KatieLoeb

You've all done it to me again. I just ordered the Dornenburg book. Would that I weren't so easily lead, but I do like building up my professional library. It is a tax write-off after all.

Southwark is my go-to usually at least a couple of times per week because it's stumbling distance from my house. And conveniently located just about where I get thirsty on my walk home from work. I've spent a great deal of time at that bar. And if I'm not mixing it myself, I can think of few folks I'd rather have making me my cocktail than Kip or George. So they talked you into a bottle of the Black Maple Hill, eh? Lucky you. I'm waiting for their supply to come in (dependent on them finding folks to take the rest of the mixed case they ordered) so I can treat myself to a taste of both the 18 and 23 year old on a night I'm feeling both flush and adventurous.

Details? I found nothing on Philly2Nite that mentioned 707. And yes - they're definitely going for loungey, I think.

Finally made it over to 707 last night for a post-shift glass of wine or two. Menu looks really interesting, but the kitchen was already closed so we didn't get to sample anything. As of tonight they'll be serving until 12:30AM. Menu is very American. Interesting categories including Small Bites, Sandwiches, Entree Salads, and Entrees. Nothing priced over $20. Fun stuff like trio of hot dogs, Pigs in a blanket, Cobb Salad, Brick Sandwich (a Cubano by any other description), Meat loaf, etc. Very basic stuff but not things you'd normally see all on one menu. Looking forward to heading back and checking it out. Wine selections are really interesting and well priced. I had a glass of Spanish rose ($6.50) as well as a nice glass of Gruner Veltliner ($8.50?) from Austria. Lots of unusual bottles as well. Big bucket of popcorn on the bar for munching too. The interior of the space is really lovely with a soaring high ceiling and neat lighting fixtures. They definitely spent some cash converting the old dollar store space into a modern and sleek restaubar. This is worth checking out again. I'm looking forward to hearing some reports from folks that actually get to eat something. I probably won't have a chance to go back until next week at the earliest. I've got a hot date with some sushi at Fuji first...

Pear and Lavender is a great combination. Works in desserts so it'll work in a glass is my theory. I'm having a hard time getting hold of a bottle of the Absolut pear flavor, but as soon as I do I'd try something along the lines of a Pear-Lavender Sour with lavender simple syrup and fresh lemon juice to balance it. A dash of Fee Lemon bitters is also good in almost anything with a lemon component in the drink. I'll let you know if this ever works out. First I need to get the danged vodka...

What's irking me is that the importer/distributor is based in Philadelphia and I can't buy it yet in PA. I sent them an e-mail and they responded promptly, but there's no telling how long it will be before I can get my hands on my own bottle. Elderflower makes for a quite tasty Vesper. Equal parts your fave gin and vodka, one fourth as much Lilllet, Elderflower and a fat orange twist. Mightily refreshing.

Is this the same as Rita's WATER Ice? Or as we say here in Philly, Wooder Ice. If it is, you're in for a treat. Rita's has really good water ice. I particularly like the lemon and mango flavors.

I had a guest at my bar a couple of nights ago telling me it was very good. Don't think he was a shill - seemed sincere. I know the GM is the former GM from Jake's. I hope he's the one choosing the wines. Supposed to go scope it out tonight after work with coworker. I'll let you know if I make it and what the scoop is.

So ignoring us is a better option? Howzabout trying to change our minds? Just sayin'...

**Wild Happy Dancing** Woo-hoo! There is sushi in my near future. Maybe even this coming weekend. Are they open on Sundays? I've missed Matt and Fuji very much...

I think they're trying to re-brand the Chairman's Selection program since the new Chairman doesn't have the wine knowledge or connections that Mr. Newman did. Pity. This could have all been avoided.

All the chefs I know or have ordered for use the big jugs 'o red or white for cooking purposes unless it's something very specific like coq au vin that requires certain wine. Seriously - if you're just marinating in it or making sauce with it the big bottles of King's or Carlo Rossi work just fine. Every restaurant in town is cooking with that stuff. Trust me.

Touché! And your point is taken as well.

