Category: bartending
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Shallow Dive: The Difference Between a Syrup and a Cordial
Aside from one sounding much more delicious than the other…Remember, I live and work in Southern California, the most narcissistic place on Buddha’s Green Earth, where people ask for cocktails with no sugar because they want alcohol but are too stupid to order it neat with a citrus wedge on the side…Wait…Where was I?…Oh yeah,…
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Daddy’s Carbonated Cocktail Journey
Come with me as I explore carbonation. We’ll blow things up. We’ll dissolve gas into liquid. We’ll get nice and silly from the bubbles doing weird things to our tummies and brains and blood…My friend Lee after I told him about us finally doing carbonated cocktails said “That’s so 2019, dude.” Thanks asshole…Whatever, I’ve always…
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On Muddling
Well, it’s citrus season and if you’re bar program is worth a squirt of piss, that usually means you’ll be muddling something. For the record, I hate muddling, but also for the record, it’s the best way to incorporate fresh fruit flavor or herbs into your drinks. Listen, you don’t have to if you don’t…
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Rustic Rookie Year
I went into the private dining room and sat down in front of the chef and the general manager. The seat was hot. I had been here before but this time neither of them looked sad at all. This was a mercy killing. The GM in particular royally hated my guts. I could see the…
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Bar Program Year in Review: 2023
Well everyone, here we go. 2023 was an interesting year for many reasons. Produce wise it was a bit challenging due to the intense amount of rain and the uncharacteristic cold we had here in Southern California which delayed stonefruit until almost the end of May whereas we usually see some cherries trickling in sometime…
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Notes on the Hot Toddy
Here we go again. Some say the hot toddy originated in India in the early 1600s, other sources state it was Edinburgh, Scotland, and then some go back again to India, but with a specific, printed recipe date of 1786. In my own unpolished opinion I think people have always enjoyed themselves a warm bevvy,…
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More on the Persimmon
My first encounter with a persimmon was a recipe in the The Zuni Cafe Cookbook by Judy Rodgers. “Air-Dried Beef & Fuyu Persimmons with Extra-Virgin Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar.” The book was given to me after a trip to San Fransisco with my ex-girlfriend, the first time I had ever been, and where the…
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I Have no Idea What Oloroso Sherry is
I’ve been putting sherry, mostly manzanilla, in cocktails for years because it’s acidic and weird. The oloroso is different, slightly nutty, still weird, but I have little to no clue about it, or most other sherries for that matter. I know about flor and how it’s been oxidized and what it’s supposed to taste like,…
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Tiki Jello Shots?
Trust me, it looked better last night. Sort of like that old joke, “I went home at two with a ten, and woke up at ten with a two.” The abomination pictured above is one of a few tiki jello shots I made during service as an experiment. Yes, I know, it looks like it…
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The Little Engine That Could
The bar program received a nice write up at the end of June. Read it here. When you’re doing stuff out of a tiny bar in sleepy Santa Monica, it’s tough to tell whether or not you’re doing a good job. We think we are, our fantastic regulars think we are, but in the grand…
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Watermelon, the Great Anticlimax
On the defensive from the get go this morning, ladies and germs. Hey, you try to write a blog every damn day and see how you feel, especially after a punishing night in the well, my joints sore with the promise of more cocktail shaking in the future. The original title of this post was…
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The Atypical Eight Bottle Bar
I worked a wedding this past Saturday and only brought eight bottles. But listen closely, I didn’t take my own advice and bring the typical eight you’re “supposed to,” but it worked out just fine. Number one, this was atypical in the sense that the people who hired me, M&J, knew exactly what they wanted…
The Aging Bartender 