April 2008 Edition
 |
BarNone Drink Recipes Newsletter |  |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Dear Bartender, Happy April Fools Day! We've got another issue loaded with stuff for you. I even have a little piece about a night I had out with Master Mixologist Bobby G. Yeah Baby!
Please be smart, don't drink and drive! Enjoy the following recipes in moderation and take a cab if you need one. Cheers! Dan Hutchinson
It's a rather long article for the newsletter so I'll just give you the opening paragraph. You can then decide if you want to finish the rest. All that I have to say is that it was an amazing night spent with a legend! It starts with Bobby G pulling in to pick us up at our place on the strip. What starts? Well the great people with Beam and Fortune found out I'm in Vegas and made it quite clear that I needed to spend an evening out with the legendary mixologist, Bobby G Gleason. Not one to complain, I naturally said yes. Besides I could think of worse things to do in Vegas. I will warn you though, I am going to drop names in this story because we were out with some very amazing cocktail giants.
The Raven has taken a break to rest his liver so I've dug through the archives to pull this article out of the bag. Don't worry, he'll be back next month! I want to share with you the focus of one of my favorite subjects: high proof alcohol. First, a quick background on proof: In the U.S., an alcohols proof is determined by multiplying the alcohols volume by two; thus, a drink that is 50% alcohol is 100 proof. I say that this is in the U.S. because I have heard unconfirmed rumors that proof is calculated slightly differently in the U.K. The term proof refers to the ability of the alcohol to allow gunpowder to burn. If a small bag of gunpowder would still burn after being mixed with a small amount of the liquor, this was proof that the drink contained sufficient alcohol. Most people in their lives have come in contact with alcohols that come near or barely break the 100 proof mark. For instance, Wild Turkey Bourbon is most often consumed at 101 proof and Absente clocks in at 110. Anyone who is a rum fan has probably come across Bacardi 151 at some point, although they probably had it mixed in with something else to mask the burning sensations. Only a lucky few have ever tasted something of even this purity on its own. Id venture to say that almost no one has gone much past this mark. One day, while cleaning out a liquor cabinet for a friend, I was blessed by the fates to come across a bottle of Strohs 80, a dark rum from Austria. The thing that caught my eye about this bottle was the immense warning that was printed over the top of it. The very first thing you see on the bottle when you go to open it is Danger: Flammable. I thought to myself, Well, of course its flammable. Ive lit 80 proof liquor before. It takes a little finesse, but its possible. Always up for an interesting draught, I poured myself a shot (mind you of course, I'm not typically a rum drinker.) In a style that befits a wine taster, I played with the liquid in the glass for a minute or so, taking in the bouquet and watching it coat the sides. It smelled like the finest butterscotch schnapps Ive ever tasted, though I did notice that the follicles in my moustache reacted a bit when I got my nose really close. Satisfied that the alcohol had not gone bad in its respite in the back of the cabinet and interested to see how this would taste with such an alluring odor, I toasted my contemporaries and threw back my head. Before I tell you my reaction, I must say two things. First, when I finally had sense enough to read the whole bottle, I found that the 80 in Strohs 80 was not referring to the proof, but rather the ABV%. The rum I had just unsuspectingly quaffed rang in at a previously unheard of 160 proof. Secondly, I must make apologies to Ralph Wiggum, because in my immediate daze, only one thing escaped my lips: It tastes like... burning! Since then, I have occasionally sipped this water of life when I need to remind myself of some universal truth, mostly my mortality. Ive meted out my discovery to those that I think can handle it, sometimes with amusingly expected results. A particularly tough buddy of mine decided that my recommendation of a quarter ounce for his first time was not enough. Not only did I have to peel him off the wall, later in the evening I beat him for the first and only time at Texas Holdem. The oil burns low, and the glass runs empty. Good night, and be sure to catch next months installment of The Ravens Caw.
About The Raven J.T. "Raven" Centonze has been a long time student of the art of alcohol. Initially interested in keeping conversation at parties, his love for alcohol grew to an obsession in college. In between his real job of running a college bookstore or two, he is the part owner/operator of his own winery. He bartends at private parties which allows him the innovation of many new, unique drinks.
 Partida Tequila
A Buttery Nipple is a very popular, very tasty shooter. If you aren't familiar with what a shooter is, it is a small drink, usually between one and four ounces in size, that is meant to be consumed in one gulp. It can contain either one type of alcohol, or a combination of several that are presented either stirred, shaken, layered, or blended. The Buttery Nipple shooter is of the layered variety. The name of a shooter can vary, and some are given fun, naughty names that are meant to shock the drinker. Case in point-the Buttery Nipple, which is also sometimes referred to as the even more vulgar Cocksucking Cowboy, or CS Cowboy. The Buttery Nipple shooter has been quite popular for the last few years. In fact, as of 2004, it was among the most popular selections in clubs and pubs in Australia. So popular, in fact, that pre-made, sealed shot glasses, as well as kits filled with bottles of the drink's ingredients, were made available under the CS Cowboy name. As mentioned above, a Buttery Nipple is a layered shooter. In order to make the drink, you'll need a shot glass, Butterscotch Schnapps, and your favorite type of Irish Cream. To create a Buttery Nipple, add equal parts of each liquor to the shot glass. The Butterscotch Schnapps needs to be added first, followed by the Irish Cream, which will then float on top. When combined, the drink will contain 32% ABV.
