Posted on by

It’s a Cherry not a Berry

On my nights off, I seldom feel like making myself a cocktail. Lately I’ve resorted to drinking craft beer or straight spirits.

Today was different. I had a surplus of cherries in the fridge that weren’t very sweet and were getting quite lonely. I put them to good use and ended up with this:

Bing Cherry Syrup (375 ml)

200 g  Cherries (seeds and all)

200 g Water

200 g Sugar (raw cane)

Combine cherries and water in a saucepan at low heat. Before it boils, turn heat down and crush cherries. Add sugar and bring to a light boil over medium heat. Turn heat down to a simmer and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Take off heat and pass through a fine strainer. Cool and bottle. Don’t forget to press out as much liquid out of the solid bits in the strainer.

(If I were to make this again I would probably up the cherry amount, but hey, I was working with what I had.)

Not being one to pass up an opportunity to make a drink  with a new ingredient, I decided to use the last lemon in the house to make this sour:

It’s a Cherry not a Berry

2 oz. Cardenal Mendoza Spanish Brandy

.5 oz Grand Marnier

1 oz Bing Cherry Syrup

1 oz Lemon Juice

1 Egg White

Garnish – A blackberry, lemon peel, orange peel & Angostura bitters

It’s might seem unintuitive to start with the making the garnish, however if it’s a bit on the complicated side I highly recommend it. The garnish will stay fresh for far longer than a cocktail, especially one with egg whites.

I started off by preparing my garnish ingredients, a lonely blackberry (I ran out of cherries), a lemon peel and an orange peel. I trimmed and neatly squared off the citrus peels.

I then slit a vertical line on the peels left sides and a diagonal slit from the bottom right hand corner of each as shown.

After curling the vertical corners, aligning the peels, clipping them & inserting the berry to the opposite end of a mini clothes pin (I admit I went a little overboard), I ended up with this!

 It was now time to assemble the drink, dry shake, and shake with ice.

After a nice strong shake, I strained the cocktail into a coupé,

decorated with Angostura hearts and balance the pre-prepared garnish!

Overall the Brandy, cherry and orange peel notes from the Grand Marnier, created a beautiful balance of flavors. The drink was surprisingly dry yet tart and worked great with the velvety mouthfeel from the egg white. The Angostura hearts added a little touch of baking spice for that perfect finish.

 
Posted on by

Tales of the Cocktail 2013

 

We’ve been awfully busy since the early parts of this year, mainly with time-consuming work related activities. However, we’re excited to say, we will be attending this year’s Tales of the Cocktail in “The Big Easy”, New Orleans from the July 17th to the 21st. .

For the uninitiated, Tales of the Cocktail has been the world’s premier cocktail festival for the last 11 years. Tales brings together bartenders, brands and enthusiasts from around the world to New Orleans for one week every year. It’s a week packed with seminars, competitions, tasting rooms, parties, dinners and more cocktails than you could drink in a lifetime!

Throughout that third week in July, we will be updating our blog regularly to give everyone a bartender’s point of view of our favorite events at Tales of the Cocktail.
Posted on by

Pioneers in Mixology 2013

16.11

With that the 2013 pioneers in mixology seminar wraps up. See everyone next year!

16.10

PR is vitally important in destination cities.

15.39

Look up the BCG (insert pic here)

15.36

It’s important to have a real life outside of the bar industry. That’s where you draw life & inspiration.

15.20

As management and owners let and make your employees work hard. They will get used to it and prevent them from getting lazy right at the start.

15.15

Staffing cost for a bar should be about 15% after the first year in contrast to restaurant staf cost of 30-40%.

15.13

Pour costs should be kept under 30%.   Comps should be kept around 4% .

13.29

Bar managers are the most difficult to hire. They must be trusted, however they need to be willing to work hard, no guts no glory! managing is the equivalent of interning.

13.19

Your first week- make sure everyone including the servers and hosts are well trained. You want everyone not just the bartenders to drink the kool-aid.

13.14

When you open a bar- choose your demographic wisely!

12.11

When thinking about the number of investors, the lower number the better. As few people involved in the decision making process the better. Spend money on an operating agreement.

11.58

Don’t turn against your community. You become part of it. You want everyone on your side, learn to make friends even with those who might be fighting against you.

