Dram Shop - it's more than a drink

The Holy Grail of bartenders - hangover cure

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Sat, 26 Nov 2016 14:53:00 +0000

Some say it's not the alcohol that makes you feel horrible the morning after it's the sleep. I always feel good when up and drinking well until I fall asleep and just when I wake up - well it's bad ... Regardless of what causes that state, there are certain liquids that my body accept more than others. Some of them help to recover some get you back on track.

Option 1 - Recovery

Virgin Mary is probably the most umami drink ever and that's exactly what you want when have a hangover - something nice that makes you feel good. Properly made Mary just hits the right spot. The key ingredient is the worcestershire sauce. Many recipies call for few dashes of it, though I think these dashed should be large, about 25ml in total. Can not forget about the spice - some tabsco will do its job just fine. Finish it off with a fresh celery stick and some ground pepper for the aroma. Complete dish in a glass.

Apple spinach avocado smoothie. This smoothie is like heaven coming down to earth for my stomach on the day after. Take a half of a ripen avocado, handful of baby spinach, fresh green apple juice, some agave syrup and little touch of lime juice place them in a blender and all your problems are solved, maybe except last night credit card balance.

Alternate option - Back on track

If you lucky enough to get weekends of and get wasted on Friday evening there is no really a good reason why would you not just carry on the next day and start your brunch with one of the amazing following cocktails

Ramos Gin Fizz

Oh this is just a spectacular potion that gets you manna level back up to a 100% within seconds. Eeeghmm well it may not be that quick actually cause making it takes a good few minutes, and bartenders tend to not have a very happy face when somebody is ordering one. I seriously think that 20 minutes shaking is not necessary however at least 2-3 minutes long shake is required to achieve that rich creamy texture of the drink which feels like touching a velvet with your naked ass.

Corpse reviver no 2

Some say there are people called necromancers who can bring the dead back to life. I say that is a total bullshit they are called bartenders. In late 1800s there was the whole family of Corpse Revivers drinks, most of them were long forgotten however one of them very effective is still known to bartenders all over the world.

Either way you usually decide to go these four are absolute must try. Don't wait get the ingredients now or book a early brunch table for the day after.

Life if short - enjoy your coffee

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Sun, 19 Apr 2015 21:02:00 +0000

Coffee is a rocket science, unfortunately many cafes have rocket engineers who can only do as much as lighting a firework rocket. I'm not saying I've got a PhD in coffee making, but my morning brew definitely is an enjoyable treat. Down below I'm only going to touch espresso based coffees, simply because other types are a little far away from what I'm used.

Cups

I hate this cup

The item that you have your coffee in doesn't seem like something that could make a significant difference, but yet there is a few companies out there which make cups you can't easily lift with a handle. So you have your coffee in front of you, you touch that little tiny handle and there is no grip, can't put your finger inside it neither, it is too small, if you decide to try to lift it with one hand it fells like anytime it can slip away, and all of your hot beverage is gonna end up on the table. The only way out, is to use two hands, lower down your head and drink like a Neanderthal. If I had an opportunity to meet the person who designed those cups I'd ask him/her to have a sip using one hand only and then I'd just watch the embarrassment. So if you are ordering cups for your bar/restaurant/cafe make sure you try them before, it has to be comfortable to use. Another thing is cup's temperature, it gotta be nice and warm, a little hot even, just so it doesn't cool down the liquid, but rather isolates it from the surrounding.

Grind

Grinder - this magical machine will turn beans into powder. Size of a grind is highly important for brewing good coffee. Having it too big will not extract heavier, darker flavours and you will end up with a bit sour light brew. Very fine grind can make extraction nearly impossible and will give only
couple drops of overly bitter and thick espresso. Setting up you grinder is not as easy task as it might seem. Machine that is in constant use generates a lot of heat what causes the grinding mechanism to expand and produce coarse grind. Therefore, having a timer next to your espresso machine and monitor the speed of extraction is a good idea when you have a high demand for coffee.

