ThinkingBartender
-
Posts
473 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Posts posted by ThinkingBartender
-
-
Along with Cato Alexander, Mr. Willard--aka "the Napoleon of the Bar" was America's first celebrity bartender. He's featured prominently in my forthcoming book, so I won't say more. But he rocked.
David,
Is Cato Alexander detailed in your book David?
And in this same forthcoming best-seller, is there any mention of the bartenders of Boston, and what they were up to in the mid-1800s? A much circulated bar card from a saloon in Boston makes me salivate in a way that Jerry Thomas' bare bones recipes do not.
Do bar books/ manuals etc, that were never published in their own right ever come to the surface? For example, a distant relative looks through some old things and found Great-great-great-grand-pappy's secret cocktail journal.
Cheers!
George
-
Along with Cato Alexander, Mr. Willard--aka "the Napoleon of the Bar" was America's first celebrity bartender. He's featured prominently in my forthcoming book, so I won't say more. But he rocked.
Dave: I hope you have Willard's christian name in that book of yours.
As the City Hotel was pulled down in 1850, and a person by the name of Henry Willard opened a Willard's Hotel in Washington around that time, I am thinking that possibly maybe it is the same Willard. Then Willard's Hotels started popping up in a few different cities, surmised from further trawlings for information. An interesting fact is that the founder of Marriot Hotels was a J. Willard- Marriot. Hmmm. Connection? Hmmm.
Whats the title of your forthcoming book then David?
Cheers!
George
-
Does anyone know any details of who exactly Willard was? Or if he published a book on drinks or cocktails?
Travels in North America, by Charles Augustus Murray, 1839
"...the immortal Willard (who kept the bar of the City-hotel in New York for many years) was allowed to be the first master of this art in the known world. The name of this remarkable personage is familiar to every American, and to every foreigner who has visited the States during the thirty years; I have heard many calculations of the number of mint juleps that he has been known to compound in one day, and of the immense profits resulting to the hotel from his celebrity; but not having written them down at the moment, I will not venture on a vague statement here. His memory was yet more surprising than his skill at concoction; of the hundreds and thousands who went in to enjoy practical demonstration of the latter, he never forgot a face, or a name if once mentioned; even although the individual were absent for years, he could at once address him as though he had been introduced but yesterday."Recollections of a Lifetime, by Samuel Griswold Goodrich, 1856
My lodgings were at the City Hotel, situated on the western side of Broadway, between Thames and Cedar streets - the space being now occupied by warehouses. It was then the Astor House of New York, being kept by a model landlord, whose name was Jennings, with a model barkeeper by the name of Willard. The latter was said never to sleep - night ot day - for at all hours he was at his post, and never forgot a customer, even after an absence of twenty years.Webtender Wiki entry on Willard
Cheers!
George
-
So while on the subject of Crustas and Santina, how is it that some people have the name of the restaurant where Santina worked in New Orleans?
Jewel of the South, on Gravier Street, in New Orleans. -
I have seen that the following quote is featured in Jerry Thomas' book:
"The “Cocktail” is a modern invention, and is generally used on fishing and other sporting parties, although some patients insist that it is good in the morning as a tonic. The “Crusta” is an improvement on the “Cocktail,” and is said to have been invented by Santina, a celebrated Spanish caterer."And the next quote is from American and other Drinks, by Leo Engel, 1878:
THE Cocktail is quite a modern invention, and is very frequently used as the "proper beverage" for fishing and other sporting parties, although we have heard of some "weary sufferers" who take it in the morning as a tonic. The Crusta is thought by some to be an improvement on the Cocktail, and is said to have been invented by Santina, a celebrated Spanish caterer.So, who is more likely to have copied who? And which edition of Jerry Thomas does the Crusta first appear in?
Cheers!
George
-
So the Buck's Fizz was created in 1921 by MacGarry, but what recipe did he use?
What about the other Buck's Fizz recipes? Gin, orange juice, champagne, and then, orange juice, champagne, and grenadine. Whats the original recipe?
Was the Mimosa created in 1925 at the Paris Ritz's? What recipe did they use?
Should the Mimosa have grenadine to replicate the colour of the Mimosa flower?
What are the differences between a Buck's Fizz and a Mimosa?
Cheers!
George
-
yes, it was the dessert, I think that a cocktail is easier and makes more of a conversation than just some scoops of ice-cream.
I was trying to get some type of drink that is related to golden cadillac, brandy alexander those types of drinks.
and yes there was more ladies than men.. at least after the cocktail.. hehe.
