making drinks & pouring wine for them, but also a server, because many people came in to eat dinner at the bar (couldn't get a reservation, so that was the option). And I would deal with all the people who were waiting for a table and wanted a drink. This was all a bit more than I could actually handle, but I did my best. Thankfully, the restaurant has wonderful customers who were patient, especially when it was clear that the bartender is in over her head.

Using Proper Technique is Challenging
I measured virtually all of my cocktails (not the vodka & sodas, or vodka rocks-type drinks, but the others). This really slowed me down compared to the free-pouring done by the other bartenders, especially when I was also juggling food orders, wine pours, dishes, etc. I am not experienced in free-pouring, and generally do not trust it to be accurate, so I did not do it. But it was challenging to take this stance - there was peer pressure and some funny looks. I've had other bartenders tell me I must not know what I'm doing if I measure, and I still haven't fully figured out the best response to that.

Making a cocktail with proper measurements takes a lot more time than pouring a glass of wine. However, that isn't necessarily reflected in the pricing - you get $10 either way for the restaurant, at least in the north suburbs of Chicago. Perhaps this is why the cocktails aren't overly emphasized in the menu.

Many Bartenders Work Really Hard for the Money They Get
The way money flows in a restaurant is rather complicated, and many bartenders work really hard for what they actually take home. Of course there are some rock star bartenders, especially in high-volume city clubs, that do quite well. But I think that's the exception, not the rule. I only brought home tips, but there was a huge swing in what I brought home that didn't necessarily relate to how busy I was or how busy the restaurant was.


I learned a lot from this adventure, and I'm really glad I did it. I haven't officially asked, but I hope the restaurant feels I did a good job for them too. I definitely have a whole new appreciation for how hard my friends behind the bar are working, and how many things they are juggling.

Time Behind (the) Bars

A mixologist friend of mine asked me for a favor. Kind of a big favor, and not one she could ask any of our bartender friends because of the timing. She asked me to cover a couple of shifts for her on Valentine's Day weekend. She has an important family event to go to that had to be moved up on the calendar, but it's a big weekend in the restaurant business and everyone we know will be working. So, with some trepidation, I said I'd do it. I've never been professionally behind the bar before, although I've made thousands of drinks at home, at parties and at events.

So far, I've spent one night behind the bar, trying to learn the computer system, the menu and the basics of where everything is kept, and I have one more training session tonight. The restaurant has a very nice wine list and food menu, but I was surprised at just how much wine by the glass was ordered compared to other drink options. Most of the cocktails were very simple ones - scotch on the rocks, vodka tonic, etc. - only a couple of the specialty cocktails were ordered all night, despite the nice list.

I'm figuring it'll be a lot of wine & champagne this weekend, like it was the other Friday night I was there, but who knows? Tonight, my final night of training, is half price martini night, so at least I'll get to shake some cocktails. Last time, the only thing I shook was a Negroni (that wasn't really a Negroni, since it had dry vermouth not sweet and grapefruit juice added).

I've got my fingers crossed for a smooth weekend behind the bar - wish me luck!

Homemade Lime Cordial

As a companion to my article on The Spirit World (should be up shortly), I wanted to put a more detailed piece about homemade lime cordial on my blog.

Awhile back, I wrote about the Gimlet and whether it must be made with Rose's Lime Juice. At that time, I stumbled on a recipe for homemade lime cordial on Wikipedia. For the last few weeks, I've been playing around with the recipe, and think I've (finally) got something. The original recipe was too sweet, and did not have enough lime. So I tinkered (and tinkered and tinkered).

First, the ingredients. The recipe started with weights, but I have converted them to volume equivalents.