11.51

When presenting business concept to city hall, find a good expediter, they are your “agent” to move through the beureocracy of city hall.

11.45

Moses- were notjust in the bar business , we’re in the hospitality business first and foremost.

11.35

A big challenge is good staffing, draw first from good work ethic before product knowledge.

11.27

Know how much you’re worth and what your concept is worth. Perhaps the idea and name of your bar will be worth more than the actual bar itself.

11.23

When formulating a business plan ,use clear concise wording. Not everyone knows Bar lingo, make it easy to understand.

11.16

Castro- Mind your bar cost! If you don’t you will go broke. Become a good bar manager before you think of becoming a bar owner.

11.12

Duff- your location is also important when considering the caliber of bartenders you can attract.

11.04

Seymour – when thinking of your bar have specifics. Know your plan from day one , month one , six months , one year. Investors want to see specifics for a successful business not just specifics about your awesome bar concept.

11.00

Whitton- Think about bucking trends but also understanding the needs of the neighborhood.

10.57

Aidan- bar concepts are the second most important things to consider. Pick a team, don’t be togeneral you risk loosing focus and ultimately failing.

10.53

When looking for spaces for your bar, look for dying spaces& keep an eye on existing liquor licene. Start with what you get and then try to modify.

10.46

The most important thing to considerthen first opening a bar is lease & space. That’s your bottom line. Don’t fall in love with any space. Your monthly rent will make or break your business!

10.12

Andy – inorder to be successful the most important thing to do is to learn to have balance. Learn to say no, goodbye and learn to walk away so that you don’t neglect your responsibilities.

10.05

Opening a bar is about profit but that does not mean you shouldn’t throw your passion behind it.

Instead of creating problems for yourself thinking about the things you don’t have in your bar, think about how you can use the things you have to create aan amazing experience.

09.48

Cedd Moses -213 group who’s currently MIA

Aidan Demarest – of Neat

Erick Castro -

Dave Whitton-

09.31

Our panel for today-

Andy Seymour- of BAR

Phil Duff- owner of door74 & world greatest presenter :P

09.29

Pioneers in Mixology 2013 – Next Level Bartending (running a successful bar) is about to start!

We will be updating this post throughout the afternoon!
Posted on by

Experiencing The English Ginvasion

Last night I headed to Crewest, a cool little graffiti art gallery/shop tucked away on a nondescript side street in Downtown LA.

 I was there with the promise of an interactive gin tasting and tasty cocktails to boot. The evening, cleverly called the English Ginvasion, was sponsored by Beefeater and Plymouth, two iconic English gins owned by the folks at Pernod Ricard.

As I walked into the chic intimate red and purple hued room, I was greeted by staff who guided me toward the bar for a cocktail.

From the three choices available I settled on the Bella Fragola, which had muddled strawberries, basil, lemon, simple syrup, and Beefeater 24 Gin. The drink was dry and refreshing, the tannic tea expressions of the gin still shining through the herbs and fresh fruit.

After mingling and sipping on drinks for a little, we were ushered into the rear area of the venue, where long communal wooden tables were set up with six neatly arranged glasses for our tasting session.

 We were greeted by Nick Van Tiel, East Coast Brand Ambassador for Pernod Ricard’s gins.

After a quick introduction to the various distillation methods of gin and a brief history of the spirit, we proceeded to explore the various botanicals which give gins their distinctive flavor and aroma.

Being properly educated on aromas and flavors we dove into the tasting. The first gin showcased was Beefeater with its distinct juniper and citrus peel notes. Nick let us know that the gins had been cut with water to make them more palatable. This made it a bit harder to pinpoint the gin being blind tasted, however I was successfully able to identify five of the six gins!

Just as I thought the session was coming to and end, Mr. Van Tiel informed us that he would be walking us through the steps to make the classic Southside cocktail.

Being familiar with this tasty combination of gin, mint, lime and sugar, I proceeded to shake one up and help others around me more unfamiliar with the drink.

As a final surprise, each of us was given a beautiful set of Cocktail Kingdom bar tools neatly stacked in a canvas lewis bag. Thanks Pernod Ricard!

While none of the information was new to me, the English Ginvasion was a great refresher event to keep gin and its many forms on my mind. It reminded me the that the general public could still use some gentle education on their drinking options. Classics cocktails such as the Southside serve as delicious and approachable introductions into the intimidating world of spirits.

