Here's a recipe that will separate professional bartenders from the novices.
The Bronx Cocktail
Created by bartender Johnnie Solon around the turn of the century (early 1900's). Johnnie had just returned from the Bronx Zoo. A customer requested from a waiter named Traverson, that he wanted a special cocktail. Traverson relayed the request to Johnnie Solon, the bartender. Being that he had just returned from the zoo, Johnnie said that a lot of customers had told him that they saw different animals after drinking excessively. Johnnie also said that some of his customers reminded him of animals he had seen at the zoo!
Bronx Cocktail
2 ounces gin
1/4 ounce dry vermouth
1/4 ounce sweet vermouth
1 ounce fresh orange juice
2-3 dashes bitters (orange bitters may be used, depending on taste)
Shake with ice. and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with orange twist
Now here's where a real professional barman comes into play:
Silver Bronx:
original recipe, but add egg white
Golden Bronx:
original recipe, but add egg yolk.
Recipe for a perfect Sunday:
1) church service with a good sermon
2) a stroll through the zoo (or do the stroll! a popular dance for those of you too young to know what the stoll was)
3) Bronx cocktails while watching a beautiful sunset!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Where NOT To Order Cocktails
,
There are certain places, I mean bars or restaurants, where you just don't order a particular type of cocktail.
For example, where is the worst place to order a Margarita? Usually, a Mexican restarant. Especially the chain restaurants. The reason is simple. They sell so many of them, they have to pre-make them in order to keep up with the large volume of orders. They're usually poured out of a large jug which contains about 20-30 pre-made Margaritas. Then there are about 20-30 of those large jugs stashed behind the bar. Or even worse, they could come out of a super-sized slurpee-like machine. Nothing like a frozen, slurpee-like Margarita. You could go to a local 7-11 and get a cup of crushed ice, go home and pour some cheap tequila over it with some super-sweet sour mix out of a bottle and get the same thing.
Now, there are exceptions. An up-scale Mexican restaurant, not part of a chain, would probably have a well-made, properly mixed Margrita. An experienced, professional bartender would definitely be an asset.
Another place you may be ambivalent about ordering drinks is where the bartender has to look up recipes in full view of the guests. A local restaurant in the DC metro area has large computer-type screens around the bar where the bartenders can look up recipes when stumped. I really don't want a cocktail from a bartender who has to search for recipes. It looks very unprofessional. I want my bartender to be a professional who knows about cocktails.
I appreciate a well-made Martini or Manhattan. But I've found few and far between bartenders who can actually make these two classics the proper way. With Martinis, there is either too much or too little vermouth. Same with Manhattans: either too much or too little vermouth again. Most bartenders leave out the bitters. A Manhattan takes bitters. No if's, and's, or but's about it. Without bitters, it's not a Manhattan, period.
Forget about ordering a Sazerac. You want a Sazerac, go to New Orleans. Or bring along a New Orleans bartender to your favorite bar.
Which is exactly what Huey P. Long (Governor of Louisiana, 1928-1932) did. In 1888, Henry Ramos, a New Orleans bartender/bar owner, invented the Ramos Gin Fizz. When Huey P. Long visited New York, he would take along New Orleans bartender Sam Guarino, from the New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel, with him. Sam Guarino would instruct the bartenders at New York's Roosevelt Hotel on the proper way to make a Ramos Gin Fizz.
When I go out to a bar, I always order the same drink each and every time: scotch over ice.
It's safer.
For example, where is the worst place to order a Margarita? Usually, a Mexican restarant. Especially the chain restaurants. The reason is simple. They sell so many of them, they have to pre-make them in order to keep up with the large volume of orders. They're usually poured out of a large jug which contains about 20-30 pre-made Margaritas. Then there are about 20-30 of those large jugs stashed behind the bar. Or even worse, they could come out of a super-sized slurpee-like machine. Nothing like a frozen, slurpee-like Margarita. You could go to a local 7-11 and get a cup of crushed ice, go home and pour some cheap tequila over it with some super-sweet sour mix out of a bottle and get the same thing.
