Tag Archives: Toronto Bartending Schools

Turning Your Bar Green.

By BartenderOne | Published: September 1, 2010
Fresh ingredients blow powdered mix out of the water!

Fresh ingredients blow powdered mix out of the water!

While the environmental movement is at the forefront of public conscience, more and more bars are making an effort to go green with their daily business practices. I’m sure you’ve heard all the popular catch phases: renewable energy, carbon neutral footprint and the uber-popular green is the new black.

What does this have to do with operating my restaurant or bar you ask?

First of all, it’s important to identify the difference between a green cocktail and the absurdity of the healthy cocktail. Ordering up a martini made with pomegranate liqueur is not going to earn you any points in the antioxidant cup. Cocktails are supposed to be a little bit naughty anyways…
It starts with the understanding that operating a sustainable bar or restaurant is easier than you think, not to mention the opportunities to save money and increase margins. Making each business decision with the environment in mind is rewarding in many ways: socially, economically and environmentally.

When you look at your business’ carbon footprint, it gets broken down into two parts: a primary and secondary footprint. The primary footprint is the sum of the direct carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels, like energy consumption by furnaces, waters heaters and transportation, like auto- mobiles to get to work. The secondary foot- print is the sum of indirect emissions associated with the manufacture, shipping and breakdown of all products, services and food that your business consumes.

Fresh, seasonal, local and sustainable are really just a part of a much larger picture that involves every business decision you make, from the light bulbs you choose – there are now dimmable Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs which use up to 75 per cent less energy and can create ambiance – to the cleaning products you use and how you separate your waste. Here are some things you might con- sider when developing your next menu or are considering a new supplier.

Fresh is pretty self explanatory, and if you haven’t tasted the difference between a fresh cocktail and the one that comes off your post mix line, enter the menu make- over contest, so we can come to your bar and open your eyes with proper bartender training.

Local means supporting business within 100kms, and making the decision against importing bottled water from the other side of the world when the largest supply of clean fresh water on the planet is at your doorstep. Developing relationships with the folks at your local farmers market can inspire on both culinary and beverage fronts.

Seasonal is about using peaches on your menu when peaches are in season locally, not when peaches are in season in Argentina. When your chef is making Peach Cobbler, your bartenders, who should be thinking about themselves as Bar Chefs, should be making Peach Daiquiris, or peach Mojitos.

Going the sustainable route is not the easiest, but it is becoming increasingly accessible. You just have to ask, and you can believe that the more people who ask, the more accessible it becomes. Businesses that make the commitment can expect to be rewarded with a loyal clientele and the few pioneers of the Green Bar philosophy will attest.

San Francisco’s “Elixir” was one of the first Green bars to open. H. Joseph Ehrmann (known simply as “H”) walks the talk of fresh fruit cocktails made with organic and/or environmentally responsible products. Green and Tonic (www.greenandtonic.org) is doing the same and taking it to the next level. It is a volunteer group that consults with bar owners to help them find solutions to reducing their waste, energy, and water consumption.

The feel good “X” factor of supporting a green business is something that will have your clients talking to their friends, and your commitment to excellence will bring them back again and again in larger numbers. Fresh, local, seasonal, sustainable can no longer be looked at as options, but rather as the business decisions that make our restaurants and bars sustainable businesses as we move into a new economic environment.

As operators, managers, and staff, we have the ultimate power to choose what is offered for sale, how it is offered for sale, and how we’re going to clean it up. While many of us diligently separate food waste from recyclables and garbage at home, few of us pursue these socially responsible actions with the same vigour when we’re working in the hospitality industry. I’ve been guilty of it myself and I’m sure you can relate to the feeling that you should recycle an empty water bottle but when no recycling bin is present, it ends up in the trash. While many of us want to recycle, few of us have taken proactive steps towards putting a recycling / food waste program in place.

The truth is that respecting the planet and making money do not have to be mutually exclusive. After all, we don’t really need to “Save the Environment,” it was fine before we were here, and it’ll heal itself after we’re gone. We really need to save ourselves.

