Now here's a literate cocktail.
The Million Dollar Cocktail was created by Hainanese -Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon, who tended bar at Raffles Hotel in Singapore, around the turn-of-the-century.
This cocktail was popular at Raffles Hotel's Bar and Billiard Room.
The Million Dollar Cocktail was featured in Somerset Maugham's most famous barside short story: "The Letter." Needless to say, this cocktail gained considerable sales (and notoriety) for Raffles Hotel.
Here's the recipe, as served at Raffles Hotel:
30ml Gin
7.5ml Sweet vermouth
7.5ml Dry Vermouth
120ml Pineapple Juice
a Dash of Egg White
A dash of Angostora Bitters
Enjoy sipping this cocktail beside the fireplace in your library, with your smoking jacket on while reading some Somerset Maugham.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
How To Set Up a Home Bar
,
HOW TO SET UP A HOME BAR
Entertaining at home!
Easy and economical.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a lot about home cocktail parties. Read “Tender is the Night”. Great novel, by the way.
Here are some easy and helpful hints on setting up a home bar, and becoming a favorite neighborhood bartender!
SETTING UP
As far as location goes, a large kitchen counter will suffice. Someplace near a sink is a necessity. You’ll be dumping out ice from your shaker, and you need a faucet to rinse.
For appearance, a nice thin tablecloth over the counter will be very attractive. But nothing too fancy or expensive, as there may be spillage.
On your countertop, you’ll need an area for liquor, mixers, glassware, garnishes, bartending tools, and an ice bucket.
SPIRITS
Here’s the basics: vodka, gin, light rum, tequila, scotch, bourbon, blended whiskey, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, triple sec.
As far as the types or brands of liquor you use, that is up to you. Buy something decent, but it doesn’t have to be top-of-the-line. (For example, if someone wants a scotch and soda, don’t use a single malt scotch. That’s alcohol abuse!)
If you want to go the extra mile, other spirits you may want to stock: brandy, cognac, Gran Marnier, crème de menthe (white and green), crème de cacao (dark and white), Drambuie, Amaretto, Apple Pucker, and champagne.
WINE
A few bottles of red, and a few bottles of white are all that is needed.
For white, a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a pinot grigio. Keep refrigerated.
For red, a cabernet, merlot, or a pinot noir.
BEER
Just a few choices will suffice.
An American mass-produced brand, an import or a small batch brew, and perhaps some type of lite beer for the calorie conscious.
The beer can be kept in the fridge or in a large ice chest on the floor.
GARNISHES
Olives, onions, Maraschino cherries, lime wedges, lemon wedges, orange slices, lemon twists.
To cut wedges: cut the ends off, then cut in half lengthwise. Slice each half two times, lengthwise, to create three wedges.
For orange slices: cut the ends off the orange. Cut the orange in half lengthwise. Place the half piece flat side down. Slice off half circles, going around the orange on the side, not from top to bottom.
For lemon twists: use a channel knife, which has a stainless steel flat piece with a hole. Through the hole, you can slice off a long spiral length lemon peel. Cut off the ends of the lemon, and start cutting/peeling from top to bottom.
To flame an orange peel: cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one-and-a-half inches long and three-fourths inch wide, with a small bit of pith on one side. Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink. Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink. The match should be between the drink and the twist. Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the
flame and onto the surface of the drink. The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!
CONDIMENTS
Bitters, grenadine, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, simple syrup, sugar.
To make simple syrup, combine equal parts (for example, three cups each) of sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then let cool. Voila: simple syrup!
JUICES (use fresh fruit juices)
Orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, tomato juice, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice.
MIXERS
Cola, diet cola, club soda, tonic water, 7-Up, ginger ale.
GLASSWARE
Martini glasses, rocks glasses, highball glasses, wine glasses, brandy snifters, pilsner glasses, and champagne flutes.
BARTENDING TOOLS
Shaker set (metal and glass), long cocktail stirring spoon, wine opener, bottle/can opener, cocktail strainer, paring knife and cutting board, muddler, and jigger.
COCKTAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Martini, Manhattan, Margarita, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Daiquiri, Rob Roy, Old-Fashioned, White Wine Spritzer, Whiskey Sour.
COCKTAILS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW
Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, Mint Julep, Mojito, Rusty Nail, Negroni, Seabreeze, Monkey Gland, Singapore Sling, Ramos Gin Fizz.
COCKTAIL RECIPE BOOKS
These three are must have’s: “The Craft of the Cocktail,” by Dale DeGroff, “The Joy of Mixology,” by Gary Regan, and “Secrets Revealed of America’s Greatest Cocktails,” by Robert Plotkin.
And to add a fourth: "The Ultimate Cocktail Book," by Ray Foley.
If you want to go back in time and see how the professional bartenders of days gone by mixed cocktails, try to get copies of “How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion,” by Jerry “the Professor” Thomas, 1862, or “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” by Harry Craddock, 1930. Both are out of print, but worth seeking out.
EXTRACURRICULAR READING
“Imbibe!” by David Wondrich, “Bottled Wisdom,” by Mark Pollman, and “Cocktails of the Ritz Paris,” by Colin Peter Field.
MEMOIRS
For the best memoir of a bartender ever written, read “Hemingway’s Paris,” by James Charters as told to Morrill Cody. (Original title: “This Must Be the Place.”)
Jimmy Charters was a bartender in 1920’s Paris. His book is a memoir of his bartending experiences in Paris. His customers included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Silvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, Sinclair Lewis, Oscar Wilde, etc. Unfortunately, this is also out of print, but again, worth seeking out.
