What do we have here?

So, remember in my last post when I talked about bartending for the first time and how I wanted to do it again?

I spent all spring basically saying that, but not really doing anything?about it. I was lazy, admittedly, and it felt weird to look for a job like that when I had a day job. Besides, who’d want to take the chance on a guy with no service industry experience?

Also, I was going out less and less. I was trying to watch my spending, for one, and also just enjoying being at home.

I also kept saying I needed a new day job. “I’m going to work on my resume,” I’d say, “and look for a new job.” Only I didn’t. Partly out of fear I’d be fired if my job found out (not likely, but not completely unfounded) but mostly out of (again) laziness. I didn’t like my job, but I didn’t realize how MUCH I didn’t like it, and I was in a rut.

Then, two weeks ago yesterday I got called into my boss’ office and laid off. One week severance for every year I’d worked there, so 10 weeks, fortunately. Also, we were 2 weeks behind on pay, so I still had a full paycheck and half of another coming.

Just to warn you, I don’t always smile like this.

After I got all my stuff from my cube piled into my car (where it still sits, to be honest), I got on my phone and posted a short status to Twitter and Facebook. “Shit-canned.”

That was a bit of a mistake, since it meant my whole drive home, trying to use my traffic app (I love Waze), I kept getting text notifications.

Still, I felt loved. And better yet: happy. I’d always imagined being laid off would be the worst thing in the world to happen to me, but instead it’s been one of the best.

One of the Facebook messages I got was from Tom Brown, who had recruited me to bartend at the Passenger NYE. He told me to come see him.

The next day I wandered over to Slipstream in Logan Circle. Tom was there and we chatted. He thought I might be a fit there but didn’t have the hours to offer me, so he told me to go meet his friend Ric at Dino’s Grotto. He needed a new bartender there. I’d never been there, but I’d heard good things about it, and later that night I made my way there. We chatted a bit, and Ric told me to come back Sunday morning at 11 AM for a brunch shift.

Erp.

Here comes Sunday. I show up in dress pants, button down shirt, dress shoes. Overdressed, obviously. And also poor choice of shoes, I was sliding everywhere. I didn’t bring a notebook or pen, but Ric had one for me. I didn’t bring a wine key or lighter. I was unprepared.

Unlike most of Ric’s new bartenders, who have service experience but not cocktail & liquor knowledge, I was the opposite. So we started off slowly. He showed me how things should be, showed me when I made mistakes, and basically just let me practice.

Tuesday I was back, and I did better. Still not what you’d call?good, probably, but better. By the end, he said to come back Thursday for a final training day. I came in, working with a different bartender, and took the lead on most of the things while she made sure I didn’t completely screw up.

Friday night I worked with Ric. He liked what he saw, I was doing much better.

Sunday I worked my first solo bar shift for brunch and dinner. In the morning I was scared I was going to screw something up; there’s so much to prepare, especially with things like mimosas and bloody marys which are only ordered at brunch. I made some mistakes, got made fun of for not having the right shoes (which were on order), but I got through the day and 13 hours of work.

Then Wednesday night I got called in, worked what’ll be one of my shifts from here on out (Sunday, Monday, Wednesday). I had my shoes, I knew better what to do, I felt more confident – and I think it definitely showed in my service. The server working upstairs in the dining room said I made more money then the previous bartender would have as she wouldn’t have worked the room as well (and that I probably stole at least one of his tables by doing that!).

So I’m learning. It’s fun. It’s creative, it’s physical, it’s demanding, and I like it a lot. I bought a nice new wine key and I’m about to buy a back-up. If you’re around DC, come by Shaw (9th St NW between T & U) and visit Dino’s Grotto. We have great food and great drinks. And you might be able to tell me what mistake I’m making this time.

(And maybe, sometime, we’ll be able to do some Scofflaw’s Den type related activities there!)

– SeanMike

The next thing I want to highlight is the Cuisinart Electric Kettle.

It holds 1.7 liters (that’s almost 7.2 cups to us non-metric folks) of water and has a handy window to see exactly how much water is in the kettle.

