Barina Craft | Bars Inn Your Home

Stackable Bar Stools & Tables – Indoor Outdoor Party Portable

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:29:37 -0400

Lightweight stackable bar stools and cocktail tables with fold down tops make throwing a party easy. Billed as perfect for bistros, sidewalk cafes and event caterers, these portable bar tables and stools are also ideal for indoor and outdoor entertaining at home too.

The stylish design of the award winning Miura bar stool which debuted at the Milan Furniture Fair is also deceptively rugged. Durable fiber reinforced polypropylene make these stools strong, weather resistant tough, inexpensive and lightweight. Recyclable too.

A great combination for easily setting up chairs for a party, moving seats around during the activities and stowing away when not in use. The overall shape is slightly tapered and symmetrical which allows stacking the stools on top of each other for compact storage.

The sleek modern frames and seat pads have a futuristic look reminiscence of Star Wars or stealth aircraft with the surfaces broken into smaller sections at lots of different angles. Have this eye catching design stand out on its own, blend in to the room or highlight its unique form structure by serving science fiction cocktails, chilled by ice planets, in high tech insulated glasses on special occasions.

The Muira barstools were paired with round cocktail tables to match two years later. Both created by Konstantin Grcic for Plank. Also for use indoors or outside.

While most folding tables are square or rectangular, the circular bar tops on the Muira table have a clever arrangement which allows the disk shape to fold over alongside the support pedestal for storing away. The tripod pedestal column base allows the folded units to slide together next to each other while still standing upright minimizing space.

The bar tables are constructed of powdered coated metal and come in a variety of colors as do the stools. Mix and match to suit party theme or home decor so you’ll have enough extra seating areas for dining and drinks when entertaining large groups.

Portable Bar Furniture Specifications:

Stools - 31 7/8 in. tall x 15 3/4 deep x 18 1/2 wide, 30 11/16 seat height, 9 1/4 lbs. weight in white, black, traffic red, yellow, blue, red and orange colors.
Tables - 23 5/8 in. diameter x 17 11/16, 29 1/2 and 42 15/16 heights in grey black, gray white, traffic red, curry yellow and oxide red colors.

(images via)

Tuscan Designed Man Cave Hosts Hunting Lodge Style Bar In Home

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:05:13 -0400

Italian Villa Inspires Bars Tuscan Interior Design

This bar is right at home in the man cave of the Tuscan villa style Lynnstone Estate outside Jackson, Mississippi. With only four bedrooms, much of this 27,000 square foot dream house designed by architect Kevin Harris is actually set up for entertaining guests.

Along with this hunters themed at home bar, the estate also includes a caterer’s kitchen / butler’s pantry and multiple expansive outdoor areas set up for various activities which lend themselves to hosting parties as well. The overall Tuscan design is carried throughout the interior rooms and continues outside giving the atmosphere of an Italian wine country villa rather than the Southern plantations which surround it in the rolling hills nearby.

The bar is a free standing island offset from the middle of a wall with no back-bar. One end is square and the other is curved allowing for four barstools. Sound familiar? Aisle access to a cabinet is needed on the left side, otherwise a fifth stool could be positioned on the flat for an extra seat.

A Home Bar Fit For A King

Hard to tell exactly what kind of lumber was used to build the bar, but it appears to be a light colored hardwood like ash or maple. Notice how the arm railing forms a ridge around the outside of the bartop but there is no lip or drip pan in the rear up top or down below on the mixing table to catch spills. These are the kind of details that will factor into your decision regarding a choice between smooth or recessed counter tops Sort of a hybrid in this case.

Also, note how no foot rest surrounds the lower section. Only some toe kick molding. The bar stools match stains fairly closely with the main unit and have swivel seats with arm rests and high curved backs to compliment the bar-top curves. The actual seat is a woven rattan style with four triangles meeting at the center and fanning out to form a circular cushion which also matches well.

Reclaimed rough sawn wooden ceiling beams and Italian stone floor tiles display unmistakeable Tuscan design elements along with the large mural paintings and the twisted wrought iron sconces in the shape of antlers. A rustic artistic old world blend.

The Versailles style wood wall panels alternate herringbone and horizontal parquet patterns with framed borders to give this man cave a King Louis XIV French Mediterranean look. The lower walls are covered with this same wooden paneling in a vertical layout. The two are separated by a chair rail which runs around the perimeter at about the same height as the bar’s arm railing.

Hunting For A Tuscany Style Man Cave To Lodge Your Trophies?

While Tuscany is present throughout, this home’s bar definitely houses a hunting lodge atmosphere. Its impossible not to notice the mounted deer heads and its signature centerpiece, the hanging antler chandelier.

Some of the furniture even uses antlers for table legs and magazine rack frames. There are also sculptures of game birds, hunting dogs and a deer who walked into the bar to admire all the trophies. No jack-a-lopes in this gin joint though.

Noticeably absent are any electronics, particularly a television. There is an armoire which could open up to display a TV inside behind the doors. Probably too far away from the bar to be practical as a liquor cabinet, but if you’re a hunter, that would be perfect for housing a gun case.

In what would normally be a backbar, a large mirror is framed by bookcase shelving on both of its sides, but on the opposite wall away from the main unit. Rather than displaying top shelf liquor, glasses and other barware, this serves as more of a combination library and trophy case. Chicken wire door panels face the lower storage area with this whole section circled in leather chairs and sofas.

If you’re looking for ideas on how to build your own Tuscan style home bar, you’ll find plenty of inspiration from this design. What’s your favorite part?

(images via)

Craft Beer Week Festivals & Events – Local Brewery Celebrations

Wed, 08 May 2013 17:03:12 -0400

Craft Beer Facts

Craft beer is thriving and steadily gaining in popularity across the country. These mostly small, local breweries and brew pubs are producing a variety of beer types with exciting new flavors that normally aren’t available from the large mass producing brewers.

Although, the big breweries are starting to introduce innovative new brews in a similar vein. According to the Brewer’s Association, an American Craft Brewer is defined as follows.

Craft Beer Brewers:

Small - producing 6 million barrels of beer or less annually.
Independent - no more than 25% ownership or controlling interest in the brewery by an alcoholic beverage industry member who is not a craft brewer themselves.
Traditional - flagship beer with greatest volume is either all malt or 50 percent minimum of the brewers volume is either all malt or in beers using adjuncts to enhance and not lighten their flavors.

Craft Beer Week Celebrations Support Local Breweries With Festivals & Educational Events

The average American lives within 10 miles of a brewery. Combined with 40 plus state, city and regional craft beer weeks along with over a thousand weekend festivals and daily events, there is sure to be something for every home bar owner within a reasonable driving distance to experience.

Its a great opportunity to increase your knowledge and add ideas for entertaining with your at home bar. These craft beer events normally have a host of activities including brewery tours, tasting parties, beer and food pairing classes / dinners, promotions and much more.

American Craft Beer Week is the national celebration and is scheduled Monday through Sunday from May 13-19, 2013. Now in its eighth consecutive year, it is normally held in the second full week of May* based on years past. You can check the official American Craft Beer Week events calendar for a detailed list of local and regional activities being held in your area during the week long celebration.

Brewery Recommendations Growling To Be Tried

Here’s a United States map of good craft beers recommended as local favorites with top reviews through nationwide voting for possible suggestions to try in your area. Depending on the laws and regulations where you live, you may be able to bring your own growler along to have filled. In fact, December 17th 2012 was declared National Growler Day and is another fun reason to visit your local brewery for seasonal beers crafted especially for the holidays.

Otherwise the breweries and many brewpubs will have bottled selections available to take home along with local and regional distribution throughout the year. Be sure jot down your favorites while sampling and collect ideas for hosting parties with your bar that you can use later.

* - there have been exceptions which sent the annual event to the third full week in May in 2010 & 2011 for example. May 12-18, 2014 is estimated, but should be verified if making advance plans.

