the drowned god

1 1/2 oz Banks 5 Island Rum (3/4 oz Uruapan Charanda Blanco + 3/4 oz Angostura White Oak)
1 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Crème de Cacao (Bols White)
1 pinch Salt

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.
Monday two weeks ago, I began the cocktail hour with a drink that I had spotted on the BarNotes app called the Drowned God. The recipe was created by Tim Hagney of Maven in San Francisco as a Game of Thrones reference for the Blackbird Bar's secret menu. Overall, the idea reminded me of a little of the citrus-free Death & Sundries. In the glass, the Drowned God conjured up rum funk and briny sherry aromas. Next, a semi-sweet white grape sip preceded funky rum, chocolate, and crisp white wine flavors on the swallow with lingering rum intrigue on the finish.

:: always a barback ::

Originally published on the USBG national site.

Recently, a bartender who I have known for years from an establishment across town was sitting at our bar, and he asked me if I was a bartender apprentice. He explained that he saw me waiting on tables in the lounge and that I did not have my own dedicated well to work out of, and that his bar has similar apprentices. Then he pointed out the fact that I was refilling the service bartender’s ginger beer iSi dispenser with ginger syrup and water just like an apprentice. I was quite taken aback by the comment, but I explained that I did not care where I worked whether it was the service bar or point, and tonight I opted to be the floater and took the lounge tables as well as bar guests. I also pointed out that the most important thing at the bar is that the service bartender making drinks for our large restaurant is assisted in any way possible, and this was rather doable at the moment for my tables did not need anything right now. While I could have left the refill job for our barback to do, my taking a spare moment to remake the ginger beer freed up both the service bartender and the barback to attend to other duties. Oddly, I did not inform him that the lounge tables were spending several times more per seat than the actual bar guests since some of these groups were dining in the lounge because the restaurant’s tables were full at that hour, so I was financially doing more to add to the team than the other bartenders.
I once heard that an employee is only as useful as the number of jobs that they can do and will do. While a bartender who can fill in for the sommelier is a great thing, I have been more impressed when a restaurant owner or the head chef hops into the dish pit to keep the night going. Similarly, a general manager who can change a keg or will prepare a quart of lime juice in a pinch has shown their value to the team an order of magnitude more than someone who sticks to the letter of what is their job and not much more. In my mind, there ought not be any job below oneself; true, there are plenty of times that those tasks should be left for team members better suited for the function so other higher order functions can be attended to by those more qualified. But when one part of the team is getting weighed upon, pitching in if you can is imperative even if the need is not dire. I recalled one bar that I staged (did an interview shift) at where the bartenders did not clean their own shaking tins even though they were not busy doing other responsibilities (or they could have multitasked while chatting with guests). The barback was the busiest of the crew scurrying back and forth cleaning up after the bartenders; I felt such pity for that barback, and I found that so offensive that I crossed the bar off as an option during my job search.

My co-worker Adam declared that many of the younger bartenders these days are slow to do the various chores like washing glassware and restocking. Adam explained colorfully, “The non-sexy things won’t get you laid” which is perhaps why they opt out of it for the more glamorous aspects like serving the guests and making drinks. Laziness or lack of motivation is definitely also a factor, but that lacks the pizzazz and impact of Adam’s declaration. Running out of clean coupes, having a large pile of dirty glassware, or seeing a dirty bar top are the non-sexy things that will most certainly besmirch a night though. Leaving it for the overworked barback will also impede other of their functions from getting done, and those will often add up to a later closing time.
Barbacks in the past have humorously declared me (as a bartender) the best barback in the place. I make it a point to help them with the task or to take it over if I have the time. I think of it as lightening their burden so that they will be more mobile to make the bar run smoothly. Moreover, it gains their respect such that when I ask for any bit of help, they are eager to return the favor for they know that I generally only ask out of essential need. And assistance does not just stop there. I frequently will pass by the service bartender and help with either pouring beers or prepping the intricate garnishes for the cocktails to save them time and help them get through the service tickets. For other bartenders, greeting their guests, doing bar top maintenance, washing their tins, and the like can make for a happier room and a bigger tip pool at the end. There is always something to do. And in that, it fosters teamwork that makes others more likely to help you and the rest of the bar staff in general.