Espresso

Something very typical for Italy, so common that they don't even say espresso but 'un caffé' when they want it and it always is espresso in return. Regardless of where you are going to order it, it'll be good, even places that are not a quality cafes or restaurant deliver a quality espressos. (one that you can dream of when entering a Starbucks). If your coffee is based on it you got to make sure it stays on Italian level. To make a good one you need to put suitable amount of your perfectly grind coffee in your portafilter. How much it is depends on the basket, important thing is to fill it fully and evenly. Once it is loaded just press it with adequate force,(hard enough) then clean the rim of your basket and securely place in the machine. Optimal extraction time varies between 20-30 seconds, depending on what style of coffee you would like to get. When finished you should get a coffee cake out of basket - perfect for a cake prank.

Milk

If you are a real man or a woman who's a real coffee lover, you will have it black, however there are some exceptions (e.g. hangover) when you are allowed to have a cappuccino or any other white coffee. When it comes to milky ones I think I've seen everything that could go wrong, burning hot milk, big air bubbles or coffee crema larger than milk foam in a cappuccino, these are things you want to avoid. Working with milk isn't the easiest parts of coffee making, but I'm sure that everyone after a bit of practice can achieve a pretty decent level. Two important aspects are temperature and texture. To create a foamy milk start by placing a steamer just beneath the milk surface. This will aerate your milk really quick, after few seconds move steamer deeper inside your jug. Second step is clarifying the foam structure into tiny small bubbles. To do so, you need to get milk spinning inside the jug, holding it on the right angle with steamer next to the jugs wall will cause just that effect.

Milk spinning in a jug

Temperature - coffee is a hot beverage, but hotter doesn't mean better. Milky coffees should be around 65C-70C. Obviously you're not going to measure temperature each time you steam milk. Holding the bottom of a jug with a left hand will allow you to control temperature, when it gets to the point that you can't touch it freely anymore then your milk is just about right temperature. If you still have some big bubbles in your milk after steaming process, you can swirl the milk inside the jug and then gently hit its bottom on the hard and steady surface. This should destroy the enemy.

Latte art

I never expect to get a latte art on my hot beverage, as long as milk and coffee crema look good and healthy I'm happy with it. However, getting a nice drawing on your coffee can make you smile and that's the true goal of all hospitality businesses. There are people in this world who's skill in pouring milk over the espresso became an art. It takes a long time and lot of patience to become 'latte artist' but effects can be really pretty. Mastering right moves will allow you to control milk in the way it creates certain shapes and then the only thing that stops you is your imagination. Here is a pretty good video explaining how to enter latte art world : Latte art tutorial

Latte swan

Your favorite part - coffee machine cleaning

We all love this time in the night when it comes to close the coffee station. Just fucking do it it is essential to keep it clean !!!

The Maraschino effect

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Tue, 17 Feb 2015 15:23:00 +0000

Maraschino liqueur is made using Marasca cherries which are red, dark red. For god sake, how the hell do they make it see through?? And the taste, it is cherry, but a bit funny, not exceptionally tasty, and yet there is something unique about it, it has this special depth, something that I've been looking for in cocktails for quite some time.

There was the time that I was bored with most of popular cocktails, they all seemed the same to me. I was looking for something new an ingredient which would round them up. It was until I have tried cocktails with maraschino. I call that period of time my 'Maraschino Phase'. I remember it started when I ordered an Aviation for the first time. I have made them before, it wasn't the first time I've ever tried that drink, but when I ordered it for myself - it stroked me, maraschino flavor was that missing piece of the puzzle. It rounded the drink in a way I was looking for. It gives this great candy like sweetness without taking away the sharp edge of a lemon. Aviation has been on for a while since then.

THE Aviation

50ml Tanqueray

25ml Lemon juice

10ml Cremme de violett

10ml Maraschino liqueur

1 cherry for the garnish

Right after Gin my typical move is back to whisky and that time wasn't any different. On my NY themed drinking night, I discovered THE Brooklyn. It was another eureka moment in my bartenders life, everyone knows Manhattan, but sadly few of us ever tries Brooklyn. They are quite similar drinks, but the second one has The Maraschino effect which makes it way more exciting. Amer Picon is also a big one here and when you add them up the result is just stunning.

