Have you ever tasted a something and thought ‘man I could do a better job myself’? BartenderOne had the chance to back up this statement when Lauren Mote, celebrated Mixologist from The Refinery Bar in Vancouver came to assist with a culinary approach to cocktails.
Tag Archives: Scott McMaster
Better Bitters from your Buddies at B1
Mixology Mondays – Pain in the Ass Drinks
MxMo XLVIII will take place Monday, April 26; hosting this round is Seattle bartender Mike McSorley, who publishes the blog McSology, and for the theme Mike has chosen Pain in the Ass Drinks. As he puts it in his preview post:
…My charge to you all is to document your (least) favorite drink that is the proverbial thorn in your side. It can be virtually anything stylistically – The point here is to have fun and share that little ticket item that throws you off your cleaning game 10 minutes before last call!
Nishan Chandra from Blowfish presents the work in progress that may or may not be presented at Made with Love Mixology in Quebec City on May 10th.
Cafe Del Mar…
60mL Skyy Vodka
15mL Coconut cream steeped with dates and vanilla beans
15mL Mango Juice
30mL Espresso
60mL Melted Dark chocolate, white chocolate, Caramel (Kat Salon mix)
Shake all ingredients together over ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
On a wonton spoon place 15mL Amarula Cream Liqueur, Mars Chocolate Spice, and Blowfish Espresso Chocolate Cake with Chili and Blue Icing Sugar Paste.
Place a tab of Kupuru on a hot stone and burn for menthol aromatics. Enjoy when Kapuru is spent.
Scott McMaster adds to the mix with his Lamb infused Skyy creation called Mary’s Little Caesar…
45mL Lamb infused Skyy Vodka
120mL Clamato
Powdered Mushroom, Rosemary and Thyme Infused Salt Rim
Served over frozen cucumber cubes.
Coming from the school that every Caesar is different everywhere you go, and its never perfect unless you make it, each element has so many vartiations, the ultimate combination is only found on your own palate.
you can follow Dr Evil aka Scott McMaster on twitter… @evilatthebar
Wes Galloway came to the bar with the KFCeasar.
KFCeaser
45mL Roast Chicken-Infused Vodka
15mL Vodka
3-4 Dashes Smokin’ Joe Hot Sauce
3oz Mott’s Clamato
Healthy pinch of 11 herb/spice blend(Thyme, Oregano, Basil, Celery Salt, Paprika, Black Pepper, Salt, Ginger, Garlic, MSG, Dry Mustard)
*Add all ingredients to a mixing glass and roll drink between mixing tin and glass 8-10 times. Strain drink into an ice-filled highball glass rimmed with the 11 herb/spice blend. Use any leftover spice to make fried chicken;)
You can find Wes on Facebook by searching Wes Galloway
Gavin MacMillan busted out a Strawberry Pear Caipiroska
60mL Grey Goose La Poire
2 Strawberries and 1/2 lime muddled
1 tsp sugar
Muddle berries an lime with sugar, add crushed ice and La Poire.
you can follow Gavin on twitter… @bartenderone
Irish Coffee
As I like to make all my cocktails fresh and handcrafted the Irish Coffee is my absolute PAIN in the ASS drink. The bottles have been wiped, dishwasher dismantled and some guests sneek in. “Irish Coffee? No Problem… Let me put on a fresh pot of coffee….” Next a whisk and bowl are pulled out and the cream starts to happen…. At this point the guest usually looks a little sheepish, but I keep a genuine hospitable smile. Once the drink finally gets to their lips, it is surely the best post prandial they have ever had, and heck with all this whipped cream and coffee let’s have another round!!
Irish Coffee
Unsweetened Heavy Cream
50ml Irish Whiskey
120ml Fresh-Brewed coffee
30ml Rich simple syrup
Whip the cream until bubbles no longer form on the surface, thickened but still pourable.
In a small white wine glass combine remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine.
Ladle 2-3cm of cream on top, garnish if desired and serve at once….
you can follow Rob on twitter… @kidcampari
BartenderOne Represents Canada at the International Cocktail Experience
In a head to head competition among Canadian bartending schools, and Mixology Companies, and independent mixologists, BartenderOne emerged as the 1st place Champions in the International Cocktail Experience in November 2009.
The 2 day competition involved educational components and drink design and was judged by 3 of the planets top mixologists, Dre Masso, Nick Strangeway, and Frankie Solarik, who owns Toronto’s “Bar Chef.” BartenderOne’s winning cocktail “The Invisible Touch” was judged based on use of fresh, local, seasonal ingredients along with quality spirits and liqueurs.
The Invisible Touch was created in the style of a “Crusta” a classic cocktail technique where a layer of raw sugar is crusted to the outside of the glass, and allowed to dry. “This allows the drinker to taste a little bit of sweetness without getting a mouthful of sugar every time they take a sip,” says BartenderOne front man Gavin MacMillan. “The recipe we created is based on Beefeater 24 Gin, with Wyborowa Exquisite Vodka used to lengthen the flavour of the Beefeater 24 without overpowering the drink with juniper and Gin’s other botanicals. Then we added Cointreau and Hand Squeezed Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice to a base of muddled blueberries and lemon bitters.”