• Sugar
• Water
• Fresh Lime Juice
  
• Fresh Lime Rind (this is a bit of a pain, unless you have one of these, but you can do it with a knife and some patience)
• Citric Acid (granular, derived from fruit, and called "Sour Salt" and available at big grocery stores)
• Tartaric Acid (also granular, also derived from fruit, tougher to find, although you can get it at homebrewing stores and winemaking supply shops). Just FYI, cream of tartar is a derivative of tartaric acid, so originally I tried to make the cordial with cream of tartar instead. Never quite got it to be acidic enough, it was always too sweet. So I broke down and hunted down the tartaric acid.

The below recipe will make about 3 cups of lime cordial:

• 1 1/2 cups Water (380 ml)
  
• 3/4 cup Sugar (.35 lb)
  
• 3/4 tsp Citric Acid (3.75 g)
  
• 3/8 tsp Tartaric Acid (1.875 g)
  
• Juice of 4 limes (~3/4 cup)
  
• Rind of 2 limes, cut into pieces
  

Stir sugar, citric acid and tartaric acid together with a whisk. Bring water to a boil, then add sugar mixture. Stir thoroughly to dissolve sugar mixture into water. Add lime juice and rind, and stir. Heat mixture for 1-2 minutes on high heat, then cover and cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight in a sealed container, then strain out lime rind. Refrigerate for another day before using (the flavor continues to change a bit). Stored in the refrigerator, it should keep better than simple syrup.


Other Variations If you want it to be more tart, you can up the acids and/or reduce the sugar. Its also delicious made with lemon rather than lime. I particularly like a gimlet made with lemon cordial, with a gin that has lemon peel in its flavor profile.

R& W Creme de Violette Redux, and a Note on Storage

In my earlier post, I wrote that I think the Miclo Liqueur de Violette is superior to the Rothman & Winter Creme de Violette. I now wish to update my views on the R&W (pic taken from the Haus Alpenz website).

The R&W liqueurs (along with the other Haus Alpenz spirits) are now invading Chicago, so I've started seeing them. In fact, I bought a bottle of the Apricot Liqueur, which is fantastic. I got a bottle of the Batavia Arrack in SF, although I've not yet experimented with it.

Tasting Redux
I had another taste of the Violette at The Violet Hour last week, and it was very good. Complex, not too sweet, with a nice lingering violet flavor. I also had a cocktail with it on Saturday night with some friends, and it was delightful then as well. It really shined in the cocktails. The key seems to be that both of these bottles were brand new, just opened. The bottle we tried in San Francisco (both in a cocktail and straight) had been there for awhile, and the bartender we talked with wasn't a big fan, so I don't think it was used very often.

To be fair, we've also noticed changes over time with the Miclo. I went back and revisited a bottle I opened on Labor Day here (early Sept. for those not in the US), and it has already changed color some and the violet flavor has declined some. What's left is on its way to a sweet, nondescript liqueur. We keep it now only to see what else might happen to it. I have another new bottle on hand for when I'm ready to embark on a Violette fest.

What to Do, What to Do
The key may be this: like any liqueur (or vermouth, etc.) that is not above a certain proof, it should be used quickly or else refrigerated. If it is not, the flavor will decline, and the spirit could potentially go bad.

I think this happens fairly often, and its a mystery to me why it doesn't get talked about more. Many a bartender/bar owner I've met uses only economy-sized bottles of vermouth, even though they rarely pour it, and they don't refrigerate it. It seems like manufacturers don't do enough to tell people how to handle these products either. Some products say something on the label, but many don't.

Anyone else have any stories with spoiled spirits? I'm thinking of a bad experience with a cream liqueur many years ago that enlightened me to the need for refrigeration...

Crowning Chicago's First Iron Bartender

Last night, I had the privilege of attending the first-ever Chicago Iron Bartender Competition. The event was held at Le Passage, which is undergoing a very exciting transformation right now (more on that later).

I knew it was going to be a great experience when I walked up to the bar and found myself standing next to Dale DeGroff, King Cocktail himself. And he was handing me a drink, after he had just confirmed with the bartenders that the recipe was as he intended (he had developed it for the event). It was great, of course - rum, fresh kiwi, coconut syrup and a splash of coconut milk.