Until next time, Keep Raising the Bar in your establishment.

Posted in Mixology, Raising the Bar | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

38-years-old and Never Kissed a Girl.

By BartenderOne | Published: August 31, 2010
The Caesar; the quintessential Canadian cocktail.

The Caesar; the quintessential Canadian cocktail.

As I sit here writing this article and enjoying the last days of summer, I’m thinking of things that are distinctly Canadian. A few come to mind – long weekends at the cottage, The Tragically Hip, maple syrup, and the Caesar.

There’s no question that Canadians are lovers of the savoury Caesar cocktail. As a nation, we consume three hundred million Caesars a year, which roughly means 10 per man, woman and child. This quintessential Canadian cocktail was born nearly 40 years ago when a man named Walter Chell was saddled with inventing a signature house cocktail for an Italian restaurant being built in the Weston Hotel in Calgary.

If you were asked to develop a signature drink for your restaurant, where would you start? Probably just like he did, with something you knew. He took the popular Bloody Mary and gave it a distinctly Canadian twist. He hand mashed clams and mixed them with tomato juice, Lea and Perrins and Tabasco, salt and pepper. He decided on the name Caesar to pay tribute to the great Roman emperor and to keep within the theme of the Italian restaurant. It’s unclear what inspired him to add clams to tomato juice, but the lesson here is that when creating a signature custom cocktail for your establishment you don’t have to reinvent the (lime) wheel.

Start with a popular cocktail that you already serve and try adding or substituting one or more of the ingredients. Try switching the addition of bar lime in a cosmopolitan with hand squeezed fresh lime juice. Using a splash of egg white (now available in handy cartons) in your whisky and amaretto sours will add a meringue-like topping to your drinks when you shake them,giving your guests the benefit of both visual appeal and texture to their drinks. The most important element here is the willingness to try new things. Chell may have tried dozens of other variations before finding something great.

In celebration of the 38th anniversary of the Bloody Caesar, I am offering some variations of the original recipe. By simply changing one or more elements, you can change the impression your cocktail has on your clientele. Although there is truly no messing with perfection, these offerings might just tempt your fancy.

At the same time, I’d like to issue a challenge. BartenderOne and FoodService News would like to hear about your cocktail creations. If you have a cocktail that you are proud of, submit the recipe in writing along with a digital image of your drink to info@bartenderone.com. Your drink may be featured in an upcoming column of Raising the Bar. All submissions will also be entered in the Menu Make-over competition for a complete staff retraining and menu make-over by BartenderOne.

Until next time, keep Raising the Bar, because if you don’t, someone else will!

L&P British Blitz
Rim a highball glass with coarse salt
Add ice, 4 dashes L&P, 2 dashes Tabasco, salt & pepper
Pour 1 1/2oz Beefeater Lime Gin and 5oz Heinz tomato juice
Garnish with a lime and celery

BucaMeisterWorcester Shot
Use a bar spoon (or a cherry) to slow pour equal, layered parts into a shot glass (in this order):
8 Dashes L&P
Sambuca
Jagermeister

Posted in Mixology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Raising the Bar at The Four Seasons!

By BartenderOne | Published: August 26, 2010

The Cucumber Collins was a hit among the experienced bartenders.

The Cucumber Collins was a hit among the experienced bartenders.


Have you ever been to a bar where you feel like your bartender is just simply slamming a drink on a counter for you, rather than being able to give you an entertaining experience and a hand crafted cocktail?

There are many bartenders who noticeably carry around an attitude in which they really don’t care about the quality of the experience or drink they are serving their client; this needs to change.

The Four Seasons Hotel, located at 21 Avenue Road in the heart of downtown Toronto, has made and been able to maintain a name for themselves based on their admirable customer service and notable cocktail menu.

On Wednesday, August 25, 2010, BartenderOne was asked to create an interactive bartender training program and team building workshop for the bartenders at The Four Seasons Hotel to help, provide in depth bartender training, open the minds of the staff of all the amazing possibilities within their menu, and of course to start to change the way cocktails are being formulated. Kick out the powdered barmix!