Now, there are exceptions. An up-scale Mexican restaurant, not part of a chain, would probably have a well-made, properly mixed Margrita. An experienced, professional bartender would definitely be an asset.
Another place you may be ambivalent about ordering drinks is where the bartender has to look up recipes in full view of the guests. A local restaurant in the DC metro area has large computer-type screens around the bar where the bartenders can look up recipes when stumped. I really don't want a cocktail from a bartender who has to search for recipes. It looks very unprofessional. I want my bartender to be a professional who knows about cocktails.
I appreciate a well-made Martini or Manhattan. But I've found few and far between bartenders who can actually make these two classics the proper way. With Martinis, there is either too much or too little vermouth. Same with Manhattans: either too much or too little vermouth again. Most bartenders leave out the bitters. A Manhattan takes bitters. No if's, and's, or but's about it. Without bitters, it's not a Manhattan, period.
Forget about ordering a Sazerac. You want a Sazerac, go to New Orleans. Or bring along a New Orleans bartender to your favorite bar.
Which is exactly what Huey P. Long (Governor of Louisiana, 1928-1932) did. In 1888, Henry Ramos, a New Orleans bartender/bar owner, invented the Ramos Gin Fizz. When Huey P. Long visited New York, he would take along New Orleans bartender Sam Guarino, from the New Orleans Roosevelt Hotel, with him. Sam Guarino would instruct the bartenders at New York's Roosevelt Hotel on the proper way to make a Ramos Gin Fizz.
When I go out to a bar, I always order the same drink each and every time: scotch over ice.
It's safer.
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Time in a Bottle
,
Why does every place I work end up closing? Rock Creek closed New Year's Eve. The Bethesda, Maryland location. The Washington, DC spot closed a while back, then I eventually went to the Bethesda location. Then that one bit the dust! My resume is great, having worked at top restaurants/bars in the DC area. But the reason for leaving every one: they all closed. Seems like I may be a bad omen. One interview I had, the manager said that to me. "Hey, we're afraid to hire you. We don't want to wind up closing!" Oh well, such is life.
I'd still be at Duke Zeibert's if they hadn't closed in 1994.
Still can't figure out why some of these places would rather have some young bartender who really doesn't know what he's doing behind the wood. You'd think they'd rather hire an older, experienced professional. Someone who does it for a career, and takes a lot of pride in the art of bartending and knows how to make classic cocktails.
Some things in life I guess I'll never understand. Kind of like quantum physics or differential equations.
Spending a lot of time reading. Just finished some really great works by William Trevor, Ann Beattie, Charles Baxter, Evelyn Waugh, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, Alexandre Dumas, Michael Chabon, etc. Dumas was such a natural born story-teller. The old-fashioned kind.
Also been doing some writing. Have a lot of articles out there circulating with different magazines.
I remember Margaret Hennessey, my English 101-102 instructor at Montgomery College, telling me that I would never have a problem with writing.
Just finished a fiction writing workshop at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Started a short story about a bartender, of all things. The instructor seemed to like it. I'm going to continue with it, and see where it goes.
I've published about two dozen articles over the years, but have never pursued it full-time.
But now that I've got some time on my hands...................
Meanwhile, I've got more resumes to get out!
I'd still be at Duke Zeibert's if they hadn't closed in 1994.
Still can't figure out why some of these places would rather have some young bartender who really doesn't know what he's doing behind the wood. You'd think they'd rather hire an older, experienced professional. Someone who does it for a career, and takes a lot of pride in the art of bartending and knows how to make classic cocktails.
Some things in life I guess I'll never understand. Kind of like quantum physics or differential equations.