BAR/COCKTAIL SITES
http://www.ardentspirits.com/
http://www.kingcocktail.com/
http://www.barmedia.com/
http://www.misscharming.com/
http://www.spiritjournal.com/
www.theartofthedrink.com/blog
http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/
http://www.usbg.org/
http://www.bartender.com/
http://www.sircocktail.blogspot.com/
http://www.vezeo.com/
www.better-drinking.com
FILMS
Some good films with bar/cocktail/drinking scenes:
Casablanca, Guys and Dolls, The Seven Year Itch, Where the Buffalo Roam, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Naked Lunch, Bar Fly, The Strawberry Blonde, The Thin Man, and Cocktail.
A note about "Cocktail": not a bad movie, but the book was so much better. The book "Cocktail," by Heywood Gould, was definitely written by an ex-bartender. The movie was a bit of a farce. All this flipping bottles, etc. These bartenders should go work in a circus! The best bartender is one who makes a great cocktail and gives great customer service. I think service is more important at times than the cocktail. Nothing against Tom Cruise, who is a great actor. But I think Gene Hackman looks more like a real bartender than Tom Cruise!
Lastly, remember that you are setting up a home bar to entertain friends and guests. You are not setting up some high end concept at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Enjoy being a home-bartender, and remember what Mark Twain once said:
“The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but that the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”
Entertaining at home!
Easy and economical.
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote a lot about home cocktail parties. Read “Tender is the Night”. Great novel, by the way.
Here are some easy and helpful hints on setting up a home bar, and becoming a favorite neighborhood bartender!
SETTING UP
As far as location goes, a large kitchen counter will suffice. Someplace near a sink is a necessity. You’ll be dumping out ice from your shaker, and you need a faucet to rinse.
For appearance, a nice thin tablecloth over the counter will be very attractive. But nothing too fancy or expensive, as there may be spillage.
On your countertop, you’ll need an area for liquor, mixers, glassware, garnishes, bartending tools, and an ice bucket.
SPIRITS
Here’s the basics: vodka, gin, light rum, tequila, scotch, bourbon, blended whiskey, dry vermouth, sweet vermouth, triple sec.
As far as the types or brands of liquor you use, that is up to you. Buy something decent, but it doesn’t have to be top-of-the-line. (For example, if someone wants a scotch and soda, don’t use a single malt scotch. That’s alcohol abuse!)
If you want to go the extra mile, other spirits you may want to stock: brandy, cognac, Gran Marnier, crème de menthe (white and green), crème de cacao (dark and white), Drambuie, Amaretto, Apple Pucker, and champagne.
WINE
A few bottles of red, and a few bottles of white are all that is needed.
For white, a chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or a pinot grigio. Keep refrigerated.
For red, a cabernet, merlot, or a pinot noir.
BEER
Just a few choices will suffice.
An American mass-produced brand, an import or a small batch brew, and perhaps some type of lite beer for the calorie conscious.
The beer can be kept in the fridge or in a large ice chest on the floor.
GARNISHES
Olives, onions, Maraschino cherries, lime wedges, lemon wedges, orange slices, lemon twists.
To cut wedges: cut the ends off, then cut in half lengthwise. Slice each half two times, lengthwise, to create three wedges.
For orange slices: cut the ends off the orange. Cut the orange in half lengthwise. Place the half piece flat side down. Slice off half circles, going around the orange on the side, not from top to bottom.
For lemon twists: use a channel knife, which has a stainless steel flat piece with a hole. Through the hole, you can slice off a long spiral length lemon peel. Cut off the ends of the lemon, and start cutting/peeling from top to bottom.
To flame an orange peel: cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one-and-a-half inches long and three-fourths inch wide, with a small bit of pith on one side. Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink. Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink. The match should be between the drink and the twist. Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the
flame and onto the surface of the drink. The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!
CONDIMENTS
Bitters, grenadine, Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, simple syrup, sugar.
To make simple syrup, combine equal parts (for example, three cups each) of sugar and water. Bring to a boil, then let cool. Voila: simple syrup!
JUICES (use fresh fruit juices)
Orange juice, lemon juice, lime juice, pineapple juice, tomato juice, cranberry juice, and grapefruit juice.
MIXERS
Cola, diet cola, club soda, tonic water, 7-Up, ginger ale.
GLASSWARE
Martini glasses, rocks glasses, highball glasses, wine glasses, brandy snifters, pilsner glasses, and champagne flutes.
BARTENDING TOOLS
Shaker set (metal and glass), long cocktail stirring spoon, wine opener, bottle/can opener, cocktail strainer, paring knife and cutting board, muddler, and jigger.
COCKTAILS YOU NEED TO KNOW
Martini, Manhattan, Margarita, Bloody Mary, Screwdriver, Daiquiri, Rob Roy, Old-Fashioned, White Wine Spritzer, Whiskey Sour.
COCKTAILS THAT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW
Cosmopolitan, Sidecar, Mint Julep, Mojito, Rusty Nail, Negroni, Seabreeze, Monkey Gland, Singapore Sling, Ramos Gin Fizz.
COCKTAIL RECIPE BOOKS
These three are must have’s: “The Craft of the Cocktail,” by Dale DeGroff, “The Joy of Mixology,” by Gary Regan, and “Secrets Revealed of America’s Greatest Cocktails,” by Robert Plotkin.
And to add a fourth: "The Ultimate Cocktail Book," by Ray Foley.