The workshop was built around the Four Season’s own drink menu, and also touched upon some of the most commonly ordered drinks, which were the hand-shaken Margarita, Fresh Cucumber Collins, Cosmopolitan with flamed orange zest garnish, Chocolate Mint Mojito, and the Classic Martini.

Modifications were discussed, such as as adding cucumber to the traditional Tom Collins, to create a fresh, current twist to the original Collins that left you wanting more! The cocktails were made, tasted, and discussed, with advice regarding the proper technique for making each cocktail. For example, the order of operations for a Mojito is commonly overlooked. It must be prepared: mint, limes, then sugar to ensure the mint remains intact and is not floating up into one of your guests’ pearly whites! The way in which a cocktail is developed is absolutely essential to the final product you are serving. Even the way it is shaken matters; you don’t want to shake for too long, or the drink becomes diluted, ten seconds is perfect.

Although the Four Seasons had already dabbled with liquor infusions before, they were thirsty for something new. We reviewed fat washing to produce bacon infused vodka, which can be incorporated into drinks like a BLT Caesar. Even using dill pickles to infuse vodka with dill and garlic adds an intense kick to your beverages.

The most important topic overall that was covered had to be tailoring the cocktail to your guests personal preferences, ensuring all, or most of the taste sensors were engaged. This could be done through things such as using bitters, which can be created at home. Balance is key.

Senses are an amazing part of the way that your guest feels about a cocktail. The taste, smell, looks, and texture all play a large role. To give a guest the full experience, all of these elements must have attention paid to them. Simple tricks like adding aromatics to a cocktail can make a world of difference. A flamed orange zest to a Cosmopolitan for example, takes a fairly simple drink and adds another level, now incorporating the olfactory, which intensifies the experience, and makes your guest feel like they’ve just received a cocktail that was tailored just for them.

The workshop was a great forum for the bartenders of the Four Seasons to bounce ideas off of each other, as well as expand their creativity to the boundless potential of their bar, and we were more than glad to help show them how BartenderOne constructs a cocktail!

Posted in Mixology, Proper Service, Raising the Bar | Also tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Can you afford to train… Can you afford not to?

By BartenderOne | Published: August 25, 2010
It's like sending someone to race a car who doesn't know how to drive.... Lacking bartender training is absolutely detrimental to a business !

It's like sending someone to race a car who doesn't know how to drive.... Lacking bartender training is absolutely detrimental to a business !

Do you have unexplained losses in liquor or wine, in draught beer… in all three? If your restaurant is like most hospitality concepts, chances are your current bartender training is based on generations of bartenders who may not have been fully trained themselves. Most restaurants open with meticulous operational guidelines for how drinks are prepared, with detailed recipe lists that must be strictly adhered to along with opening and closing procedures, weekly checklists for cleanliness and follow up procedures. Does this sound familiar? Maybe it’s a distant memory…

What usually follows can be likened to a game of broken telephone, where each generation of bartenders passes on an adapted interpretation of your original training message. In the hospitality industry where employee turnover rates are commonly 50%-66% per year, it doesn’t take long before your original training standards are barely recognizable.

Perhaps your restaurant is okay and you have a good idea of how you can control the margins in the kitchen. Most managers have a good handle on food cost in the kitchen because many kitchens have portion-controlled menus. Use of a scale to measure consistency in portion size is common especially in prep areas, but there is no parallel on the bar side of the spectrum. Most bartenders freepour, although few have been properly trained to freepour accurately. You ask them to use a shot glass, which is slow and really offers no guarantee of accuracy during busy periods.

In the hospitality industry, there is a fine line between profit and loss. So fine in fact that after tax, profit margins in F&B often average less than 3% according to recent figures.

With margins like that, it’s hard to justify spending money on the business; however, it’s been said that you have to spend it to make it. There are a smorgasbord of liquor control systems available… at a price, and keep in mind you get what you pay for. Some bars that choose the ball bearing style pour spouts, which apparently stop automatically, may save money up front but you’ll pay in the long term. Most of these spouts will only pour accurately about 65% of the time. At the opposite end of the spectrum you could spend $100,000 or more on a high-tech liquor control system, however it may take years to see the return on your investment. Both of these systems, no matter how elaborate the programming, will limit your bartenders’ ability to create drinks that will truly satisfy your guests’ unique tastes and preferences.

