wisenheimer

1 1/2 oz Pisco (Macchu Pisco)
1/2 oz Swedish Punsch (Kronan)
1/2 oz Dry Vermouth (Noilly Prat)
1/4 oz Cointreau
2 dash Chocolate Bitters (Bittermens)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Fridays ago, my new issue of Imbibe Magazine (March/April 2019) arrived, and I flipped through it after I got home from work. There in a Paul Clarke article was the Wisenheimer by Jermaine Whitehead of Seattle's Deep Dive. The recipe reminded me of the Rocket (and my take on it called the Jet Pack) given the spirit, Swedish punsch, vermouth, and modifying orange liqueur structure, so I was curious to give it a go. Once mixed, the Wisenheimer offered up lemon and earthy chocolate notes from the Pisco and bitters to the nose. Next, a semi-sweet white grape sip shared a hint of caramel richness, and the swallow showcased Pisco, rum, orange, tea, and chocolate flavors.

adelphi cocktail

1 oz Rye Whiskey (Rittenhouse)
1 oz Cognac (Camus VS)
1 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Gran Lusso)
1/4 oz Maraschino Liqueur (Luxardo)
1 scant bsp Absinthe (Kübler)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.

Two Thursdays ago, I remembered how the Saratoga Cocktail from Jerry Thomas could be converted into the Vieux Carré by the addition of Benedictine and Peychaud's, and I used this to make the Corpse Reviver #1 into the more interesting Corpse Carré. I then pondered how the Saratoga would be with the "Improved" treatment of Maraschino and absinthe. Given that the town of Saratoga Springs was one full of gambling houses, horse races, cocktail bars, spas, and most importantly hotels, I dubbed this one after a hotel there that opened around the time that the Improved style hit the scene. I did consider calling it the Skidmore after the college in that town, but alas, I have already tried one by that name.
The Adelphi Cocktail welcomed the nose with lemon, anise, and cherry aromas. Next, grape and light cherry notes on the sip gave way to rye, Cognac, nutty, anise, and clove flavors on the swallow. While no great surprises here, it did elevate the classic Saratoga Cocktail to new and more intriguing heights.

john wayne movie translated into french and back into english cocktail

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Old Overholt)
1/2 oz St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur (St. Elder)
1/2 oz Green Tea Syrup (Choice Organic Green Tea, strong steep, 1:1 with sugar)
3/4 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.
Two Wednesdays ago after getting home from my bar shift, I selected the Stir Your Soul book that collected all of the recipes from the 2009 Tales of the Cocktail event. There, I was lured in by Eben Klemm's John Wayne Movie Translated into French and Back into English that he crafted for a spirited dinner that week; one part of the allure was the intriguing 10-11 word name (which is still shorter than the 12 word Van Hagen and 13 word Every Dream) and the other was the elderflower for honey similarity to my Viceroy. In a few minutes, I was able to generate a small batch of green tea syrup, and then I set to work on the build. Once in the glass, the John Wayne partnered up with rye, lemon, and floral aromas that were modified by the green tea notes. Next, lemon and a pear-like element from the elderflower liqueur on the sip duked it out with rye flavors along with floral blending into grassy, slightly tannic tea on the swallow.

fogerty cocktail

2 oz Rye Whiskey (Sazerac)
1/2 oz Campari
1/4 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail glass, and garnish with an orange twist.
Two Tuesdays ago, I returned to Imbibe Magazine to make another bookmarked recipe called the Fogerty Cocktail. The recipe was crafted by Ryan Fitzgerald at ABV in San Francisco, and the combination reminded me of an abstraction of the 1794 that featured the Campari-cacao combination that I mentioned two days prior in the Commodity Fetish post. Once prepared, the Fogerty Cocktail launched in with orange and chocolate aromas. Next, a semi-sweet malty sip let go into a rye and bitter orange swallow that finished with chocolate and rye spice notes.

modern maid

3/4 jigger Whisky (1 1/2 oz Famous Grouse Blended Scotch)
2 dash Rum (1/2 oz Smith & Cross)
2 dash Sweet-Sour (1/2 oz Lemon Juice + 1/2 oz Simple Syrup)
1 dash Absinthe (20 drop St. George)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail glass; I added a lemon twist.