If you want to go back in time and see how the professional bartenders of days gone by mixed cocktails, try to get copies of “How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivant’s Companion,” by Jerry “the Professor” Thomas, 1862, or “The Savoy Cocktail Book,” by Harry Craddock, 1930. Both are out of print, but worth seeking out.
EXTRACURRICULAR READING
“Imbibe!” by David Wondrich, “Bottled Wisdom,” by Mark Pollman, and “Cocktails of the Ritz Paris,” by Colin Peter Field.
MEMOIRS
For the best memoir of a bartender ever written, read “Hemingway’s Paris,” by James Charters as told to Morrill Cody. (Original title: “This Must Be the Place.”)
Jimmy Charters was a bartender in 1920’s Paris. His book is a memoir of his bartending experiences in Paris. His customers included Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Silvia Beach, Gertrude Stein, Sinclair Lewis, Oscar Wilde, etc. Unfortunately, this is also out of print, but again, worth seeking out.
BAR/COCKTAIL SITES
http://www.ardentspirits.com/
http://www.kingcocktail.com/
http://www.barmedia.com/
http://www.misscharming.com/
http://www.spiritjournal.com/
www.theartofthedrink.com/blog
http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/
http://www.usbg.org/
http://www.bartender.com/
http://www.sircocktail.blogspot.com/
http://www.vezeo.com/
www.better-drinking.com
FILMS
Some good films with bar/cocktail/drinking scenes:
Casablanca, Guys and Dolls, The Seven Year Itch, Where the Buffalo Roam, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Naked Lunch, Bar Fly, The Strawberry Blonde, The Thin Man, and Cocktail.
A note about "Cocktail": not a bad movie, but the book was so much better. The book "Cocktail," by Heywood Gould, was definitely written by an ex-bartender. The movie was a bit of a farce. All this flipping bottles, etc. These bartenders should go work in a circus! The best bartender is one who makes a great cocktail and gives great customer service. I think service is more important at times than the cocktail. Nothing against Tom Cruise, who is a great actor. But I think Gene Hackman looks more like a real bartender than Tom Cruise!
Lastly, remember that you are setting up a home bar to entertain friends and guests. You are not setting up some high end concept at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.
Enjoy being a home-bartender, and remember what Mark Twain once said:
“The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but that the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”
Monday, March 9, 2009
Black Rum Fizz
,
Here's a great spring/summer cocktail recipe.
I've used this recipe for the summer cocktail list at Rock Creek Restaurant here in DC where I currently tend bar, and also at my former work place, Signature's Restaurant at 9th and Pennsylvania in DC.
BLACK RUM FIZZ
one-and-a-half oz. Malibu coconut rum
one-half ounce Banana liqueur
one oz. pineapple juice
two oz. fresh lemon juice (or sweet and sour mix)
(one oz. simple syrup if used with fresh lemon juice)
one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda
pineapple wedge
(Simple syrup: bring to boil one part water and one part sugar. Boil for about 3 minutes, then let cool).
In large glass shaker glass with ice, pour the Malibu rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and fresh lemon juice (and simple syrup if using fresh lemon juice), or sweet and sour mix. Place tin metal shaker over glass shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into large rocks glass filled with ice. Float on top about one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda. (To float, pour very slowly over back of spoon). Garnish with pineapple wedge. Sit back, relax, close your eyes, and imagine yourself on a beach somewhere in the South Pacific! Beware: Gilligan and the Skipper have been searching for this recipe for years!
I've used this recipe for the summer cocktail list at Rock Creek Restaurant here in DC where I currently tend bar, and also at my former work place, Signature's Restaurant at 9th and Pennsylvania in DC.
BLACK RUM FIZZ
one-and-a-half oz. Malibu coconut rum
one-half ounce Banana liqueur
one oz. pineapple juice
two oz. fresh lemon juice (or sweet and sour mix)
(one oz. simple syrup if used with fresh lemon juice)
one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda
pineapple wedge
(Simple syrup: bring to boil one part water and one part sugar. Boil for about 3 minutes, then let cool).
In large glass shaker glass with ice, pour the Malibu rum, banana liqueur, pineapple juice, and fresh lemon juice (and simple syrup if using fresh lemon juice), or sweet and sour mix. Place tin metal shaker over glass shaker and shake vigorously. Strain into large rocks glass filled with ice. Float on top about one to one-and-a-half oz. Black Cherry soda. (To float, pour very slowly over back of spoon). Garnish with pineapple wedge. Sit back, relax, close your eyes, and imagine yourself on a beach somewhere in the South Pacific! Beware: Gilligan and the Skipper have been searching for this recipe for years!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Monday, March 2, 2009
Sidecar Cocktail
,
Here's a classic cocktail, one of my signature cocktails at Rock Creek Restaurant, Friendship Heights, Washington, DC.
The Sidecar Cocktail came about circa 1920's, the golden age of the cocktail.
The Sidecar was supposedly concocted by a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, who invented it for a regular customer, a military man, who was always driven to his favorite bar in a chauffeur-driven motorcycle. Naturally, this man always rode in the sidecar of the motorcycle.
Sidecar
one-and-a-half ounces cognac
one ounce Cointreau
one-half to three-fourths ounce fresh lemon juice
shake and strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass
garnish with a flamed orange peel.
To flame an orange peel:
cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one to one-and-a-half inches long, with a small bit of pith on one side.
Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink.
Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink.
The match should be between the drink and the twist.
Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the flame, and onto the surface of the drink.
The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!
The Sidecar Cocktail came about circa 1920's, the golden age of the cocktail.
The Sidecar was supposedly concocted by a bartender at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, who invented it for a regular customer, a military man, who was always driven to his favorite bar in a chauffeur-driven motorcycle. Naturally, this man always rode in the sidecar of the motorcycle.
Sidecar
one-and-a-half ounces cognac
one ounce Cointreau
one-half to three-fourths ounce fresh lemon juice
shake and strain into a chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass
garnish with a flamed orange peel.
To flame an orange peel:
cut an oval shaped orange twist, about one to one-and-a-half inches long, with a small bit of pith on one side.
Light a match, and hold it a few inches above the drink.
Hold the twist by the sides, about 3-4 inches above the drink, skin side facing the drink.
The match should be between the drink and the twist.
Briskly snap the twist, so that the orange oil shoots through the flame, and onto the surface of the drink.
The result: a bit of pyrotechnic display, and carmelized orange oil floating on top of the cocktail!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Professionalism in Bartending
,
Whatever happened to real bartenders? I mean the old-school guys who tended bar for a career?
When I first started bartending in Washington, DC at Duke Zeibert's Restaurant, circa 1975, I was the youngest guy on the staff. I was about 23 years old.
I remember Howard "Mac" McNamara and Leo Veran. They had been tending bar at Duke's for many years. Real professonal bartenders. They were both probably in their fifties at the time. I think the youngest waiter was also about fifty. The staff at Duke's was old-school. This was real professional waiters and bartenders. These guys tended bar and waited tables as a real profession. They did it all their lives, and took pride in it.
I remember Victor "Man O'War" Friedman. Waited tables at Duke's for about thirty years. Now that's a professional waiter!
You don't see that much anymore these days.
Seems like bartenders and waiters now are all young people who think tending bar is just something to do until they "make it on stage" or finish school to get a "real job."
They need to grow up and realize that restaurant work is an honorable profession, and take pride in their work.
In Europe, waiting tables is a very noble profession. Doesn't seem like its risen to that point yet here in America.
Joe bar-star thinks it's cool to work behind the bar so his friends can come in for free drinks.
Yeah, he's a real professional. Probably doesn't even know that a Manhattan has a dash of bitters in it. Probably doesn't even care to know, either. He needs to take the time to learn his craft properly.
These young superstars don't even know what a SideCar is.
You'd think they would take a little effort, get some books on classic cocktails, and learn something about their craft.
Not only learn how to properly make and present a classic cocktail, but also learn the history behind a classic cocktail.
Customers are impressed when the bartender can tell them the story of how a certain cocktail came about. Who invented it, and where. Splash a little color into the presentation when you're mixing a cocktail. When you do this behind the bar, you have your bar customers in the palm of your hand. You're one step above the bartender down the street who doesn't know how to flame an orange peel!
When bar-star mixes a Mai Tai, he needs to talk about Vic Bergeron at the Polynesian Oakland Bar in 1944. Same goes for the Ramos Gin Fizz: talk about the Old Stagg Saloon in the French Quarter in New Orleans. If someone orders a Gin Rickey, the customer would love to hear about the bartender at Shoemaker's in Washington, DC, who invented it for a lobbyist customer by the name of Colonel Jim Rickey. How about the Bronx Cocktail? Start talking about Johnnie Salon who tended bar at the Waldorf Bar in the old Waldorf Astoria in New York. On Sunday brunches, there's a lot of orders for a Bellini. Let's talk about Harry's Bar, Venice, Italy, 1944. Grandma and grandpa may want a Bloody Mary. How about a discourse on Pete Petiot at Harry's Bar in Paris, 1921.
Want to impress someone who orders a Singapore Sling? Tell him about Hainanese-Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at Raffles Hotel in Singapore around the turn-of-the-century. Tell the customer that in the Raffles Hotel museum, you can see the safe where Mr. Boon locked away his coveted recipe books.
Take it a step further and talk about Ngiam Tong Boon's Million Dollar Cocktail. This cocktail was mentioned in a famous barside short story by Somerset Maugham titled "The Letter."
People may think the bartender is very literate when he talks about this story. Obviously, he's well read!
Take the literate subject to another level. Talk about "Hemingway's Paris" by Jimmie Charters.
Jimmie Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920's Paris. Best memoir by a bartender ever! Mention the introduction by Ernest Hemingway. Now the bartender is really literate!
Cocktail recipe books? Mention "How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivants Companion" by Jerry "The Professor" Thomas, 1862. Or try "The Savoy Cocktail Book" by Harry Craddock, 1930.
Bartenders back then made everything from scratch. Pre-mixed concoctions or flavored vodka martinis? These guys would turn over in their graves! (Incidentally, a real martini is made with gin.)
The movie "Cocktail"? Not bad. Kind of a farce, actually. But the book, "Cocktail", by Heywood Gould, (from which the movie was based), was a real gem. Definitely written by an ex-bartender. Great book! All this bottle flipping does not make a great bartender. (Go work in a circus!) What makes a great bartender? Along with great cocktails, customer service! Nothing against Tom Cruise, who I think is a great actor. But why get a pretty-boy to play the part of the bartender? Get a guy who looks like a bartender. How about Gene Hackman? Now he looks like a real bartender!
Would also be nice to see bartenders who take pride in their appearance. No shirt tail hanging out or two days worth of beard stuble on their face. The old-school bartenders had pressed and starched white shirts, and wore them with pride. Nice big handle-bar mustaches. (Now that was a mustache!) If you can't grow one properly, stock up on Gillette Fusion razors.