Spending a lot of time reading. Just finished some really great works by William Trevor, Ann Beattie, Charles Baxter, Evelyn Waugh, David Foster Wallace, Jonathan Franzen, Alexandre Dumas, Michael Chabon, etc. Dumas was such a natural born story-teller. The old-fashioned kind.
Also been doing some writing. Have a lot of articles out there circulating with different magazines.
I remember Margaret Hennessey, my English 101-102 instructor at Montgomery College, telling me that I would never have a problem with writing.
Just finished a fiction writing workshop at the Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. Started a short story about a bartender, of all things. The instructor seemed to like it. I'm going to continue with it, and see where it goes.
I've published about two dozen articles over the years, but have never pursued it full-time.
But now that I've got some time on my hands...................
Meanwhile, I've got more resumes to get out!
Monday, July 5, 2010
Summertime in DC
,
Hey, it's summer in DC.
Things are a bit slow.
But just wait till August: DC is a ghost-town then. Seems like the city evacuates in August. Nobody is around then!
Still working part-time at Rock Creek Restaurant in Bethesda.
Rock Creek in Washington closed last October. But hey, it was a good run. Really miss that location. (Same ownership for both restaurants).
What do DC bartenders do during the slow summer months?
Well, for one thing, it doesn't hinder the way we tip our fellow bartenders when we go out. (Some things are etched in stone).
We just may not go out as often.
Personally, I'm just taking things in stride. Summer is summer, that's just the way it is.
I read a lot, but I read a lot all year round. I think I spend more money on books than food.
Just finished "The Lotus Eaters" by Tatjana Soli. Absolutely brilliant! Her writing is impeccable! It's a novel about a female photojournalist covering the Viet Nam war. One of the best reads I've come across in a long time. If anyone wants to learn how to write, just read and study her book. The flow of her paragraphs is seamless. Can't wait for her next book.
Meanwhile, I think I'm going to audition for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"..............................!
Things are a bit slow.
But just wait till August: DC is a ghost-town then. Seems like the city evacuates in August. Nobody is around then!
Still working part-time at Rock Creek Restaurant in Bethesda.
Rock Creek in Washington closed last October. But hey, it was a good run. Really miss that location. (Same ownership for both restaurants).
What do DC bartenders do during the slow summer months?
Well, for one thing, it doesn't hinder the way we tip our fellow bartenders when we go out. (Some things are etched in stone).
We just may not go out as often.
Personally, I'm just taking things in stride. Summer is summer, that's just the way it is.
I read a lot, but I read a lot all year round. I think I spend more money on books than food.
Just finished "The Lotus Eaters" by Tatjana Soli. Absolutely brilliant! Her writing is impeccable! It's a novel about a female photojournalist covering the Viet Nam war. One of the best reads I've come across in a long time. If anyone wants to learn how to write, just read and study her book. The flow of her paragraphs is seamless. Can't wait for her next book.
Meanwhile, I think I'm going to audition for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire"..............................!
Friday, February 26, 2010
Historic Washington, DC Cocktails
,
Washington is well known for its politics (and also for its scandals!).
But there are also two cocktails with a DC hisory: the Gin Rickey and the Manhattan.
Shoemaker's was a Washington saloon in the late nineteenth century. It was known as a congressional hangout. Colonel Jim Rickey, a lobbyist, used to buy drinks there for members of congress. The bartender at Shoemaker's made a specific drink for Colonel Jim. He tasted it, liked it very much, and ordered another one (or perhaps several more). The bartender christened it the Gin Rickey, named after Colonel Rickey.
The recipe for the Gin Rickey:
in a highball glass full of ice, pour
2 oz. gin
4 oz. club soda
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
lime wedge for garnish.