Christopher Walken Impressions By Cast Of SNL At Family Reunion

Fri, 03 May 2013 19:18:00 -0400

Walken Family Reunion at Sweetwaters Steak House Bar & Grill

The cast of Saturday Night Live* walks into a bar and does Christopher Walken impressions as his relatives at their family reunion. The 2008 comedy sketch “Meet The Family” features several members of the SNL cast^† who portray the in-laws seeming to do impressions of him.

They’re not really impersonating Christopher Walken though. They just walk, talk and even look like him complete with pompadour hairdos because they all grew up together back home.

The skit starts out with Christopher portraying himself as the first one to show up at the Walken family reunion held at Sweetwaters Steak House. Standing in the middle of the barroom in a sea of red and white checkered tablecloths, the bartender brings him a drink (whiskey on the rocks?). Then the other relatives arrive at the bar to say hi and start reminiscing.

Christopher Walken Impressions By Eight SNL Cast (family) Members

B: Here’s your drink and enjoy the reunion.
C: Thank you.

S: Christopher, I can’t believe you made it.
C: Is that you, Stanley, how’s about you? Long time no see. Big hug.

S: Hey, big hug. Wow!
C: Wow, when’s the last time I saw you Stanley?

S: My brother John’s wedding, fifteen years ago. C: That wedding was so nuts, I recall we stole the ice sculpture. I wonder what happened to it?

S: I don’t know, it probably melted.
C: Makes sense.

S: Speak of the devil. There’s John.
J: Hey Christopher, Wow!

C: John, is that you or do my eyes deceive me?
J: Its really me. Do you remember my kids, Maxine and Scott?

C: Look how big you guys are getting. Maxine, what’s your doll’s name?
M: My doll’s name is Jenny. She’s a good doll, but she doesn’t like ghosts. And Neither do I. Ghosts scare me and I’m pretty sure one is living under my bed.

C: I promise you darling, there’s no ghosts around here, so you’re safe.
M: That’s good because I hate ghosts. They’re spooky and I don’t respond well to spooky behavior.

C: Me too. I’m with you one hundred and ten percent. How are you Scott?
SC: I’m not good. Everyone in my school is a phony. I want to be skateboarding and listening to my iPod, not at some ridiculous family reunion.

J: Scott! Behave yourself.
C: Its OK. Scott, I appreciate your situation. For a Walken, adolescence is a difficult time. You feel like you’re the only normal person in a school full of nut jobs. Am I right?

SC: Wow! Its like you’re looking right into my noggin.
C: Maybe this joke will cheer you up. What’s the difference between this place and an elephant fart?

SC: What?
C: This place is a bar room. An elephant fart is a baroom.

C: Do your homework. Eat your Wheaties Everything will be copacetic. Is that Nathan?
J: Kids go get a drink. Christopher you should know. He came out of the closet and he’s a completely different person now. Very flamboyant.

C: Who would have thought such a thing? Nathan, how you doin?
N: I’m good. As you may have heard. I recently came out of the closet.

C: I heard. I can see you’re very flamboyant now.
N: Its true. I always felt like I had to pretend in order to fit into the family. But now! that I’m finally myself I’m getting along with them better than ever.

C: The Walkens are a tolerant tribe.
N: Two snaps on that girlfriend. I’m goin to go refill my cosmo.
C: You go guy. Go.

UR: Wow, if it isn’t mister Hollywood coming home to grace us with his presence. Wow!
AM: Richard, please don’t be hard on Christopher.

C: Don’t worry. I know he’s just joshing me Aunt Martha.
AM: By the way. We finally saw The Deer Hunter. That movie was hilarious.

UR: Hilarious. Hilarious.
C: Thank you, it was good for me too.

AM: Oleki, come over here. Christopher, this is Oleki. He’s our foreign exchange student from Nigeria who’s been living with us.
UR: When Oleki moved in, he didn’t speak any English.

O: Its amazing. Two months with them and now I talk just like a normal American teenage boy. Wow!
AM: Wow is right.

C: There’s no greater thrill on earth than meeting a Walken for the first time.
UR: Let’s all go over to the bar and get a drink.

C: Everything in moderation. You driving?
UR: Driving? No, I’m Walken :D

Remember the party doesn’t start til your family, friends and other guests ‘walken’ to your home bar. Do any of your in-laws leave a lasting impression?

* - Saturday Night Live Cast Of Characters (comedian - relationship / name portrayed - symbol):

Christopher Walken - himself - C
Will Forte - not related / bartender , no impersonation - B
Bill Hader - cousin Stanley - S
Jason Sudeikis - cousin John - J
Amy Poehler - John’s daughter Maxine - M
Adam Sandberg - John’s son Scott - SC
Fred Armisen - relative Nathan - N
Darrell Hammond - Uncle Richard - UR
Kristen Wiig - Aunt Martha - AM
Kenan Thompson - foreign exchange student Oleki - O

† - notably absent is former SNL cast member Tina Fey who was too busy doing impressions of Republican Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin and portraying night cheese eating Liz Lemon on 30 Rock to be impersonating Christopher Walken along with her fellow comedians live from New York. However, Liz Lemon does do her own Christopher Walken impression on 30 Rock which kind of keeps it in all in the SNL family. See video below.

Liz Lemon Does An Impression Of Christopher Walken

Savoy Cocktail Book Reviews Retro Recipes From Drinks Past

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:29:52 -0400

Craddick Compendium Chronicles Classic Cocktails Compilation

The Savoy Cocktail Book is a collection of hundreds of drink recipes documented and sometimes created by Harry Craddick, the head barman at the American Bar inside the Savoy Hotel in London during the 1920s and 1930s. First published in 1930, reprinted editions now include over 750 drinks including new cocktail recipes along with lots of anecdotes and humor.

Widely acknowledged as a mixology must read, the Savoy Cocktail book is arguably the most important volume on pre-prohibition era vintage drinks. If you decide to get serious with your home bar and go beyond dabbling around as a hobby, then this reference should definitely be in your bartending library.

Savoy Drinks Named Inn Honor Of The Hotel

Savoy Hotel Cocktail:

1/3 Brandy
1/3 Benedictine
1/3 Creme de Cacao

Use liqueur glass and pour ingredients carefully, so that they do not mix forming a Pousse-cafe.

Savoy Hotel Special Cocktail* (No. 1):

2/3 dry gin
1/3 French Vermouth
2 dashes grenadine
1 dash absinthe

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze lemon peel on top.

Savoy Hotel Special Cocktail (No. 2):

2/3 Plymouth gin
1/3 French Vermouth
2 dashes Dubonnet

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. Squeeze orange peel on top.

Savoy Tango Cocktail:

1/2 Applejack or Calvados
1/2 sloe gin

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. This cocktail is a very great favorite at the Savoy Hotel, London, where it was invented.

How Dost Thou Measure Thee?

The only downside to the book is the need to convert all the measurements into units that are easy to work with. However, if you use a measuring cup with milliliters instead of ounces, you can do the math in your head.

A general note in some new drink sections of the Savoy Cocktail book editions states that “all recipes are based on a 100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) mixed drink and are made for drinking vessels of approx. 150ml-200ml (5-7 fl oz). 1 bar spoon equals approximately 5ml, whereas a dash amounts to approximately 3ml or 1/2 bar spoon.”

This would suggest that those recipes referring to units of measure in glass or wineglass, would be closer to today’s generally accepted 4 ounces (3 1/2 oz in this case). However, Savoy Stomp interprets the wineglass measurement for The Savoy Cocktail Book as the older / original volume definition of 2 ounces and provides explanation here.

Whichever of these two wineglass volume definitions you prefer, most of the recipe ingredients are simple fractions of 1/2, 1/3, 1/4 and 1/5 of the 60ml or 100ml^† total, so 1/2 of 100ml = 50ml, 1/3 of 60ml = 20ml, etc. Quick .. what’s 1/5 of 3 1/2 oz? Well, you get the point. Stick with metric units when measuring the drink ingredients in this book or write the measurement conversions for ounces in the margins somewhere for reference.