As I walked towards my car I caught eye of this beauty “The Downtown Artist-At-Large.”

 
Posted on by

Bartender’s Thanksgiving-2012

After my post work prep session & Edwin’s late night at The Spare Room,we took the liberty of sleeping in Thanksgiving morning.

We used Alton Brown’s Brine recipe and were very pleased with the results. The first step was rinsing the turkey and preparing aromatics to stuff it with.

After the turkey legs were tied up with twine, we started on the dressing.

Mushroom Dressing

  • 16 cups white bread, cut into 1 inch cubes (1 1/2 pound loaf) and toasted
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 package 8 oz mushrooms(white or baby bella), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 2 cups diced onions
  • 1 cup diced celery
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 fresh sage leaves, minced
  • 6 fresh thyme sprigs, minced
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/3 cup roasted hazelnuts, halved

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toast the bread cubes on a sheet pan for about 5 minutes. Place the bread in a very large bowl. Melt butter in a pan and add the onions, celery, sage, thyme, salt & pepper. After about 5 minutes, add the mushrooms and cook an additional 5 minutes or until the vegetables are soft. Add to the bread cubes. Add the chicken stock and hazelnuts to the dressing and toss to coat all the bread evenly.

Pour the dressing into a 9 by 12 inch baking dish. For crispy dressing, bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned on top. For softer dressing, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes until lightly browned.

With the mushroom dressing all set to go, the green bean casserole was next. Some years back, I discovered Alton Brown’s Green Bean Casserole recipe and haven’t looked back.

Adding flour to the mushrooms

Chicken stock added and thickening

Adding half & half to complete the soup

 Green Bean Casserole hot from the oven.

We crisped the onions too much in their initial baking. Finished product was darn tasty though.

Cranberry Sauce is super easy.

Cranberry Sauce:

  • One 12 oz bag cranberries, rinsed
  • Peel of 1 navel orange, zested
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar
  • 2 oz Grand Marnier

Preheat oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a 9 in baking dish. Bake for about 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally until berries pop and the juices turn syrupy.

We cooked the turkey in an oven bag which greatly reduced the cooking time. The only downside was that it stuck to the top of the breast and the turkey doesn’t develop a nice golden hue. In the future, we’ll take it out of the bag before it’s fully cooked and brown the top a little in the oven.

The tender turkey–juicy, fragrant, and falling off the bone. Yum.

We strained all the turkey jus into a pot. The brining and aromatics made it unnecessary to add any seasoning.

Skimming the fat off the top

I scooped a few spoonfuls of warm turkey jus into a bowl and added 2 TBSP of all-purpose flour

After whisking to combine, add slowly to the warm pot of turkey jus.

Simmer on medium low heat until the gravy thickens.

With the gravy finished, champagne poured and the table set, we were ready to dig in.

We may have slept in and crammed all our cooking into one day, but it was worth it. Thanksgiving comes once a year and it’s probably my favorite holiday. Good food, family, and the vocalization of thankfulness.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Laura & Edwin
Posted on by

Pumpkin Pie Live–Thanksgiving 2012

We’re all finished with Thanksgiving cooking and most of the cleanup. A thorough post on that after I take a nap. But now, it’s time for Pumpkin Pie Live!

19.25

Our pumpkin pie adventure begins!

Laura already cooked and pureed the sugar pumpkin last night & made crust this afternoon. We start by simmering 16oz of puree over medium heat and add:

  • 1 c. half & half
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

 

IMG_4855
While we simmer the puree, we’re preparing the rest of the filling by whisking:
  • 3/4 dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 2 large eggs
Since we don’t have any dark brown sugar we substituted 3/4 cup granulated sugar and a scant 1/4 cup molasses.
IMG_4859
Whisk the sugar and eggs until fully incorporated.
IMG_4860
This year, we’re going with pumpkin pie a la mode! Here’s the vanilla ice cream seconds before it hits the freezer to set.
IMG_4861
Back to the filling, we combine the pumpkin puree and sugar mixtures together & whisk thoroughly . To give the filling more flavor we add:
  • 1/16 tsp. clove
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1 pinch of five-spice powder
IMG_4863
Pour the completed mixture into a pie crust of your choice and bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 F.
IMG_4867
tick tock…. tick tock…and now we wait!
Ladies and Gents after 55 minutes of baking, I give you Pumpkin Pie.
IMG_4870
We will see you someday soon for another live kitchen session!
-E&L

Posted on by

Prepping For Turkey Day in LA

Thanksgiving is already upon us. Here’s some of my Thanksgiving Eve prep after a night of bartending. Check back tomorrow for more live updates from our Thanksgiving.