At the very least you should make sure that all of your pour spouts are the same, and that you don’t have a mishmash of different colours, styles and pour rates. Not only does it look better, but if you find your liquor costs are out of line at least there is one less variable, and you can let your bartenders know that they’re pouring heavy.

The cost of not training your bartenders properly is astronomical. All licensed establishments have bartenders but few have truly mastered the craft. But when was the last time your bartenders had any real training? Are they accurate and efficient or are they pouring away your profits?

The bottom line is that your ability to manage your costs is directly linked to the degree to which you empower your staff to help you manage those costs. We’ve all heard that the best defense is a good offense… consider this. Keep things simple: Based on $10,000 in sales: Your current liquor cost is 25% = $2500 Your budget liquor cost is 23% = $2300 Simple math says that you’re running 2% above cost or at a 2% surplus. Your target liquor cost is 22% = $2200

This could be as a result of carelessness, spillage, spoilage, etc. As an incentive to keep costs in line, share these numbers with your staff regularly, and offer your bar team a quarterly party, or pay out a cash bonus to your bartenders if they hit a target 1% below your targeted liquor cost, in this case 22%. (Goals have to be within reason, and shouldn’t promote short changing the guest.)

Each year, based on these numbers, you are rewarded with $1200 in teambuilding and staff incentives. Your staff retention and job satisfaction goes up, turnover goes down and you empower a team of people to work toward meeting your budget goals. Win, Win.

Until next time, keep “Raising the Bar” in your establishment because if you don’t someone else will. Cheers!

Posted in Mixology, Proper Service, Raising the Bar | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

There is definitely an attraction to sweets that makes drinks like the chocolate martini popular. Everyone has a sweet tooth, but most people can’t have more than a few sweet cocktails before they need a change of pace and flavour profile. With a myriad of sour liqueurs on the market, it’s hard to know which flavours will complement each other. Sour peach or blueberry have vibrant eye catching colours, but too often, these ingredients find their place on the back bar and never move possible because of improper bartender training or no one has taken the time to experiment. Current bar books and recipe manuals will give you an overview with some recommendations. Some manufacturers will also include token recipes on the bottle itself, but there is no better way to find out what fits with your concept or client base than being properly trained and spending some time experimenting for yourself.

Regardless of whether you’re a bartender, bar manager or concept director, (or perhaps you’re all three) a little bartender training and the willingness to experiment can go a long way towards creating some great custom cocktails. Before you spend any more money on additional ingredients like sour watermelon liqueur, look at what you can make with what you’ve currently got on your bar. There are lots of drink engines on the Web, including a good online cocktail cabinet for free at www.bartenderone.com where you can check-off the ingredients (both alcoholic and non-alcoholic) from a huge list and it’ll generate a list of all the cocktails you can make with your current ingredients.

I find that quite often the bottled sours have a bit of a laboratory look and taste to them, and if using sour liqueurs is not your speed, I encourage you to experiment with traditional sour cocktails made with raw ingredients. I guarantee that it will render better results than the bottled concoctions available, and you may just find a new favourite cocktail in the process. Whisky and Amaretto Sours are definitely the most common in Canada. South of the border, Bourbon, Midori (melon liqueur), Pisco (brandy) and Tuaca (vanilla) sours are all very popular. If your bar makes an amaretto sour with a shot of Amaretto and barmix, try taking a few extra seconds to craft one from scratch using the sour recipe that follows and then do a taste test. The results are like night and day. The sour recipe below can be modified into many different variations simply by
changing the alcohol.