What about Espresso Cocktails?
Cheers!
George
-
It's Drinkboy in his home bar, the Black Feather.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1838509924940573182
"In this original video produced by Small Screen Network (www.smallscreennetwork.com), Robert Hess aka Drinkboy mixes up a champagne cocktail and let's you in on a bit of cocktail history."
Nice bar Robert!
Cheers!
George
-
I am actually quite suprised that Schumann didn't lift his game for the camera (phone?).
He probably isn't aware that that recording ended up on the web.
The scooping of ice with the glass was my first "concern", but then another guy in the same clip does it too.
Gomme and Sugar in a drink seems like a misunderstood concept gone wrong, even in a Caipirinha I would say the same.
-
Take a butchers at this youtube footage of Charles Schumann preparing a Whiskey Sour, looking for novice-type bartending mistakes, and also trying to ascertain the exact recipe that old Charlie boy is utilising:
So, without pouring it on too thick, what do people think of Charles Schumanns performance?
1. Bar awareness (taking into account he is at an event).
2. Attitude (does he seem surly).
3. Loads of Gomme syrup, and more sugar for luck.
4. Scooping the ice with a glass!!!
There is another video, of one of Schumann's "Lehrling" doing a better job, until the part where he shovels in the sugar.
Perhaps Schumann was annoyed at the music, or summink?
George
p.s. my video camera is on its way, so hold your horses!-)
-
Back in 2002, I wrote this book and printed it as a PDF. Now I have compressed
it, and I am now making it available to whoever wants it, via my website.
If too many people download it, then I will have to remove it from the website
(don't want to incur extra costs due to bandwidth usage). If I do remove the
e-book from the website, then just send me an e-mail and I will send it to you
via e-mail. The e-mail offer is limited to the first half of 2007 (expires
31st June 2007). After that, stop referring to old posts!-)
Enjoy the e-book, and then subscribe to my blog.
Cheers!
George
-
There is a modern tendency, I think because of portion control and the like, to balance every cocktail the same. Every cocktail has to have the same amount of alcohol, be the same size, and be a balanced mix of sweet and sour or sweet and bitter.
This is so true. 50ml of any spirit is a minimum for me when I concoct a recipe. The reasoning behind this, for me anyway, is the cost. I am not one to spend good money on a drink that, while historically correct as it might be, is just interesting when it comes to flavour. I love the taste of the spirits that go into the cocktails, so the rest of the drink is there to offer something else on top of that.
Cheers!
George
-
I do know that the first alchohol that distills off is not the same concentration as that which comes off in the middle, so it is not added to the batch.
Apparently this is true with all distilled spirits, specifically Pisco.
Cheers!
George
-
No, not rhetorical at all.
It seems to be a lost art to some people to simply greet someone as they enter their bar with some sort of acknowledgement, a nod, a mouthed hello (i.e. no sound, just the mouth movement), a raising of the eye-brows, whatever, just so that you know that they know that you are there, and that you will require some attention.
An award winning cocktail bar in Soho, London was renowned for their bartenders inability to just say "hey, I will be with you in a minute", even if someone else would end up serving you. The arrogance of their bartenders was compounded by their carefree attitude, "it doesn't matter if a customer walks out, there will be plenty more." Even if that is true, it might not always be true. Customers can be fickle, and they will talk to their friends, who talk to their friends. One indiscretion on the part of a member of staff can have a knock-on effect, which can influence hundreds/ thousands of other potential customers; Especially with the internet only a click away.
Cheers!
George
-
Eje,
I wasn't aware that the Black Velvet was also referred to as the Bismarck. Apparently Otto Von Bismarck drank at the famous Adlon in Berlin, but it is a difficult hotel to find cocktail related info on.
As for preparing the Black Velvet, I was always told to pour in the champage up to the half-way point, then tilt the glass 45 degrees, and then pour the Guiness in. The guiness we used was in bottles, and was 8 percent alcohol. I tried the big bottles of 11 percent Guiness once, it was yucky.
Exactly why anyone would want two distinctive layers of guiness and champagne seems a little crazy. The customer will stir it up, and then voom, a huge top-hat of foam appears on the glass.
If the Black Velvet was invented in the 1860s, then would it not be more likely that a Marie Antoinette style of glass was used?
Cheers!
George
-
[cross-posted]
Some of the most absurd excuses for logic can be found in heated internet
forum "debates", such classics as:
Do you speak to your customers like that?