The kettle is “cordless” which means that the base is plugged into an outlet and the kettle heats up by being placed on the base. One design that I love on this appliance, and one I wish other manufacturers would implement, is that while the cord is rather long there is a built-in cord wrap on the bottom of the base. This lets you reach far outlets if necessary or keep the kettle close to an outlet without excess cord getting in the way.

The main selling point on the kettle though is the automatic temperature settings. Each setting has the temp and general type of beverage for that temp (even french press coffee!!!) and a “Keep Warm” function.

We use this kettle almost nightly for hot tea, on weekends for french press coffee and any other time we need boiling water. And you know what, it’s perfect for hot toddies!!!

My next gift suggestion is a simple CO2 soda siphon. Now I know you can go to the market and pick up soda water. Or you can get one of those fancy soda rivers that make all sorts of fizzy drinks. But I don’t want to keep buying plastic bottles of soda water that will go flat after I only use half of it. I also don’t drink lots of fizzy drinks so a machine that spits out all different types is overkill. That’s why I like the simple soda siphon.

This is the siphon I use at home. It also happens to be a wedding gift from my cohort SeanMike. I’ll admit it’s a little fancier than most models but you can find a bunch of different types on Amazon.

Well there you go, two more suggestions from me to you. Both the electric kettle and the soda siphon are practical gifts for the cocktail fan or budding chef in your life.

Arctic Chill sent us one of their muddlers for a review so we decided to give it a try.

The product is a nice smooth metal grip with a nylon head. It’s look is simple and basic.

One of the things I liked about this muddler is its short, stout shape. I?ve come across many metal muddlers that seemed designed more like some arm-length car mechanic?s tool. I could appreciate Arctic Chill?s design in that way.

This muddler, like other metal ones, is fitted with teeth on the bottom which makes them better suited for crushing than their wooden counterparts.

Its effectiveness in crushing citrus and other ingredients definitely lives up to the message. It was quite easy to mash up a slice of orange and a cherry into sugar and bitters, if that?s something you want to do.

As most cocktailians know, muddling is really less about ?crushing? ingredients and more about opening them up.

The point is not to pulverize mint leaves into sugar when making a mojito as Bacardi commercials would have you believe.

(I suspect this misunderstanding of how mojitos are made is one of the reasons so many bartenders claim to hate making them.)

Many herbs are so delicate it takes little more than a light tap to release the oils and aromas of the plant.

So, I’m not a big fan of the tag line on the box, ?crush citrus fruits, herbs and spices with ease,? for this reason.

One other concern I would have regarding this product would be its durability over time with either being washed by hand or in a machine. Still, nothing in my review led me necessarily to believe it would degrade over time.

I generally prefer wood muddlers. They can be particularly beautiful and have an appeal the way many baseball fans prefer wood bats over metal ones. Both materials have their benefits and, in many ways, it simply comes down to a matter of preference.

The Arctic Chill muddler is great for the amateur mixologist at home. It would also work for a restaurant or bar that was simply looking for a reliable tool for day-to-day muddling.

See our videos for our a closer look at Arctic Chill’s product in action.

The first tool is one of the handiest gadgets I have. It hangs on the wall right next to my mixing station in the kitchen so it’s within easy reach. During parties I throw it in my back pocket to use throughout the night. What is it? It is the Microplane Bartender’s Garnishing Tool.

This little gem is a zester, peel curler and bottle opener. It fits comfortably in your hand making opening bottles and garnishing those holiday martinis pretty simple. But honestly the neatest thing about this tool is the zester. During the chilly months of the year I find myself making more drinks where a quick zest of fresh nutmeg on the top puts a cocktail over the edge. Think eggnog, spiced apple cider or mulled wine. Having a nutmeg in my pocket and a zester is easy, slightly theatrical for guests and really just fun. (Never claimed I was not a huge nerd!) At $20 MSRP it is a great stocking stuffer or lost cost gift to someone who loves making drinks for friends and family all year long.