How Much Is A Hooker?

The Apple Jack Rabbit, Brandy Gump, Los Angeles, Mamie Taylor, Nevada, Nose Dive and Philadelphia Scotsman Cocktails all refer to hookers of gin, rum, whiskey, etc. in various quantities in their drink recipes. Since this book was written in London, you might think this obscure measurement term is Shakespearean or Old English.

As far as mixing drinks is concerned, a hooker is slang for an approximate measure of alcohol equivalent to a slug or an oversized shot according to Wiktionary. Without defining the volume, the Nevada cocktail seems to confirm that in the drink’s description as an old school depth charge which states: “take a hooker of gin, place in it an olive, then deposit the (shot)glass carefully in the bottom of an ordinary tumbler. Fill said tumbler with ..”

If you search around for an answer to “how many ounces are in a hooker?” or “what is the volume of a hooker used in drink recipes?” you’ll basically find two mixology / cooking definitions^‡. Elemental Mixology defines the volume of a hooker as 2 1/2 ounces and Savoy Stomp uses 1 1/2 ounces as its hooker unit of measurement. Since there doesn’t appear to be a standard size, who’s to say they both aren’t right. You’ll have to decide by taste.

How Much Juice Does A Citrus Juicer Juice Per Fruit In 1930 London?

Many of the drink recipes in the Savoy Cocktail Book call for the juice of lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits and tangerines in various whole and fractional fruit sizes. This means you’ll have to convert these quantities into useable measurements as well unless you plan to juice 1/4 fruit sections individually while mixing each drink.

This isn’t to suggest not to freshly squeeze, its just easier / more efficient to juice in batches and depends on the situation. Fruit sizes and methods of juicing will yield different amounts as well. The Bolo and New York as well as both the White and Jack Rose cocktails call for 1/4 lemon or 1/2 lime for example which suggests they feel the juice of 2 limes equals the same quantity produced by 1 lemon.

As noted below^†, a quick look at a few of the formulations to see if a hooker volume of 2 1/2 ounces would work with total drink sizes of 100ml seemed to indicate it would if the juice yielded per fruit was the lower value in the ranges typically defined.

Juice Of One Citrus Fruit Quantities For Savoy Cocktail Book Drink Recipes:

Limes ~ 23ml = 3/4 oz
Lemons ~ 45ml = 1 1/2 oz
Oranges / Tangerines ~ 60ml = 2 oz
Grapefruits ~ 180ml = 6 oz

If you love vintage drinks, you’ll love the Savoy Cocktail Book. Get a copy for your bar here.

* - Peter, ninth Earl of Savoy, brought to England, as his wards, eighty-three of the most wealthy and beautiful girls in France. He then married them to the most powerful nobles in England. That is why he wore armor.

† - the 100ml drink size appears to exclude anything smaller than a tablespoon in that total volume. This is based on an unscientific sampling of some of the early Savoy Cocktail book drink recipes to correlate the measurement quantities used as recommendations. There are lots of discrepancies and inconsistencies between formulations which don’t fit the book’s apparent goal of uniform drink sizes, but this partial analysis seems to work best as overall rule of thumb guidelines. As with any recipe used for home bar tending, experiment and adjust to taste.

‡ - you’ll also discover that the Urban Dictionary (who else?) defines the amount of space occupied by hookers a bit differently.

Jockey Club Cocktails – A Horse Tale Of Two Mane Drink Recipes

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:35:00 -0400

A Tale Of Two Mane Jockey Club Cocktails

There are actually enough drink recipes in this tale of two Jockey Club cocktails to feature a different one in each of the United States Triple Crown of Thoroughbred Racing’s three events at the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness Stakes and the Belmont Stakes. Plus a few more down the stretch. However, its really just two mane formulas that are competing for the winning trophy at the end of this horse race.

History Horses Around With Manhattan, Turf and Jockey Club Drink Recipes

“Talking about compounders of drinks reminds me of the fact that never before has the taste for “mixed drinks” been so great as at present and new ideas, and new combinations are constantly being brought forward. It is but a short time ago that a mixture of whiskey, vermouth and bitters came into vogue. It went under various names: Manhattan cocktail, Turf Club cocktail, and Jockey Club cocktail. Bartenders at first were sorely puzzled what was wanted when it was demanded. But now they are fully cognizant of its various aliases and no difficulty is encountered.” ~ Olean, NeW York, Sunday Morning Herald, September 1882

This historical citation is widely quoted and seems to be the earliest reference to the Jockey Club cocktail. The earliest Jockey Club drink recipe which most closely resembles* one of today’s type A accepted ingredients list of bourbon, sweet vermouth and maraschino liqueur may be the Manhattan cocktail variation printed in the 1887 edition of Jerry Thomas Bartenders Guide. Note the differences below.

Manhattan Cocktail (use small bar glass):

1 pony rye whiskey
1 wine glass vermouth
2 dashes Curacao or Maraschino liqueur
3 dashes Bokers bitters

Shake up well with two small lumps of ice and strain into a claret glass. Put a quarter of a slice of lemon in the glass and serve. Add two dashes of gum syrup to sweeten if the customer prefers.

Jockey Club Drink Type A Wines For Maraschino With Whiskey

A few vintage bartending books including The Fine Art Of Mixing Drinks by David Embury in 1948 specifically call the Jockey Club cocktail a version of the Manhattan drink recipe with maraschino. Most modern formulations of this style use the ingredient combination below in varying quantities to suit.

Jockey Club Cocktail (Manhattanesque style):

1 1/2 oz Bourbon
1 oz Sweet vermouth
1 tsp Maraschino liqueur

Combine ingredients with ice and stir. Strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with a cherry.

Other variations and references to this type A style you’ll find include the Jockey’s Choice which is a bourbon Manhattan twist and the Malt Jockey which is a scotch Manhattan a.k.a Rob Roy with chocolate bitters.

Jockey Club Drink Type B Sours On Almonds With Bitter Sweet Gin

Not all vintage bartending books agree on the classic Jockey Club cocktail though. In fact, The Savoy Cocktail Book published in 1930 has a horse of a different color listed. The mane [sic] ingredient is gin and the liqueur is almond flavored not cherry.

Jockey Club Cocktail^† (sour style):

2 1/2 oz dry gin
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp Creme de Noyau almond flavored liqueur
1/2 tsp Angostura bitters
1/2 tsp orange bitters

Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass. A variation of this sour drink style is listed in the Joy of Mixology by Gary Regan as the Jockey Club Cocktail NO.2 recipe. It mixes gin, amaretto and lemon juice in a 8:3:3 ratio and calls for adding Angostura bitters only to taste with a recommendation to go easy.

Next time you’re horsing around with a Kentucky Derby or other race track themed sports party at your home bar let the different Jockey Club cocktails run neck and neck on your menu. Then see which recipe your guests pick to nose out the win and crown for the drink’s official title.

* - the Manhattan recipes in Harry Johnson’s 1882 New and Improved Illustrated Bartender’s Manual and a Guide for Hotels and Restaurants did not include maraschino liqueur.

† - measurements have been converted from published where 1 dash = 3milliliter ~ 1/2 bar spoon = 1/2 teaspoon and where 1 glass = 100ml ~ 3 1/2 fluid ounces. Note: drinking vessel sizes are listed in the Savoy Cocktail book as 150ml-200ml (5-7 oz), but the 3/4 glass of gin listed, converted at the smallest vessel size, would have been bigger than the mixed drink so the standard recipe volume was used as the basis for conversions.

Top image is circa 1878 of mansion on the corner of Twenty-sixth Street and Madison Avenue in New York City named for Leonard Jerome who helped found the American Jockey Club. Building at one time also housed the Turf and Manhattan clubs.