In the end, we should be looking out not just for the guests’ wellbeing but for the whole bar team’s benefit as well. These two are not separate entities but intricately related aspects that go into generating a successful evening. Hospitality is not something that is only transferred over the bar top but begins and co-exists on the same side of the bar as yourself. Think about your coworkers too before touting that you are a hospitalitarian – keeping a happy, positive, and motivated team ought to be everyone’s responsibility. Happy teams make happy guests. And humility is the guiding light.

improved sherry cocktail

2 1/2 oz Fino Sherry (Lustau)
1/2 oz Amontillado Sherry (Lustau)
1/4 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)
3/4 tsp Maraschino Liqueur (1/8 oz Luxardo)
1/8 tsp Absinthe (20 drop St. George)
1 dash Orange Bitters (Regan's)
2 dash Angostura Bitters
2 drop 1:10 Salt Solution (1 small pinch salt)

Stir with ice, strain into a sherry glass, and garnish with a lemon twist.
Two Fridays ago, I was in the mood for something on the lighter side when I got home to round out my work evening. When my mind turned to sherry, I remembered having bookmarked the Improved Sherry Cocktail. That recipe was created by Christy Pope and Chad Solomon at Dallas' Midnight Rambler and was later published in December 2014 in Imbibe Magazine. Here, a two sherry Old Fashioned was Improved 1876 style with Maraschino and absinthe. Once prepared, the Improved Sherry Cocktail welcomed the nose with a lemon aroma over nutty notes from the Amontillado sherry and Maraschino liqueur. Next, a semi-dry grape sip gave way to more grape flavors with nuttiness from the Amontillado and Maraschino on the swallow with a cherry and anise swallow. Overall, the proportions were a bit lighter on the absinthe that I usually prefer, but it was indeed a delightful tipple to end my evening.

muertito vivo

1 1/2 oz Flor de Caña 7 Year Rum (Diplomatico Añejo)
1/2 oz Hamilton's 151 Proof Demerara Rum (Lemon Hart 151)
3/4 oz Jagermeister
3/4 oz Don's Mix (BG Reynolds) (*)
3/4 oz Lime Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a skull mug or double old fashioned glass (shell mug), and fill with pebble ice (crushed ice). Garnish with a cinnamon stick and an edible flower (cinnamon stick and a pineapple leaf).
(*) 1/2 oz grapefruit juice + 1/4 oz cinnamon syrup.
Two Thursdays ago, my copy of Shannon Mustipher's Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails arrived, and I quickly flipped through the pages to find something to make after my work shift. When I spotted Shannon's Zombie riff called the Muertito Vivo, I was intrigued. The use of Jagermeister for its Tiki-appropriate spices was one of the things that drew me in -- especially after trying Sother Teague's Rough Seas and tinkering with it myself in the Lost U-Boat. Once prepared, the Muertito Vivo brought the senses back to life with cinnamon and star anise aromas. Next, lime, grapefruit, and caramel on the sip lurched into rum, cinnamon, chocolate, ginger, and anise flavors on the swallow.

firenze fix

3/4 oz Gin (Tanqueray)
3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth (Martini Gran Lusso)
3/4 oz Campari
3/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
1/2 oz Lemon Juice

Shake with ice, strain into a double old fashioned glass, fill with crushed ice, and decorate with berries in season (2 pineapple leaves).
After making the pineapple syrup that I utilized in the Handsome Bob the night before, I thought about one of the more common classic uses -- the sweetener in Fixes. Fixes are similar to Daisies save for the sweetener which was originally curaçao and later grenadine or raspberry in the Daisy, and Fixes with their pineapple syrup were generally ornately garnished on top of the shaved ice. One of the most successful Fixes that I created was in collaboration with Katie Emmerson for our Women of the Wild West industry night 6 years ago. Katie had created a pineapple syrup but was running out of time in crafting a recipe; I suggested a choose-your-own amaro Fix, and we named it after the promiscuous Kitty Leroy. Here, I used that skeleton and subbed in a small Negroni in the place of the amaro. For a name, I dubbed it the Firenze Fix after the city where the Negroni Cocktail allegedly was crafted for Count Camillo in 1919. Once built, the Firenze Fix donated a bitter orange and pineapple bouquet to the nose. Next, lemon and grape notes on the sip led into gin and bitter orange on the swallow with a pleasing pineapple finish.

yunga punch

1 oz Singani 63 Brandy
1 oz Fidencio Mezcal
1 oz Grapefruit Juice
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 Cinnamon Syrup
1/4 oz Giffard Pamplemousse Liqueur
3 drop Salt Tincture

Shake with ice and strain into a cocktail coupe.