THE Brooklyn

50ml Sazerac Rye

15ml Amer Picon

20ml Noilly Prat

10ml Maraschino liqueur

Orange peel

With time you get a little bored even with as great drinks as Aviation or Brooklyn. I was in this 'open for new' zone and sometimes it takes one man, one drink order to make you fall in love with a cocktail. It was a quiet afternoon and then a guy comes to a bar and orders a Hemingway's, this moment when you look that man in the eyes and you know exactly what he wants is great (it would only be better if that was a 700 instead). Small chat about a THE Hemingway Daiquiri and there I have it, my new favorite for the next of couple of months.

THE Hemingway Daiquiri

50ml Light Rum

10ml Grapefruit juice

20ml Lime Juice

15ml Maraschino liqueur

And that is the story of me discovering how to use that funny, tall, straw-covered, green bottle which most of the times just sits on the back bar. It gave me a lot of joy and fun, it is definitely one of those you have to get on your bar if you haven't got it yet.

We love bottles, we hate cans and draught you never know

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Mon, 12 Jan 2015 13:25:00 +0000

Beer is so popular all over the world and there is a good reason for it. It's a large, refreshing drink in reasonable price, economic factor does the job here.

There is so much beer on the market it actually is overwhelming to cover it all, so I'm not going to focus on actual product but on the package and ways of serving it.

We love bottles.
We simply adore them so much that we are willing to pay about 30% more (in some bars even a double) than for the same amount of golden goodness from the tap.

Bars in UK offer you 330ml bottles for roughly the price of a pint (imperial pint 568ml), and still there is many that will go for a bottle. Me personally I have strong feelings for a green glass bottles, I cannot explain why is that and what causes it but sometimes fresh, well chilled, bottle of Peroni or Heineken can deliver indescribable refreshment. It might be specific aroma that pulls the refreshments trigger in my brain connected with a good memory from the past, but if so I want to have that aroma in every single beer. Serving bottles of beer it's a difficult topic. Beer sommeliers will tell you to always pour it into a glass and make large foamy top as this will release hoppy aromas and keeps rest of our liquid away from deadly oxygen. It sounds great and sophisticated but I still love my Peroni in a green bottle, and there is not much I can change about it.

We hate cans.

can craft

How many bars have you been to that you could order a canned beer ? Were these places any good ? I recon that cans in the bars will be the next hipster thing, but so far I haven't noticed that happening yet (or maybe I'm just not hanging out in Hackney enough).
For some reason people think that canned beer taste worse that bottle or draught. I guess this popular opinion is alive because of the canned drinks from 1930s, when it was a new technology and metals uses to produce cans were not perfected. Metallic taste was difficult to overcome in that times. These days on the other hand cans don't really affect taste anymore and I challenge anyone who says he can tell the difference for a blind tasting. Still opinion in people's minds is something really difficult to change probably way more difficult that metallic aftertaste.

Draught you never know.
When I'm going for a draught beer, first thing that I check is pints around, if glasses are full of life and bubbles are running from the bottom of the glass crowded like a London marathon, I will most certainly get a pint. But that is not always the case. Draught beer installations come in many different types and shapes, but always you have to have a right gas pressure and temperature. It may vary depending on style of a beer, but your supplier will always be able to provide you with accurate information. Make sure that what comes out of your tap is what is recommended, have a little taste of your beers every day, check the gas pressure and temperature if necessary.
Maintaining clean beer pipes requires you to clean them at least weekly, and also often use all of the lines you have got. If one of your beers isn't really selling well you may consider changing it or having it in the bottles. This obviously comes with costs, and if a bar is not making good money people will look for a savings. That's why in two neighbor bars the same beer from the same supplier can taste different coming out of two different taps.

