death's comeback

3/4 oz Bluecoat Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz St. Germain (St. Elder)
3/4 oz Aperol
1/2 oz Lime Juice (3/4 oz)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup (omit)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with 3 drop absinthe (St. George).
After a late, busy night of work, I reached for Pittsburg Drinks and spotted a Corpse Reviver #2 riff that seemed perfect for my near corpse-like tiredness. The recipe was the Death's Comeback created by Spencer Warren of Embury in Pittsburg, and the combination of gin, St. Germain, Aperol, and citrus reminded me of Paul Clarke's Dunniette. Moreover, the gin, elderflower, citrus, and absinthe aspects made me think fondly of Sam Ross' Sunflower. In the glass, the Death's Comeback shared an anise and floral bouquet to the nose. Next, lime, pear, and orange notes filled the sip, and the swallow transmitted gin, orange, grapefruit, and rhubarb flavors.

:: cost-free hospitality ::

First published on the USBG National blog in June 2017, and slightly modified for publication here.

In a previous job, I was spoiled with a considerable comp tab per bartender per shift as well as certain bottles that we were allowed to pour without charge since liquor companies made deals like “buy 10 cases and get 4 for free.” This allowed us to treat regulars, industry folk, and cool guests to gifts that both increased their enjoyment of their visit as well as added to our tip pool. This was not even considered stealing from the house since it was approved by management. In a later position in a small, young restaurant, we were not as free to comp food or drink or give away pours. For solutions to improve my guests’ experiences, I looked around town to observe some tricks of the trade that didn’t cost the house a dime.

One of the consummate barmen in the city used to own his own place downtown before he sold it off to focus on his other restaurant partnerships. Despite not having an amazing spirits selection, complex cocktail lists, or a cutting edge beer program, the place was rather popular, and I frequently was content to drink a few High Lifes and watch the magic. This barman was an expert in remembering people’s names and figuring out what would make them happy. Many of them were his signature stock tricks like when someone got up to go for a smoke, he would fill a shaker tin with ice to chill their bottle of beer as if it were wine service for a nice bottle of white or bubbles. Other times, it was a warm handshake and an inquiry into how one’s job was going; this sincere act was extra meaningful at times when one needed an ear or it felt like everyone else just wanted to talk about themselves. Knowing people’s drink orders and asking if that was what they wanted not only saved time, but it made people feel like true regulars. I think the best moment was when I was walking down the stairs one evening, and this bartender immediately took note, quieted the bar, and announce, “Everyone: Fred Yarm is here.” This declaration was followed by a round of applause from the bar patrons. It was surreal, but this act made me feel that this place was special and a welcoming home. Moreover, even 5 years later, this moment still makes my list of most memorable bar experiences both here and in my travels.
At a larger establishment across the city, there is a different style of hospitality. There, the food and drink are rather noteworthy, but this was not where they stopped. True, they certainly utilize their ability to comp a round of drinks or send out a complementary appetizer or dessert, but those good deeds are less memorable over time (and sometimes not even noticed unless the bartender pointed that out the removed drink round during the bill presentation). What sets them apart is how the bar team and the restaurant approach hospitality seriously. There is allegedly a database of guest names, photos from social media, their likes, their dietary restrictions, and drink preferences so that they can better cater to their return guests; apparently, they are required to study this data collection so that they can react instantaneously. But to their first timers and even their return guests, they take extra steps to make nights special. One thing they do when guests mention that they will soon be closing out is to ask where they are going next. For the indecisive, they offer recommendations, but for those with plans, they will do every effort to set them up at the next stop. Often, they will call ahead and do their best to reserve seats for them as well as try to connect with the bartender or manager on duty to make sure that these guests get the VIP treatment there.

Other things that I have experienced across town include bartenders taking out special vintage glassware for guests who were really into cocktails as well as increasing their garnish game on off-list requests and bartender’s choice requests. Other times, it was the absurd that stood out. At one bar, we were playing the dice game 1-4-24, and the bartender came by and provided a gamer’s dice box to control the rolls. In addition, to make things more interesting, he offered up a mask from their collection of wares behind the bar such that the loser of each round had to wear this monkey mask for the following game round. At several other establishments, it was being taken on a tour of the downstairs wine and spirits room or of the kitchen in response to our curiosity about the place’s layout or other. At one brewpub, it was the brewer seeking me out and giving me a tour of the brewing facility upon hearing about my enthusiasm about beer.
Even if your establishment allows you to pamper your guests with freebies, consider the many ways that can be conjured up to make a guest’s experience all the more memorable by being their advocate and figuring out what would best suit their needs. Many of these cost the restaurant nothing and stand out in a guest’s mind longer than a free shot of amaro at the end (although those are generally appreciated in my book). Restaurateur Danny Meyer declared, “The most important thing you can do is make the distinction between customer service and guest hospitality. You need both things to thrive, but they are completely different.” Looking out for how to make your guest’s night special is above and beyond just providing them with what they ask for, but by figuring out what they might need or want without them asking for it.