Two Mondays ago, I was perusing Boothby's 1934 World Drinks & How to Mix Them when I spotted the Modern Maid. The drink took on legendary status when Ted Haigh wrote about the recipe in his Vintage Spirits and Forgotten Cocktails book; however, he published his Swedish punsch variation that he called the Modernista based off the classic Modern Cocktail also known as the Modern Maid. Having enjoyed Ted's Swedish punsch riff, I was curious to try the original.
The Modern Maid cleaned the nose with lemon, anise, and hints of rum funk aromas. Next, lemon and touches of caramel and malt on the sip transitioned into Scotch, rum funk, and anise-herbal flavors on the swallow with an orange finish. Perhaps substituting some of the blended Scotch for a 1/4 oz or so of smoky Islay single malt might have donated some extra elegance here.

commodity fetish

1 1/2 oz Unsweetened Aged Rum (Appleton Signature)
3/4 oz Amaro Montenegro
3/4 oz Punt e Mes
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Tempus Fugit)
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice, strain into a cocktail coupe, and garnish with an orange peel-cherry flag.

Two Sundays ago, the Baldwin Bar posted the World's Fair on their Instagram as their throwback drink spotlight. The recipe was created by Vannaluck Hongtong back in 2016 as a rather Winter-feeling Manhattan spin, and my fond memories inspired me to riff on it. I changed the rye to aged rum, the walnut liqueur to chocolate, and swapped Fee's Whiskey Barrel Bitters to double the amount of Angostura to add more spice and dryness. I took the crème de cacao route since I felt that it would combine with the Amaro Montenegro to make similar delightful chocolate-orange flavors that cacao does with Campari in drinks such as the Flaquita and Stagecoach Mary.
For a name, I began to search for World's Fair-inspired phrases, and I found Walter Benjamin's 1935 comment about how World's Fairs "are places of pilgrimage to the commodity fetish." Andrea commented that any reference to a Karl Marx philosophy was a good one to imbibe to, so Commodity Fetish was the winner. Once prepared, it donated orange and dark notes to the nose. Next, caramel and grape swirled through the sip, and the swallow greeted the tongue with rum, bitter chocolate, clementine, clove, and allspice flavors. Overall, the Commodity Fetish fulfilled its task of serving as a good dessert-nightcap libation albeit one a bit sweeter than my normal palate.

affinity

1/3 French Vermouth (1 oz Noilly Prat)
1/3 Italian Vermouth (1 oz Cocchi)
1/3 Scotch Whisky (1 oz Famous Grouse)
2 dash Aromatic Bitters (Jerry Thomas Decanter)

Stir with ice, strain into a glass (rocks glass pre-rinsed with 1 scant bsp Laphroaig 10 Year Scotch), and garnish with a cherry (omit) and lemon oil (twist).

I had recently read mention of the Affinity Cocktail and realized that I had never had one before (or at least had certainly never written about it). I probably skipped over this classic multiple times since it came across merely as a Perfect Rob Roy, but the Affinity was mentioned as one of that person's favorite drinks, so I decided to keep it mind. When I spotted it in Hugo Ensslin's 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks two Saturdays ago, I figured that it was the perfect time.
The Affinity began with a briny peat and lemon oil bouquet that preceded a grape and malt-driven sip. Next, Scotch, clove, smoke, and allspice flavors rounded out the swallow. With a more flavorful single  or blended malt (especially a cask strength number), I could see this drink combination really shining.

:: mentally preparing for your shift ::

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

One of the most crucial parts of preparing oneself for a bar shift is just showing up, and perhaps that should be amended to showing up healthy, energized, and ready to work. The next is setting up the bar with all of the hauling of ice and juicing of citrus that it entails. But what else besides the basics can one do to improve one’s readiness to do the job even before stepping through the door?

First, spend a bit of time every day before the shift reading.
While reading up on cocktail recipes, garnish tips, and new beers is an amazing way to improve one’s understanding of the craft, it does not help to connect to all of our guests. So think of ways to diversify such as reading up on new movies, plays, and events around town. In fact, I have made great connections with guests by discussing new movies and then soliciting suggestions from them. If I did go see that recommended movie, checking back in at their next visit with a report on their suggestion is an amazing way to connect. This can also be expanded beyond movies to concerts, YouTube clips, and book suggestions as well.

