Whiskey Sour by Charles Schumann

[ThinkingBartender]

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!-)

Edited January 22, 2007 by ThinkingBartender (log)

[slkinsey]

Yea, he really looks like he doesn't want to be there. Sloppy free-pouring. Bottled juice. Not nearly enough ice in the shaker. Lackadaisical shaking. Perfunctory slosh of the drink into the glass, which is plopped on the counter. At least the other guy seems to have a better attitude.

Still, though... both of them use what, to me, is not nearly enough ice in the shaker. Why not fill the glass completely? They also both have a fairly lazy shake, and the second guy uses a peculiar shaking technique: he appears to be holding glass portion of the shaker in a fixed position with one hand while pivoting the metal end of the shaker up and down in an arc with the other. Is this an actual codified shaking technique he's using, or just something odd?

[ThinkingBartender]

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.

[thirtyoneknots]

Scooping the ice with the glass has got to be the number one mistake here, the one for which there is no excuse. You would not believe how many people out there do that though, I have seen everybody from brand new waiters to upper management and everyone inbetween do that, its rediculous.

[kvltrede]

Ach du lieber!

[johnder]

Aside from the scooping the ice with the glass the only other thing that is odd is he seems very confused as to where everything is at the bar. Was this video taken at the start of the evening when things were just setup? I agree the amount of ice in the shaker seems to be way to little, and I was surprised it wasn't strained into a glass containing fresh ice, as opposed to the shaken ice.

john