Really Good Margarita Cocktail Recipes - Classic & Twisted

Sat, 20 Apr 2013 10:20:00 -0400

Margaritas Are Tequila Sidecars - Some Sidetracked Along The Way

A classic margarita cocktail substitutes tequila for the brandy and lime juice for the lemon in a vintage sidecar drink recipe. Both are timeless tipples.

However, the margarita seems to have followed in the footsteps of the flavored martini craze or vice versa. Hard to keep it real when you throw just about anything into a frozen slushie and call it good. See 29 crazy margarita flavors you need to try. Or not. Some look pretty questionable.

Sort of reminds you of the movie airplane when Lloyd Bridges who plays the stressed out air traffic controller Steve McCroskey* hands his control room co-worker Johnny a map and asks him what he can make of it. Well, I can make a hat; I can make a broach; I can make a pterodactyl!

I Love You Man

Margaritas are consistently listed as a top 10 drink in various voting polls and surveys, but which one. Maybe its all the different recipe variations that help to move it up the list. Tequila is the national liquor of Mexico and the Margarita is the most popular tequila drink in the U.S. as well as the signature cocktail of Cinco de Mayo celebrations, so that scores points too.

Margarita’s Missing Past

With tequila along with perhaps absinthe having earned special reputations for clouding judgment and fuzzy memories, it should come as no surprise that the origins of the Margarita are a bit of a mystery. Although that’s the case surrounding the history of many cocktails, so maybe its just the alcohol period.

Look around for answers and and you’ll find titles like “The Truth About the Margarita; Where did one of the world’s great cocktails come from?” and “Once upon a time in Mexico; The origin of the Margarita” which would lead you to believe otherwise. Unfortunately, the truths are not self-evident. Rather, a collection of speculation, theories and opinions are presented with no supported conclusion.

One interesting story, which seems like perfect “made for Hollywood” cocktail lore, credits a wealthy Dallas, TX socialite named Margaret ‘Margarita’ Sames with inventing the drink in 1948. Known for throwing large parties with her husband in their Acapulco, Mexico vacation home, she is said to have created the Margarita recipe to be able to host movie stars and other famous guests with something special.

While many of the most popular drinks have played central roles as cocktails in cinema, the Margarita is notably absent. Unless you count the film Practical Magic starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman which doesn’t really do it justice.

How To Make A Real Margarita

Classic Margarita Recipe:

2 oz tequila
1 oz orange liqueur
1 oz lime juice
lime wedges for garnish

Pour into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a chilled glass. For a real classic Margarita, its just these three ingredients along with an optionally salted rim and cubed or crushed ice if desired as well. Garnish with lime.

National Margarita Day is February 22nd each year and these are easy drinks for home bar owners to make and great to have on your themed party menu. Make the real recipe, add a spicy twist with the MargaDita or try some of the others, but do yourself a favor and prepare with fresh ingredients rather than mixes when time allows and you’ll taste the difference. They’re really good.

* - his often quoted character had the four infamous lines in the movie: “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit drinking” along with quit smoking, amphetamines and sniffing glue.

Income Tax Cocktail Recipe - Internal Revenue Service Drink

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 19:09:11 -0400

April 15th is normally the dreaded day each year when you must have your income taxes filed and paid for. Orange you glad there’s an Income Tax cocktail you can celebrate meeting the deadline and relax until next year.

The Income Tax cocktail is a pre-prohibition era drink of questionable origin which adds bitters to a Bronx cocktail, but doesn’t go as far as the sinfully rich* Satan’s Whiskers, which also adds orange liqueur to the recipe. Speak of the devil, perhaps that drink is more appropriate for tax cheaters who the IRS will chase from hell and back to get their money.

Subtract both the orange juice and the bitters and the Income Tax becomes the perfect martini, in name only. No one really thinks that, but opinions vary.

Income Tax Cocktail Recipe:

1 1/2 oz gin
1/4 oz sweet vermouth
1/4 oz dry vermouth
1 oz orange juice, fresh squeezed
2 dashes aromatic bitters
Orange wheel or twist for garnish (optional)

Measure all the ingredients into a shaker half filled with ice cubes. Shake well and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with orange peel twist or wheel section if desired.

Did you remember to write off your bar as a home office and deduct the expenses^† for entertaining business clients?

* - “Satan’s Whiskers is a sinfully rich version of the Bronx cocktail” ~ Craft of the Cocktail

† - not legal advice. Check with your tax attorney or accountant for applicable laws and Internal Revenue Service regulations regarding allowable deductions against income.

Top 7 Reasons Why The Best Home Bar Design Is A Corner Layout

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:32:06 -0400

Are Corner Home Bar Layouts The Best Design?

Depending on how you define an at home bar, along with your entertainment goals and most likely the floor-plan restrictions of your house, choosing a layout is usually the starting point and maybe the biggest decision you’ll face with your personal pub. Design styles, material choices, overall scale (many times driven by the number of seating positions desired), budget and a host of other features and amenities can all be adapted into that first form factor once decided.

A number of generic interior design options are generally available to most. However, if other aspects will allow, the corner home bar layout offers a number of advantages that the straight, standalone and other floor plan designs do not which should be considered when weighing your decision on what’s best.

Keep in mind that your contractor can install a freestanding main bar unit in front of built in carpentry work and form a corner layout arrangement on site by anchoring it to the floor. This option is desirable where a significant amount of specialized craftsmanship makes it not practical, cost effective or beyond the capabilities of a single vendor. Only a minimal amount of coordination would be required to match woods, stain color and molding patterns during the initial design phase if you take this route.

Top 7 Reasons Why Corner Layouts May Be The Best Home Bar Designs:

Bar tends to the party and the pub
Not a bad seat in the house
Ergonomic elixir engineering
Maximum features, minimum footprint
Possibilities equal personality
Compatible construction
Scale size to suit

Host Your Party - Don’t Just Tend Bar

As the master of ceremonies, you can see the whole party and all of your guests depending on the other features of the room or at least see more than many other layout designs while you’re bartending. If you own your own home bar and are not catering the party, the barback is you as well.

This center of attention corner arrangement is great for making announcements, coordinating surprises, being social and just keeping on eye out to make sure everyone is having a good time. You won’t necessarily be tied down behind the bar all night or all party long, especially if you have self-service taps supplied by a beer kegerator or are serving drinks by the pitcher, but you’ll probably be there a lot.

Best Seats In The House - Standing Room Only Still Has A Good View

Patrons at your pub can see the whole backbar area, normally built as two units at 90 degrees along the wall intersection, as well as a great view of a corner mounted television. You also have the option of multiple TVs with good visibility for showing two or more different games if its a sports themed party for example.

Add in a curved or angled bar top which is the best home bar design for conversation and you will have cornered the market on a perfect entertainment center (or at least your neighborhood). Once word gets out, your usual guest list of family, friends and neighbors will be joined by people who suddenly want to be your new BFF and probably a few party crashers too.

Time Saving Tipple Techniques

The bartender (most likely that’s you) has everything within reach usually by turning around between the main bar and the back bar with little walking back and forth, depending on overall size. Pretty handy and a real time saver for large parties.

This corner design advantage probably shouldn’t rank too high on your priority list though. Its best to limit the size of the drinks menu anyway so preparation isn’t overwhelming and if it is you doing the bartending, you want some time to party yourself and not just be mixing cocktails for everyone else the whole time. See reason #1.

Don’t Bogart That Joint My Friend - Pass It Over To Me

A home bar built into a corner is an efficient use of space. This layout uses the minimum area for the same features as a straight bar for example, where much of the aisle behind the bar is not needed in a corner arrangement.

For those of you actually reading why the best home bar design is a corner layout and not just looking at the pictures, the subtitle is in reference to needlessly monopolizing extra area in your house that could be used elsewhere. Not what the Easy Rider soundtrack lyrics or the later Little Feat cover song on The Last Record Album were referring to (whatever that was).

Options Open Up Opportunity For Best Bar Design For You & Your Home

Corners have lots of additional design options available and extra possibility equals more personality. Take the backbar for example.

