In ‘It’s a Strange World: Part One’, Nick Strangeway has some stern words for bartenders of today:

“Bartenders today are obsessed with the Japanese hard shake and cutting ice from big blocks, they force history down people’s throats and inflict their techniques on customers, putting foam on something for sake of it,” he says. “They don’t realise that if it takes 20 minutes to make, it’s a shit drink. And they never sit the opposite side of the bar, they won’t check the toilets.”

I have a huge amount of respect for Nick, but can’t completely agree with him here. It’s another case of referring to ‘the industry’ and ‘bartenders’ as things one encounters only within a 10 mile radius of central London.

There are a great many bars in the UK that balance creative drinks and expansive knowledge with showing guests a good time; good old fashioned bartending in other words – Take a trip to cities like Bristol, Reading, Oxford, Manchester and Leeds, or indeed London suburbs like Clapham, and it is the norm, rather than the exception.

While I totally agree with what he says when it comes to some of the pseudo-speakeasies that have cropped up in the Capital, I find myself feeling frustrated yet again on behalf of bartenders and bar owners outside of London.

To get a real view of the ‘state of the nation’, one has to get out and see it. That means travelling all over the country, visiting bars that aren’t always in the news, speaking to bartenders who don’t go on all the press junkets, and judging cocktail competitions regardless of their location or stature.

This article is not meant as a criticism of Nick, more so of the consistent lack of credit and coverage given to non-London bars when talking about the UK bar industry as a whole. His points are absolutely valid, but should only be applied to a tiny percentage of bars and bartenders in the UK.

I’ve resorted to pretty much doing what I was anyway, making drinks. But not in a bar for paying customers, but in my kitchen for myself in front of the 30 Rock box set!

So to alleviate my frustrations I’ve decided that it was probably about time I cut loose with another blog after having told Simon and Andy I’ve been working on one for the last 6 months! So here it is…

Here’s a question for you…

What is going to take to get the general public appreciating Tequila rather than just abusing it?

Andy's online dating picture didn't get the reaction he had hoped for

Please someone tell me! Don’t get me wrong, I have enjoyed the odd bit of Tequila abuse in my time (who hasn’t?) but with the rise of quality 100% Agave Tequilas such as Ocho, Tradicional or Siete Leguas it seems such as waste to just habitually knock it back doesn’t it?

I mean, surely Joe and Jane Average wouldn’t treat a Single Malt or a half decent Cognac like that would they? I know, I’m preaching to the choir here a bit, we’re all firm advocates of the beer and a shot on the side school of thought but what can we do to spread this message further?

Perhaps the problem is that, culturally, we don’t really take our time to enjoy anything. We all buzz around as fast as roadrunner on amphetamines, what we need to do is to encourage our guests to sit down, relax and take it slow.

After all, the old mantra ‘Life’s too short’ isn’t always necessarily true, especially when it comes to good drinks.

So I’m on a bit of a crusade at the moment to get people to re-evaluate Tequila, even something as small as encouraging people to take a sip before they down their shot can make a difference as it forces them to actually taste the spirit. It’s all about baby steps I reckon.

Another thing I’ve found to work on those less keen on Agave spirits is to (trust me on this) serve it cold. I know, I know, it goes against everything we’ve been taught about sprits and tequila over the last 10 years but bear with me a minute.

I am not suggesting that it is the way to serve Tequila to people who actually enjoy their agave but, as we all know when you chill a spirit you dull some of that spirits characteristics right? So for someone who has negative connotations with either the aroma or initial taste of a spirit, if they are less prominent it makes that spirit more accessible and open to re-evaluation right?

This is a good thing! We need to collectively make sure that we are trying to find new ways for the public to tap into and enjoy some of these fantastic products and not keep them to ourselves like the dirty magazine collection under our beds.

Right, whinge over. There’s loads of good things happening the trade with Tequila, the Pacifico group are continuing to do great things and new Soho Sex Shop hangout La Bodega Negra is taking Tequila to the A list.

My dream is to get a decent chunk of the population going out and actually enjoying their Tequila rather than regretting having drunk it in the morning. Perhaps if we can help the public understand a little more about it then we can slowly change people’s perceptions on it.

Right, I’m off for a Tradicional and Ting. Till next time. Salud, Tim.

Again flying from New Zealand seems to take the longest time ever….. but after the best part of two days, I finally arrived to join the rest of the competitors from around the world.

Where's Riki?

I must admit to having expectations on what Trinidad and the competition would be like, on both fronts I was completely wrong. I thought Trinidad would be the same size maybe as Samoa or Fiji, it turns out the country is as beautiful as those but so much bigger and the competition a lot bigger and tougher than I had expected.