What the hell kind of a question is that? An internet forum is in no way
indicative of how someone will be in a real-life bar situation.
The Snarky Answer:
Hell yeah. Those ass-holes want to come into my bar and ask me to make them a
drink, then by god they must proof that they are of the calibre I expect my
customers to be. Give them the questionnaire and two minutes to complete it.
No pen?, straight out the door, always come prepared for the questionnaire.
Less than a 95% pass-rate?, straight out the door. Some days I am not in the
mood to serve those plebs that come into the bar, so I don't; The bar-manager
realises how truly awesome I am so he goes along with it. "Our sales may be
down," say the bar manager, "but our integrity is intact." What do real bars
care about bar sales, profit margins? Its all about knowing which year and by
whom a certain cocktail was invented, if you don't know that then you are in
the wrong business. Suiting the publics tastes, as long as they mirror mine,
then yes.
snark-mode-off
How do you greet your customers?
1) Hi. How are you doing?
2) What can I get for you?
3) You dare come into my bar!!!
Controversy creates cash!
George
-
re: Savoy Errors
I've been meaning to write a post about this in the Cocktail Books forum. To me it's interesting to compare Duffy and Craddock. Duffy seems far more prone to a certain type of error and Craddock another type of oversight. For example, Duffy seems far more likely to just get a cocktail name attached to the wrong ingredients. On the other hand, Craddock seems to pay almost no attention to proper preparation (almost every instruction is "Shake and strain into cocktail glass") or garnish.
Black Velvet
1/2 Guinness Stout
1/2 Champagne (Navarro Brut)
Pour very carefully.
This one arrived rather coincidentally, as we had some sparkling wine left over from New Years Eve. Can't really say I see the point. Rather have a glass of decent sparkling wine or enjoy my Guinness. Perhaps a sweeter wine would be more of a match?
But, then I've never really seen the point of any of the mixed beer drinks. Shandy, Snakebite, Lager and Lime... Why ruin a perfectly good pint?
A cocktail in tribute to the late prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria.
-
So how many people do we affect in our lives, when it comes to cocktails/ mixology?
How many people have you taught to make cocktails, either at home or professionally in a bar?
Also, how many different countries have you shown people the wonders of mixology in?
Cheers!
George
-
Okay, I am participating in this Mixology Monday.
The drink I have chosen is the Bishop.
My Blog Entry is HERE!!!
Cheers!
George
-
Cheers, Adam, it's a nice cocktail, I didn't add any sweetener to the lemon juice, as I think Green Chartreuse is already plenty sweet.
I really couldn't find anything out about the name. Googling "Biter Cocktail" isn't very productive. Though, there are some modern cocktails with "interesting" names involving the word "biter". Name of a person? Description of the effect?
My edition of Duffy's "Official Mixer's Manual" calls it the "Bitter Cocktail".
Some versions of the cocktail call for Yellow Chartreuse instead of the green.
From what I hear/ read there are a lot of spelling mistakes and transcription errors on Craddocks part when he was copying from other peoples books.
The Three Millers was supposed to be a Three Miler (refering to the three mile limit, so that you could be in international waters and drinking, during prohibition).
There are others.
-
...vodka has no flavor.
You mean American Vodka by its legal definition within the borders of the United States, rather than actual Vodka?
If some asked you for a glass of water and you gave them a glass of vodka, I think that they might notice
-
But, getting back to old-fashion(ed)s, what is the correct spelling?
Old-fashion or Old-fashioned?
I see both in older cocktail books.
Well, I say "Old Fashioned", but thats because I mean "Old Fashioned Whiskey Cocktail". Grammatically it doesn't work as "Old Fashion", unless you mean "A Whiskey Cocktail of the Old Fashion".
Usually I am too drunk to talk, so I just point at the menu.
-
I think I can use white rum in the White Russian and maybe gin or tequila in the Bloody Mary.
Rum White Russian is called (by some) as a Cuban Dude. Personally, I prefer the name El Duderino. Both allude to the Big Lebowski.
Tequila Bloody Mary is a Bloody Maria.
-
Ha! Serendipity. I like it.
Seriously, some times it is best to stick with beer.
I think the only undrinkably bad old-fashioned I've ever had was made with vodka. Should have gone with Heineken that night.
Oh! So you can't drink flavourless spirits, but you can drink flavourless beer
Jerry Thomas & Leo Engel
in Spirits & Cocktails
Posted
Thanks.
Well its a good thing that he didn't have access to the internet while doing his exams.
Cheers!
George