The Main Event
Twelve finalists battled it out and created an amazing array of cocktails, but only one could be crowned Chicago's first Iron Bartender. We have some amazing bartenders in the Chicago area, and this was a great opportunity to see them all in action, all in one place. With Dale and Tony Abou-Ganim on hand to emcee, I knew I was in a room full of some of the best mixologists in the U.S.


The Rules
Each competitor had a few minutes to scout out the available ingredients before the event began. The bar was stocked with a variety of fruits, juices, spices and other potential ingredients. However, none of the competitors was able to make the recipe submitted to the contest initially - everyone was missing at least one critical ingredient. Instead, they were forced to modify their recipe or make an entirely new drink on the fly.

Here are some photos of each of the three heats:

In Round One, the competition was fierce, with our good friend Tim of Spring Restaurant Group challenging John from MK, Angie of Ultimate Elixirs, and Wilber of Bice.


The competitors in Round Two included Peter from Sepia, Radostin from the Doubletree Oak Brook, Debbi from The Drawing Room at Le Passage, and Tony from Jilly's Naperville.


Round Three featured Charles from Three Headed Productions, James from Otom Restaurant, Adam of Nacional 27 and Enrique from Martini Park.



Each successive round was more tense than the prior one, and all twelve drinks were very impressive. They covered the entire range of the cocktail spectrum, from the very light to the very rich, from the aperitif to dessert in a glass.

So who won?
It was tough night for the judging panel, which included Bridget Albert, Francesco Lafranconi and Simon Ford from Absolut/Plymouth Gin. In fact, we even had one tie during the rounds. After the initial rounds, Charles, Peter and John advanced to the final round.

One more round of drinks later (where all three chose to make another new drink rather than repeating their earlier creation), Peter V. of Sepia was crowned Chicago's Iron Bartender. Congratulations to Peter, and to all of the competitors - it was a fantastic event, and a whole lot of fun to watch.

Does a White Lady Require Egg White?

We recently had cocktails at The Violet Hour in Chicago, and we had some fantastic conversations with the people sitting next to us at the bar. In one of them, our new friend told us that his recipe for the White Lady requires egg white. We'd never put egg white into the drink before, and being the curious sort, I decided to research this a bit and potentially give it a try.

First, a brief History
This is an old drink, popular since at least the 1930's. It seems that two people are often credited with creating this drink, both of them named Harry. The first published instance of the recipe seems to be the Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock (1930), who was in London at the American Bar at the time. However, Harry MacElhone is also often credited with the drink, reputedly making the drink as early as 1919, albeit with créme de menthe rather than gin. He later perfected it at Harry's New York Bar in Paris in the late 1920's or early 1930's (although their website claims 1919 as the creation date).

Unfortunately we'll probably never know which story is right, perhaps they both are - its certainly not unheard of for people to separately develop very similar cocktails.

The Recipe & Variations
In the Savoy, the recipe is:
2 parts Gin
1 part Cointreau
1 part Fresh Lemon Juice

No egg white (and certainly no créme de menthe).

Some potential variations I've seen or read about, after researching it:

• Using equal parts of the three ingredients rather than 2:1:1
• Adding anywhere from 1 tsp to one whole egg white
• Reducing the lemon juice to 1/2 a part (with or without egg white)

The egg white is an interesting variation, it adds a creaminess and totally changes the texture of the drink (as it does with any cocktail it visits). With equal parts of the ingredients, or with the original Savoy recipe, I liked the egg white variation - it cut the bite of the lemon a bit, but still left the rest of the flavors intact. Half an egg white was enough for me, though - more than that and I started to taste the egg white and get that teeth coating thing happening.

So what's best?
In the end, I think I like the original Savoy recipe best, although I found the variations interesting. I imagine this is yet another case where personal preference decides the best recipe.