The Manhattan has a few different versions of where it originated. The Washington version has it that John Welby Henderson was a bartender for John A. Hopkins of Fairfax, Virginia. In April of 1846, Hopkins was wounded in a duel with Baron Henri de Vrie at Challono in Bladesburg, Maryland. Hopkins was rushed to Hotel Palo Alto where John Henderson was working. Henderson filled a glass with Maryland rye, some syrup, and some bitters, and gave it to John Hopkins. The Manhattan survived, but the survival, or demise, of John Hopkins is unknown. It is odd, however, that Hopkins was taken to a hotel, rather than a hospital. Perhaps bartenders back then were better than the doctors.
The New York version of the Manhattan has it created by a bartender at a banquet at the Manhattan Club in 1874. The banquet was organized by Jennie Churchill (mother of Winston), who threw a party for her father's friend, Samuel James Tilden. This was in honor of Tilden's electoral success for the governorship of New York.
Another New York version has it created by a Broadway saloonkeeper named Black. This comes from William Mullhall, a bartender in 1880's New York.
The recipe for the Manhattan:
in a large mixing glass with ice, pour
2 oz. bourbon or rye
1 oz. sweet vermouth
2 dashes of bitters
stir and strain into a chilled martini glass
garnish with a cherry
For a dry Manhattan, use 1 oz. dry vermouth, lemon twist garnish.
For a perfect Manhattan, use 1/2 oz. dry vermouth, 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth, garnish with a lemon twist or cherry, or both.
When you substitute scotch for bourbon or rye, it is called a Rob Roy.
Whichever version you believe, the Manhattan is the epitome of classic cocktails. When made properly and held up to light, it looks like a golden sunset.
Enjoy!
But there are also two cocktails with a DC hisory: the Gin Rickey and the Manhattan.
Shoemaker's was a Washington saloon in the late nineteenth century. It was known as a congressional hangout. Colonel Jim Rickey, a lobbyist, used to buy drinks there for members of congress. The bartender at Shoemaker's made a specific drink for Colonel Jim. He tasted it, liked it very much, and ordered another one (or perhaps several more). The bartender christened it the Gin Rickey, named after Colonel Rickey.
The recipe for the Gin Rickey:
in a highball glass full of ice, pour
2 oz. gin
4 oz. club soda
3/4 oz. fresh lime juice
lime wedge for garnish.
The Manhattan has a few different versions of where it originated. The Washington version has it that John Welby Henderson was a bartender for John A. Hopkins of Fairfax, Virginia. In April of 1846, Hopkins was wounded in a duel with Baron Henri de Vrie at Challono in Bladesburg, Maryland. Hopkins was rushed to Hotel Palo Alto where John Henderson was working. Henderson filled a glass with Maryland rye, some syrup, and some bitters, and gave it to John Hopkins. The Manhattan survived, but the survival, or demise, of John Hopkins is unknown. It is odd, however, that Hopkins was taken to a hotel, rather than a hospital. Perhaps bartenders back then were better than the doctors.
The New York version of the Manhattan has it created by a bartender at a banquet at the Manhattan Club in 1874. The banquet was organized by Jennie Churchill (mother of Winston), who threw a party for her father's friend, Samuel James Tilden. This was in honor of Tilden's electoral success for the governorship of New York.
Another New York version has it created by a Broadway saloonkeeper named Black. This comes from William Mullhall, a bartender in 1880's New York.
The recipe for the Manhattan:
in a large mixing glass with ice, pour
2 oz. bourbon or rye
1 oz. sweet vermouth
2 dashes of bitters
stir and strain into a chilled martini glass
garnish with a cherry
For a dry Manhattan, use 1 oz. dry vermouth, lemon twist garnish.
For a perfect Manhattan, use 1/2 oz. dry vermouth, 1/2 oz. sweet vermouth, garnish with a lemon twist or cherry, or both.
When you substitute scotch for bourbon or rye, it is called a Rob Roy.
Whichever version you believe, the Manhattan is the epitome of classic cocktails. When made properly and held up to light, it looks like a golden sunset.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
PAPA DOBLE
,
Here's a tribute to Papa Hemingway.
