When you think Tiki, you think tropical drinks from exotic locations like Polynesia, and people such as Donn the Beachcomber. You may also know that the tiki fad didn’t begin until 1934. So, if Don the Beachcomber started the tiki trend, what were his influences? Obviously, the Caribbean and south pacific were big influences, but what exactly were these people […]
Author: Darcy O'Neil
Trader Vic’s Rum Fizz
Most drinks classified as fizzes are pretty straight forward. They usually contain a spirit, club soda, some citrus juice and sugar. They are served in a highball glass with lots of ice and garnished with a lemon or lime wedge. They are a simple classic summer refresher. But once you introduce Trader Vic into the equation, all sorts of things […]
Pusser’s Navy Rum
Here is a rum with a long history in the Commonwealth navies of the world. Only in the last few decades has Pusser’s Navy Rum been available to us commoners, because it was exclusively made for the navy fleets of the world. After the British navy stopped issuing tots in 1970 and the Canadian Navy in 1973, Pusser’s eventually made […]
Havana Club 7 Year Old Rum
When you think Cuba, you either think Castro, cigars or rum. Well skip the first two and focus on the rum. Havana Club is the main rum producer on this tropical island, and they have been producing great rum since the late 1800s. The most widely available aged rum is the Havana Club 7 Year version, which is my preferred […]
What It Takes to be a Bartender
In many conversations I’ve had with people, the perception of a bartender is rather simple. The fact is that being a bartender can be fairly hard, if you take the job seriously. It’s not so much the obvious, such as pouring a pint that is hard, it is dealing with people that presents a challenge. Not only dealing with customers, […]
Five Drinks Bartenders Hate To Make
This is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle that’s been making the rounds in the blogosphere. As a bartender, and a customer of bars, I have an opinion on this list of drinks and more specifically the responses of these so-called ’bartenders’. This article is the specific reason bartenders will remain on the bottom of the pile and never […]
Dueling Bartenders
It seems a post from the past (April 2006) has jumped to the forefront again and has brought with it more interesting comments, courtesy of Fark. The post was about an article published in the San Francisco Chronicle, about drinks bartenders hate to make. I basically responded to the article (Five Drinks Bartenders Hate to Make) in a way that […]
Bartender Fan Mail
Every once in a while I get a comment that rubs me the wrong way. I usually ignore them and press the “junk comment” button, sending the offending comment down the proverbial data toilet. But this comment is epic. When dumb people speak, or type, the truth can be found in-between the lines. Hell, some of it is spelled out […]
Liquor Inventory for the Bar
With the new restaurant, Mint Restobar, opening on Thursday it has been sucking up a lot of my writing time, but things should be back to normal this week. With the opening date finalized the purchase of the bar inventory needed to be done. Since we are a fine dining establishment, I went with some better quality products, but still […]
Navan Vanilla Cognac
Navan is a new product from Grand Marnier that infuses fine cognac with pure vanilla and a touch of sweetness from added sugar. This product is ’designed’ for the hip and trendy crowd that revels in expensive products. Aside from the ’reason’ Navan was created, it is still a great tasting product and if you like the Grand Marnier orange […]
Being a Bartender: Product Knowledge
There are lots of bartending styles, but some styles are different than others. The most basic bartenders pop tops off beer bottles, and mixes up a mean rum and coke, but beyond that they are just very hard working “;droids.” This is mostly because of the establishment they work in. On the other hand, there are establishments that do quality […]
Bartending School
“He’s beyond bartending, beyond being a poor journeyman bartender, and has obviously morphed into a misinformed, opinionated, elitist snob.” At first, I thought I had a misdirected email for Jamie Boudreau. Then I realized it was for me. That is the opinion of one David Rattner, president of National Bartender’s School, regarding me. There were a few more shots fired […]