Multiple panel and shelf units can be incorporated including cutting the corner straight across or following the angle and endless combinations in between. Seating arrangements, cabinets, amenities, decor and appliances all have more opportunity to be incorporated into what is the best home bar design for you and your entertaining goals. Why limit your choices if this accommodating style can be worked into your plans?

Two Is Better Than One - Don’t Get Designed Into A Corner

Using two walls may offer more flexibility for utility runs such as electricity and water. In cold climates for example, you do not want to run water lines and plumbing in outside walls due to the potential for freezing pipes which may then burst causing water damage. Unless your home bar corners along two outside perimeter walls, you will have insurance on at least one interior wall in your house being available for use for safe utility servicing as opposed to being forced to route utilities thru floor joists.

Handles Tight Corners On A Grand Scale

Corner floor plan layouts can be scaled while maintaining most if not all of these advantages. Getting larger reduces the space efficiency and adds more walking for your home bar tender, but also opens up more design possibilities elsewhere. A thumbnail of one of the smallest home bars is inset in the picture of one of the largest home bars, both corner layout designs. At approximately 1.5m x 1.5m, the smallest bar is roughly the size of one of the chairs seated at the largest bar and serves as a dramatic visual comparison of the range of sizes possible.

So, is the corner layout the best home bar design for you?

pub pics via 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Barina Craft Listed Among The Top Lifestyle Websites On Alltop

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:12:00 -0400

Barina Craft - Bars Inn Your Home is honored to be listed amongst all the top lifestyle sites on the web. In the words of Alltop, this best of the best recognition is confirmation we kick ass. But then, you already knew that :D

Barina Craft Rocks! Pass it down.

Thanks to Alltop and to all of you for your support. Very much appreciated.

If you are new to the site, we cover a variety of lifestyle topics related to home bars including fun furniture, party ideas, tips for entertaining, food & drink recipes along with plenty of laughs to get things started. A great way to begin and a handy way to review or discover items you may have missed is to highlight a list of the best stories based on their popularity which is shown below.

Top 25* Most Popular Stories on Home Bars & Humor (so far):

Watermelon cocktail recipes layer a punch.
Basement home bar curves around stairwell and column.
Vintage television consoles converted into liquor cabinets.
Bar cart parties like mad men in Don Draper’s office.
Turtle burgers snapping shut tailgate party diet plans.
Hippo hides the hooch inside stealth sculpture.
Mulled wine is called Glogg in Norway.
Saddle stools seat cowboys down home from the range.
CHILLING truth about ice balls and large cubes.
Top 75+ home bars round up in amazing collection.
Brandy sidecar cocktail recipes and drink variations.
Golf themed cocktails fore party duffers.
Jeremy Renner’s favorite room in house is his home bar.
Rustic lodge bars stools to standing.
Tina Fey doesn’t need a drink, wants something else though.
Door mat welcomes bring your own beer guests to the party.
Watermelon keg taps into summer fruit drinks.
Drinks are movie stars in these films with roles central to the plot.
Bar stool clamps woodworking design with a little humor.
Drinking one liners and bar jokes from comedian Mitch Hedberg.
Wine cellar room enough to house home bar within its walls.
Baseball themed cocktails sports four part drink series.
Cocktails bubble over with champagne.
Eco-friendly green glasses recycled from wine bottles.
Aviation cocktail pairs maraschino and violet liqueurs for a sweet drink.

Barina Craft’s Alltop listing at lifestyle.alltop.com is another convenient way to follow “home bars and a shot of humor” and keep up to date with the latest stories. Be sure to add Barina Craft | Bars Inn Your Home to your MyAlltop page along with your other favorite subscriptions. Thanks again.

* - holiday related posts were removed and will be published later in a separate best of the best list of top stories for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years and other special occasions / seasonal topics.

Red & White Wine Bottle Splits Different Types Of Wines & Grapes

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:22:00 -0400

Wine Bottle Graph Splits The Grape In Half

A tale of two wines graphs reds and whites as two sides of the same bottle and then summarizes some of the major wine grape varietal’s characteristics, flavors and aromas. Both of the two color lassifications are presented in descending order from mild / sweet to strong / dry. It is comparable to the visual primer of wine types, but with expanded descriptions and a straight scale format as opposed to the four quadrant chart which plots into a chevron shape with more wine varietal types included to reference.

Red Wine Varietals

Pinot Noir (pronounced PEE-NO NWAHR, anti-diuretic grape is PEE NO MORE):

Pinot Noir tends to be of a light to medium body. This wine type has an aroma like black or red cherry, raspberry and to a lesser extent currant along with many other fine, small, red and black berried style fruits.

Merlot (pronounced MAIR-LOE):

There are essentially three main styles of Merlot:

Soft, fruity and smooth flavored.
Fruity with a more tannic acid structure.
Brawny and a highly astringent tannic taste.

Some Merlots can continue to develop character while still aging inside the bottle for decades.

Shiraz / Syrah (pronounced SHI-RAZZ / SEE-RAH):

No distinct aroma, although blackberry and pepper are often noticed in the bouquet. As Shiraz and Syrah wines age, savoury notes like leather and truffle can surface to become more prevalent.

Cabernet Sauvignon (pronounced KA-BUR-NAY SO-VEE-NYON):

Bold, high tannin content, with oak influences and high alcohol levels. Cabernet Sauvignon mellows as it ages, allowing for more food pairings depending on the length of storage time allowed for aging.

White Wine Varietals

Pinot Grigio (pronounced PEE-NO GREE-JOE):

Pinot Grigio is the Italian white wine grape counterpart to the French variety of the species Vitis vinifera known as Pinot Gris (which literally means “grey pine”). The Pinot Grigio is light-bodied, light in color and can sometimes be crisp and acidic.

Riesling (pronounced REES-LING):

Flowery notes and high acidity are characteristic in this varietal. It is often used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually not used in blends and are also seldom oaked. See how champagne is made for similar process details.

Sauvignon Blanc (pronounced SO-VEE-NYON BLAHNK):

Depending on the climate, the flavor can range from grassy to tropical. Usually consumed young, Sauvignon Blanc is a type of wine that doesn’t really benefit very much from aging.

Chardonnay (pronounced SHAR-DON-NAY):

The grape variety itself is very neutral, with many of the flavors being derived from various influences like geographical soil, water and air elements and hints of oak. Chardonnay normally ranges from lean and crisp to tropical fruit flavors.

While this wine bottle shaped chart splits the differences between reds and whites along with a few of their grape varietals, see how to split actual wine bottles into assorted bar ware and tumbler style glasses. A few pretty clever ways to have a green home bar and help ~~save~~ stave the planet.

Bulldog Drink Recipes - British Colorado Georgia Irish & Mexican

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:43:00 -0400

Bulldog cocktail recipes are about as diverse as the number of college sports teams* using this breed as their mascot. Just like Georgetown, Georgia and Gonzaga represent different areas of the country, culture and courses of study, these bulldog drinks range from gin highballs to alcoholic milkshakes to beer cocktails.

All the recipe choices are sort of like making picks for your march madness basketball tournament brackets. While at least one of the drinks represents a particular school, many of these cocktails could be used or adapted for hosting college or other sports team themed parties at your in home bar. If the name fits.

Bulldog Cocktail Recipe:

1 1/2 oz cherry brandy
3/4 oz gin
1/2 oz lime juice

Fresh squeeze 1/2 lime (equals approximately 1/2 oz or 1 tbs juice) and add to cocktail shaker with cherry brandy, gin and ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with slice of lime.

Bulldog Highball:

2 oz gin
2 oz orange juice
2-3 oz ginger ale

Fill a highball or collins glass with ice. Pour in the gin and orange juice. Top off with ginger ale and stir.

