Tag Archives: Bartender Training

BartenderOne Cocktails on ET Canada

Recently, BartenderOne teamed up with Fastlife,  Canada’s most stylish speed dating and singles’ events service, for a featured piece on Entertainment Tonight Canada.

The event, named Cocktail Creations, took place at one of Toronto’s elite Nightclub venues, Shmooze.

The evening began as ten single women, and ten single men arrived with hopes of meeting that special someone.   The idea was that the ladies would be behind the bar, making cocktails for their dates.  Every eight minutes the gong would sound signifying the men on the outside of the bar to grab their freshly made cocktail, and rotate to the next date. Every other date would have the ladies creating drinks using fresh ingredients.

To start off, the ladies would receive proper instruction on how to create the cocktail with a little flair from Gavin MacMillan and the BartenderOne team.  They would then recreate two of each drink. One for themselves, and one for their date.

On the menu for the event were drinks such as the Mojito, Cosmopolitan, Margarita, Orgasm, and a Slippery Nipple shooter.

All of the recipes were a huge success, but the biggest reaction was definitely  for the Slippery Nipple. Not for the name or the recipe, but because of how the shooters were to be taken.

The event planners set up a row of ten chairs and asked the men to take a seat.  Then, the shooters were handed out and the men were instructed to hold them between their knees.  The ladies were then told to take back the shooters but were not allowed to use their hands.  Not bad for a first date!

The evening continued on and it was obvious that the singles were loosening up and having a great time.

Some sparks were flying around the room, and a few couples were really hitting it off.

The Entertainment Tonight Canada cameras were there to capture the event in its entirety, including the shooter portion, which for some reason didn’t make it to air.

The episode aired on Friday January 8th, and both FastLife, and BartenderOne gained great exposure.

Thanks to Fastlife and ET Canada for another fantastic event!

 

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How to Open a Bottle of Wine

There is a certain etiquette that must be followed when it comes to wine.  From proper storage, to the opening of the bottle, to serving your guests.

Let’s start with how to open a bottle.

Begin by making sure that the label is facing your guests. Then, use your wine knife to extract the foil just below the surface of the lip of the bottle.  This should be a clean cut, not jagged or peeling. You want to extract it below the lip to avoid any dripping once the wine is open.  It is improper to peel the entire foil off of the bottle.

Now, when you expose the worm of the corkscrew, you want to set that worm right in the centre of the cork and begin to twist the worm directly down the centre.  If you twist on an angle, the worm will puncture the side of the cork, leaving little pieces of cork in the wine.

You can finish twisting when you have about one and a half turns left above the cork.  You don’t want to penetrate through the bottom of the cork, this will also result in leaving little pieces in the wine.

In the video, we are using a two stage wine opener, so you can set the first stage, extract the cork a little, and then set the second stage to extract the cork the rest of the way.  The two stage opener is a good choice because it does not apply as much torque on the bottle as a one stage opener.

You should not hear any audible pop when the cork is removed from the bottle.

Once you have the bottle open, present the cork to the guest who ordered it, and pour them a small sample so they can ensure that the wine hasn’t spoiled.  The presentation of the cork is done so the guest can feel it for moisture, to ensure the bottle has been stored properly.  If the cork is dry, then the wine may be spoiled.

Wine bottles should be stored in a cool, dark, dry cellar.  You should also store the wine on its side, so that the wine remains in contact with the cork, keeping the cork moist and plump, therefore not allowing any air to get into the bottle.

BartenderOne is Canada’s fastest growing group of bartending schools, and has the most comprehensive list of classes, bartender programs and bar workshops available in the hospitality industry.

With four locations in Toronto alone, BartenderOne is the largest bartending school in Toronto.

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Mxmo.to – Mixology Mondays in the BartenderOne test kitchen

MxMo (short for Mixology Mondays) is a global online meeting among bartenders who work towards making great cocktails around a specific theme (Hard Drinks, Punches, Vermouth Based Cocktails etc.)

Rob Montgomery and I have been keeping an eye on MxMo for the past 18 months, and have had many conversations about starting up one of our own to boost cocktail culture in Toronto. We finally thought that it was time we stopped paying lipservice to making better cocktails and actually did something about it.

On Movember 30th, (yes Movember, check it here www.movember.com) a small group of bartenders from around our city gathered to work on some interpretations of “Holiday Cocktails.” The timing seems relevant as we move into the busy holiday event season, who wouldnt want an excuse to have a great holiday cocktail?

First up was a welcome cocktail called the Honey Julep, a recipe of mine featured in the recent Drambuie re-launch recipe book. The sweet and sour pink grapefruit juice complements the Drambuie really well and allows the freshness of the elderflower and mint to shine through. This drink is perfect for summer, or a winter holiday getaway to a place that reminds you of summer.

Honey Julep

50ml Drambuie

15ml St Germaine Elderflower Liqueur

15ml Lemon Juice

30ml Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

2 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters

8-10 Mint leaves

Directions: Muddle mint leaves and bitters in a Boston Glass, add remaining ingredients and shake over cold fresh ice. Double strain over crushed ice in a highball glass, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Next up was Ryan Powell with another Scotch based drink, his Maple Movember Manhattan.

Cocktail #2: Maple Movember Manhattan
2 oz Chivas Regal 12 Year Old
¼ oz ice wine maple syrup
¼ oz egg white
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Dry shake ingredients vigorously to properly froth the egg white then add ice and shake again. Double strain into a rocks glass filled with crushed ice and sprinkle nutmeg on top to garnish.
Optional: Brule a misted Aberlour 12 Year Old on top.

This cocktail was inspired from a Manhattan. For me, winter holidays and scotch go hand in hand. I replaced the sweet vermouth with the ice wine maple syrup because that’s I wanted something a little sweeter and the maple syrup pairs well with the apple notes in the Chivas. The egg white was added to bring a creamy texture to the cocktail, which again is popular amongst holiday cocktails. The Angostura bitters adds a fantastic holiday spice to the cocktail as well as the nutmeg sprinkle on top. For a little more showmanship and to add a little more strength to the cocktail, you can mist Aberlour over the cocktail and gently brule it. The sherry notes from the Aberlour adds a nice touch to the nutmeg, maple, apple and spice.

Next up was Alejandro Giraldo with a Spanish inspired Cazadores Saludable.

50ml Cazadores Tequila
20ml Pama Pomegranate liquor
60ml Pink grapefruit juice
20ml Lemon juice
15ml Agave nectar

Shake ingredients vigorously with ice then double strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with a fresh mint leaf.

Rob Montgomery stepped up with his “Ho Ho Ho…. It’s Brown Butta YO!”

30ml fresh lemon fresh lemon juice
15ml Gomme Syrup
50ml Brown Butter “washed” Jack Daniels
Lemon twist(to garnish)
Combine liquid ingredients in Boston glass and fill with ice.
Stir well for 60 seconds.
Strain into chilled coupe glass. Spritz twist over the top, wipe around the rim and float skin side up.

Scott McMaster (aka Dr. Evil) took to the bar with Cocktail #4 An Evil Christmas

30ml Skinos
15ml jager
5ml lime juice
30ml White cran

Combine in boston over ice and shake
Garnish with frozen cranberry

The boys from Skinos were kind enough to drop off a couple of bottles of their product back in the summer, and Evil thought it would be a good opportunity to try using the pine flavour of the Mastica in a holiday cocktail. It is the best cocktail we’ve had with Skinos which has an admittedly unusual flavour profile. If anyone else has had success with Skinos, we’d sure like to hear about it, as I’m sure the boys from Skinos would as they make their foray into the cocktail world.

Finally. in the spirit of getting away for the holidays, we thought it would be nice to end with an Aviation Cocktail. I really like the flavour of Creme de Violette, and Maraschino Liqueur is hard to hate at the best of times. Although they can sometimes be hard to find, I’m sure if enough people ask for it, they’ll become more readily available… they’re certainly worth the effort.

Present at the innaugural Toronto MxMo were: Alejandro Giraldo, Ryan Powell, Rob Montgomery, Caitlin Mason, Gavin MacMillan, Jessica Klug, Scott McMaster.

Absent: Elan Marks, Nick Nemeth, Renata Clingen, Nishan Chandra

For more tips on setting up a great holiday bar Click here

and if you’re really serious about getting into bartending and want to train with some of the best bartenders in the business, click here to see the next training dates with BartenderOne

The next global Mixology Monday will be taking place on December 14th… same bat time, same bat channel.

Click here to see the next event on Facebook

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Flair Bartender Profile-Up close and personal with Dario Doimo

Name: Dario Doimo

Nationality: Italian

Age: 26

Years Bartending: 9 (8Flair)

After seeing Dario Doimo win Legends of Bartending 10, I really became a huge fan.

I got the chance to meet Dario Doimo for the first time at SuperFlair in Windsor Ontario in May of 2009.  That was an amazing competition which saw Dario place third in an all-star line up including Rodrigo Delpech, Danilo Oribe, and Vladymyr Buryanov to name a few.

I caught up with Dario again in September at Kahunaville in Las Vegas and saw him perform a flawless routine at his home bar as a part of the nightly shows they do.

Here is my interview with Dario Doimo.

Q- How did you get into Flair Bartending?

A-My brother got me into the world of Flair Bartending.  He took a Flair Bartending Class, and when I saw what you could do with a bottle and tin I was shocked!

Q- Where can people see you live in action?

A- I am working at Kahunaville at Treasure Island.

Q- Other than yourself, who is your favourite Flair Bartender?

A-  Well, I don’t really have just one, but I respect people like Rodrigo Delpech and Danilo Oribe for their passion,and determination to win.

Q- What is your favourite Flair bar?

A- I enjoy every flair bar because it’s always a good time.  Kahunaville is the place to be.  They have Flair shows there 4 nights a week.

Q- To date, what is your greatest flair achievement?

A- For sure it was winning Legends of Bartending 10.  Since I started flairing, I’ve always dreamt to win that one, and after a couple of years of hard work, I won!  It’s a dream come true!

Thank you to Dario for taking the time to do this interview.  We hope to see some great things in the near future.

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Flair Bartender Profile: Newcomers to watch for-Zack Prohaska

Name: Zack Prohaska

Nationality: Canadian

Age: 28

Years Bartending: 6 (5 Flair)

I’ve known Zack for a few years now.  He began his training in Toronto in 2004.  Soon after, he moved to Osaka Japan where he worked for Sam and Daves and took his flair to the next level.

Zack is back in Toronto now training harder than ever, and plans to make a splash in the Pro Tour in 2010.

I had a chance to sit down with Zack at SuperFlair 2009.  Here’s my interview with Zack Prohaska.

Q-When did you get into flair bartending?

A-I started getting into flair about five and a half years ago.

Q-Did you go to a Bartending school? And did you have a Mentor?

A-I heard an advertisement on the radio for the Movers’N’Shakers, and BartenderOne which is a bartending school in Toronto.  There was a class taught by Gavin MacMillan.  My Mentors would be all of my teachers. Gavin MacMillan, Matt Jones, Chris Cooper, and Koji from Japan.

Q-Where can people see you in action?

A-I’m working at the Loose Moose in Toronto Canada.

Q- To date, what is your favourite flair bartending moment?

A-So far, it would have to be winning the Suma Beach Flair competition in Japan in 2008.

Q-To date, what is your least favourite flair moment?

A-I was practicing an exhibition flair routine at work with a Bols Blue Curacao bottle and had an unexpected rooster tail fly all over a guests face and shirt…Awesome.

Q-What are some of your goals for the future?

A-I plan to make a run in the Pro Tour in 2010. Also, I would love to grow the sport of flair in Canada.

Q-Other than yourself, who is your favourite flair bartender?

A-Hmm, tough one. I like so many, but I’ll go with Rodrigo Delpech.

Q-Do you have a signature cocktail?

A-My fav drink to make is a Long Island Iced Tea, cause there’s so many different bottles to flip.

Q-What is your least favourite cocktail?

A-Easily the Boilermaker.

Q-What is your favourite flair bar?

A-The Loose Moose! Next to that would be Kahunaville in Vegas.

Thanks to Zack for taking the time to do this interview.

Good luck in 2010. Watch out Pro tour!

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