My next favorite thing is a relatively new addition to the bar. I was gifted a set of these rocks glasses by friends for working on their wedding cocktails. I originally saw them on a random “neat stuff” website, fell in love with them and immediately put them on my Amazon wish list. I can’t say these glasses “do” anything except hold my tasty beverages, but just look at them!

For those of you who don’t live in the DC area, these glasses are etched with the streets and neighborhoods of Washington, DC. The picture above is of the same glass rotated so you can see the full etching. These glasses feel substantial in your hand and have a nice heavy bottom. These glasses come from The Uncommon Green and each rocks glass runs $12.50. They also have pint glasses and carafes etched with lots of different city street maps. Check out their website to see if your city is there.

That’s it for part 1 and I’ll have a few more favorites in a couple of days. Maybe a few other Scofflaws will chime in with some of their favorite things as well!

It is no secret that I love searching through antique stores for bar tools, cocktail related memorabilia or simply quirky items I can use in my home bar. This past Thanksgiving, while visiting my Mother in southwest Virginia, we traveled to Bristol, Tennessee where Main Street is lined with antique stores.

What you see in the picture above is the find of the trip. It is a silver plated beverage warmer.

The base holds a glass candle holder which fits a tea candle. The carafe is suspended over the flame by small metal nibs which set into the arms of the base. The really neat aspect to this piece is that it tilts forward to fill your glass without the need to remove the carafe from the base.

This thing is also a looker!

I really can’t wait to use this to serve warm cider, mulled wine, glogg or some other warm tipple this winter!

What are your best antique finds? Share them in the comments!

Cheers!

The good news is that you can have a very well stocked tool kit for home cocktails for very little cash. Since we’ve just passed Black Friday and retailers were trying their best to separate you from your wallet, I decided to chronicle my favorite basic bar tools in the next several posts. While some of these won’t be the cheapest option, in my opinion they are the best for the money and won’t require a loan or selling your first born child to the credit card company to own. These tools are everything you need to make just about any cocktail.

First, you have to have mixing tins/shakers. Many times you see what’s called a Boston Shaker which usually consist of a pint glass and a larger tin which fits snugly over the pint glass. You can stir drinks in the pint glass and use both pieces to shake. The downside to this set-up is two fold. First, glass is not a good conductor of heat. It takes a lot more thermal energy to cool down the glass than it does other materials. Second, pint glasses have a tendency to break. I prefer all metal Boston Shakers. Using all metal solves both problems with glass. Metal is a great conductor of thermal energy meaning your cocktail will get cold faster. Plus, metal doesn’t shatter. These are my metal shakers.

Different size shaker tins.

I like having various sizes. From left to right, each tin works with the next size down. The largest set is good for making 3 or 4 cocktails at a time while the smallest set is perfect for serving one cocktail to a guest. I have purchased tins from BarProducts.com and found them cheap and very dependable.

The second basic tool you need is a jigger. You can find these at almost any kitchen store, restaurant supply depot, or in your grandmothers cabinet gathering dust. For my money, the best jigger on the market is the Oxo Steel Double Jigger.

As you can see, this jigger has a non-slip grip in the middle which is great when your hands are wet or sticky. The bigger bowl holds 1.5 ounces and the smaller bowl holds 1 ounce. But what really sets this jigger apart is the gradients inside each bowl.

For about the same price as the Oxo jigger you can get stainless steal jiggers with each bowl a single volume. Similar to these:

These are good jiggers and meet the form and function of your tools. However, I’m lazy and don’t want to wash more than I have to and only using one tool instead of multiple fits the bill for me.

The third tool you need is a good muddler. For my favorite muddler, see this post on the PUG! muddler.

The last tool I’ll cover in this post is the all important cocktail spoon.? Cocktail spoons are a bit different than a normal spoon in that the are long and contain a shallow bowl at the end.? Some bar spoons have a fork or a muddler on the other end.? These are the two spoons I use most often.