British Bulldog Cocktail:

1 oz butterscotch schnapps
1 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz vodka
2-3 oz half cream

Measure 1 oz shots of the butterscotch schnapps, coffee liqueur and vodka into a highball glass filled with ice cubes. Stir in the half and half to top off drink. Garnish with a maraschino cherry.

Colorado Bulldog Drink:

1 oz vodka
1 oz coffee liqueur
1 oz light cream or milk
2-3 oz cola

Add the vodka, coffee liqueur and cream into a shaker tin with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled highball or collins glass full of ice cubes. Top with cola. This drink is a version of a White Russian topped with cola and resembles an ice cream float.

Georgia Bulldog Recipe:

2 oz vanilla vodka
1 oz peach schnapps
2-3 oz cola

A variation of the NCAA football inspired cocktail for the Georgia Bulldogs^† college team whose home field is in the peach state. Pour all the recipe ingredients into a collins glass filled with ice and stir. Garnish with a peach slice.

Irish Bulldog Drink:

1 oz vodka
1 oz Irish cream liqueur
1 oz half and half cream
2-3 oz cola

A variation of the Colorado Bulldog cocktail with same preparation. Just substitute the first three ingredients in the how to instructions.

Mexican Bulldog Beer Cocktail:

1 frozen Margarita or Daiquiri
1-2 Mexican beers

This drink is an entirely different kind of animal. Start with a very frozen margarita and turn a bottle or two of Mexican beer upside down and stick the neck buried down in the slush. Not recommended for home bars for obvious reasons.

* - Notable University basketball teams bulldog mascots that are frequent college hoops contenders during NCAA March Madness include Butler’s blue &white Hink, Georgetown’s blue &gray Jack the Bulldog, Gonzaga’s blue &white Spike Q. Gonzaga and James Madison’s purple &gold Duke Dog.

† - The University of Florida Gators host rival University of Georgia Bulldogs annually for their football game matchup which has become known as the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. If you’re hosting your own version, this drink and maybe some bone marrow shots would be a good ones to have on the sports bar menu along with the foam fingers and party favors.

A Man Walks Into A Bar Serving Cart

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:20:00 -0400

So this man in tights walks into a bar cart. As opposed to Robin Hood walking into the local bar.

That’s if the bar cart’s glass shelves act as mirrors to make it look like the reflection of a mime in dance wear crawling against the wall. Otherwise, its two men in tights who walk into a bar serving cart from opposite sides.

Since this pewter man has a passing resemblance to the Academy Awards Oscar statue doing yoga in silver leotards, you might think this tipple trolley is some sort of humorous homage to the film Robin Hood: Men in Tights. Or maybe the stretchy body suit from the movie Spiderman.

Men in Tights was a pretty darn funny Robin Hood parody but the film wasn’t nominated for any Oscars and the movie wasn’t famous for any drink in particular. However, don’t let that stop you. If you do decide to stretch this design into a theme party, there is a Robin Hood cocktail which is a rum based apple martini you could serve to tightly match the cart’s concept.

The Spiderman films were nominated for two Academy Awards but didn’t hang on for an Oscar and no notable cocktails were featured in the movies. There are a few Spiderman drink recipes hanging around which are a combination of red and blue liqueurs, but nothing standard or well known. You could try mixing your own colored Pousse-cafes or both Robin Hood and Spiderman could be this bar cart’s theme for serving Halloween party drinks.

Maybe a better comparison than Oscar or movie characters, would be to Atlas who held up the celestial sphere in Greek Mythology. Or even to Charles Atlas the fitness expert who assumed the name. The men in question forming the frame do appear to be supporting the glass trolley trays with outstretched hands in a squatted weightlifting position.

However you decide to display in your home, this trolley is a beautiful piece of functional artwork. The Carrol Boyes pewter man sculptures are the focal points to an elegant bar. Standalone or styled to suit your soiree, this sculpted serving cart is sure to spark conversation and get the party started (Oscars, costume or otherwise).

(via)

Irish Jokes & Drinking One Liners - Saint Patricks Day Humor

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 08:46:00 -0400

So This Irishman Walks Out Of A Bar

Sober is the usual punchline to this joke. After getting dressed up like a leprechaun on Saint Patrick’s Day to party inside this pub, what do you think?

Does this Irishman walk out of the bar without sampling a Pickleback or Irish Coffee? If you’re betting, can you take that money to the bank?

Spirited Irish Jokes & Drinking One Liners

What’s Irish and stays out all night? Paddy O’ Furniture!

How do you make an Irish woman go blind? You set a bottle of scotch down in front of her.

How do you know if an Irishman is having a good time or not? He’ll be Dublin over with laughter!

How did the Irish Jig folk dance get invented? Too much to drink and not enough restrooms! Same idea Maxine uses to get people dancing at parties.

Knock Knock Who’s there?
Irish! Irish Who?
Irish you a happy St. Patrick’s Day!

No Joke Patrick - You Should Look Familiar

An Irishman is drinking beer at a pub in the states when someone pulls up a bar stool and sits down beside him.

How do you do?
Hearing the accent the first man asks: “You Irish?”

Why, yes I am.
First man yells to the barkeep to bring another round and “one for my friend, he’s from Ireland too.”

Second man asks: “So, where in Ireland are ye from?”
Dublin, says the first.

Dublin, well so I am. “Barkeep, bring me and my friend another round of beers and shots of your best Irish whiskey.”
When done with the drinks, the first man asks “Whereabouts in Dublin?”

Second man names the neighborhood and street.
The first man says “So am I. Barkeep, another round of whiskey shots and beer chasers for us both if you please.”

Just then the owner of the pub calls the phone behind the bar and asks “How’s business?”
Barkeep says “Pretty good. The O’Shanahan brothers are in here getting drunk again.”

Home Is Where The Paddy O’ Furniture Is

Police roust a bar where two Irish men are drinking, and ask the first, “What’s your name and home address?”

“I’m Paddy O’Connor and live at no fixed residence.”

The officer asks the second Irishman the same question.

“I’m Sean O’Sullivan, and my home is the flat right above Paddy’s.”

Francis Is A Saint And Should Be The Pope

Mums Meagan and Caitlin were bragging about their Irish sons accomplishments.

Meagan says, “My son Francis is such a saint. He works hard, prays hard, doesn’t smoke and hasn’t so much as looked at a woman. He ought to be the Pope.”

Caitlin says, “Well, I’ve already started calling my son Saint Patrick. He’s done all the right things like Francis has and hasn’t touched a drop of liquor in years either.”

“You must be very proud!” ~ Meagan

“Yes, I am. When he’s released next month, I’m gonna throw him a big welcome home party.” ~ Caitlin

Leprechaun Laughs Because He’s No Dummy To Ventriloquy

A ventriloquist is sitting on a barstool at a local pub telling Irish jokes.

After a few one liners and some assorted humor mocking the people of Ireland, an Irishman starts getting PO’d at the puppet’s punchlines and yells, “What’s so funny? We’re no dummies. Why I oughta!”

Ventriloquist says, “Its just joking around and all in good fun.”

“No, not you. I’m talking to the short guy sitting on your knee.” ~ Irishman

For More Irish Jokes & Related Humor See:

Five nuns walk into a bar, kick their habits and show off a little leg.
Drinking themed one liners from the late, great comedian Mitch Hedberg.
Illogical reasoning joke where an Irishman walks into a Dublin bar and orders three pints of Guinness for him and his two brothers.

Saint Patricks Day Humor Leads Maxine Down Crabby Road

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:43:00 -0400

Maxine’s Censored St. Patrick’s Day Song

The time to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day is finally here,
I’m gonna wear a loud green suit and drink this colored beer,
To shamrocks and to leprechauns let’s raise a hardy glass,
But if I don’t see some green on you, I gonna pinch your ~~ass~~.

Floyd! Uh-oh?

Grumpy Granny May Be Too Crabby For St. Paddy

Kiss Me! I’m Irate!

No green food for me. I get enough of that from my own fridge.

It’s OK to pretend we’re Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. We pretend we’re GOOD on Christmas don’t we?