Brine the Turkey:

Courtesy of Alton Brown

Candied Yams:

These were a staple at Thanksgiving. Some Thanksgiving I’ll make my own marshmallows, but this year I’m cooking at my house where I don’t have a stand mixer.

4 Yams, peeled

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 TBSP pastured butter

1/2 tsp. 5 Spice powder(Anise, Clove, Cinnamon, Coriander, Fennel)

Peel yams

Cut into 2 inch chunks and assemble in a dish with butter, sugar, and 5-spice powder

Make the cook happy:

Pour Willett Bourbon into a glass. Sip. Enjoy.

Pumpkin Pureé:

I’m making a pumpkin pie tomorrow. Ideally, I’d like to make the pie crust tonight too, but I’d also like to be in bed before 5am. Sacrifices.

Cut small pumpkin in half and scoop out the seeds. Save seeds for future roasting.

Place in a roasting pan with 1″ water or in a steamer(also great for dim sum!). Roast until flesh is soft and scoopable, about 20-30 minutes.

Scoop out flesh into blender or Cuisinart.

Add about 1/2 to 3/4 cup water gradually until mixture blends. Chill for future use.

French Vanilla Ice Cream:

1 1/2 cups whole milk

1/2 whipping cream

1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise

2/3 cup sugar

6 egg yolks

I made the custard in advance, so all I have to do tomorrow is throw this in the ice cream maker and freeze for a few hours before serving with a warm pumpkin pie.

Combine milk, cream, vanilla bean, & half the sugar to the scalding point over medium heat.

Beat the yolks & remaining sugar until smooth

When the mixture begins to foam, reduce heat and quickly stir in yolk mixture. Stir constantly over low heat until it reaches 175°F.

Remove immediately from heat & strain through a fine mesh strainer so that the liquid is smooth and lump-free. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool slightly.

Place in refrigerator for at least 4 hours.
Posted on by

Rhum Clément On My Mind

For a few months now I’ve been using a new app called Onthebar, brought to us by several cocktail loving guys in Boston. I check into the app to let people know when I’m behind bar and if I’m making anything special. They’ve also added the option to let my Facebook and Twitter friends know when I’m behind the stick which has been really convenient.

A few weeks ago they ran a give-away sponsored by Rhum Clément where they asked bartenders to post a rum cocktail for a chance to win a sweet price from Clément.

Guess who won… I did!

Pica Cat is anxious for Rum

I received a package via UPS all the way from Boston, let see whats inside:

A delicious bottle of Clément spiced cane syrup surfaced from within the styrofoam peanuts. The bottom read “cannelle, vanille and girofle”, which, if your French is rusty, translates into cinnamon, vanilla and clove. Since opening the bottle, it’s been put to good use in cocktails, coffee, hot chocolate & atole (a mexican corn-based drink) among other things. I’ve even thougth about using it in lieu of maple syrup on pancakes, it’s that good.

Next, I pulled a bottle of Clément Premiére Canne white rum. I’ve been in need of a great Agricole Blanc for some time now and their 9 month stainless steel vat aged Agricole was a perfect addition to our collection of spirits. It’s delicious as a base for Hemingway Daiquiri’s and other rummy creations.

The grand reveal came in the form of this lovely creature, Clément 6 Year Old Grande Reserve Très Vieux.  This is a limited release bottle to commemorate Clément’s  125th anniversary, aged a minimum of six years in new French oak barrels and re-charred bourbon barrels. I can’t wait to dig into this bottle. I’ll be sure to give my take on it, as well as a tasty cocktail  in a future post.

There was one more surprise waiting for me in the sea of pink peanuts. I pulled up a genuine swizzle stick or bois lélé as they’re know in Martinique. This wooden beauty, made from the dried branch of a tree native to the Caribbean was a real treat to find. Not only are they hard to come by in the U.S.,  but they’re Martinique’s native cocktail tool. Now I can finally make a genuine swizzle with my very own swizzle stick!