After taking an early cut at work due to opening the restaurant for lunch, I headed over to Backbar for a drink. From their new menu formatted as a world map, I asked bartender Joseph Gabriel Habib for the Yunga Punch representing Bolivia; the drink's subtitle was "A landlocked tiki drink full of smoke and spice." The combination of grapefruit, lime, and cinnamon made me think of Jeff Berry's stripped down Zombie, the Zombie Essence, and bartender Kat Lamper later commented that it almost got dubbed the Bolivian Zombie. I replied that I was expecting it to be served on crushed ice, and Kat described that when Carlo Caroscio created it that way, the flavors got lot lost in the dilution so he opted for serving it up.
In the glass, the Yunga Punch delivered smoke from the mezcal and earthy funk from the Singani to the nose. Next, grapefruit and lime on the sip lurched into brandy, agave, and smoke on the swallow with cinnamon, grapefruit, and more smoke on the finish.

handsome bob

2 oz Bourbon (Old Grand-Dad Bonded)
1/2 oz Cynar
1/4 oz Maraschino (Luxardo)
1/4 oz Pineapple Syrup
2 dash Angostura Bitters

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass.

The discussion of cocktails created in Saratoga Springs, NY, in the late 19th century seemed to focus on the better known Saratoga Cocktail that was published in Jerry Thomas' book and appeared like a precursor of a Vieux Carré since Benedictine and Peychaud's Bitters were all that was added to make that 1930s number. The lesser known Saratoga Cocktail was from Harry Johnson's book that appeared like a brandy Old Fashioned riff with pineapple syrup and Maraschino as the sweeteners. The Maraschino and general structure made me think of the Fancy Free from Crosby Gaige, so when I decided to riff on Johnson's Saratoga, I took the Fancy Free's Bourbon base. Originally, I was considering rum, dry vermouth, and the Saratoga's two sweeteners akin to a rum Brooklyn in structure, but I decided to utilize Cynar instead of vermouth for it worked well with Maraschino in the Bensonhurst and with pineapple syrup in the Tres Piñas and Aguamiel.
For a name, I kept with the discussion of fancy folk in Saratoga Springs and picked "Handsome Bob" after Robert Hillard, a champion dude who ultimately lost to Evander Berry Wall a/k/a the "King of Dudes." In the glass, the Bourbon joined the nutty Maraschino aromas on the nose. Next, malt, caramel, and pineapple on the sip changed into whiskey, funky herbal-nutty cherry, and allspice on the swallow.

la calavera catrina

1 oz Tequila
1 oz Lustau Oloroso Sherry
1/2 oz Bonal Quinquina
1/2 oz Fernet Vallet

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

Andrea's first cocktail at Estragon two weeks ago was a more recent drink of the day from Sahil Mehta's recipe notebook. With the pair of Mexican ingredients, tequila and Fernet Vallet, Sahil wanted to give this one a touch of elegance to match the agave Manhattan feel; in the end, La Calavera Catrina "the dapper skeleton" was chosen. The name was based off of a work by illustrator, José Posada, who felt that Mexicans were aspiring too much to become European aristocrats. Later, Catrina became a symbol of the Mexican Day of the Dead celebration. With the elegant Spanish and French wine products as the other two ingredients, the name seemed too fit the name's history.
The orange twist added to the sherry's nutty grape on the nose. Next, an off-dry grape and caramel sip danced into a tequila, nutty, and complex bitter gentian swallow.

double dutch

1 oz Bols Genever
1 oz Batavia Arrack
3/4 oz Lime Juice
1/2 oz Velvet Falernum
1/4 oz Orgeat
1 dash Angostura Bitters
4-6 leaf Mint

Shake with ice, strain into a rocks glass, fill with ice, and garnish with a mint sprig.

Two Mondays ago, Andrea and I ventured down to the Southend to visit Sahil Mehta at Estragon. For a first drink, I scanned Sahil's notebook and spotted a curious recipe with Batavia Arrack and Genever, and the combination was one that I had only seen once before in Ricky Gomez' Weirding Way created at Portland's Teardrop Lounge. The rest of the elements made me think of a Mai Tai at first, but the orgeat and falernum duo had been utilized so well in Sam Ross' Tony Rocky Horror. For a name, Sahil proposed Double Dutch after the fact that the Dutch import Batavia Arrack and produce Genever.
In the glass, the Double Dutch proffered a mint and malt aroma. Next, the Genever's malt continued on in the sip to mingle with the lime notes, and the swallow combined Genever and the funky Batavia Arrack flavors that were accented by nutty orgeat and mint as well as a finish of allspice, lime, clove, and ginger.