tantris sidecar

1 oz Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
1/2 oz Calvados (Boulard VSOP)
1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Lemon Juice
1/2 oz Simple Syrup
1/4 oz Pineapple Juice
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass half rimmed with sugar; some recipes include a lemon twist so I did too.

I recently saw a reference to Audrey Saunder's Tantris Sidecar that she created at the Pegu Club, and I decided to revisit it. I returned to my pre-blog LiveJournal and was reminded that I made this shortly after reading about it in Chuck Taggart's blog post in 2007; therefore, I am utilizing that recipe here. Chuck described the concept as, "This takeoff on the sidecar turns the brandy into a Cognac-Calvados blend, the Cointreau into an orange-herb blend, and the lemon juice into a lemon-pineapple blend, maintaining the original character of the drink but adding many layers of additional flavors." Robert Simonson wrote about this riff in his A Proper Drink book, and he described in greater detail how Audrey broke down the juice component into primary and secondary acids of lemon and pineapple, respectively. Besides dividing the Cognac into a 2:1 mix with apple brandy, she split the orange liqueur with Chartreuse to add herbal notes in a way that reminds me of David Embury's Knight. Finally, the combination needed to be softened, so simple syrup was included "to add the fat."
The Tantris Sidecar welcomed the nose with aged grape and apple brandy aromas accented by orange and bright lemon notes. Next, a lemony sip drove into Cognac, Calvados, pineapple, orange peel, and Chartreuse's herbal flavors on the swallow.

i love you like a punch in the head

3/4 oz Tequila (Cimarron Blanco)
3/4 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1 tsp Becherovka (1/4 oz)
1/2 oz 2:1 Simple Syrup (3/4 oz 1:1)
1 Egg White

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter) and grapefruit oil from a twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I was excited about trying a recipe from a new book, namely Clair McLafferty's Romantic Cocktails: Craft Cocktail Recipes for Couples, Crushes, and Star-Crossed Lovers; I was sent the book as a thank you for my contribution of the Queen of the Lava Beds for the section on drinks for two. The one I selected was the I Love You Like a Punch in the Head by Beckaly Franks at the Pontiac in Hong Kong that appeared like an agave egg white Sour spiced with Becherovka. The name also worked perfectly with the glass that I purchased at the Central Square Good Will store earlier in the day for $1.99 -- namely, a Richard Jolley creation that he did for Bombay Sapphire back in 1996!
Entertainingly, the two week delay in my blog posting lined up with today being Valentine's Day, so here is one for the lovers even if the name shows signs of dysfunction. On the nose, the I Love You proffered clove, cinnamon, grapefruit, and hints of smoke. Next, a creamy lemon sip bobbed and weaved into smoky agave and hints of cinnamon, clove, and ginger on the swallow.

el nino

1 oz Zacapa 23 Rum (Diplomatico Riserva Exclusiva)
1 oz Oronoco Rum (Uruapan Charanda Blanco)
1 oz Pineapple Syrup
1 oz Lemon Juice
Rinse Herbsaint (1 bsp included in mix)

Whip shake, pour into a glass (Tiki mug), fill with crushed ice, and garnish with bitters (Angostura) and a pineapple leaf (omit).
On Wednesday two weeks ago, I wanted to get one more drink in for Tiki the Snow Away month, and I found the perfect recipe in the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail Stir Your Soul book. The libation that caught my eye was the El Nino crafted by Lynnette Marrero for a "Sugarcane Spirits from Around the World" talk that year. The Orinoco Rum called for in the recipe has been discontinued sometime over the last decade, but it was a white Brazilian rum consisting of molasses rum and cachaça; as a substitute, I selected the mezican Uruapan blend of molasses and sugarcane juice distillates that probably falls in the same ballpark. Once prepared, the El Nino shared a clove and allspice bouquet to the nose. Next, caramel from the dark rum was brightened by the lemon juice on the sip, and the swallow showcased a mix of funky and dark rum notes along with pineapple and anise flavors.