I want to thank Ian and everyone at Onthebar for making this give-away possible. Keep up the good work. I can see your app becoming an indispensable tool for bartenders and patrons, I’ll keep spreading the word in L.A. and hope to see more bartenders in our city use it. Also thank you Rhum Clément for supporting the cocktail community and for making delicious rums for all of us to enjoy!
Posted on by

La Maison Cointreau Pop-Up @ The Carondelet House in LA

This past Monday and Wednesday afternoon, bartenders were invited to explore La Maison Cointreau at The Carondelet House in MacArthur Park. This was the third installment of the pop-up in four major cities including New York, Dallas, and next week, San Francisco. Upon arrival, we were greeted and invited in for drinks at either of the two bars on the lower level.

We sipped on a Devil’s Own, with Cointreau, gin, dry vermouth, and a dash of Angostura bitters, a Side Car, with Cointreau, Remy Martin VSOP Cognac, and lemon, and a Cointreau Fizz, with Cointreau, lime, and Perrier.

 Orange Macarons and Strawberry Shortcake sweets awaited us by the bar.

Half of the lower level was turned into a small library, showcasing a sample of Cointreau’s collection of rare first-edition and historic cocktail books. We were able to peruse a few books with white gloves. The entire library of over 200 books  is in the process of being digitized and was available to browse on an iPad.

Alfred Cointreau, 6th generation and great-great-grandson of Édouard Cointreau,  led us through a brief history of the product as the first triple-sec introduced to Europe. He highlighted the importance of Cointreau as a cocktail ingredient and how often it was called for in cocktail books. Searching through the now digitized database in the iPad, he was able to have us read cocktail recipes from antique books. Luckily, Cointreau will be making this database available to all sometime next year, he anticipated.

 In the next room we were greeted by Brand Ambassador and Trade Manager, Richard Lambert and dozens of black liqueur glasses. He led us through a blind tasting of four well-known orange liqueurs in an effort to show us why Cointreau is the world’s best and most imitated. The four brands were Combier, Grand Marnier, Bols, and Cointreau. It was a fun exercise and a good reminder of why side-by-side tastings are valuable tools to evaluate a variety of products, not just spirits.

After all that sugar, we were excited to meet with Remy Cointreau’s Corporate Mixologist, Kyle Ford. The tables were flush with potted herbs, diced fruit, whole citrus, and bar tools. Kyle recommended we try making a White Lady with Cointreau, gin and lemon or go wild and concoct something unique.

 
Playing with other people’s liquor is always enjoyable. Edwin made a cocktail with muddled watermelon, basil, lime, Cynar, gin, and Cointreau, and I whipped one up with rosemary, lime, a dash of absinthe, gin and Cointreau Noir.
We had just enough time for Edwin to go nuts with the herbs and use rosemary, chives, basil, pineapple, lime,  Brugal Blanco Rum, Cynar, and Cointreau.

La Maison Cointreau was an informational and enjoyable event, and I always welcome the chance to become more intimate with the products I use everyday in the bar. This event was set up for industry during the day and provided entertainment to the general public at night. As a bartender, I appreciated the balance of education and creativity that this event successfully offered.

 
Posted on by

MurrayAid @CanaRumBar Tuesday, October 30th

It can be said that every time you order a drink and tip your bartender you’re doing good. Supporting local business and good service is a no brainer. When  you order a drink this Tuesday, at Caña Rum Bar, you’ll be helping save a bartender–Murray Stenson.

Murray has worked as a bartender for over 3 decades in Seattle, mostly recently at ZigZag Cafe and currently at Canon. in 2010, he was named “Bartender of the Year” at Tales of the Cocktail. To the cocktail community in Seattle and around the world, he’s a heck of a lot more than numbers and names. He’s a damn fine bartender and he needs our help.

Tuesday night, the fine folks at Caña Rum Bar will have a special menu of drinks whipped up for you to enjoy. Proceeds will go to MurrayAid. While you’re there, sign up for a Rum Society membership and they’ll donate the proceeds as well.

Come out to show your support or if you can’t make it, visit MurrayAid.org to make a donation.

What:

MurrayAid LA

 When:

Tuesday, October 30th

9pm-close

 Where:

Caña Rum Bar

714 West Olympic Boulevard  Los Angeles, CA 90015

(213) 745-7090


View Larger Map