Codes - what are those people talking about ??

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Thu, 08 Jan 2015 17:17:00 +0000

You're walking into a bar and hear loud "seven hundred" ? It means you're a good looking girl, or it's that friend of yours who makes bartenders shout like crazy :D

Codes are really useful behind the bar, they make things faster, easier, cooler. Dealing with customers also gets smother as people don't really want to hear you speaking about them.

If the whole team knows certain codes and uses them on a daily bases, work becomes simply more efficient and also creates a great relation between colleagues.

Some codes are really popular in many bars and some are unique to a place, 86 for instance, sometimes even customers know what do you mean when shouting 86 Jack Daniels. Code '10-15' on the other hand is a truly unique to a small group of bartenders I've been working with. Let me put it this way - it means a seriously hot chick. I could categorize codes in to 3 groups :

Discrete

88 - Imagine sitting on a bar with 2 bartenders behind, on some point you hear one of them letting his mate know that he is going to the toilet. Absolutely normal thing, everyone has to, but after couple of minutes, that guy is coming back and you are downing a last sip of your drink. He's offering you another one, he's going to make it now, but did he washed his hands ? well if he would have said he is going 'eighty-eight' or any other code that his colleague would understood you would never even thought about it. There are things that you have to communicate with your work mates and customers shouldn't know about codes are great for that purpose

200 is what you tell your mate who is being curious and reads back labels of bottles meanwhile people are waiting to be served and you are busy yourself. It sounds much better to say 'mate two hundred behind you' than ' there is a dude who wants a drink on the bar'

400 - intoxicated customer. Pretty obvious thing drunk people don't wanna hear that you think they are drunk, but you still have to communicate this fact with rest of your team

Fast

86 - mentioned before simply means that we have run out of an item, but make sure that we really don't have it before telling everyone '86' something, if there is a shortage of it that would be an 85

50 - How quick can you say 'fifty' ? I recon about 4 times faster that 'watch out - flying object'. If you work at flair bar, there is a big chance that quick 50 could save you quite a few of bruises or even injuries.

Fun

700 - as explained before attractive customer. You can play with this one a lot I've tried with my work colleagues to make some sort of rating system on how attractive a person is, where 710 would be smoking hot and 690 a Godzilla on the bar. It didn't really worked for us in that time. I guess it was too complicated, took to much time to explain, however I think idea is worth spreading.

701 - a customer attractive enough. I don't think that this one needs much explanation.

a lonely seven hundred

These codes were used in bars I have been working at, you obviously might have learned different ones or you can give them different numbers, but the idea is still the same. Keeping communication quick and efficient will always help you in everyday life. It gets to the point that I often use those codes outside of my workplace. If there is something coming to your mind or there is a code you have been using write them down in comments below.

Margarita - my second biggest love

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Sat, 29 Nov 2014 18:35:00 +0000

Margarita - that's all you need to say when approaching a bar ( saying please would also be very appropriate ) to experience the most complex taste of them all. Sweet, sour, salty, umami all these in one cocktail. An amazing classic, if you get the balance right, you've got a perfection in a glass. As always with quite simple drinks the ingredients make a difference, down below you will find some guidance about what's best for your Mexican beauty.

Limes

Probably more important than anything else. It is a ultimate quest to find good fruits. There is few types of limes out there, key limes are the most common in Europe. Regardless of what type of limes you will go for, they have to be fresh and juicy. Ideally hand squeezed a la minute right before mixing your cocktail.

Salt

You need a quality salt. It's got to be a great Margarita, you don't want to ruin it with a cheap table salt. Sea salt is essential, it is the first thing you taste when your mouth touch the glass. Flakes dissolve pretty quick, and simply give a better feeling when sipping. Making a salt rim is very easy, just wet your glass with a lime juice and roll it over a pile of salt. Try to avoid putting salt inside. Margarita with salt is great, salty Margarita not so much.

Triple sec

Cointreau is my first choice - available all over the world, not too sweet, good flavor, strong enough to keep that Margarita's rough character.

