Exploring the World One Drink at a Time since 2005
The number one email question I get is “what should a new 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 […]
Every once-in-a-while I like to reflect back upon certain bartending moments in my life, and one that always comes to mind is my first bartending shift ever. I, like many others, started bartending by doing group events, mine happened to be a Christmas party. The job seemed simple, two bartenders would serve basic drinks to a group of between 300 […]
This is a classic cocktail that is fruity and strong with the two-star ingredients being rum and passion fruit. With other fruit juices added, this drink comes out like a type of fruit punch, with a big alcohol kick. It is believed that the drink was first created in 1939 at the Hurricane Bar in New York, but was made […]
Cigars have a wonderful aroma and those aromatics seem like a great way to enhance the flavour of a cocktail, but be careful, the nicotine in the tobacco can be dangerous.
The idiom “jumping the shark” is defined as the moment in time when a creative effort moves beyond the essential qualities that initially defined its success and progresses into absurdity. The publication of “The Sorcerer of Shaken and Stirred” by the New York Times is a perfect example of the transition into absurdity. I’ve been holding my tongue on the […]
After the successful first edition of the Gin Connoisseurs Program (GCP) in 2010, G’Vine has started looking for the top gin bartender for 2011. This year G’Vine is looking for fifteen bartenders to compete. The top two bartenders from each of the following countries (Canada, Germany, Spain, the UK and the US) along with five “wildcard” bartenders from anywhere in […]
Royal Reserve is the name of a whisky distilled by Corby’s, a major Canadian distiller that was bought by Hiram Walker a few years ago. With all the mergers going on in the spirit world, it’s hard to say who owns Corby now. The one thing that Corby has done is create some good Canadian whiskies, including the Canadian Whisky […]
Every time I go to the liquor store the Canadian whisky section stands out quite prominently. I personally like the Canadian style of whisky, and that character is smooth with slight toffee sweetness and hints of fruit on the nose, balanced out by some spicy rye and oak flavours. There is a vast array of Canadian whisky brands to choose from, […]
The recent upswing in popularity of spirits has had good and bad effects. The good part is that there are many more options for the consumer, with the healthy competition producing gads of new products. The bad part is that to fill the demand many companies have cut back on quality and put it into marketing. At what point does […]
The distilled spirit of orange blossoms is one of those rare ingredients in cocktails, that should probably get more attention. There are a few cocktails that use orange flower water, the most common being the Ramos Gin Fizz, but other than that there aren’t a lot of really popular cocktails that utilize this ingredient. This is unless of course, you […]
What is Lillet Blanc? Lillet Blanc (pronounced Lee-Lay) is an aperitif from the Bordeaux region of France that was created in 1887 as a tonic for whatever ailed you. It comes in white or red versions, the red version being created in the 1960s, and is in the same family as vermouth, but it has subtle differences. The formula for […]
For the last week, I’ve been fixated on the Olympics. I was thinking of taking a look at the Olympic cocktail, but it is a pretty boring drink and doesn’t even come close to be as epic as the Olympics. It’s just brandy, triple sec and orange juice. You might as well put Grand Marnier in a glass of OJ. […]