The brand of spoon on the left has been lost to memory, the spoon on the right is a ProStirrer by Uber Bar Tools.? Each of these spoons is weighty and feels good in the hand.? The ProStirrer has a muddler on the end, although I find it works much better to crack ice cubes than muddle. One thing to notice about both of these spoons is the lack of a red plastic cap on the end. My experience has been the cheaper spoons, usually the ones with the red tip, are flimsy tools not worth wasting your money on.

There you have it. My favorite shaker tins, jiggers, muddler & spoons. Next time, I’ll cover strainers, ice cube trays, peelers, and one special tool I think every home bartender should utilize.

Do you have any favorite bar tools? Leave a comment and let us know what and why.

Cheers!

The GF gave me a twist & sparkle for my birthday. (Oh, I can’t believe I just typed that! Perverts!) Now I have an iSi sofa siphon that I use to make soda water and I really enjoy it. The T&S allows me to carbonate other delicious drinks. I think you know where I’m going with this.

Last weekend while hanging out at a friend’s house who has a T&S, we carbonated several batches of pisco punch. Other than the carbonation, the flavor of the punch was slightly altered. Basically, the flavor was a bit muted. We added a little extra lime juice to punch (get it?) up the tartness and the second batch came out great.

Another great benefit is making homemade sodas. And the first think I had to make was ginger beer! I used Morgenblogger’s recipe. It’s a very simple recipe and tasty to boot.

As I investigate more fun uses I’ll report back.

Cheers!

The first thing that surprised me was its size.? I could tell you in inches, or centimeters, or whatever, but y’all are reading this blog due to booze, so here it is in booze bottles.

By the way, I hate the wax seal on Ransom Old Tom Gin

It is as wide as a bottle of Ransom Old Tom Gin.

It is as tall as a liter bottle of Pimm’s #1.

It is as deep as a bottle of Voyant chai creme liqueur.

It’s a bit heavy, but I didn’t have anything to compare that too.? Sorry!? (Not really actually sorry.)? A lot of the stainless steel was covered in blue plastic wrap that was a pain in the butt to take off.? Maybe I was just missing something.? That happens a lot.

Now I want a Pimm's Cup

“Geez SeanMike, that’s great and all,” you say, “but how does it work?”

Well, I’ll tell you.? Also, I imagine you having a nasally nerd voice.? Ha ha!

Basically, on the inside there are rows of little metal prongs.? You fill up the water to a certain level, select the thickness of ice that you’d like, and 6 or so minutes later (depending on the thickness you selected) you’d have your first batch.

I wouldn’t suggest really using the first batch, however.? Even at maximum thickness it tended to be melt quickly, but that might be because the inside of the icemaker isn’t very cold at first.? It takes it quite a while to cool off enough to keep ice solid, and during that time if you’re not careful the ice will melt and refreeze into a larger mass.

I need more room in my fridge so I can open this

The ice that is formed looks like a thimble.? That surprised the heck out of me when I first saw it but as I thought about it I realized it’s how the ice forms.? Even at the thickest they are not much bigger than the end of my thumb.? Given that the current movement in icing straight liquor such as whiskeys is using one large block of ice (I have a very nice ice cube tray I now use for that courtesy of Cocktail Kingdom, because Greg Boehm graciously gave it to me) I wouldn’t suggest using it for that.

EXCEPT…well, sometimes you just want to add a bit of water to your whiskey.? Like, sometimes for scotch, I guess.? I never know when it’s proper or not.? In that case, using one or two of these would be okay.? Just know it’s going to melt in no time flat.

Okay, okay, how about making cocktails?

Stirring – I got a lot more dilution in my cocktail stirring, and it seemed to get cold pretty quickly.? It’s not a bad thing, but you’ve got to mind your timing – it is NOT the same as using harder ice.? It’s more like using the bagged ice you get in a grocery store.? Your mileage may vary, of course.? I don’t stir my drinks that often (I don’t care what you think, shuddup) but it was feasible to use it for that.

Shaking - I cannot recommend that unless you’re going for a blender-less version of a slushy.? The ice broke down and disintegrated in no time.