Tequila

Bartenders all over the world generally use blanco or Silver tequilas for their Margaritas. Some might use reposado as a base, because of it's more premium character. I don't have any children yet but if I had more than one I don't think I could tell which one I like the most. Same with tequilas - blanco, silver, reposado, plata, anejo - I am unable to decide which one I simply love them all. There is no bad choice here.

The Classic Margarita :

50 ml tequila

25 ml Cointreau

20 ml freshly squeezed lime juice

Sea salt flakes

Now that you have all you ingredients you simply put them all into a shaker tin. Fill it full with good quality ice. Shake vigorously, fine strain into your salt rimmed Margarita glass.

There you have it you Margarita done right way. Be careful this classic is very addictive once you try it you might fall in love.

ICE - ain't no bar without it

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Tue, 18 Nov 2014 13:55:00 +0000

There is no life without water and no bar without ice. Something as trivial as solidified water, it is something that we take for granted. But let's think about it for a second. How many drinks can you make without it ? How essential it is ? How significant difference does it make? Then if you add it into almost anything you make on the bar, why wouldn't you spend a lot of money on a machine that produces a quality water crystals?

Drinks with rather short list of ingredients are the best examples of how important ice is. Have you ever tried making an old fashioned at home? It never is the same as in a good bar, even though you have same spirit, bitters and sugar. I would say that having good ice is as important as a good spirit.

World famous G&T taste so much better with lots of big cubes. Often people ask - 'Wow that's a good gin and tonic, what gin did you use ?' And when they hear it's actually just a popular spirit, they already had at home or in their local pub, they are extremely surprised.

Stirred cocktails served straight up, reach low temperatures without getting over-diluted also meaning you drink will taste great for longer. Benefits of having good cubes are just endless. If it makes all those drinks so much better, I see nothing stopping you from investing in machine that produces a superior ice.

You can freeze water yourself in the way that it will become a perfectly transparent block of ice. (see video below). It takes a bit time and effort, but when you have gone through the process of carving and shaping it then the result is absolutely stunning! Negroni or an old-fashioned with one big ice ball stays cool and tasty for long. You could also buy a big block of crystal clear ice, it definitely isn't a cheap option but if the highest quality is your goal, it is the best one. If you don't really have time or big budget for that due to your ice demand is rather big I think you just have to invest once in a good ice machine that provides you with a quality rocks.

Because it is worth it !!!

There is couple of simple rules which are obvious for most of bartenders but refreshing them won't do any bad.
1. Use ice only once
2. Keep it dry, dripping tray under your ice is a must
3. Top up your ice well often so it stays fresh
4. Make sure it's clean - not just visible dirt but also spillage of spirits/syrups and most dangerous broken glass

And here is a video showing you how to make crystal clear ice at home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CboJJ5pu910

Martinis - I love them so much, but they are seriously scary

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 23:06:00 +0000

So sophisticated and luxurious, so much that they used to scare me - badly. If someone wants a Martini they expect perfection. You can't just add a bit more sugar syrup or lime juice if it isn't well balanced and simply fix the problem. It has to be perfect - from the very beginning to the last sip. So there is a big chance it might disappoint your guest. But fear not; follow these simple steps and you will be safe.

The first and most difficult one is understanding - What does that person on the other side of the bar actually want? It is so difficult because most of them don't really know what they like. I can't express with words how very much I love people ordering in this manner :

"Dry, kettle one Gibson, one drop of onion brine" - Stephen Fry, DSTH
or
" 3 measures of gin, one of vodka, half Kina Lilet, shake it up with ice, finish of with lemon" - James Bond, Casino Royale

but let's be honest you will have these guests who know their cocktails once in a blue moon. You are more likely to hear :

"Can I please get a Martini (full stop)."

Here we come with the Martini questions to help you out

Gin or vodka ?
Dry or wet ?
Olives or twist ?

First one is a simple matter of preference, obviously some choices are better than the others but as long as they know what they want it's a pretty clear thing.