Val, Val Val. What do we say about Val? I can say that she's been doing a bunch of work for us here at Bar None for the last few months, but most of it site related, not for our newsletter. However, I think she'll start becoming a regular feature here so we hope you enjoy her writing from some little place called Hoboken or was it Halifax? Hmm, maybe it was Hammonton. Wherever it was, she's doing a fine job and we're happy to have her aboard.
Opening Day Lemonade
Mix ingredients in an ice-filled tall glass and fill with lemonade.
Our latest Rober Plotkin article talks about new cocktail themes and ingredients sure to win over your customers. Robert is the founder of BarMedia.com For the past 17 years, Robert Plotkin, has been working to provide beverage operators with the right career tools they need to attain success. He has created the best management systems, tools, software and books available in the hospitality industry. His nationally acclaimed products are in the offices and behind the bars of the most successful hotels, nightclubs, restaurants and hot spots worldwide.
When the ladies in HBO's "Sex in the City" changed their cocktail of choice from the Cosmopolitan to the Flirtini, it was big news. All of a sudden, people were ordering Fliritinis and bartenders were scrambling to catch up with the boom. The Flirtini is an excellent example of creativity in action. It's made in a champagne glass with four fresh raspberries muddled on the bottom. The cocktail calls for Stolichnaya Razberi Vodka, pineapple juice and a fill with champagne. It's lightly effervescent and exceptionally delicious. The watchword today is creativity. It is the key ingredient in every libation that has captured the attention of the fun-loving public. People are looking for taste, looks and a healthy dash of the unpredictable in their cocktails. So, what's hot these days? Well, here's our answer to that question, a list of drink styles guaranteed to satisfy even the most demanding palate.
Proven Strategies for the On-Premise Operator This may be the best resource guide ever written for controlling, managing and operating a beverage operation profitably. Covering virtually every aspect of a beverage operation, Robert Plotkin has left no stone unturned. From analyzing bartender and server productivity to explaining how to use pour cost formulas to increase profits, it is a guide that anyone can use to increase their profits, reduce their costs and understand how to do it in a step-by-step format.
Gin 'n' Juice
Fill glass with ice, pour in the Plymouth Gin, add the pink grapefruit juice and top with sparkling water. Stir and garnish with a grapefruit zest.
Orange Blossom
Fill glass with ice, pour in the Plymouth Gin, add the elderflower cordial and top with orange juice. Stir and garnish with an orange wheel.
Even if you are not a huge lover of vodka, sample a taste of Ocean Vodka and you are definitely going to change your mind. Whether you choose to enjoy it straight on the rocks or tastefully mixed with other ingredients to make a delectable martini, Ocean Vodka has that "wow" factor that would have your palate calling for more. Undoubtedly in a class by itself, Ocean Vodka is big on taste and not to mention its quality. Sye Vasquez and Shay Smith are the brothers behind this fascinating drink and the idea for the vodka came from their love for the ocean and vodka, the latter which they drank after they surf the seas. When the idea surfaced to start a new business venture, it was obvious that a vodka business was the direction in which Sye and Shay would be heading. Soon they were distilling their own vodka from their family's Kahului facility. Today Ocean Vodka is distilled using a four-column distillation process. Indeed, vodka such as this should not be taken lightly. Its makers have certainly gone above and beyond to ensure that those consuming it are getting the most out of their alcohol. Unique by nature, Ocean Vodka stands apart from its competitors because of its use of organic ingredients which are combined with the use of MaHaLo Hawaii Deep Sea drinking water much to drinker's delight. Jennifer Vasquez Director of Marketing for Hawaii Spirits Inc recently revealed in an interview the secrets behind Ocean Vodka's unmatched smoothness and taste. "Our vodka is free from blending and flavor additives", she said and added that even its corn and rye ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides and genetic modification Clearly there is more to Ocean Vodka than meets the eye or rather the taste in your mouth. Why the very water used in this spirit actually comes from some 3,000 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean off the Hawaiian Coast. "At this depth, the water is perfectly pure and free of any surface pollutants", Vasquez continued. "The water (there) is gently desalinated, but retains its rich minerals." The results of this meticulous process are a spirit that is almost too delicious to be vodka. Ocean Vodka gets along famously with fruit juices but there are other recipe experiments waiting for you to try. The protection and revitalization of the ocean's resources is also paramount on the makers of Ocean Vodka's list. So every time you purchase a bottle of this vodka, you are not only leisurely doing yourself a favor, but your money is helping to preserve the ocean's fragile eco-systems as well.
Asha Brodie has spent an interesting 19 years in print media in Trinidad. She currently lives in the USA with her husband and daughter. Her lifelong love affair for writing continues...
Mango Rita
Shake with ice and strain into a margarita glass. Tea-Ki Torch
Shake with ice and strain into a tall glass.
Cinco Herradura
Stir the tequila, fruit juices and soda together in a tall glass. Add the lime juice and stir again. Rim a third of a tumbler with lime and dip in green sugar. Rim the adjoining third of the glass with lime and dip in white sugar and the last third with lime and dip in red sugar. Pour the drink into the rimmed glass and serve.
Looks like I'm heading to New Orleans in July, are you? Check out the Tales of the Cocktail website by clicking the image below. Are you ready for it?
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
