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Hey Chris where did you get that Big Ben recipe from? We had a Big Ben on the D and C menu 1 or 2 years ago. A variation on Regans Dubliner, which I turned into the Londoner and in turn into the Big Ben. More so for Big Ben in London but didn't mind the duplicity of name since I do bleed black and gold, anyway my Big Ben was 2 Beefeater .5 Dry (old Noilly or Dolin) .5 Grand Marnier Dash of Orange

There is no substitute for fresh juice. Make him a boozy non-juice cocktail.

Free pour a Tantris Sidecar consistently ten times in a row and I will never touch a jigger again. Free pouring 1 to 2 oz at a time have a chance of being acurate. But the margin of error for .25 oz to .5 oz just is too large. And again I will not admit to free pouring being faster if we take in quaility as factor. I have jiggered in bars 3 or 4 deep. The only thing harder to believe that one can accurately free pour with one bottle is they can free pour with two. I'm not buying it with the exception of equal parts. Any body heard of Ryan M's jumping jack test. You free pour test yourself and then do a 100 jumping jacks (to simulate fatigue of later in a shift) and then free pour test yourself again. This just in: Speed is not the answer. Speed is well rum and coke out of a gun. Efficiancy is most important.

A 2 year old can make a 2 ingrediant hiball, free pour your heart out. One more thing about why jiggering is so important is the education factor. That is recipe sharing and such. I can give my staff formulas and the tools (jiggers) to replicate drinks. More importantly think of people who are not bartenders who want to make recipes at home? Jiggers even make the novices produce on point. Also training a new bartender, whats simpler teaching them to jigger or freepour. Also whats more sure fire and consistent. Jiggering = better drinks. Think of what you were drinking ten years ago.

There is its called fresh strawverrys. Anything you can get fresh there is no need for a liquior.

How about this analogy. I don't go to the cherry tavern and ask for a Sazerac, I'm aware of my suroundings, shouldn't everyone be? Also if you are a vodka drinker and enter a place that doesn't carry vodka and you only find out once your there it is that establishments choice for a reason. They have two easy choices take an interest and find out why or go to any other bar anywhere and order your vodka drink. It must be said that it is a two way street between bartenders being professional and consumers being polite and I must say the rudest customers nominated by spirit of choice are vodka drinkers. To them Bartenders are not well trained proffesionals but just unskilled drink deliverers at there beck and call.

Ignorance isn't bliss, its a vodka tonic. Look I remember being a vodka drinker, thats right laugh it up. In my day in Pittsburgh I put me back some Stoli Tonics, Why? To get drunk, and why Vodka Tonics well because Vodka is what one drank to get drunk. It didn't taste like any thing I got drunk without bothering to think, taste, or enjoy. Now knowing what I know now I can't stand the thought of drinking something as mindless as a vodka tonic. Evangelize indeed. It is my job as a proffesional to help people drink better. If people didn't want to drink better I wouldn't own a bar or have a career behind one. I feel like I discovered some secret IE cocktails and spirits that I want to share with people. Vodka is a crutch. If you have it people will fall back on it. If you don't they will learn to walk and drink something else. An aquired taste is a just reward for an effort put forth. Most people don't just wake up and decide to love Laphroiag one day. It is a pleasure that has to be earned. Campari drinkers think of your first time, it took me forever to learn to like it but boy am I glad my dedication paid off. Vodka is simplicity to the point of mundane. Mindless. The number of times I've walked into a bar or restruant and looked at the booze selection and saw the same 12 bottles of vodka and maybe say 10 other bottles of over marketed over priced liquid habits in a bottle that people drink because no one has ever taken the time to open there eyes to not just taste but value: that is my inspiration. Worst of all liquor companies can't leave well enough alone. Know we have Gins, Rums, and Tequilas made and marketed to vodka drinkers: Tasted any of some of those new fangled gins or how about some flavored Tequila. We are dumbing down the finest spirits in the world to cater to the worst pallets. Bulldog gin costs more than Beefeater how is that possible? If I never hear the word smooth again I'm not going to complain. Funny story. About 2nd night of freinds and family at my new establishment. Friends of friends of friends wind up getting in. I hand them a cocktail menu, a girl who seemed perhaps almost in the bag asks for a double vodka and tonic without even looking at the menu. I tell here I don't carry Vodka or tonic, and also that I don't serve doubles. She is none to happy, she snaps and asks me how someone can't have vodka. No lie I didn't like her very much, so I told her that we specialized in things that taste like something and since vodka didn't tast like something we didn't carry it. She asked me how I could be so presumptious to make a judgement like that. She wound up ordering a mojito(another no brainer) and I only thought of my reply after I was already downstairs and kept it to myself. It was: I had come to that conclusion by tasting hundreds of spirits over the past six years and how was it that she had come to hers? Ignorance isn't bliss its a Vodka tonic. Vodka is perhaps the pioneer of todays Liquir/Marketing scheme. Its in fact brilliant. Seen as how it doesn't taste like anything the only thing poor folks can "rate" it on is price/image. And born was the expensive equals better craze.(can anyone else her Violent Femmes in the background) We could start a whole new thread on this topic so I will move on, just wanted to note that I believe vodka to be the biggest culprit.