Really irks me to see bartenders drink or smoke behind the bar. (But nowadays, nobody can really smoke in bars most places.) Why does the bartender have to do shots with his customers? Can't he wait for that after-shift cocktail down the road instead? In my opinion, drinking during the shift behind the bar really denigrates the profession.
Bartenders need to learn how to act behind the bar as a true professional.
Sure would like to see more professionalism behind the wood.
Am I the last of a dying breed?
When I first started bartending in Washington, DC at Duke Zeibert's Restaurant, circa 1975, I was the youngest guy on the staff. I was about 23 years old.
I remember Howard "Mac" McNamara and Leo Veran. They had been tending bar at Duke's for many years. Real professonal bartenders. They were both probably in their fifties at the time. I think the youngest waiter was also about fifty. The staff at Duke's was old-school. This was real professional waiters and bartenders. These guys tended bar and waited tables as a real profession. They did it all their lives, and took pride in it.
I remember Victor "Man O'War" Friedman. Waited tables at Duke's for about thirty years. Now that's a professional waiter!
You don't see that much anymore these days.
Seems like bartenders and waiters now are all young people who think tending bar is just something to do until they "make it on stage" or finish school to get a "real job."
They need to grow up and realize that restaurant work is an honorable profession, and take pride in their work.
In Europe, waiting tables is a very noble profession. Doesn't seem like its risen to that point yet here in America.
Joe bar-star thinks it's cool to work behind the bar so his friends can come in for free drinks.
Yeah, he's a real professional. Probably doesn't even know that a Manhattan has a dash of bitters in it. Probably doesn't even care to know, either. He needs to take the time to learn his craft properly.
These young superstars don't even know what a SideCar is.
You'd think they would take a little effort, get some books on classic cocktails, and learn something about their craft.
Not only learn how to properly make and present a classic cocktail, but also learn the history behind a classic cocktail.
Customers are impressed when the bartender can tell them the story of how a certain cocktail came about. Who invented it, and where. Splash a little color into the presentation when you're mixing a cocktail. When you do this behind the bar, you have your bar customers in the palm of your hand. You're one step above the bartender down the street who doesn't know how to flame an orange peel!
When bar-star mixes a Mai Tai, he needs to talk about Vic Bergeron at the Polynesian Oakland Bar in 1944. Same goes for the Ramos Gin Fizz: talk about the Old Stagg Saloon in the French Quarter in New Orleans. If someone orders a Gin Rickey, the customer would love to hear about the bartender at Shoemaker's in Washington, DC, who invented it for a lobbyist customer by the name of Colonel Jim Rickey. How about the Bronx Cocktail? Start talking about Johnnie Salon who tended bar at the Waldorf Bar in the old Waldorf Astoria in New York. On Sunday brunches, there's a lot of orders for a Bellini. Let's talk about Harry's Bar, Venice, Italy, 1944. Grandma and grandpa may want a Bloody Mary. How about a discourse on Pete Petiot at Harry's Bar in Paris, 1921.
Want to impress someone who orders a Singapore Sling? Tell him about Hainanese-Chinese bartender Ngiam Tong Boon at Raffles Hotel in Singapore around the turn-of-the-century. Tell the customer that in the Raffles Hotel museum, you can see the safe where Mr. Boon locked away his coveted recipe books.
Take it a step further and talk about Ngiam Tong Boon's Million Dollar Cocktail. This cocktail was mentioned in a famous barside short story by Somerset Maugham titled "The Letter."
People may think the bartender is very literate when he talks about this story. Obviously, he's well read!
Take the literate subject to another level. Talk about "Hemingway's Paris" by Jimmie Charters.
Jimmie Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920's Paris. Best memoir by a bartender ever! Mention the introduction by Ernest Hemingway. Now the bartender is really literate!
Cocktail recipe books? Mention "How To Mix Drinks or The Bon-Vivants Companion" by Jerry "The Professor" Thomas, 1862. Or try "The Savoy Cocktail Book" by Harry Craddock, 1930.
Bartenders back then made everything from scratch. Pre-mixed concoctions or flavored vodka martinis? These guys would turn over in their graves! (Incidentally, a real martini is made with gin.)
The movie "Cocktail"? Not bad. Kind of a farce, actually. But the book, "Cocktail", by Heywood Gould, (from which the movie was based), was a real gem. Definitely written by an ex-bartender. Great book! All this bottle flipping does not make a great bartender. (Go work in a circus!) What makes a great bartender? Along with great cocktails, customer service! Nothing against Tom Cruise, who I think is a great actor. But why get a pretty-boy to play the part of the bartender? Get a guy who looks like a bartender. How about Gene Hackman? Now he looks like a real bartender!
Would also be nice to see bartenders who take pride in their appearance. No shirt tail hanging out or two days worth of beard stuble on their face. The old-school bartenders had pressed and starched white shirts, and wore them with pride. Nice big handle-bar mustaches. (Now that was a mustache!) If you can't grow one properly, stock up on Gillette Fusion razors.
Really irks me to see bartenders drink or smoke behind the bar. (But nowadays, nobody can really smoke in bars most places.) Why does the bartender have to do shots with his customers? Can't he wait for that after-shift cocktail down the road instead? In my opinion, drinking during the shift behind the bar really denigrates the profession.
Bartenders need to learn how to act behind the bar as a true professional.