morton house

2/3 Black & White Scotch (1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse)
1/3 French Vermouth (3/4 oz Noilly Prat Dry)
1 dash Crème de Noyaux (1/4 oz Tempus Fugit)
1 dash Bokers or Picon Bitters (1/4 oz Torani Amer)

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

Two Tuesdays ago, I returned home from a bonus shift at work in need of a nightcap. For a solution, I searched my way through Pioneers of Mixing at Elite Bars: 1903-1933 until I found the Morton House that came across like a Scotch Brooklyn with noyaux in place of the similarly nutty Maraschino. That book also had the Parisian which was a Cognac Brooklyn with noyaux subbing in place of the Picon. As for the name, I was a bit flummoxed for there are many famous Morton Houses. The most famous is probably the 1872 book of that title published by Christian Reid, and the most interesting is an 1890s farmhouse that has been declared one of the most haunted places in America (albeit, the hauntings began after the recipe was created).
In the glass, there was less uncertainty for the mix provided a nutty aroma in a fruity-vanilla sort of way. Next, a dry malt-laden sip shifted into Scotch flavors and dark orange melding into nutty stonefruit pits on the swallow.

serious moonlight

1 1/2 oz Pisco Caravedo Ancholado (Encanto)
1/2 oz Green Chartreuse
1/2 oz Honey Syrup
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
3/4 oz Egg White (1 Egg White)

Shake once without ice and once with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with 3 drop Bittermens Burlesque Bitters.

Two Mondays ago, I was excited that the AlcoholProfessor blog had published their tribute to David Bowie with a cocktail retrospective that contained my Life On Mars. The recipe that caught my eye first was the Serious Moonlight that Nick Elezovic of Diamond Dogs in Astoria crafted based on Bowie's 1983 hit "Let's Dance," and the thought of a Pisco Sour with honey and Chartreuse as sweeteners seemed delightful.
Once prepared, the Serious Moonlight shined like the celestial object but projected Green Chartreuse's herbal aromas to the nose. Next, a creamy lemon and honey sip gave way to pisco and herbal flavors on the swallow.

sacre bleu

1 1/2 oz Martell Cognac (Courvoisier VS)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Cocchi)
2 bsp Cointreau (1/4 oz)
2 dash Peychaud's Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a rocks glass pre-rinsed with Pernod Absinthe, and garnish with an orange twist (orange oil, discard twist).

Two Sundays ago, I reached for the Stir Your Soul book that contained most of the recipes served at the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail event. There, I was lured in by the Sacre Bleu crafted by Simon Ford for a spirited dinner held at Wolfe's in New Orleans that week. The Sacre Bleu was a Cognac Sazerac like the original version before Phylloxera forced bartenders into making it a rye whiskey drink, and the orange liqueur reminded me of Gaz Regan's Sazerac riff, La Tour Eiffel. Moreover, the brandy, vermouth, orange liqueur, and bitters triggered thoughts of Robert Hess' Black Feather that we discovered either on his DrinkBoy blog or in his Essential Bartender's Guide book back in 2007 or so.
Once built, the Sacre Bleu cursed our nose with orange and anise aromas with some darker notes from either the Cognac or sweet vermouth. Next, the grape-driven sip gave way to brandy and orange flavors melding together on the swallow with accents from anise spice.

devil's mustache

2 oz Mezcal (Fidencio)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/2 oz Lime Juice
1/4 oz Simple Syrup
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist. Note: the recipe I found stated stirring, but both photos of the drink that I spotted online were frothy as if shaken.

Two Saturdays ago, I made another drink that I had spied on BarNotes called the Devil's Mustache. This mezcal-Cynar Sour was created at Haddington's in Austin, Texas, circa 2011, and it was attributed to Florian Minier there and to Austin bartender Wesley Borden in Tasting Panel magazine (albeit with no bitters, and with agave syrup and lemon instead of simple syrup and lime). Evidence supporting the BarNotes' story was that the information was provided by another bartender at Haddington's with the comment that it was "created by Florian Minier... who word has it had a phenomenal mustache." Made that way, the Devil's Mustache offered up an orange, funky herbal, and smoke bouquet to the nose. Next, lime mingled with caramel on the sip, and the swallow showcased smoky agave melding into Cynar's herbal flavors and finished with mineral and citrus notes. Overall, the cocktail joined the collection here of other smoke-forward Devil's drinks such as the Devil's Soul and the Devil's Backbone.