“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 […]
Recent Posts
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
Mount Gay Extra Old Rum
Here is a rum that is a popular call brand at the bar. Mount Gay Extra Old is a premium rum from Barbados which is aged for 17 years in charred oak barrels. Like the label says, it is an extra old rum which gives it the character and smoothness many people appreciate. Most of the time people want the […]
English Harbour Rum
On a sweltering day, what spirit is the spirit you enjoy most? If you said rum, then I like you already. If you said Tequila, I still like you, but not as much. The Tiki crazed people know it, and I doubt there are any vodka bars in the Caribbean, so rum must be the spirit of summer. That is […]
Jack and Coke Recipe
Learning from the century-old Rum & Coke recipe, making the best Jack & Coke is easy if you follow a few simple steps.
Salty Dog Cocktail
Grapefruit juice is a relatively common ingredient in cocktails, with the perennial favourite being the Greyhound, but the Paloma is better. Unlike a Screwdriver, the Greyhound isn’t nearly as sweet and even has a pleasant bitterness that is imparted by the grapefruit juice. There are people who do not enjoy the bitterness of grapefruit juice, so those people tend to […]