And an afternote...
Just for fun, when I was back at the Violet Hour tonight, I asked the bartender, Michael (photo at left), how he makes his White Lady. He laughed for a second, and said he hasn't made that drink since about 1974 (bear in mind he's only about 30, 35 tops), and that the last person who ordered it was a 60-year old Englishman. However, he said he definitely didn't use any egg white when he made it. He found it very entertaining that a discussion about it (which inspired my blog post) took place at his bar, though!

Negroni Revisited

This weekend, I found myself on the road in southern Illinois (I know, you're jealous). It was a bit harder to find a great cocktail, but I did manage to find a couple of great bars in Champaign-Urbana. In one of my stops, I revisited one of my favorite drinks, the Negroni, and was reminded of some great variations on it that I've had in recent months.

Now the Negroni is the Negroni, and pretty much every single bartending book I consulted has the same recipe. Maybe I should just leave it as it is, but I like playing around with recipes and seeing what others have done with it as well.

Here is the original, for anyone who might not yet have tried one:

Negroni

1 part Gin

1 part Sweet Vermouth (classically, Cinzano Rosso)

1 part Campari

Traditionally, it would be served on the rocks (and stirred gently), but it can also be served in a cocktail glass after shaking with ice. The traditional garnish would be a slice of orange or an orange twist (you could even flame it if you wanted).

Brief History

Legend has it that the Negroni was named for Count Negroni, who often ordered it at a bar in Italy, initially as an Americano with gin added. The Americans were already loving the Americano drink, so they also adopted the Negroni and some brought it home with them. The drink is intended as a pre-dinner drink, an aperitif, to stimulate the appetite.

Drink Tinkering

You have a choice in gin, and vermouth, and those will affect the final drink. Sweet vermouths can vary quite a lot in flavor, spice and sweetness, so the balance with the Campari can vary quite a bit. You could also adjust the proportions, which I have been known to do (sometimes the Campari is just a bit too much for me in the original proportions, so I'll tone it down just a bit, or I might add a dash extra).

And, if you are OK with bucking tradition, you could substitute another spirit for the Campari.

Here is my favorite version right now, which I learned from Josh Kaplan, the beverage guru at MK Restaurant in Chicago:

MK's Negroni Recipe

1 part Gin (he was using our Distiller's Gin No. 6, but it also works with other gins)

1 part Vya Sweet Vermouth

1 part Aperol

Served up, and garnished with an orange twist.

The Aperol is a bitter, but not as bitter as Campari, and its flavor profile is a bit different (sweet orange rather than spice). It blends particularly nicely with the Vya sweet vermouth - I have consistently been impressed with the combination. It has a lovely balance of flavors, each making itself known, rather than one dominating the drink.

Anyone have a favorite Negroni recipe other than the original?

Gimlets, Gimlets Everywhere

We've been serving a lot of gimlets the last few weeks, I think its perhaps due to the unseasonably hot weather we've been having in Chicago recently. We often tinker with the recipe, but we almost never use lime cordial. Of course a few bartender friends have told me that its not really a Gimlet if you don't use Rose's lime, but I've not bought into that. Given all this sipping and discussing, I wondered about the history of the gimlet. Thankfully, a quick perusal of a few of my trusty cocktail books gave me the lowdown.

According to Gary Regan's The Joy of Mixology (p. 261), It seems the Gimlet was originally called the Gimlette, and was named after the naval surgeon who created the drink as a means to give lime juice to sailors for the prevention of scurvy. According to the Field Guide to Cocktails by Rob Chirico (p. 119), Dr. Gimette thought that gin alone might cloud the sailors' minds, and adding lime juice to it would prevent that (hmm...).

iAccording to Wikipedia, Lauchlin Rose (hence the name Rose's) invented lime cordial in the 1860's. Mr. Rose patented a method to preserve citrus juice that did not require alcohol, and the British Royal Navy was at that time required to provide a daily lime ration to sailors (hence the term "limey"). A lime cordial ration + gin = happy sailors who don't get scurvy (or so they thought then).