Rob Ray? I've duly edited my bad spelling. Yeah. I think you and I are on the same page about this. There's no amount of "schooling" (at least from a place that's not even using real booze) that's going to take the place of some real time slinging it behind the bar. And not slinging it in the literal sense, since no amount of volume experience pouring beers and shots is going to prepare you for specialty cocktails in an upscale establishment. Even at the small bar I'm working now, I try to have certain elements of the more popular specialty cocktails made up in batches ahead of time. We just opened the outside patio tonight for the first time and I can predict how hard I'm going to get my ass kicked in the coming weeks. Our seating doubled and there isn't a clone of me to handle the service bar. It's going to be an interesting summer.

Sweetie, I'm in Pennsylvania. I'm lucky I can get vodka. Marie Brizard Apry is listed as a Special Order product in PA. I suppose I could get it, but the Fee cordials are pretty cost effective and don't add more alcohol. Sometimes the alcohol content of the base spirit is enough.

If we can avoid the baiting and combativeness and the totally off-topic discussion of cooking schools (which might be worthy of it's own thread elsewhere) I'd like to bring this back to the subject at hand. Interestingly, in talking to several people, I've found out that many "bartending schools" use the colored water method for training. I stand by my original assertion that there's nothing to be learned about taste and balance there, but I suppose for learning the mere mechanics of the job as well as the other repetitive motions (bev naps on the bar, proper glassware choices, etc.) it has it's place. Why they can't afford some fresh fruit and a jar of cherries and olives is beyond me, but I guess if you're going fake there's no point in using "real" maraschino cherries. I'd never hire someone waving a diploma from such a place at an interview, but the sorts of places I work require three years experience or more. I guess the TJMcFunsterbees of the world need a pool of talent to draw from too. Whatever. As for the cost factor, using well or mid-level brands would be adequate for folks to at least get an idea of what something is supposed to taste like. Nobody anywhere is making stingers out of Louis XIII, so using an inexpensive brandy and creme de menthe would be fine. Everyone's taste's develop at different rates, and in different ways (I still don't really like scotch, but I know what a Rob Roy ought to taste like), so as bartenders gain more experience and exposure to higher level products they'll gain the understanding they need as they go along. For anyone that wishes to develop their bartending skills and take it as a serious career choice, there are much better avenues like the Beverage Alcohol Resource courses, MOTAC (Museum of the American Cocktail) seminars, etc. These courses are not inexpensive, but neither is any other sort of academic professional training. And it's definitely cheaper than law school or med school!

With my order of Falernum syrup for my bar, Fee Brothers was kind enough to send me a few samples of their cordial syrups that I requested. The Apricot cordial is particularly nice. Made an Apricot Sidecar variant with Brandy, apricot cordial, a dash of simple syrup and fresh lemon that was pretty tasty. Also tried it with rum and fresh lime. Might try the Apricot with some rye or bourbon and see how that plays tonight.

In addition to overpaying for "fetish bar equipment" (gotta at that one), remember that a pro bartender might be muddling a hundred mojitos or dirty martinis on a Saturday night. The larger surface area will definitely be more efficient in those circumstances and the expensive bar toy will make up for itself in his tips for not keeping customers waiting too long for their drinks. You wouldn't use a tack hammer to take down drywall, would you? NO! The biggest baddest sledgehammer you can swing is best. This is a similar situation. Mike, for your home use purposes I'm sure the $6 one works fine. They really are pretty great. Expensive. But awesome. Like a sledgehammer for cocktails.

Yes Matt. This is all your fault for leaving your copy of the Weekly with me. Glad you enjoyed your Parisienne. Always nice to have an appreciative recipient of my mad science on the other side of the bar. It says that many of the students work in other careers. Paralegals, retirees, etc. Age is definitely not the issue. Thanks for that. I think you're right. This is what's chapping my ass about this article. It's filler. It's badly researched. If it was meant to be a commercial for this bartending school then they should be upfront about it and let folks read it with the grain of salt required. If they wanted to write about where to learn to be a bartender there's way more legitimate academic channels in which to do that. And yes, there are plenty of more interesting stories around. The pro-booze thing makes NO sense whatsoever. If the women that own this school know so much about spirits and mixology and are trying to promote responsible drinking etc. what's up with the fakery? Could it be what you've suggested? More money for them and less spent on materials? I don't know about their liability issues, but certainly one needn't possess a "personal" liquor license to teach about wine and spirits in PA. Marnie Old teaches her classes at the Penn's View Inn, and has done wine tastings and seminars all over the city. The Wine School of Philadelphia teaches classes as well. Tria's Fermentation school has wine and beer classes. All of these professionals use real wine and beer and spirits in their classes. So it isn't a PLCB problem. I just don't get it.