One of the elements that a lot of people overlook in a cocktail is the quality of the ice that you use. “We used large, cold, fresh ice cubes” MacMillan explains, “the decrease in surface area of larger ice cubes means that your cocktail doesnt get diluted nearly as quickly.”
Competitions like this continue to elevate the skill level of Mixologists, through collaboration, education and the exchange of tips, tricks and ideas. BartenderOne owner Gavin MacMillan travels to dozens of Mixology competitions and conferences every year. It’s the only way we can stay on top of the industry, and ahead of the curve for bartender training. Having a bartending school is a big responsibility, our graduates will be the next generation of mixologists who will be making drinks for you and me. Our program changes constantly to reflect new techniques that are emerging around the world, to make sure that the Bartenders that leave our program truly understand what it takes to be successful at an international level.
For a long time, learning to Bartend in Toronto, meant going to a classroom and learning with coloured water and juices, we saw an opportunity to use real ingredients in our training, and give our students the opportunity to taste what the cocktails, martinis, wines and beer are like instead of just imagining it. Its nice to finally have the opportunity to compete head to head with other bartending schools, it gives us an idea of where they’re at in terms of their training, and is a nice reminder that BartenderOne is moving in the right direction.
The Grand Prize for the Competition was a one week, all expenses paid trip to London, England, and Warsaw, Poland to meet and exchange ideas with some of Europe’s top Mixologists, and included a tour of the UK’s top mixology bars. “We’re very proud to represent Canada, and very much looking forward to defending the title next year!
MxMo.to – Money Drinks
Great topic this month, Money Drinks!
Present at this months drink tank… Nishan Chandra of Blowfish, Renata Clingen ex. Teatro, Gavin MacMillan of B1, Rob Montgomery of the Miller Tavern, Scott McMaster, consultant. Cheerleader…Caitlin Mason
Click here to see this months host – http://beersintheshower.blogspot.com/
First to the bar for Money Drinks…
Rob Montgomery – KFC Sazerac
Kentucky bourbon, Fig jam and Caramel liquer
I had seen a version of this cocktail on the menu @ Lab in London, England circa 2000. Having never tried it I continued to experiment with variations over the years. This is now my go to recipe when people say they don’t like whiskey or whiskey cocktails. 60% of the time it works all the time. Scratch that. It always works. 🙂 The fig jam and Caramel liquer take the place of the sugar in a traditional Sazerec, while adding complexity and depth with their respective flavours.
Splash of water
1 Barspoon of fig jam
50ml Bulleit Bourbon
15ml Caramel liquer
1 drop Peychaud bitters
10ml Absinthe
orange twist (to garnish)
Take 2 double old fashioned glasses and fill 1 with ice. In the other combine the fig jam with the water and stir well to combine. To the jam slurry add the bourbon, caramel liqueur and Peychaud’s bitters. Add 2-3 lumps of ice and stir well. Jettison the ice from the second glass and add the Absinthe. Coat the inside of the glass and throw the rest out. Fine strain first mixture into the prepared glass and garnish with an orange twist.
Serves 1
Up next was Gavin MacMillan – Million Dollar Manhattan
Frankie from Bar Chef does a version of this one with a cold smoker, I like it just as is…
75mL Crown Royal XR
25mL Sweet Vermouth
3 dashes JT Decanter Bitters
3 Amarena Cherries for Garnish
Stir over cold fresh ice, strain and enjoy
Renata Clingen – Winter Mojito
45mL Angostura 1919
15mL Maple Syrup
6 Cranberries Muddled (plus 2 for Garnish)
12 mint leaves
120mL Ginger Beer
30mL Soda Water
Scott McMaster – Rising Star
60mL Soju or Nigori Sake
30mL Umeshu “Choya 23”
2 spoons Kiwi Mango Preserve
1 dash Grapefruit bitters
Nishan Chandra – Flying Grouse
60mL Famous Grouse Blended Scotch Whiskey
3 dashes Lemon Bitters
30mL Roses Lime
60mL Lime Juice
30mL Agave Nectar
Top with Sparkling water
As our first attempt at joining in with Mixology Mondays globally we had a good time, and look forward to hosting one in the future! Thanks to all who participated! Until next month…
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Bar Chef Finals Spring 2011
Have you ever tasted a cocktail and thought hmmm I could definitely do a better job myself? Or maybe you have envisioned what you suspected to be delicious mouth-watering cocktails with ingredients one may never normally use in the bar? Six experienced bartenders from Toronto decided to bite the bullet on the evening of May 30th for the spring finals of the International Bartender Certification and each created some masterpieces that tantalised the judges’ taste buds on the night.
Over the course of five weeks these bartenders attended the BartenderOne IBC course as students and tasted over three hundred different spirits, bitters, liqueurs, sweeteners, infused foams & spirits and alternate types of citrus and cocktails.
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