This month, the Frangelico Sour is the cocktail of the month courtesy of bar chef Rob Montgomery of Toronto’s Vertical Restaurant. “The amaretto sour is so last year!” he says with a sarcastic laugh. When I first heard the name, I couldn’t help but say ‘why didn’t I think of that?’ and after trying it, I’m certain that this is one of my new favourites. It’s a well balanced drink that is light, refreshing and easy on the palate. Give it a try and you’ll never go back! A willingness to experiment and a little bit of time are two keys to some of the most fun and rewarding research and development you’ll ever do. You’ll find that you can easily broaden your knowledge base about the products you serve and great ways to serve them.

This month’s Move of the Month is a show stopper that must be practiced. It works on the same premise as throwing a candy in the air and catching it in your mouth. It’s important to start with a few cherries in your hand in case you miss the first one… you don’t want to be searching for garnish with an audience. World Champion Christian Delpech says it best… “You throw the cherry and then you pray!” Under the right circumstances you may choose to lean across the bar and feed the cherry to the guest who ordered the drink. Use discretion before garnishing a drink with something that has been in your mouth, no matter how often you brush your teeth! Until next time keep Raising the Bar!

MOVE OF THE MONTH : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-kwK9iwaZc

FRANGELICO SOUR
1 1/2 oz. Frangelico
2 teaspoons of Turbinado Sugar
2 Key limes cut in half and squeezed or muddled
1/2 oz. of pasteurized egg white Shake vigorously and strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass

Posted in Flair Bartending, Mixology, Raising the Bar | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Exotic Flavours of Summer!

By BartenderOne | Published: July 16, 2010
Give your guests an experience by creating cocktails that scream summer!

Give your guests an experience by creating cocktails that scream summer!

How often have you sat with a group of friends in search of something new and exciting and ended up settling on the same old? How often have you asked your resident bartender for a suggestion and been given something truly different? With the arrival of summer patio season more and more people will be looking for a great patio to enjoy the sunshine and a cool cocktail with friends. There are more than a handful of options when it comes to the flavours, that will undoubtedly, dominate this summer’s exotic cocktail trends.

As the Canadian consumer continues to demand more than just beer, bartenders are becoming mixologists, and in many cases, bar chefs – taking traditional culinary techniques and implementing them into their beverage programs. In a marketplace dominated by drinks that adhere to specific cost and speed of preparation margins, taking an extra few seconds and spending an extra few cents to handcraft a cocktail using top shelf ingredients can make the difference between clientele that will come back and customers who will keep searching for that elusive “something different.”

When you consider the traditional culinary principles of balancing flavour elements in a dish, you find that the same rules apply to creating custom cocktails. Sweet and sour elements can be balanced along with bitter and spicy. These elements don’t always have to be represented by ingredients of the drink itself, but can include dustings of fresh spices (nut- meg or cinnamon) custom rimmers, creative garnish or bitters.

So here’s the test. Watch your guests while they look over your cocktail menu. If they’re looking at the cocktail menu in the first place, it tells you that they are looking for inspiration. If your cocktail menu doesn’t inspire your clientele, and they end up ordering a beer or a rum and coke, perhaps you should look at adding some of the following flavours to your repertoire. Here are a few ways you could implement some exotic flavour combinations for an exciting new weekly special or a summer signature cocktail.

First of all, if you don’t have a pomegranate martini on your menu, now is the time! It’s deep purple colour and aromatic qualities will make it a surefire hit! By balancing the tartness of pomegranate with the sweet orange flavour of Cointreau, your guests can order these drinks all night. Pomegranate juice is commercially available or if you want to take the extra step and add fresh pomegranate juice, the fruit can be juiced, like an orange, in any conventional juicer. You can reasonably expect each pomegranate to yield 4 oz. of fresh juice.

This month’s blended treat is called “A Passionate Man.” As you laugh at the cliché remember that naming and presentation can have a profound impact on the decision making process. Passion fruit and mango are a natural pairing. The natural sweetness of mango is balanced by the tart qualities of passion fruit. Add a splash of cranberry juice (tart) and you’ve got a nicely balanced cocktail. For a spicy kick that will really set this cocktail apart, rim your chilled glass with habanero infused sugar to warm the taste buds at first but then cools them off with the tropical fruit flavours. To make the infused sugar rimmer, add 20 drops of habanero tabasco to one cup of granulated white sugar, mix thoroughly and let dry on a plate overnight.

