Liberty Bar - Seattle

Well, I have to say that making triple-sec is not the easiest job. Someone above mentioned that what is 'easier', or - moreso, what will most commonly be the result is Orangecello. I make my own lemoncello, and while its delicious (I use ONLY the peel of oranges, then freeze them to open the cellular walls and then soak these peels in 150proof 'vodka' for a week or more), and this turns into orangecello, NOT triple sec. The difference? Well, a) it's only one kind of orange, and be) louching will happen with fresh orange peels when mixed with water. Not to attractive for use as triple-sec. But, to make triple sec? I will try dried orange peels with 150 proof to see if the flavor can be matched along with losing the louching. Here at my Alcohology blog, I talked about making infusions, but.s..triple ec would be a good one to do since bars use it so often. It'd save us some money, to be sure. I look forward to anyone's successful efforts.

Hello there, Everyone. WELL! I joined up a long time ago, but today is my first post, and it's a fitting topic. My name is Andrew Friedman, and I am the president of the Washington State Bartender's Guild (WSBG). Also, I am the owner of Liberty, a scratch/classic cocktail bar here in Sunny Seattle. In terms of bartender guilds and the USBGin general, this is quite a big discussion, actually. In the 'States, there is a separation between the national USBG's 14 guilds (headed by Southern Wine & Spirits, one of the largest liquor distributors/marketers) and the few independent guilds in North America, the aforementioned Washington State Bartender's Guild (WSBG), the Oregon Bartender's Guild (OBG), Kentucky's guild (KBG), D.C. and I think Vancouver, BC). What's the difference? Well...that's where the 'big discussion' comes in. Here in Seattle, we as a city/region thrive on our independence, so we have chosen to be an independent guild, and while the USBG folks are really good people (I know and like a number of them), we like to retain our independence for many reasons. In terms of starting a guild, please let me know if I can be of assistance at all. We received help from the OBG, and we in tern have helped others in their interest in starting independent guilds, and I of course would love to help out if you'd like. The difference between being independent or being under the umbrella of the USBG? Well... One good thing about being part of the USBG is that they can push sponsorships and events your way for Southern products. I've yet to hear that they will get in the way of any events that are not Southern products, but I have not seen the agreement that one must sign to be part of the USBG, and I heard stories that there are provisions there against having non-Southern products at official USBG events... Again! I have not seen this agreement myself, so someone may have just been telling a story that they were told. Here in Seattle, we have put on I think eight or nine events in the last year, some with 150+people, the last was our Holiday Cocktail event, led by Paul Clarke, where ~60 people came by Barrioand had a number of cocktails created by Paul and learned the history of this branch of cocktaildom. On our mailing list, we have over 250 bartenders and associates, but it's the core group of a few members here in Seattle that really make the WSBG happen. And, if you want to start a local/independent guild, you'll have to have some very dedicated individuals to make things happen - which is one of the good things about the USBG, because they just make events happen... It's not that much more difficult to make events happen on your own, but it is a bit more organization and outreach. In any case, I hope that I gave you a bit of the story on guilds, and I have recently finished my first post of a series of posts on Guilds at my blog, Alcohology. The second will be posted in the next few days as I compile the replies from other guild member's that I have received. Thanks for the interest, y'all! Andrew

Hey there, Chris. I'd suggest Tenzing MomoTenzin Momo from here in Seattle. They are an outstanding herbilst shop, and besides the fact that they are extremely reasonably priced, they'll ship you all that you need. They have the gentian root in non-power form and most of the other items described in this discussion.

Yep. I agree completely. I really like the idea of the Peach Bitters, and I use it here at Liberty in a number of cobblers and such - but the taste is rather - to steal the word - nuanced for most drinks to really create the effect. I am surprised that it's not more of a pronounced bitter. That said - it's a product worth getting. We're making our own bitters, a cranberry/orange/rosehips, and an absinth/vanilla bitters. Next will be a solid lemon bitters which will have many uses. This thread is amazing. Really. So much incredible information, and I have to applaud all the contributors - this is easily the most complete information in the world as far as I know concerning bitters. It's been a pleasure reading through the info.