A friend of mine was much more excited about the icemaker than I was.? She lives in the same building as me, just ten stories higher, and can’t stand the ice her fridge makes.? This lets her make ice with filtered water, which she likes a lot.? I’d thought about using it to try to make tonic ice or something but I was worried about messing it up.

I found the icemaker useful for non-alcoholic drinks as well.? Never did get a chance to take it tailgating but I think my next opportunity to tailgate will be in December in Pittsburgh so I probably won’t need a lot of ice there…

If you’ve used it, feel free to give your thoughts on it!

One of the most beautiful aspects of the resurgence of cocktail culture is the glassware.? The bartenders are using fresh juices, homemade sweeteners, tonics, bitters and liqueurs, and premium spirits.? The resulting cocktails and garnishes are beautiful in and of themselves.? But they need a magnificent receptacle to complete the package.

I’m sure you’ve marveled at the glassware your favorite watering hole uses for their bespoke cocktails.? But have you tried to find those great glasses in a store?? Most cocktail glasses in places like Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macy’s, Crate and Barrel, etc. are HUGE!? Holding anywhere from 8 to 15 ounces (or more!) these glasses are not made for classic cocktails.? So where do you find the correct size and types of glasses?

The very best location I’ve found is my local Goodwill!? You most likely won’t find full sets of glassware, but having an eclectic collection is part of the fun.? And the best part?? COST!? Most glasses I buy are $.39 or $.59 each.? Sometimes, if the glass is particularly ornate, it’ll be $.99.? Every time I donate things to Goodwill, I run in and check their glassware selections.? After several trips, and very little money, I have a glassware collection that I’m proud to show-off.

Below are a few of the glasses I’ve found at Goodwill.? And today, I even found the mixing glass in the final photo.? Total price, $1.99!

Good luck hunting your own glassware collection!

Cheers!

While we were at Tales of the Cocktail this year, several members of the Cocktail & Spirits Online Writers Group rented out a Bed & Breakfast and it became “Blogger Central.”? In the evenings, we could retire to the house, hang out with anyone around, have some tasty vittles and mix drinks until the early dawn.?? The bar at the house had to number in the hundreds of bottles.? The cocktail knowledge of the writers, bartenders, and brand reps who filtered in and out assured everyone fantastic drinks.? The crazy array of tools behind the bar ensured that every type of drink could be made using the perfect and proper technique.? I’m confident that the Mixo House bar rivaled the best equipped bar in New Orleans.

One of the coolest activities being run out of the Mixo House was a silent auction.? The items up for auction included a hand lathed swizzle stick from Chris Stanley of Clover Club, a bourbon barrel top lazy susan, three small charred barrels for aging, a night with Camper English, and a traveling bar set from Uber Bar Tools.? Well, after a slight bidding war between myself and Gabe Szaszko, I won the traveling bar set.

As you can see from photo above, the tools are housed in a small metal suitcase.? It is very solid,? surviving being checked onto the United flight back to DC, and also has a shoulder strap.? The inside of the case contains thick and sturdy foam, much like what you would find in a gun case or maybe a camera case.? The foam has been cut so each tool has its own place and stays very secure in that spot.

The photo above is the top section of the case.? It contains a weighted bar spoon, a waiter’s helper corkscrew, a bottle opener, a cutting board, a peeler, a paring knife, and a zester/channel knife.

The bottom of the kit contains a muddler, a boston shaker, a hawthorne strainer, a julep strainer (inside the shaker), a fine mesh strainer, a juice press, a Pro Jig, and four Pro Flow speed pourers.? Throw in the set of mini bottles of Bitter Truth Bitters and I am ready to rock and or roll.

This is a really well put together tool kit!? You can see more details here.? Of course what this really means is that when people invite me over to their house for a party, I can’t really bitch about not having the proper tools to make drinks.? I guess this will also regulate me to making drinks for the crowd too.? Damn, why didn’t I let Gabe win?!?!?!? Oh well . . . .

Cheers!