Tag Archives: How to Video

3..2..1…GOOOOO!

By BartenderOne | Published: October 4, 2011

IMG_0810“Hey, you’re like Tom Cruise in that movie” a line often heard by flair bartenders around the world time and time again!  To answer the question, no I am not like Tom Cruise in that movie Cocktail because, like everything else in life, things tend to change and evolve over a quarter century!!  You wont find me on Wall Street stopping bankers and saying “Hey you’re like Michael Douglas in that movie” because it would be unfair and ignorant for me to generalize someones profession like that!  I will recognize though that flair bartending exists in very small circles and the evolution of flair is quite foreign to anyone who isn’t active in that small community.

  A year ago I entered and competed in my first ever flair competition as a representative of Bartenderone.  The competition put on by the Toronto Flair League was truly the most exciting and terrifying experience I have had in my bartending career!  After blacking out and somehow managing to struggle my way through my 3 minute routine I made way to the bar for some celebratory shots!  As the dust settled over the next few days I was able to see a video of myself and really assess what level I was at and where I went right and wrong!  It was then that I truly started to understand the high level of preparation that was required to be a successful flair bartender in a competition setting. 

Montreal 2011

My roommate, fellow Bartenderone instructor and flair practice partner Jay Patience and I decided to adopt a new approach to training for competitions.  Drawing from our experiences working with former top ranked Canadian flair bartender Gavin MacMillan, Jay and I put into action a plan to become premier competing flair bartenders!   The first step was to develop a routine with the perfect balance of technical and innovative moves, smoothness and showmanship!  Once the foundation of our routine was in place, we started executing the routines every day for an hour each.  Once we had built up our stamina and strength we extended it to 3 hours a day each.  The results were immediate and very rewarding!  One of the things that helped us immensely was taping our practice routines.  Being able to watch the videos and see ourselves during practice allowed us to adjust our routines but more importantly become aware of exactly what we looked like while performing.  Once aware of that we were really able to take the showmanship aspect to a new level! The other thing that helped us progress so fast was the use of glass bottles with liquid in them.  Its one thing to practice with empty flair practice bottles but it wasn’t until we incorporated the real thing that we truly started to see the results we desired.  Consistent practice of a well-balanced routine coupled with the usage of real full bottles thrust Jay and I into the category of up and coming flair bartenders in Toronto.  Just like everything in life, consistent practice and a clear goal/vision will more often than not help you succeed.  Tom Cruise who?

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Ryan’s B1 Adventures..

By BartenderOne | Published: June 27, 2011

Just an average Thursday for our buddy Ryan here at BartenderOne. Join him on his rounds at a Diageo event and later on at our Mojito Madness workshop.

Diageo Vlog from Ryan Desjardins on Vimeo.

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Where has all Your Profit Gone?

By BartenderOne | Published: December 30, 2010
Your money is flying away; you'd better catch it!

Your money is flying away; you'd better catch it!

2011 is going to be an amazing year. The economy is coming out of a recession, people are opening their wallets again, and sales outlooks are all positive for the next 12 months. 2011 will also be a banner year in terms of opportunities to invest in your business. At times like these, traditional service industry staff turnover rates of 50%-65% plummet; and the employees in your bar are more loyal than ever before.

This column will be a four part directive for making your bar more profitable through systems and training. I’ll give you techniques and numbers that will make your bar more profitable… Guaranteed. In this issue, I’ll be discussing commonly overlooked areas where your bar is bleeding money. In the next issue I’ll tackle the importance of training your staff to stay ahead of industry trends so you’re offering beverage products and service that will make your guests come back for more with cash in hand… read on!

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Social Networking for Bars… Are Facebook and Twitter right for your bar?

By BartenderOne | Published: December 28, 2010
Social networking is full of endless opportunities for your establishment

Social networking is full of endless opportunities for your establishment

Social Networking has a lot in common with the operation of restaurants and bars every day. In fact, before Facebook and Twitter came along, most social networking happened in bars… but it was done verbally instead of through text comments and posts. Everywhere you look, you see Facebook and Twitter. Have you dismissed it as “something that the young people do?” Running a successful social networking campaign is tricky, there are lots of ways to waste your time and money, but if you work it properly it can add value to your business and bring people through your doors. I hope this piece will provide some clarity and direction for what you and your staff should and shouldn’t be doing with social networks like Facebook, Twitter and youTube.

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Sweet on Sours.

By BartenderOne | Published: July 29, 2010
Once you have a fresh sour, you will never go back to barmix!

Once you have a fresh sour, you will never go back to barmix!

With the diversity of liqueurs on the market today it is possible to make a drink taste like virtually anything. Distillers have made it easy for mixologists to shape the profile of a drink. With base flavours like vanilla, cacao and hazelnut, it’s no wonder drinks like the Crispy Crunch shooter are consistently popular. I often wonder how long it will take before we see a chocolate martini dessert, where the kitchen begins to mimic the flavours being produced on the bar instead of the other way around. Perhaps the service of fusion dishes in traditional bar glassware like wraps in oversized shooter glasses and dessert mousses in martini glasses is an indication that it’s already
happening.