St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. Wonder if I could get him to stop by the office?

Pinch me on St. Patrick’s Day and the road’s gonna rise up to meet your face!

I finally figured out why Leprechauns dress so funny. They’re single guys who’ve never had a wife.

Will you be bringing noisemakers to the St. Patrick’s Day party? Or will you be hiring a sitter?

If you find a four leaf clover it means you have entirely too much time on your hands.

I actually saw a leprechaun once. After enough green beer, you see all kinds of stuff.

If you’re kissin’ … I’m Irish.

Its easy to get people dancing at parties. Just hold up the line for the bathroom.

May the wind at your back not be the result of the corned beef and cabbage you had for lunch.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

Would you invite Maxine home to celebrate the patron saint of Ireland or is she just too much of a crusty crab? Instead of a colored beer, maybe a green Grinch would be the right drink for her.

These sisters know how to party, bar nun. Maybe there, she’d have more fun.

(via 1 | 2)

Classic Irish Coffee Cocktail Recipe - Winter Whiskey Drink

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 16:11:00 -0500

Technically, Irish Coffee is a cocktail made with fresh hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar and heavy cream.

In reality, many people commonly refer to Irish coffee as any drink with a minimum of coffee and whiskey in it and some combination of sugar and/or cream. That includes just plain old black coffee with whiskey added in and nothing else.

If you’ve ever been out in the winter with a thermos of lukewarm coffee and a flask of whiskey of unknown origin, its Irish Coffee once mixed together. You just let the whiskey warm you up instead of the hot coffee, although its better when they work together.

This drink was apparently born out of pity for weary winter travelers after arriving aboard an airline flight and then ferried by boat to the terminal at Foynes, Co. Limerick, which predated Ireland’s Shannon International Airport, in the 1940s. Chef Joe Sheridan is said to have added whiskey to the coffee to warm them up and called the drink Irish coffee after some of the passengers asked if it was Brazilian coffee.

Classic Irish Coffee Recipe:

2 oz Irish whiskey
4-5 oz hot coffee
2 tsp brown sugar
heavy cream

Add the whiskey and sugar to the bottom of a stemmed glass or mug. Fill with coffee to within 1 inch or so below the rim. Top with thick whipped cream. Table sugar or flavored liqueurs can be substituted for brown sugar as sweeteners.

Great drink for warming up a cold winter night and always a favorite for that infamous Irish themed party holiday known as St. Patrick’s Day. 4 out of 5 leprechauns recommend the Irish Coffee over a pickleback too.

If you need another excuse to celebrate with this classic cocktail, January 25th is National Irish Coffee Day. Doesn’t mean your home bar has to go green. Just enjoy.

Peter Piper Picks Pickleback Whiskey Shots On Saint Patricks Day

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 15:02:00 -0500

What’s A PickleBack?

A pickleback is a shot of whiskey followed by a chaser shot of pickle juice brine. Yes, you read that right. You take a perfectly good shot of whiskey and wash it down with that yellowish green liquid leftover in the pickle jar. Hopefully with the floaters strained out.

Its No Surprise - A Pickleback Is Not Surprisingly Refreshing

You might think its kind of like eating a pickle, but its not. The tsunami of sour taste from the wave of salt water rushing down your throat chases away any umami* or other flavors from your palate leaving you puckered up with a strange, sickly feeling and wondering why you just did that. Unless its Saint Patrick’s Day, then that explains it^†.

People are trying to propel this pickled potation’s popularity though. The perception of a perfect pickleback pairing is being perpetrated by pubs on their patrons, and not just for St. Paddy’s Day either.

Peter Piper is behind the bar picking pecks of pickles out of the jar of many pub’s own secret recipes so they can pour a pickleback with the brine left behind. Preposterous?

Many pubs profess pickleback perfection only when their peculiar potion & poteen pairing is poured. So, is this progression of pickleback popularity purely personal or prodded from public promotion by a poteen producer as proclaimed in a presumed press release?

How Do I Get This Taste Out Of My Mouth

If there is such a thing as the perfect pickle juice and whiskey pair, then why do you need a beer to wash it down. Pretty good question considering there are plenty of recommendations for the perfect pickleback and beer pairings out there, which seems to suggest that you do. Puzzled?

While this piece paints a putrid picture of the pickleback, some things you just need to find out for yourself. In many ways, the pickleback shot is to a St. Patricks Day party what the bloody brain shot is to Halloween parties. Neither is recommended, period, especially for your at home bar, but ..

If you subscribe to the “I’ll try anything once” theory, then throw back a pickleback and judge for yourself. Its unofficially the official shot of Saint Patrick’s Day and you can say you were initiated and move along to something delicious to drink.

Like a Black Velvet, Irish Coffee, Emerald cocktail or even a green beer for example. Here’s a toast to no more picklebacks.

May the leprechauns be near you,
To spread luck along your way.
And may all the Irish angels,
Smile upon you St. Patrick’s Day.

* - umami is a savory flavor and along with sweet, sour, bitter & salty is one of the five basic tastes.

† - drinking pickle juice is rumored to prevent seasickness in sailors and frequent pit stops by truck drivers. Apparently from the vinegar in the first case and the salt in the other. If true, you’ll have to look elsewhere to support those claims, they at least have a reason other than thinking its tasty.

Conan OBrien Walks Into A Bar Tending School And Attends Class

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 20:04:00 -0500

Authentic Bartending School

Conan O’Brien walks into an authentic bar tending school, that’s actually the name, on 34th Street in New York and decides if he’s going to do this, he’s going to take a camera crew. He learns how to be a bartender and when its all over he thinks he’s “damn good now.” Since its captured on film, it should hopefully be a good lesson for at home bar tenders as well. Here’s the highlights from what happened when instructor Jerry (JR) schools Conan (CO) in bartending the ‘Authentic’ way.

CO: This is my instructor. This is Jerry. Hey Jerry, how are you doing?

JR: Nice to meet you Conan.

CO: Yeah, good to meet you.

Basic Cocktails and Specialty Drinks

JR: I’m going to teach you the basics, the ones that you’re definitely going to need to know when you go out and work.

CO: But I also want to know some of the specialty drinks. JR: Such as?

CO: Have you ever heard of the Kissinger’s Eyebrow? JR: No.

Kissinger’s Eyebrow Drink Recipe:

gin
tequila
little bit grenadine
actual eyebrow hair from Henry Kissinger for garnish

Preparation - getting the garnish can be a hairy experience so have the eyebrow first or drink will be ruined. Apparently former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger lives in Connecticut so its a bus trip up from New York, or wherever home is, to go see him. He doesn’t give up the hairs easily and he’ll be like “What are you doing?”

Once plucked, put aside for safekeeping. Add first three ingredients to cocktail shaker with ice. Shake well and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Carefully add Kissinger’s eyebrow hair as garnish. Enjoy.

How To Properly Handle Glassware

JR: You don’t ever want to touch the glass from the top.

CO: Never touch the top, only the bottom.

JR: Well, because people are going to drink from there and you don’t want to touch it cause then they’ll have to drink from there and they’ll have to touch your ..

CO: And you don’t ever want it to like brush past your ass.

JR: Never, no.

CO: That would be bad and like, hey here’s your drink (brushes glass past his crotch). Sorry.

JR: Well it depends what kind of bar you work in.

Flair Bartending

CO: People come to a bar if you believe Cocktail (the movie) to see some flash (tries to pour liquor into a drink).

JR: You’ve got the pourer upside down so nothing ..

CO: What happened, what happened. Nothing came out?

JR: Well, see, this is the hole.

CO: I actually thought that you tipped it over and gravity would take over, so that would be an easy pour ..

JR: Three counts ..

CO: Three counts. One, two, three and then I stop. When I stop it, my move .. see if you like it. I stop and then go (holds hand over top of glass) and that’s it.

Explicit Drink Names

CO: Hey can we make sex on the beach?