Thanks James! I couldn't find that link to save my life. Please, everyone read the article and confirm my sanity. Well OK. That might be asking a bit much, but seriously. Am I wrong or is there more to what I do than memorizing flash card recipes and learning how to mix colored water? There are so many legitimate academic avenues for bartending knowledge. Why would anyone pay to learn how to mix colored water?

Directly from the article. WTF? Colored water? Plastic cherries and olives? Seriously??? Hathor, I suspect you're correct. They know the drink is properly proportioned when it's precisely the right color. Yeah. That's got to be it. I have penned an email to the author that I'm saving so I don't send it before carefully reconsidering my language. Once I've calmed down, reviewed and sent it, I'll post it here.

Grrrrrr....Can you see the steam coming out of my ears??? I can't seem to find a link to the article, but this week's food article is called Raising the Bar, and in it, Mara Zepeda talks about the "workaday heroes of the Philly bar scene" being the graduates of the Mixology Wine Institute out on City Line Avenue. They use colored water in bottles to learn how to mix drinks. Is it me, or is this the equivalent of asking culinary students to cook plastic porkchops and rubber chickens and use colored water to approximate sauces? And we wonder why Philly is so far behind the curve with ingredient focused cocktail bars. Pfft! I suppose I should take comfort that these "graduates" are proudly posing behind the bar at Applebees and TGI Fridays in their framed photos gracing the school. I'm pretty certain they wouldn't last too long anywhere that required some skill. Still, the market is flooded with these bartending school graduates so I suppose that is just bringing down the general expectation level of the public. It's an uphill battle, but I'm fighting as hard as I can...

This discussion has digressed enough to off topic conversation about laptops for me to close it. Should there be any further relevant discussion about the original topic, being the restaurant's liability for the theft, then PM me and I'll consider reopening it.

Um, not sure exactly what you're talking about, but my cheeseburger was cryovac sealed from Omaha Steaks and defrosted a couple of days ago, and the Pleasant Ridge Reserve is the cheese on top from DiBruno's. A several week old cheeseburger? Where's that pukey icon when I need it? I picked up the WINE a few weeks ago, at either Delaware and Snyder or possibly Franklin Mills, since I went shopping at both within a few days of each other and don't remember what was bought where. Here's to hoping you were kidding and I just didn't get it.

A mercifully short night at work (we had a private party that was over early) allowed me the luxury of cooking myself a nice dinner tonight. I cracked open a bottle of Hope Estate Hunter Valley Shiraz 2003 ($9.99) to accompany my Pleasant Ridge Reserve cheeseburger and veggies. I'd picked this up several weeks ago, but a quick search reveals a bit of it still around, particularly in Ardmore. It's very elegant for a Shiraz, much less the "in your face" Aussie style that I'm accustomed to. Apparently the wine saw some American oak during fermentation and 60% French/40% American oak during maturation. It definitely took off the rough edges. Lots of plum and blackberry with a subtle dessert spiciness. Smells like pumpkin pie spice and white pepper to me. Very silky tannins. Not as much mouthfeel as I'd expect from a wine clocking in at 13% alcohol, but maybe that's a good thing. It certainly isn't hot. A real bargain for the quality. I've been a big fan of the Hope Estate wines ever since I used to buy them as a by-the-glass pour at Striped Bass. Michael Hope, the winemaker, is a former pharmacist that got tired of listening to his customers complain about their health all day. He wanted to do something he enjoyed, so he bought some vineyards in 1994, picked up his family and moved to Hunter Valley to try and live the dream. The first vintage was produced in 1997. He's doing a pretty good job for a guy that hasn't been at it long. I really admire that.