What about with sports fans?
One of my bars had a large TV right beside the bar, so it helped to be up on a lot of sporting knowledge. While I could not dedicate the hours to watch games, I made sure to read the front page of ESPN each morning and figure out where the home teams were playing (and against whom) that day. It also helped to watch clips of the top plays of the previous day which took only two or three minutes; for example, when a guest asked if I saw a game, I could reply that I only caught the highlights and how that catch was amazing.

Investing in hobbies is another way to prepare for the shift.
For example, I have been vegetable gardening in the same plot of land for the last 16 summers. The number of guests that I have connected with about gardening through the years has been grand. Guests will come in for updates, commiseration or celebration about certain crops, and sharing of tips throughout the warmer months. It also helped at some of my bars that I brought in mint and edible flowers for garnish from my garden to tie the conversation in with the bar program.
Actually, going out can be a great way to do research for one’s guests.
I often ask people where they have been drinking or eating lately, and I frequently make suggestions on where to go including where to go after leaving my bar. I feel that it can build trust when one tells their patrons to go elsewhere. Moreover, for my guests who travel a lot for work, I inquire what cities are they going to next, and I set them up with bar recommendations of places that I have heard of or preferably know people at. Even with guests who are considering leaving your establishment, providing ideas for their night’s next destination is great hospitality; messaging your friend to expect them and informing their crew what your guests like to drink are some higher order actions.

Definitely there are some topics that are worth staying on top of but not discussing in depth with guests, such as politics and religion. I have violated that when it is a regular whose views I already know, and the bar is otherwise empty or sparse, so there is less risk of offending anyone. For those guests, it seems to be cathartic to express their anxieties about the state of affairs. But tread with caution here and try to insert one’s own opinion less.

Finally, I like to study my bartender moleskin.
Sometimes it is to enter new recipes in the front section of the book, or remind myself of forgotten recipes. But the magic has always been in the back. When I meet a new guest that seems noteworthy, I will enter their name with a fact or two and perhaps a brief description of their looks. Guests that come in more than that one time get an asterisk for easier referencing. Indeed, it has come in useful when people return months later and I need to research their name or what we spoke of last, and managers have actually requested that I check my records about guest’s identities for their nightly reports or to greet them in the dining room.

Being prepared for the shift to the employer starts with physically being there and being (or pretending to be) in a good mood. But for the bartender, it ought to start well before one’s call time to figure out ways to connect with guests and make their experience outside of the food and drink realm all the more positive and memorable.

dunderstruck

3/4 oz Jamaican Rum (1/4 oz each Smith & Cross, Rumfire, and Coruba)
1/2 oz Campari
3/4 oz Strawberry Syrup (*)
3/4 oz Pineapple Juice
6 drop Absinthe (St. George)

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass with a large cube, and garnish with a pineapple leaf (omit).
(*) Imbibe recommended a 1 quart scale of each ingredient; they also did a 24 hour incubation of lightly crushed strawberries in the sugar. That seemed like too much and too long -- I wanted the drink now! So I made mine as a small batch using a microwave. I microwaved 3/4 oz sugar with 3-4 small frozen strawberries (3/4 - 1 oz) until it was boiling. I muddled, added 3/4 oz water, microwaved briefly to help dissolve the sugar, and fine strained. Made over an ounce which was perfect for a single drink here.
Two Fridays ago, I was tempted to finally make the Dunderstruck that appeared in Imbibe Magazine. The recipe was crafted by Matthew Roedel of The Public House in Bay City, Michigan, and it seemed like a winner since Campari and strawberries are an elegant duo such as in the Louanalao and Shrugroniz and both work well with pineapple juice. Once prepared, the Dunderstruck appeared as a rum funk nose with red fruit and bitter orange accents. Next, pineapple and strawberry mingled on the sip, and the swallow had funky rum melding into bitter orange flavors and ended with delightful tropical notes. Overall, the 6 drops of absinthe was a bit lost in the mix of strong flavors here but may have added to the brightness and complexity in the end.