Ok all you foodies have started our food program as well so please bring your egullets and feedback. Rest assured no standing. We thought about it but it just doesn't function smoothly and atmosphere just goes to poop. Thanks for all the props.

First and formost you get what you pay for. Don't buy the stupid little glass bottled 750 of heradura find the cheaper liter bottle. heradura silver in the liter is probably the best value for quality to price comparison. Siete Leguas and El Tesoro are a bit more expensive but perhaps the two tastiest tequilas back to front and damn cheap compared to some of the overpriced posers in their henious packaging. If its not 100 percent blue agave don't buy it.

Oxo measuring cups equal larger margin for error. That whole looking down at a line inside of something no bueno. The top of a jigger lets you know by overflowing if you put too much in or shows the top of its level if pour is short. Agree with John on the jigger set. Also throw in an adjustable Teaspoon measure for the critical 1 and a half teaspoon which equals the tricky .25 ounce. Oxo blahh, jigger please

One last thing I should of said in the first place. Will jiggers kill the bar star? My question would there be bar stars without jiggers. Anyone recall any bar stars 5 or 6 years ago before every jiggering establishment that currently has bar stars were open? Keep thinking

I said Beefeater Sam.

Most disabused principle is Philosophy. Thought article was just another exercise in the long history of "philosophizing" for the sake of it. Labels don't explain much they are just convienant. Blah Blah Blah.

First off how dare Don Lee accuse people of thinking too much. I can hear him laughing to himself as he writes these things. (and too think he got in the times, good dig Don) About time to make a drink. Whats the difference between a hamburger at Mcdonalds and a hamburger at Landmarc? Price, time, and quality. I can walk into Mcdonalds most likely walk up to the counter and get a hamburger on the spot for whatever those baby brain washing pigs charge for a burger these days. Where as at Landmarc one must wait for his or her burger which I find totally unexceptable. I mean like sometimes it could be like 15 minutes dude. I'm always like "why didn't I go to Mcdonalds man?" Then on top of everything else it costs about 12 bucks! I mean I know they actually use meat and all but 12 bucks, I could probably get 3 of Mickey D's burgers for twelve bucks. There are Mcdonalds polluting the entire earth. There are even more bars where one can go into and get there instant vodka tonic. Please be aware of your surroundings. Don't go to Per Se and try to order a grilled cheese. Instant coffee versus fresh ground brewed coffee????? True love versus a one night stand??????? Some things take time. Patience really is a virtue. Quality isn't instant, Red bull is, drink it often its good for the heart rate.

Thats what I don't understand Sam. They probably didn't even realize it was a staple. we are just the stupid US market I suppose.