Sure would like to see more professionalism behind the wood.
Am I the last of a dying breed?
Monday, January 26, 2009
NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR
,
NOTES FROM BEHIND THE BAR
Hemingway’s Paris
(Originally titled: This Must Be The Place)
by James “The Barman" Charters
as told to Morrill Cody
Hardcover edition published in 1937
By Lee Furman, Inc.
Paperback edition published in 1965
By Tower Publications, Inc.
Mark Twain once said: “The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”
Jimmy “the barman” Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920’s Paris. The Boulevard du Montparnasse was where all the artists, writers, and poseurs would congregate to drink and socialize. And Jimmy Charters was the one who served them all.
Among his customers were: Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, etc. It is Ernest Hemingway who wrote the introduction to this book and said: “If his book has only one-half of his charm, one-quarter of his knowledge, and one-quarter of his experience, it should still be a fairly intoxicating volume.”
In Hemingway’s Paris, Jimmy Charters writes of his experiences as a bartender in mid-1920’s Paris. The characters were all in a class by themselves. Like any good modern day bartender, Jimmy had an inner sense of knowing about people. Whether instilled at birth or acquired on the job matters not. He could “read” people from the moment they walked into is bar. And it is from this viewpoint, customers as main characters, that makes this book a wonderful read.
Jimmy Charters was born in 1897 in the town of Rhyl in Wales. He originally planned to become a professional boxer, and fought in Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
He eventually was offered a position as assistant waiter at the Midland Hotel in Liverpool. This was a very elegant hotel with a swimming pool, grill room, theatre, French Restaurant, and a beautiful lounge. He caught on quickly, and within a month was promoted to a full-fledged
- 2
waiter.
In the French restaurant, the headwaiters were all Italians. They told Jimmy that he must learn French to succeed as a headwaiter. Arrangements sent him to Paris to work at the Hotel Meurice.
After several months at the Meurice, he then went to the Carlton. He naturally sought experience in various departments of hotel work, and worked as dishwasher, waiter, and assistant cook. After the Carlton, there was the Crillon, the Majestic, the Continental, and several others. Then there was the Hotel Massene in Nice as assistant barman. Next was Ciro’s in Monte Carlo. He enjoyed bar work more than being a waiter. When Jimmy started bartending, however, all he had to offer was his “Liverpool grin.”
He returned to Paris as assistant barman at Jack’s Bar. Next was the Bar de l’ Opera. “At one time or another, I must have worked at every big café and nightclub in Montmartre, including Pigall’s, l’Abbaye de Theleme, Le Royal, le Perroquet……..”
One day Jimmy heard about an opening at a bar called Le Dingo in Montparnasse. He was hired there as assistant barman and waiter. This was the beginning of his many years as bartender to the Quarter.
Jimmy Charters also gives some fine points on the art of bartending. He lists diplomacy as a first requisite, along with no squabbling over bills. Contrary to the bar owners, however, he says how he would like to give a free drink for every two or three the customers buys.
Jimmy could also tell when a man or woman walked into his whether he or she desired solitude or companionship. He started many romances this way, and encourages people to talk together if they showed any inclination.
Then there was the exhibitionist. He tells of an English girl who would sit at the bar and after several drinks would pull her dress wide open, exposing herself stark naked. He would have to wrap the dress around her and tie it securely. “You see it isn’t so easy being a bartender. You have to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies.”
He also talks about advantages for bartenders, such as professional services offered free by lawyers, doctors, and others from his many clients. He obtained reduced rates at cinemas and theatres, horse-racing tips, and free “entertainment.” He also received free bottles at Christmas from the French liquor people, who gave him a present of their product. Even today many bartenders partake in the receiving of free services and gifts, one of the advantages of “being in the business.”
Jimmy Charters mentions that most writers are drinkers, and how white wine has always been the favorite with writers and artists. He used to pass Shakespeare & Co. almost daily when he worked at the Trois et As bar. Shakespeare & Co. was a bookshop on the rue de l’Odeon run by Sylvia Beach. “Many of the white-winers of the Quarter have been of the Sylvia Beach school.” Sylvia Beach was the first publisher of James Joyce’s Ulysses .
Ernest Hemingway was another friend of Sylvia Beach. At the time, Hemingway was a correspondent for a Toronto paper, and wrote short stories in his spare time. “Hemingway came to my bar frequently (he was no white-winer!) and we would have long conversations about boxing or he would tell me about bullfighting, in which I was much interested though I know nothing about it.” Jimmy and Ernest often went to boxing matches together.
Jimmy Charters devotes a section of is book to drinks and drinking. He gives a formula for the French way, or safest way to drink: not more than two cocktails before dinner, a good wine served with the meal, and afterwards, one or two liqueurs with coffee. “Fortunarely for bars, Anglo-Saxons always agree with me when I tell them this, but they never follow the advice.”
Jimmy was not a big drinker. “…I myself cannot do it. One or two strong drinks, and I am on a rampage for the rest of the day… so I almost never drink.” In this and other ways, Jimmy was unlike most bartenders. He prided himself on the difference.
- 3
In his opinion, good Scotch whisky was the safest drink, straight or with plain water. Gin was good as an apertif, but not the strong French aperitifs, which were synthetically made, or the heavy French wines (which contained chicory and coffee), which could ruin your stomach.
“Mike” and “Brett,” the hero and heroine of Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, were based on actual people. (Jimmy Charters does not disclose their real names.) Their real-life romance stole the attention of the Quarterites.
