What is Tuaca? The word on the street is that it is a super premium, brandy-based, Italian liqueur. Now, anytime I hear or read the words “super premium” I become a bit skeptical. What is super premium anyway? Premium should be enough of a description, but I digress. Tuaca is a fruit, citrus and spiced brandy which is probably meant […]
Author: Darcy O'Neil
Martinez Cocktail
Since I acquired a bottle or Luxardo Maraschino, in New Orleans, I’ve been on a mission to make some of the key classic cocktails that I’ve been missing out on. This is partly to see what the classics tasted like and also to fill out my resume as a knowledgeable bartender. I like to think of bartenders as “liquid chefs”, […]
Red Bull and Vodka
In the cocktail world, there are lots of trends. Right now the classic cocktail seems to be on the rise and the martini craze is slowly slipping into obscurity, thankfully. I hate when people come to the bar and ask: “What kind of martini’s do you have?” I have two, gin or vodka. Usually, I’ll guide people away from the […]
Big Easy Soda
Two days in New Orleans is insufficient, however anytime in New Orleans is better than none at all. This was the case with my presentation at the Museum of the American Cocktail. What made up for the short time was the stir* of bartenders from some of the finest New Orleans bars that showed up to help prep the session […]
G’Vine Gin Connoisseur Program (2010)
There are cocktail competitions and then there is the G’Vine Gin Connoisseur Program. Most cocktail / bartending competitions are relatively simple affairs that pit one cocktail against another with the winner having the best cocktail of the moment. Sometimes it’s as much luck as it is the whims of the judging panel. The G’Vine program is very different and the […]
G’Vine Connoisseur Program: Day 1
After flying in from around the globe, a dozen bartenders plus assorted other participants have descended upon Cognac to duke it out for the title of ultimate gin bartender. G’Vine Gin has put significant emphasis on quality so some of the tests have turned out to be more difficult than some of the competitors suspected, but that’s a good thing. […]
G’Vine Day 2
Very interesting things happen when you take a group of bartenders, mix in some of the best spirits and cocktails in the world and then stick them in a hotel together. And I’m glad I waited until the morning to write this post because we’ve got some killer material. Whenever an Australian does a striptease to Waltzing Matilda, on a boat, […]
G’Vine Winner
After an exhausting 3 days of challenges, drinking, travelling and assorted other activities the winner of the G’Vine Connoisseur Competition was Stephan Hinz from Germany (Shephard Bar in Cologne). Really, this wasn’t an easy victory. Any one of the twelve bartenders could have challenged for the top position, but circumstances, preparedness and the ability to know when to go to […]
G’Vine Bartender Summaries
Bartending competition results can never tell the whole story, nor do they reflect the true strengths of each competitor. However, numbered rankings often seem harsh, especially to those who didn’t come in first. Like those old “No Fear” t-shirts from the 1990s that claimed “second place is the first loser”, numbers are merciless. So for a little more balance, and […]
G’Vine Bartender Summaries Pt. II
And here are the final bartender summaries for the top six competitors. Sometimes circumstances have an interesting effect on the final positions in any competition. There is no doubt that things like jet-lag, smoke inhalation and the sniffles can make or break a competitor. But, the top competitors always find a way to rise above these things and still give […]
How to Make Vermouth
Most aspiring mixologists love to create unique cocktails by combining an array of flavours. The use of bitters is one example of an ingredient that has become popular again. For many years bitters were left out of Manhattans and many bars didn’t even stock them. But times are changing and with the cocktail renaissance in full swing, many bars are […]
How to Make Bitters
Bitters have been popular in Europe for hundreds of years, but in North America, they haven’t quite stayed as popular since the introduction of refined sugar. However, there seems to be a rekindled interest in bitter liqueurs and cocktail bitters. This could partially be caused by the Jagermeister shot phenomenon. Or, it could be that people just get bored and […]