Dry - it seems like the most popular word that I hear from my guests lately. Glass of dry white, dry sherry, dry gin, dry beer, dry Martinis. What is it that makes people want 'dry' stuff so much. Name ? non-sweet character ? or the moreish feeling after having a sip? Probably all of these together. Your dry Martini should have all these characteristics. Vermouth you put in should always be dry and not exceed 1:14 ratio. meaning 5 ml vermouth gives you 70 ml of spirit. Dilution is also a very important aspect. Having your ice melt too much into a drink will create a watery taste, not enough dilution will end up with too sharp, boozy feeling on the palate. So try, try, try it as you go.

Wet - loses in 95% of cases a battle with dry. Wet doesn't really sound that good, it doesn't sell very well, but it could be a great Martini. Vermouth can contribute big to your drink. It gives it a little more subtle character, makes it more civilized and also brings whole lot more flavours. Vermouth is a flavoured wine, so makin

Vermouth

g a wet vodka Martini can actually turn out to be a flavoursome cocktail. It's definitely worth recommending to vodka Martini drinkers. Vermouth is a rather specified type of aromatized wine, but look further there is more in that category. Aperitif wines, quinquinas, tonic wines are also a good product for a wet Martini. So give an underdog a chance, try some of them; you won't be disappointed.

Dirty - if you ask me for a gin dirty Martini I seriously want to shout F**K OFF !!! Gin is a delicate, delicious, aromatic, light, sensitive, beautiful spirit that you don't put shit into !!! I am really waiting for the day that someone would get me a good dirty gin Martni, until that day comes my opinion stays as stated above. Vodka dirty Martini is a different story, I undrestand that you want something a little savoury, a bit salty and you like olives, great. Olive brine is seriously important in here. Having a good one is a key to make that drink. You could make it yourself but that is a lot to ask for a drink that isn't really a best seller. You will probably have to buy it at the end of the day. I'm not giving you names and brands you have to find them yourself. Ratio : 65ml of vodka to 15ml of brine seems like a fair specs with the one I am using. You might need to adjust yours a bit if the brine you find turns out to be too salty.

Gibson - my favourite one. You need a spirit that can let your cocktail shine, vodka is a great base, it lets you bring up flavours to the top. Pickled onions in Gibson give so much to the drink that it actually becomes a whole different experience. They are bringing that unique taste of spring onions which I absolutely adore. At the same time drink is still dry and neat. I always considered it as a great food drink. Cured meats with Gibson Martini - paradise on the bar

The mighty Gibson

Vesper essentially is a wet gin Martini with a little edge of bitterness added by Kina Lillet. It is important that you note Kina Lillet and Lillet Blanc are not the same product. Yes Lillet Blanc is a successor of Kina Lillet, however it does not have this high quinine content, what takes away the bitter edge. The closest tonic wine to Kina Lillet that I've ever came across is Italian a Cocchi Americano. It has this quinine bitterness which is not present in Lilet Blanc. And in the same time has rather similar orangy notes. Next we have our spirit or rather spirits, gin and vodka sound like a very good idea to me, not that it makes any significant difference to the taste of a cocktail, but it's a great marketing, in 007's cool style. Plenty of people will be tempted to try that a little different Martini. To finish it off just express the lemon peel oils over it and place the twist inside - "Gosh, that's certainly a drink," said Leiter.

Garnishes

Choice between olive and a twist is a very personal thing. Some would definitely go for an olive some say it has to be twist, but many of your guests will be open for a suggestion. Certainly some gins would work better with citrus twist than an olive. Some might be better with grapefruit rather than lemon. Choosing accurate garnishes should be based on the botanicals infused into the spirit. For instance classic Tanqueray London dry gin with it's rather strong junipery character, hints of coriander and liquorice would go well with an olive where as Tanquaray no.10's, lighter more fruity gin rather calls for a grapefruit twist that matches the fruit used to infuse it. Hendrix Gin so famous for it's cucumber fragrance is also very floral so if you've got any roses around you I'm pretty sure that ladies would love an idea of finishing their Martini with a rose petal. The sky is the limit.