While your guests are sipping on these well-balanced delights, a little bit of entertainment can go a long way towards creating a memorable experience. Using flair can be a great way to involve your guests in the drink making process. As always, the Move of the Month is a flair technique that anyone can do and doesn’t risk inventory or margins. This month’s move is a Garnish Toss. It may take a little practice, but you’ll find that your guests will enjoy it whether it’s when you drop the garnish or catch it on the rim of the glass. Until next month, keep Raising the Bar, because if you don’t, someone else will!

MOVE OF THE MONTH http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_LjG-VMiMs

A Passionate Man
2 oz. Amber Rum 2 oz. Island Originals Passion Fruit Puree 2 oz. Island Originals Mango Puree Splash of cranberry juice
Blend Ingredients with shaved or crushed ice and pour into a chilled hurricane or poco grande glass rimmed with habanero infused sugar.

Pomegranate Martini
1 1/2 oz. Citrus Vodka 1/2 oz. Cointreau 2 oz. Pomegranate juice
Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.

Posted in Flair Bartending, Mixology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

International Bartending Certification (IBC) Finals – Summer 2010

By BartenderOne | Published: July 9, 2010
More than 100 ingredients lined the bar for the IBC Final Exam

More than 100 ingredients lined the bar for the IBC Final Exam

The BartenderOne IBC (International Bartending Certification) wrapped up last week at Empire Lounge in Toronto’s Yorkville district. After tasting more than 100 spirits, liqueurs, bitters, along with dozens of varieties of sweeteners, citrus, custom infused spirits and syrups, student mixologists were tasked with creating an original cocktail in each of 5 spirit categories. Cocktails were to incorporate elements of both traditional balanced cocktail theory along with optional elements of infusion, fatwashing, bruleeing, and molecular mixology techniques like spherification, foams, misting and more…

The results were impressive, drinks were well thought out for the most part and the mixologists showed that they weren’t afraid to experiment with non traditional mixology techniques, and drinks that would appeal to a guest who had a particular affinity for a cocktail that didnt follow the methodology used for a balanced beverage.

Here are the standouts in each category.

VODKA COCKTAILS

Chocolate Chai Chiller - by Mixologist Heidi Boyle

Chocolate Chai Chiller - by Mixologist Heidi Boyle

Chocolate Chai Chiller

2oz Chai Infused Russian Standard Vodka
1 tsp choc syrup
4oz Lactose Free Milk
Shake & strain
Garnish with a Belgian Choc Disk & Chai Foam
(Chai foam made from egg whites and Chai Vodka)

Lemon Basil Martini - by Mixologist Chris Flink

Lemon Basil Martini - by Mixologist Chris Flink

Lemon Basil Martini
4 leaves basil
2oz Lemoncello
2oz Grey Goose Vodka
1 oz lemon simple syrup
1 tsp cane sugar
1 oz soda water

Muddle sugar and basil in boston glass. Add all ingredients (except soda) to boston glass. Shake with ice. Add soda. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with lemon twist

Super Melonl - by Mixologist Alex Firanski

Super Melon

Super Melon

2oz Grey Goose Vodka

Juice of one navel orange
4-5 Honeydew melon balls
4-5 Clementine wedges
3 dashes orange bitters
Muddle clementine wedges and melon balls in mixing glass until nice and juicy. Add freshly pressed orange juice, vodka and ice. Shake well. Strain over fresh ice in highball glass and top with bitters. Garnish with skewer of two clemintine wedges and one flambeed melon ball. Enjoy.

GIN COCKTAILS

Garden Fresh - by Mixologist Alex Firanski

Garden Fresh - by Mixologist Alex Firanski

Garden Fresh

2oz Tanqueray Gin
One medium size Grapefruit
Small hand full of Cilantro
1 bar spoon of sugar
1oz Egg whites
3 dashes Grapefruit bitters

Dry shake egg whites and sugar. Place cilantro in mixing glace and cover with one slice of grapefruit. Muddle. Add freshly pressed grapefruit juice(about 3oz), gin, and ice. Shake vigorously. Strain over fresh ice in highball glass and top with bitters. Garnish with grapefruit slice and cilantro sprig. Enjoy.