Both came from upper class families. They were very much in love and frequently were in Jimmy’s bar. Things eventually turned sour, and Mike started romancing an American girl, but did not stay with her long.
In the interim, the real life Brett met and married an American, and moved to Greenwich Village. Mike never returned to his usual self. Life became difficult, and he encountered many financial difficulties, along with drug problems. He died shortly thereafter, from an overdose of pills. Whether intentional or not, will never be known.
Jimmy called the Trois et As (which means “The Trey and the Ace”) his best bar. He said he had more fun there than any other place in Montparnasse. Jimmy tells anecdotes about Oscar Wilde, Modigliani, and other various artists and restaurant and café owners. He also tells stories about Harpo Marx and Djuna Barnes.
Towards the end of the book Jimmy gives his diatribe on alcoholics. He claims to have much success in handling drunks because he himself had been drunk so many times, (which is a contradiction of his earlier statement that he seldom drinks.) He then reaffirms himself and says that he has forced himself to stop drinking entirely (except occasional bouts) because alcohol affects him too seriously. He goes on about some of his customers who were drinkers of the alcoholic type.
In one of the later sections, he gives a review of the various bars in Montparnasse. This is a good overview of the bohemian lifestyle on the Left Bank. It tells what life was like for the motley assortment of artists and poseurs who flocked to Paris during this time period.
Jimmy also talks of his romances and love life. From Jeanne, a Burgundy girl who was assistant cook at the Dingo, through a Bretonne named Germaine, a girl called Madeleine (who resembled Pola Negri of the movies,) and lastly Marylene, who became his wife.
The last chapter talks of the end of Montparnasse. The tourists started arriving in greater numbers, driving the artists and writers out. The sightseers came to experience the counterculture as they heard about it from the press back home. This was 1929, the start of the depression in America.
Although out of print, Hemingway’s Paris is a treasure to seek out in libraries, good used book stores, or on-line. Jimmy Charters was not only a barman, but a humanitarian.
Sam Putnam, a friend of Jimmy’s, writes: “I can see Jimmie yet, reaching across the bar, gentle like, to put an obstreperous customer to sleep - gently, oh so gently - then, one hand on the bar and he’s across, picking the guy up, dusting him off and sending him home in a taxi - and paying his fare! That was Jimmie. I often wondered how he made any money…Montparnasse may be the explanation of my liver, but I wouldn’t have missed it for all that. Livers be damned! I’ve got something to tell my great-grandchildren about, and Jimmie to them will be a mythical character - which is exactly what he is.”
But Jimmy Charters sums it all up himself: “…a barman is really more important, in many cases, than the bar itself.”
James Charters: bartender extraordinaire.
Hemingway’s Paris
(Originally titled: This Must Be The Place)
by James “The Barman" Charters
as told to Morrill Cody
Hardcover edition published in 1937
By Lee Furman, Inc.
Paperback edition published in 1965
By Tower Publications, Inc.
Mark Twain once said: “The cheapest and easiest way to become an influential man and be looked up to by the community at large, was to stand behind a bar, wear a cluster diamond pin, and sell whiskey. I am not sure but the saloon keeper held a shade higher rank than any other member of society.”
Jimmy “the barman” Charters was the most famous bartender in 1920’s Paris. The Boulevard du Montparnasse was where all the artists, writers, and poseurs would congregate to drink and socialize. And Jimmy Charters was the one who served them all.
Among his customers were: Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Harpo Marx, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, etc. It is Ernest Hemingway who wrote the introduction to this book and said: “If his book has only one-half of his charm, one-quarter of his knowledge, and one-quarter of his experience, it should still be a fairly intoxicating volume.”
In Hemingway’s Paris, Jimmy Charters writes of his experiences as a bartender in mid-1920’s Paris. The characters were all in a class by themselves. Like any good modern day bartender, Jimmy had an inner sense of knowing about people. Whether instilled at birth or acquired on the job matters not. He could “read” people from the moment they walked into is bar. And it is from this viewpoint, customers as main characters, that makes this book a wonderful read.
Jimmy Charters was born in 1897 in the town of Rhyl in Wales. He originally planned to become a professional boxer, and fought in Liverpool, London, and Manchester.
He eventually was offered a position as assistant waiter at the Midland Hotel in Liverpool. This was a very elegant hotel with a swimming pool, grill room, theatre, French Restaurant, and a beautiful lounge. He caught on quickly, and within a month was promoted to a full-fledged
- 2
waiter.
In the French restaurant, the headwaiters were all Italians. They told Jimmy that he must learn French to succeed as a headwaiter. Arrangements sent him to Paris to work at the Hotel Meurice.
After several months at the Meurice, he then went to the Carlton. He naturally sought experience in various departments of hotel work, and worked as dishwasher, waiter, and assistant cook. After the Carlton, there was the Crillon, the Majestic, the Continental, and several others. Then there was the Hotel Massene in Nice as assistant barman. Next was Ciro’s in Monte Carlo. He enjoyed bar work more than being a waiter. When Jimmy started bartending, however, all he had to offer was his “Liverpool grin.”
He returned to Paris as assistant barman at Jack’s Bar. Next was the Bar de l’ Opera. “At one time or another, I must have worked at every big café and nightclub in Montmartre, including Pigall’s, l’Abbaye de Theleme, Le Royal, le Perroquet……..”
One day Jimmy heard about an opening at a bar called Le Dingo in Montparnasse. He was hired there as assistant barman and waiter. This was the beginning of his many years as bartender to the Quarter.
