The number one email question I get is “what should a rookie bartender know before they start their first shift?” or “what should a new bartender do to becomes successful?”. So instead of answering each question independently I figured I could put together a good summary post that will get the basics out of the way. This is also a good post for anyone that frequents a bar because it will give you some insight into what goes on behind the mahogany, or laminated press board.

Well, it isn’t often that I take a break from writing about cocktails and such, but with the nice autumn weather there seemed to be a lot of yard work, and home improvements, to do. Also, it has been a rare week where TV has pulled me from my beloved Internet connection. I guess we all need an occasional break from the things we normally do. But that doesn’t mean I stopped experimenting with cocktails and such. Actually, I discovered a great new purpose for Angostura bitters, continued to work on my batch of Pimento Dram and started work on a liquor related side project.

Another month, another Mixology Monday. This round is all about Fizz, and is being hosted by Gabriel over at Cocktailnerd, so go check it out and see what other fizzy drinks you can can imbibe. This topic can be about anything that is fizzy which includes sparkling wine based cocktails or plain old vodka soda’s. For this edition I’m going to look at the Silver Fizz because it is one of the classic fizz drinks, but unlike a simple gin fizz, it incorporates an egg white. 

by Caroline O'Neil

Don't let the girly pink colour scare you away. The Cosmopolitan, or informally known as a Cosmo, is a relatively new cocktail that was created in 1985. The Cosmo has become very popular in recent years with the help of one of my favourite shows Sex and the City. Since the Cosmo was mentioned so many times on the show, I decided to give it a try. The Cosmo is made with Vodka, Cointreau or Triple Sec, cranberry juice, fresh-squeezed lime juice and is served in a martini glass. Personally, I have still not learned to appreciate a real martini because the alcohol is too overpowering for my tastebuds. I need to have something mixed in with it to help tone down the alcohol. I still remember the first time I tried a martini because it left my hair standing on end. I will simply sit back and admire James Bond as he sips his "shaken, not stirred" martini. I do not have the palate for the traditional martini so I have explored the alternatives. There are so many different flavoured martinis out there to try, but the Cosmo is definitely at the top of my list.

Making classic Tiki drinks isn’t the easiest endevour. When you start browsing through the drink recipes, trying to decide what to try next, you may often find yourself in short supply of a number of key ingredients. One of them is Falernum, sometimes called Velvet Falernum, which is fairly easy to make, if you can’t find a supplier. The other one is Pimento Dram, which is extremely hard to find and more difficult to make. There are a couple of good Internet resources for Pimento Dram recipes, namely Chuck Taggart’s Pimento Dram recipe. But today, I’m going to take a stab at making my own.

While I’ve been exploring the world of Tiki, a few of the drinks I’ve made have incorporated dairy products. Some of the cocktails called for milk, others called for cream, and they all called for some form of citrus juice. The combination of dairy (water, oil emulsions) and acids from citrus fruit can be problematic. Most bartenders know about the hazards of these combinations, but I know every once in a while some rookie bartender (or cheap owner) will substitute milk when a recipe calls for cream. I’m sure the customer appreciated their Chunky Colada or Ramos Grit Fizz. So here are some simples rules on using dairy products in cocktails.

In my continued exploration of Tiki drinks I came across a rare gin based drinks. Anyone who has spent anytime making Tiki cocktails will know that rum is king in the Tiki world, but it isn’t unheard of to use other things like gin and bourbon and on rare occasions, vodka. This drink looks to be a modified version of the Ramos Gin Fizz, but the fact that it was made in Honolulu around 1905 is what puts it into the Polynesian category. So, if you like creamy gin with lime check this cocktail out.

Tiki drinks are some of the most intricate recipes around. Many of the them contain upwards of 10 ingredients and usually require the use of a blender. But there are a few shorter recipes. One of those is the Lady of Singapore, it only contains six, plus ice. It is also one of the drinks that is a variation of a pre-existing drink. Like the Golden Stag is a variation of the Daiquiri, the Lady of Singapore looks to be a variation of the Pina Colada.

The world of the Tiki drink is a very interesting one. It combines an interesting history, a bunch of unique characters, an exotic setting and cocktails. That is all good and well but the problem is that making a tiki drink can sometimes be a daunting task. Not only do you need to acquire a variety of fruit juices and flavourings, but you also need to get a wide variety of rums and at times you need to create a number of unique, commercially unavailable, syrup's. But for those that do Tiki, it is a passion and time well spent. Thankfully, I had a chance to see Jeff "Beachbum" Berry's Tiki session at Tales of the Cocktail, and his passion for all things Tiki is contagious. Luckily the symptoms don’t include itching or rashes, but may include a pounding headache and morning dry mouth if you decide to create drinks like the Zombie Punch or Beachcomber’s Rum Barrel. But as I rookie, I decided to go easy to start and picked the Demerara Cocktail as my first true foray into the Tiki world.