The Gin Based Pom Collins served with Pom Gin Caviar - by Mixologist Heidi Boyle

The Gin Based Pom Collins served with Pom Gin Caviar - by Mixologist Heidi Boyle

All three judges scored the Pom Collins runner up cocktail of the evening.  Amazing!

Pom Collins

3oz Victoria Gin
4oz Hand squeezed lemonade
2oz Rubicon Pomegranate juice
splash of soda
on a spoon…
Pom Gin caviar

RUM COCKTAILS

Pear-adise with Goldschlager Cinnamon Foam and Carmelized Pear Garnish

Pear-adise with Goldschlager Cinnamon Foam and Carmelized Pear Garnish - by Mixologist Alex Firanski

Pear-adise

1.5oz Bacardi Rum

0.5oz Navan Vanilla Liqueur
2oz pear nectar
Goldshlager foam*
Brown butter and cinnamon roasted pears
3 dashes chocolate bitters

Place pear nectar, rum, Navan, bitters, and ice in a mixing glace. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glace. Fill the remainder of the glass with Goldshlager foam. Pass a knife along the top of the glace to remove any excess foam so that it is flush with the top of the glass. Skewer 3 roasted pears, dust them with brown sugar, then caramalize with torch. Garnish with pear skewer and edible gold flakes. Yum…

*Goldshlager foam – 1.5oz Goldshlager, 1.5oz egg whites, 2oz pear nectar, 3oz water. Charge with N02. (Makes 8oz batch, yeilds enough for a dozen drinks)

WHISK(E)Y COCKTAILS

Tennessee Twist - by Mixologist Ceri Sadler

Tennessee Twist - by Mixologist Ceri Sadler

Tennessee Twist
1oz Jack Daniel’s
3/4 Vanilla Vodka
1/2 Blue Curacao
2 Fresh Oranges
Garnish with orange zest
Served in high ball on ice

Real Canadian Sushi - By Mixologist Alex Firanski

Real Canadian Sushi - By Mixologist Alex Firanski

All three judges scored the Real Canadian Sushi the highest of the evening.  Truly Amazing!

Real Canadian Sushi

1.5oz Canadian Club Whisky
3 lemon slices
0.5oz ginger sirup
Maple sirup
Roasted sesame seeds
Wasabi flavoured faux caviar

Role edge of cocktail glace in maple sirup and rim with sesame seeds. Leave glace to rest upside down to avoid any running of excess sirup. Muddle lemon and sirup in mixing glass. Add wiskey and ice. Shake well. Double stain into rimmed cocktail glass. Place a barspoon of wasabi caviar into the bottom of the glass. Serve with caviar on a wonton spoon. Seriously.

TEQUILA COCKTAILS

Pink Sombrero - By Mixologist Ceri Sadler

Pink Sombrero - By Mixologist Ceri Sadler

Pink Sombrero
1oz Cazadores Tequila
1/2 Cassis
1/2 A Fresh Lemon
1/2 Fresh Lime
Bar spoon of Sugar
Garnish with a lime
Strain into a chilled cocktail glass

Training Wheel with Tequila Caviar - by Mixologist Chris Flink

Training Wheel with Tequila Caviar - by Mixologist Chris Flink

Chris took a molecular approach to the North American Tradition of the Tequila, salt, lime trifecta.

The Training Wheel
Cazadores Tequila Caviar
Salted Lime Wheel (rind removed from half)
Serve on upside down shotglass.
Prepare lime wheel (cut, remove half rind, salt lightly). add caviar.

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mixing a Formula for Long Term Success!

By BartenderOne | Published: July 7, 2010

The industry is experiencing a cocktail revolution, and it’s time to start demanding more from bartenders

If your drink isn't up to your standards, send it back!

If your drink isn't up to your standards, send it back!