Jimmy Charters also gives some fine points on the art of bartending. He lists diplomacy as a first requisite, along with no squabbling over bills. Contrary to the bar owners, however, he says how he would like to give a free drink for every two or three the customers buys.
Jimmy could also tell when a man or woman walked into his whether he or she desired solitude or companionship. He started many romances this way, and encourages people to talk together if they showed any inclination.
Then there was the exhibitionist. He tells of an English girl who would sit at the bar and after several drinks would pull her dress wide open, exposing herself stark naked. He would have to wrap the dress around her and tie it securely. “You see it isn’t so easy being a bartender. You have to be prepared for all kinds of emergencies.”
He also talks about advantages for bartenders, such as professional services offered free by lawyers, doctors, and others from his many clients. He obtained reduced rates at cinemas and theatres, horse-racing tips, and free “entertainment.” He also received free bottles at Christmas from the French liquor people, who gave him a present of their product. Even today many bartenders partake in the receiving of free services and gifts, one of the advantages of “being in the business.”
Jimmy Charters mentions that most writers are drinkers, and how white wine has always been the favorite with writers and artists. He used to pass Shakespeare & Co. almost daily when he worked at the Trois et As bar. Shakespeare & Co. was a bookshop on the rue de l’Odeon run by Sylvia Beach. “Many of the white-winers of the Quarter have been of the Sylvia Beach school.” Sylvia Beach was the first publisher of James Joyce’s Ulysses .
Ernest Hemingway was another friend of Sylvia Beach. At the time, Hemingway was a correspondent for a Toronto paper, and wrote short stories in his spare time. “Hemingway came to my bar frequently (he was no white-winer!) and we would have long conversations about boxing or he would tell me about bullfighting, in which I was much interested though I know nothing about it.” Jimmy and Ernest often went to boxing matches together.
Jimmy Charters devotes a section of is book to drinks and drinking. He gives a formula for the French way, or safest way to drink: not more than two cocktails before dinner, a good wine served with the meal, and afterwards, one or two liqueurs with coffee. “Fortunarely for bars, Anglo-Saxons always agree with me when I tell them this, but they never follow the advice.”
Jimmy was not a big drinker. “…I myself cannot do it. One or two strong drinks, and I am on a rampage for the rest of the day… so I almost never drink.” In this and other ways, Jimmy was unlike most bartenders. He prided himself on the difference.
- 3
In his opinion, good Scotch whisky was the safest drink, straight or with plain water. Gin was good as an apertif, but not the strong French aperitifs, which were synthetically made, or the heavy French wines (which contained chicory and coffee), which could ruin your stomach.
“Mike” and “Brett,” the hero and heroine of Hemingway’s novel The Sun Also Rises, were based on actual people. (Jimmy Charters does not disclose their real names.) Their real-life romance stole the attention of the Quarterites.
Both came from upper class families. They were very much in love and frequently were in Jimmy’s bar. Things eventually turned sour, and Mike started romancing an American girl, but did not stay with her long.
In the interim, the real life Brett met and married an American, and moved to Greenwich Village. Mike never returned to his usual self. Life became difficult, and he encountered many financial difficulties, along with drug problems. He died shortly thereafter, from an overdose of pills. Whether intentional or not, will never be known.
Jimmy called the Trois et As (which means “The Trey and the Ace”) his best bar. He said he had more fun there than any other place in Montparnasse. Jimmy tells anecdotes about Oscar Wilde, Modigliani, and other various artists and restaurant and café owners. He also tells stories about Harpo Marx and Djuna Barnes.
Towards the end of the book Jimmy gives his diatribe on alcoholics. He claims to have much success in handling drunks because he himself had been drunk so many times, (which is a contradiction of his earlier statement that he seldom drinks.) He then reaffirms himself and says that he has forced himself to stop drinking entirely (except occasional bouts) because alcohol affects him too seriously. He goes on about some of his customers who were drinkers of the alcoholic type.
In one of the later sections, he gives a review of the various bars in Montparnasse. This is a good overview of the bohemian lifestyle on the Left Bank. It tells what life was like for the motley assortment of artists and poseurs who flocked to Paris during this time period.
Jimmy also talks of his romances and love life. From Jeanne, a Burgundy girl who was assistant cook at the Dingo, through a Bretonne named Germaine, a girl called Madeleine (who resembled Pola Negri of the movies,) and lastly Marylene, who became his wife.
The last chapter talks of the end of Montparnasse. The tourists started arriving in greater numbers, driving the artists and writers out. The sightseers came to experience the counterculture as they heard about it from the press back home. This was 1929, the start of the depression in America.
Although out of print, Hemingway’s Paris is a treasure to seek out in libraries, good used book stores, or on-line. Jimmy Charters was not only a barman, but a humanitarian.
Sam Putnam, a friend of Jimmy’s, writes: “I can see Jimmie yet, reaching across the bar, gentle like, to put an obstreperous customer to sleep - gently, oh so gently - then, one hand on the bar and he’s across, picking the guy up, dusting him off and sending him home in a taxi - and paying his fare! That was Jimmie. I often wondered how he made any money…Montparnasse may be the explanation of my liver, but I wouldn’t have missed it for all that. Livers be damned! I’ve got something to tell my great-grandchildren about, and Jimmie to them will be a mythical character - which is exactly what he is.”
But Jimmy Charters sums it all up himself: “…a barman is really more important, in many cases, than the bar itself.”
James Charters: bartender extraordinaire.
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