JR: You want to make that?

CO: Yeah, cause I love it when people are like “I’ll have sex on the beach” and you wanna go like, OK. You know what I mean?

Rookie Arrogance

JR: Do you think you can get the one liquor drink done? Its simple like rum and coke.

CO: Yeah, I got that, let’s move up to the next level. What you’re dealing with is you’re a piano teacher and Mozart just walked in and you’re making me play chopsticks. Do you see the analogy?

Technical Stuff

CO: I want to learn this thing, what’s this thing called?

JR: Soda gun.

CO: Soda gun .. can I call it the snake?

Bar Fights And Crowd Control

CO: Lets say I’m in an altercation ..

JR: Well, you’d go around that way ..

CO: And I’d be like .. WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? HEY, THIS IS MY BAR!

JR: You want to sort of make it ..

CO: Alright that did it, I’m coming over there. I don’t want to then just walk over ..

JR: Right, you want to make a statement.

CO: I want to be like .. ITS GO TIME MY FRIEND!

JR: OK, Conan what you do, you want to ..

CO: (rolls over the bar) .. Got a problem with me? Oh, I’m sorry I misheard.

Slapstick Comedy And Straw Darts

Conan and Jerry each grab four bottles of liquor and try to pour all eight at once into one glass. Hilarity ensues. Finished, Conan starts throwing straws like darts at the top of drink trying to pierce through the layer of ice cubes and stick it up standing inside the drink. Third try with the straw sticks.

Tips

CO: How do tips work. Do they put tips down on the bar?

JR: Yeah, if they’re going to tip you Conan, what you do is you give them their change back and usually what they’ll do is leave it on the bar rail to let you know that that’s your money.

CO: So, they put it here (points to rail behind bar).

JR: Now I want to let you know something, if people have money right here, right in front of them, don’t touch it because its not yours yet.

CO: So can I use like a dust buster or dirt devil and keep it behind the bar and if they have some money here to use for something else (makes vacuum noise) ..

What To Do If A Drink Recipe Stumps You

JR: Conan, I didn’t have a lot of time to teach you a lot of drinks. Just remember, if someone asks you to make a drink and you don’t know what it is ..

CO: Say, what am I .. your mother? What if somebody asks me for a Long Beach Iced Tea?

JR: OK, do you want me to go over there and do it for real?

CO: Yeah, yeah ..

JR: OK, I just walk up to the bar Conan ..

CO: Yeah, yeah ..

JR: You would greet me ..

CO: Hey, how are you?

JR: I’ve been better but um, how bout a Long Beach Iced Tea?

CO: I’m sorry we’re closed.

Bartending School Report Card

After acting out in class as a coaster ninja, throwing coasters across the room instead of with a light touch across the bar trying to get it in front of the patron, Jerry evaluates Conan’s overall performance at the school of bartending.

JR: I’m trying to help you here as a counselor, and I’m trying to be your friend, but um, you’re just not going to make it.

CO: You just told me I can’t do it and you know what, when I’m told I can’t do it I get depressed. I usually give up and don’t try. This time is different, I’m gonna try for half an hour. I’m going to a bar right now.

Conan Walks Into A Bar - Don’t Try This At Home

Oscar temporarily steps aside as bartender at the Bull & Bear to give Conan a shot at a bartending career and ..

- - Watch the video - -

“That was a lot of fun. Of course, my hat goes off to every Jerry Lewis film* I saw as a child.” ~ Conan O’Brien

*- Note: Jerry Lewis in the Nutty Professor movie has a funny bartending scene where he orders the infamous Alaskan Polar Bear Heater cocktail.

Home Bar Ideas From Hong Kong Hotel - Hidden Sky High Up In Ozone

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:58:00 -0500

Hong Kong Home To Highest Hotel Bar

Hovering 118 stories off the ground, the Ozone bar calls the top floor of the Ritz Carlton in Hong Kong home. As of 2013, its the tallest hotel in the world, making this pub’s perch at the peak of the pacific, some 1,608 feet or 490 meters sky high above sea level overlooking Victoria Harbor.

Hotel Has Home Bar Ideas Hidden Inside

Big budget bar projects in hotels and nightclubs can be a great source of ideas to adapt and scale down to residential restrictions. Similar to reviewing the International Bar & Restaurant Design Awards in 2011 and 2012, a closer look through the rarefied air inside the Ozone may give some divine inspiration you can bring down from the heavens for your own at home bar.

Some have called this ultra modern interior design futuristic and almost Star Trek like. The shape of the support columns probably had a lot to do with that analogy. While its certainly very contemporary in almost every aspect, the polished stone floor has a marble inlay design which looks sort of like landscaping pavers giving it an earthy feel too.

Polished Pub Paves The Way For Pocket Presentation

This random paver stone pattern, minus the stones, is carried up the walls and onto the ceiling where the would be grout lines form cubby hole pockets in the back bar and a honeycomb grid overhead. With glass windows behind the storage and display presentation framework, its hard not to make a comparison to another Chinese landmark, their National Aquatics Center. The “water cube” from the 2008 Beijing Olympics in China while lit up at night has a similar reflective design outline as the Ozone does from behind the bar.

Crisp geometric design lines extend to the actual bar as well. Stone facing with few right angles. And finally to ~~round out~~ square up the finishing details, the bar stools have legs resembling Washington Monument style obelisks. These furniture pedestals form a gold jewel setting for the faceted black diamond / gem style seat mounting, possibly a cushion cut [sic].

Turn Fiction Into Your Future Home Bar

Many, if not all, of these features could be added to your in home bar with some advance planning, material substitutions and creativity. If this style is in your future, you may want to present some float glassware and Star Trek drinks to pair with the panache of your polished pub.

Might have to substitute Death Star planet ice balls for the frozen water cubes too.

(via)

Valencia Martini & Brandy Champagne Agua de Valencia Cocktails

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:10:00 -0500

Valencia Cocktails Twist A Tale Of Oranges and Origins

The Agua de Valencia drink calls for Spanish Cava, a sparkling wine which can’t be called champagne because its produced outside of that region in France and the Valencia martini calls for a fortified wine which can only be called sherry if produced in that region of Spain. Finally, the Valencia orange is named for the city in Spain but actually originated in California and its successful production in that region led to the naming of Orange County near Los Angeles.

Valencia Drink Recipes

Agua de Valencia (Valencian Water):

6 oz orange juice
1 1/2 oz gin
1 1/2 oz vodka
25 oz Cava (Spanish sparkling wine)
pinch sugar

Batch recipe for parties prepared in and served from a pitcher which starts with a standard 750ml bottle of Cava sparkling wine (or champagne if unavailable). Add freshly squeezed orange juice along with the gin and vodka. Stir in sugar to taste and refrigerate before serving or use a cold cavity pitcher.

Valencia Cocktail Recipe #1:

2 oz apricot brandy
1 oz orange juice, fresh squeezed
4 dashes orange bitters
orange twist for garnish

Measure the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly and strain into a chilled glass. Garnish with an orange twist or wedge.

Valencia Champagne Cocktail Recipe #2 (Valencia Royale):

2 oz apricot brandy
1 oz orange juice
4 dashes orange bitters
2-3 oz champagne
orange twist for garnish

Prepare a Valencia cocktail #1 drink recipe and strain into a chilled flute. Top off with champagne and garnish with orange.

Valencia Martini (Spanish Martini):

2 1/2 oz gin
1/2 oz fino sherry
twist of orange for garnish

A Spanish version of the dry martini which substitutes the type of fortified wine used, fino sherry for vermouth. As with classic martinis, some recipes also call for vodka instead of gin (which makes the drink something other than classic .. not going there). Stir the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled vee glass. Garnish with a twist of orange peel.

Need more cocktail recipes using oranges? These same ingredients will allow you to mix up screwdrivers and buck’s fizzes as well. Stock your bar with orange liqueur and you can also have mimosas at home for Sunday brunch.