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How to Create a Citrus Twist

By BartenderOne | Published: February 12, 2010

There are a few different garnishes when making a classic gin or vodka Martini.  Originally the olive was added by Robert Agneau to mask the taste of pour American gin and dry vermouth.  Another acceptable garnish is the lemon twist.  This is how it’s done.

By using your channel knife, dig the tooth of the channel knife into the flesh of the citrus, either a lemon or a lime, and start to create a long citrus channel, or what will be a twist.  Some people compare it to the action of peeling a potato.

When you have completed one revolution of the lemon or lime, pinch it off with your index finger, and give the citrus string a good twist in a coil motion.  Once you have the twist, hold it over the cocktail, and pull at both ends of the twist.  This will release the essential oils over the cocktail, adding a hint of lemon flavour to the Martini.

Perhaps the most famous cocktail ever made with a lemon twist is the “Vesper”, aka the James Bond Martini.

Bond names his favourite Martini and procedure after the female double agent Vesper Lynd of Casino Royale.

The famous recipe calls for:

3 parts Gin

1 part Vodka

1/2 part dry vermouth

Shaken hard with a lemon twist.

This movie and Martini inspired movie goers and cocktail enthusiasts everywhere to to visit their favourite watering hole, sidle up to the bar and say, “I’ll have a Martini, shaken…not stirred!”

I feel it necessary to mention that classic gin or vodka Martinis are  to be stirred, not shaken as shaking will bruise the spirit, and allow ice shards to pass through the strainer into the cocktail.  Also, when cocktails are shaken, they become cloudy because of air that is added to the mix during agitation.  Classic Martinis are to be served chilled, and crystal clear.

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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How to Muddle a Cocktail

By BartenderOne | Published: December 30, 2009

A muddler is a bartenders equivalent to a pharmacists mortar and pestle.  It is a tool that is used to muddle or mash fruit or herbs to release their flavour.

It’s important when preparing a muddled cocktail such as the Mojito, to cut up the fruit into small pieces.  Normally you would use an eighth of a lime as a squeeze or to garnish a cocktail, however for muddling we want to cut the fruit into sixteenths.  This will facilitate the easy extraction of the juice from not only the flesh of the fruit, but also the bitter oils of the peels which are going to add flavour and depth to the cocktail.

Once you have all of your ingredients in the mixing glass, take the muddler and press down firmly, and do a quarter turn on top of the fruit or herbs that are in the cocktail.  Repeat this step over and over again.  Essentially what your trying to complete is a nice evenly flavoured paste at the bottom of the glass.  Now with the addition of ice, and your spirit of choice, your cocktail is almost complete.

The last step is to actually extract all of the muddled goodness from the bottom of the glass, and evenly distribute it throughout the cocktail.  Once all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and you have creatively garnished your cocktail, it is ready to be served.

It is important to be sure that the cocktail is muddled properly which will ensure a balanced taste to the drink.  Some bartenders will speed through the muddling process to speed up service, but this will only depreciate the overall taste and experience of the cocktail.

For a refreshing twist on the traditional Mojito, try adding fresh raspberries, or blueberries to enhance the flavour.

The Caipirinha is another popular muddled cocktail which uses Cachaca as the main spirit.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with all kinds of fresh herbs and fruit when creating muddled drinks.

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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How to Open a Bottle of Wine

By BartenderOne | Published: December 23, 2009

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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How to Use Egg Whites in a Cocktail

By BartenderOne | Published: December 16, 2009

A lot of people tend to be put off when you add egg white to a cocktail.

In fact it’s a traditional ingredient that’s been used as an emulsifier for quite some time.  You start by creating your cocktail, then you crack an egg on the side of your mixing glass.  Now, it’s important to get just the white of the egg into the glass.  You don’t want any of the yolk to end up in the cocktail.  By rolling the yolk back and forth between the shells, you can extract the egg whites quite easily.  Then, discard the yolk and the remaining shell as you won’t need these for making your drink.  At this point, you can add ice and fresh citrus, and start the chilling process by shaking vigorously.  This is where the magic happens.  The clear cocktail is going to become creamy and frothy because of the addition of the egg white.  The egg white is not going to really add much in the way of flavour to the cocktail, but it will add a whole lot of texture to it.

Bartenders typically use egg whites in traditional sour cocktails such as the Whiskey Sour, and the Amaretto Sour.  Try to be creative.  Substitute the Whiskey or Amaretto with your favourite flavoured liqueur.  I’ve found that the Chambord Sour is very refreshing.

If the thought of egg whites is still putting you off, let me ask you, do you like lemon meringue pie?  The top of the pie is made with whipped egg whites, and when you shake egg white in a mixing glass, it produces a frothy topping on the cocktail, much like the topping on the pie.

The traditional sour recipe is as follows:

Ingredients-

1.5 oz. of desired spirit.

4 dashes of bitters.

1 oz. egg white.

Juice of Half a Fresh lime

1  bar spoon sugar .

Directions- Add all ingredients to a 16 oz. boston glass.  Shake well. Pour over ice.

Garnish- Orange boat

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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