Around 1921, bartender extraordinaire Constantino Ribailagua, who worked the El Floridita Bar in Havana, decided to add fresh grapefruit juice to the Daiquiri. He also added some maraschino liqueur. Ernest Hemingway was a regular at El Floridita. Constantino named the drink Papa Doble, meaning Papa's Double, after Ernest Hemingway.
Since Hemingway had an aversion to sugar, the original recipe used no sugar. But down the line, sugar (or simple syrup) was added to the recipe.
one-and-a-half ounces white rum
one-fourth ounce maraschino liqueur
one-half ounce fresh grapefruit juice
three-fourth ounce fresh lime juice
three-fourth ounce simple syrup (optional)
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Begin reading "The Sun Also Rises."
Around 1921, bartender extraordinaire Constantino Ribailagua, who worked the El Floridita Bar in Havana, decided to add fresh grapefruit juice to the Daiquiri. He also added some maraschino liqueur. Ernest Hemingway was a regular at El Floridita. Constantino named the drink Papa Doble, meaning Papa's Double, after Ernest Hemingway.
Since Hemingway had an aversion to sugar, the original recipe used no sugar. But down the line, sugar (or simple syrup) was added to the recipe.
one-and-a-half ounces white rum
one-fourth ounce maraschino liqueur
one-half ounce fresh grapefruit juice
three-fourth ounce fresh lime juice
three-fourth ounce simple syrup (optional)
Shake with ice and strain into chilled cocktail glass.
Begin reading "The Sun Also Rises."
Monday, September 28, 2009
Jack Rose Cocktail
,
There are a lot of cocktails out there that many bartenders don't know how to make.
This is a classic, which will elevate any bartender from "just a bartender" to "professional bartender". (Really hate to use the word "just").
No one really knows if there was a person named Jack or not.
The world will probably never know.
Rumor has it that the cocktail was actually named after a pink rose called the Jacquemot rose.
One of the earliest references to the Jack Rose was in "The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book," by Albert Stevens Crockett, 1935.
Several years back there were two reporters for the Washington Post who went to all the bars around Washington trying to find a bartender who knew how to make a Jack Rose.
They didn't introduce themselves as reporters, but just as two guys out looking for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
They were very unsuccessful at first, as most of the bars they went to didn't have a bartender who knew how to make it.
They finally found a bartender who knew, and they wrote up their story in the Food Section about their quest for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
(Wished they would have come to my bar!)
Here goes:
Jack Rose Cocktail
two-and-a-half ounces Applejack Brandy
three-fourth ounce fresh lemon juice
one-quarter ounce grenadine (more or less to taste)
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Knowing this cocktail will seperate you from the riff-raff bartenders down the street who don't respect the profession of bartending.
This is a classic, which will elevate any bartender from "just a bartender" to "professional bartender". (Really hate to use the word "just").
No one really knows if there was a person named Jack or not.
The world will probably never know.
Rumor has it that the cocktail was actually named after a pink rose called the Jacquemot rose.
One of the earliest references to the Jack Rose was in "The Old Waldorf-Astoria Bar Book," by Albert Stevens Crockett, 1935.
Several years back there were two reporters for the Washington Post who went to all the bars around Washington trying to find a bartender who knew how to make a Jack Rose.
They didn't introduce themselves as reporters, but just as two guys out looking for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
They were very unsuccessful at first, as most of the bars they went to didn't have a bartender who knew how to make it.
They finally found a bartender who knew, and they wrote up their story in the Food Section about their quest for a Jack Rose Cocktail.
(Wished they would have come to my bar!)
Here goes:
Jack Rose Cocktail
two-and-a-half ounces Applejack Brandy
three-fourth ounce fresh lemon juice
one-quarter ounce grenadine (more or less to taste)
Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass
Garnish with a lemon twist.
Knowing this cocktail will seperate you from the riff-raff bartenders down the street who don't respect the profession of bartending.
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