Temperature

It has to be cold. I don't want to be boring and write the same things in each of my posts but you have to make sure you do everything possible to make your Martini get to the lowest temperatures possible without shaking it. Shaking a martini would give it this cloudy look, that takes away from the visual presentation of this luxurious drink, so you're stirring it. Unless there's a 007 on your bar you're stirring it.

Manhattan - simple but not easy

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 03:31:00 +0000

That very popular cocktail named after NYC greatest borough could definitely be one of your favorites. It has pretty much everything that bartenders and cocktail fans love - whisky, vermouth, bitters. Sounds like an easy one, but is it ?

I would like you to recall Manhattans you've had in your past. Were they all good? I don't think the answer to that would be yes. Too much bitters, not enough bitters, over diluted, under diluted, oxidised vermouth or not matching whisky/vermouth; these are just some examples of things that may go wrong with our beloved cocktail. So how do you make sure your Manhattan is going to be good ? Well there is couple of things you have to be aware of; whether you're going to make it or order it.

First and probably of most importance is ice. I mean, if you don't have good quality ice, forget about the cocktail and just have your whisky neat. There's nothing worse than bartenders fishing for ice in a bowl of water, that is a pretty extreme example but it still happens. Your ice should be fresh in healthy big size pieces, kept as dry as possible.

Next you will need a mixing glass or tin. Having a nice piece not only looks good but also creates ideal micro environment for mixing drinks. Keeping it cold before use is also a good practice that helps to reach low temperatures.

Start by adding your bitters, all recipes I've ever came across will call for dashes. Avoid using bottles like angostura; they make big and irregular dashes depending on how much you've got left in the bottle. It's best to have a bottle with dropper. Try a couple of drinks and figure out how many drops is giving you the right balance.

Once your bitters are in, add your vermouth. Now you've got to decide how you like your Manhattan. I have mine sweet and for me sweet is the only choice. If you want it perfect or dry I would say you want it because of a name. You may not agree, I respect that but I still think Manhattan’s should be made with sweet vermouth. So one part goes in.

Whisky. Bourbon or Rye ? Your choice; use whisky that you are comfortable with. Many recipes calls for rye and many for bourbon but what is a real Manhattan made with? Trying to answer that question is a bit pointless; it will be made with that one which you choose. As long as it doesn't have Tesco or Sainsbury printed on the label your cocktail should be fine. Two parts of your finest choice whisky lands in the mixing glass.

You have all your ingredients in, add ice and stir. I'm not going to tell you how long you should stir your Manhattan, you have to try it as you go. It is ready when it tastes good - simple as that. Once you've reached the right balance, strain it off into your chilled cocktail glass and drop a cherry inside. Your garnish is also an important part of a drink. Bright red maraschino cherries aren't the best choice. I find dark cherries preserved in the rich syrup working great with Manhattans. Use those, you will love them. Be careful when adding your cherry; so you don't drop this rich cherry syrup as it will change character of your cocktail.

There you have it, your famous Manhattan cocktail done right. Enjoy

50ml Woodford reserve bourbon
25ml Antica Formula sweet vermouth
3 dashes of Angostura bitters
1 dark Amarena cherry

Don't hesitate to share your whisky preference in the comments below.

My mission, my goal, my purpose

noreply@blogger.com (DramShop) — Sun, 09 Nov 2014 03:25:00 +0000

I call myself a bartender and I am proud of it. In my dream world there would be no wars, no fatal diseases and no bad Bartenders. This blog is here to make world a bit better place. I am obviously going to solve that war problems because other two are far too difficult. But honestly if you are here, it means you like drinks done the right way, and I strongly believe this is the right place for you. I will try to cover all areas of bar starting with cocktails, techniques, equipment, spirits and many more. It's a big project, but no one said that changing the world will be an easy thing. I hope you will like my approach and will enjoy every sip of those great liquids we are going to mix.