Gimlets Today
If you go into most bars today and order a gimlet, you'll probably get vodka not gin, and you'll definitely get Rose's lime (or an impersonator). The actual recipe varies widely depending on your preferred source - some say equal parts gin & Rose's, some say 3:1 gin to Rose's, etc.

So how do we make ours? Here are the parameters of our Gimlet mixing (the basis of which I learned from Tim Lacey at Spring Restaurant Group in Chicago), with no Rose's:

2 1/2 oz Gin (I'm sure you can guess which one we use)
1/2 - 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/2 - 1 oz Simple Syrup

We vary the ingredients based on the lime juice, how sweet we want it to be, and mood. Our current favorite variation is to use ginger-infused simple and call it a Ginger Gimlet.

To Rose or Not to Rose
Apparently there is a scene in the movie The Long Goodbye where a statement is made about a Gimlet only being made with Rose's, and since then this is a widely held belief. In fact, at least one of my cocktail books says that if you don't use Rose's and instead use fresh lime juice, you're making a Gin Rickey instead. But a Gin Rickey isn't sweetened if you're making it right, so that doesn't make sense to me. Rose's is, after all, sweetened lime juice (very sweetened) with some other stuff. So if I just use another form of sweetener and lime juice, isn't that just a recipe variation?

Clearly, that's my vote! However I have been looking up recipes for homemade lime cordial, so I think I'll give that a try too. Look for a future post on that, and please post a comment if you've made one!

The Academy of Spirits and Fine Service

This fall, I am taking a course called the Academy of Spirits and Fine Service. Its a great class so far - each week, we're exploring a different spirit family (tequila, whisk(e)y and rum done!), and talking about bartending technique and recipe development along the way. We taste, compare & contrast, mix and discuss.

I must admit it feels slightly weird/subversive for me to be in this class, since it is held at Southern Wine & Spirits headquarters and led by an employee of Southern. For those who may not be aware, Southern is the largest wine & spirits distributor in the U.S., and they work primarily with very large brands & companies (Absolut, Patron, etc.). At our distillery, we were our own distributor initially, and now work with a small distributor, so in comparison these are the behemoths of our industry. They have been gracious about it, and it certainly helps that the Southern employee happens to be one of the best mixologists in the country (Bridget Albert).

So how did I find this course & why am I taking it? Its a prerequisite to joining the Illinois chapter of the U.S. Bartending Guild. The guild's mission is to promote and further the profession of bartending, and they provide a range of opportunities for members to challenge themselves and their skills. Everyone I've met from the guild has been phenomenal and very passionate about their craft - so of course I want to be a part of it!

This week, we started an infusion contest - we took a ball jar and filled it whatever ingredients we wanted to select from an array of things (I picked red pear, cucumber, cardamom and rosemary). We'll see how I do - we have a formal judging and comparison in 2 weeks. Stay tuned for more updates from class. In the meantime, here are a couple of recipes we've covered:

Harpoon
1 ½ oz Vodka
½ oz Fresh Lime Juice
Splash of Cranberry Juice
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lime wedge.

Why is this interesting? Its the precursor to the Cosmopolitan. This drink is from 1956, and was promoted by the Ocean Spray company (actually printed on a bottle of juice, believe it or not - just try to do that in today's world)!

Sazerac
2 oz Rye Whiskey (we used Wild Turkey)
¼ oz Pernod
1 raw white sugar cube
2 dashes Peychaud's bitters
Muddle sugar cube & bitters; add whiskey and shake with ice. Rinse rocks glass with Pernod, pour off excess. Add ice, then strain shaken mixture into glass. Garnish with a long lemon twist.

Why is this interesting? It may have been America's first cocktail - it was created in New Orleans around 1859.