Has any one else noticed the increase in bars, restaurants and clubs arriving on the scene at the same rate they are disappearing? In major urban centres every week it seems that there is a new “I have to go” spot to check out. Why can’t these concepts find the secret to lasting success? Many bars and restaurants begin with a well-defined vision, spend countless hours and dollars on all the hard details of their operations and then in one swoop, hire their front line salespeople without considering their abilities to serve a drink? With all of these new places opening, who are we putting on the front lines to represent our new concepts?

The industry is experiencing an exciting time. The cocktail revolution is in full swing, so many new flavours are on our bars, yet, we’re still selling vodka and sodas like they’re going out of style. Companies like The Keg and TGIFridays have arguably the best corporate training programs in the business, and it shows in their commitment to deliver consistent quality and innovation in their products. In today’s marketplace, our guests have more knowledge, and with that, come higher expectations. Shouldn’t we have higher expectations?

It’s no secret that there is great money to be made behind the wood and the hospitality industry, much like the fashion industry, can be very image conscious. Well, the bodies are still flowing through the doors, eager and pretty, but bartending has become a bit of a halfway house for people who are waiting for their break in another industry that they are both trained for and passionate about. Vogue magazine doesn’t recruit cover models from the legions of mediocre bartenders, so my question is, does your average out-of-work model or between jobs actor have what it takes to represent your brand?

While employees in other industries are constantly upgrading their skills, it seems that in our industry if a candidate can fill out an application, he or she is offered a job. Perhaps it’s because the hospitality industry is so transient that there is seldom any cash allotted to training. The fact remains that these people are the ones directly responsible for your sales, and the long-term cost of not training your sales force will far outweigh the short-term cost of bringing them up to speed on your expectations. Unfortunately, most new staff will only complete a couple of shadow shifts where they learn (among other things) the bad habits of the previous generation of staff… Does this sound familiar?

Some of the greatest cocktails ever are now making a comeback and its amazing how many bartenders today don’t know what a ‘press’ is, how to make a ‘burnt’ martini or even what bitters are. These classic cocktails weren’t perfect the first time they were made, but their creators kept trying until they got it right. When you’re crafting something new, knowledge is power. Have a look at the ingredients you have on your back bar. If there are products there that you’ve never tried, or don’t know much about, perhaps it’s time to start to learn. Empower your staff, make it a competition or a challenge for each bartender to learn about one bottle and share their findings with their peers. Check out www.thatsthespirit.com for tons of useful information. One of my favourite questions from a guest is ‘can you make me something different?’ If you ask your bar staff the same question and get a blank stare like a deer in headlights, it’s time for some bartender training. We are, after all, supposed to be bartenders, not order takers.

We take care of others and create a great party. We’ve all heard the acronym T.I.P.S. – To Insure Prompt Service. I think it’s time to start demanding more from the bartenders of today. Make them work for their money. If you order a steak medium rare, you expect just that, and if it’s overcooked, you send it back. Start demanding the same from your drinks. If I’m paying $12 for a martini, you better believe I’ll send it back if it’snot right. The cost of losing a guest and their group due to poor quality is greater than simply remaking that drink.

Here’s where the formula for success comes in. Don’t be afraid to try, and more importantly, don’t be afraid to fail. It has been said that failure is a far greater teacher than success. It has also been said that the definition of insanity is to continue to do things the same way and expect a different result. If your bottom line results aren’t changing, maybe it’s time to vary your method. Next time you’re in Toronto, belly up to the bar at Canyon Creek on Front St. and ask for a bartender named Chris Purdy. His commitment to excellence in knowledge and service may inspire you to examine the way your staff interact with your guests. To those who take the time and respect the wood, I salute you. For those who do the hiring and write the schedules, its time to take a good look around and start asking more questions. Make it your resolution to “Raise the Bar” in 2010, because if you don’t, someone else will!

Posted in Mixology | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mixology Mondays – Pain in the Ass Drinks

By BartenderOne | Published: April 29, 2010

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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.

Posted in How to Videos, Raising the Bar | Also tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment