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.
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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!