Bartenders from countries including England, South Africa, Russia, China and Argentina as well as a local from Trinidad, were all there to win the competition. It is hard not to mention all of the competitors as they were all in their own right AMAZING!! There were a few stand outs for me, Nastassia Martin (London) was so relaxed and professional behind the bar and made two stunning cocktails, Roxanne Reed (South Africa) who, because of the availability of Angostura rum in South Africa had never tried the rum before arriving at the competition. She managed to create a cocktail in a day and present in front of a panel of judges and her peers… true respect and admiration for that effort.

Lastly Ilya Bubashvili (Russia), a man who for the most part we spent most of our time trying to find…. the on-going calls of “where’s the Russian” rang loud for the first few days. However behind the bar he was amazing to watch, with some of the best techniques we had the privilege of seeing.

While I have mentioned just three of the competitors, I learned so much from everyone involved. This was truly a world class competition with world class bartenders, whom I feel very honoured to have competed with and now call friends.

Unfortunately their can only be one winner on the day and first prize went to the very humble David Delaney Jnr, who also took out first place in the free style cocktail.

That Briars fella pops up everywhere

From the competition to the epic carnival experience, wow you have to experience this to really pay homage to the event……. it is a must do!!!!

Angostura showed us all an amazing time and made us feel like part of the “Trini family”. I once got told by Dale DeGroff the “best bar in the world, is the place that makes you feel most comfortable”, well by the same respect Angostura and the people involved made us all feel that Trinidad was a home away from home. For the first time in competitions I saw bartenders truly upset about leaving this amazing place and our new family.

Thank you to all at Angostura, you are amazing but a little special thanks to Vitra Deonarine (aka MUM), Cherisse Subero (aka sexy lady, but you have to say it with an Indian accent) and lastly Alex Thomas (aka Trini terminator) you guys ROCK!!!!

I hope this competition will continue to get stronger and stronger over the coming years, it is an amazing experience to be part of.

And I’m sure that at some point in our careers we’ve all ventured across that border and in to the dark side, more than likely unaware that we’ve done so.

Some people spend a little too much time there, I’m sure we’ve all met somebody who we walk away from with a lack of respect, after a conversation with them, or after a drink they’ve served us or even after a presentation during a cocktail competition.

Are they aware that we feel like this? Is arrogance all down to perception?

con·fi·dence
[kon-fi-duhns]

noun

1. full trust; belief in the powers, trustworthiness, or reliability of a person or thing: We have every
confidence in their ability to succeed.
2. belief in oneself and one’s powers or abilities; self-confidence; self-reliance; assurance.
3. certitude; assurance: He described the situation with such confidence that the audience believed him completely.

ar·ro·gance
[ar-uh-guhns]
noun
offensive display of superiority or self-importance; overbearing pride.

This all stems from a recent trip through America, where on that journey I encountered many an American. Do you think Americans are cock sure, big headed and arrogant?

I’ve had experiences with all of the above; Know it all frat boys, 6ft tall 5ft wide Cowboys barging past you, overly hip bartenders in Brooklyn passing judgement…But what makes Americans so sure of themselves? They proclaim that they are the greatest nation, that they are better at most things, so they’re arrogant right?

Let’s look at upbringing. From birth they are fed positivity by their parents, their teachers and all the media that surrounds them. They’re told that they can be the best, their Moms take them to all sorts of sporting events to participate in, and Dad sure is proud when slugger makes the team.

They may not be the best, but they’re made to believe they could be and that anything is possible.

Now look at a typical UK upbringing, where what we do from school and all throughout our adulthood is mock and belittle each other. It’s banter right? We put each other down and insult our mates as much as possible and this makes us thick skinned and funny, those damn yankees don’t get our sense of humour…

But you go to a coffee shop, or a clothes shop in America where a typical adolescent teen will serve you. What’s the first thing they do? They come bounding over to you, big smile, plenty of eye contact and say “Hello, how are you? How can I help you?”.

Full of confidence and customer service skills. Now let’s flip back to the UK, when you go in to an establishment or shop, does the teen greet you in the same way? Or does there seem to be a huge social barrier, a lack of social skills blocking them from even saying hello or making eye contact at the very least?! From what I see on the large scale, it seems so.

Up until the age of 21/22 I was cripplingly shy. I didn’t have many friends, I was scared to answer phones and could barely hold down conversations with people comfortably.

For those who know me now, they may find this hard to believe. Skip forward 6 years or so and I’ll chat to anyone and enjoy it!

And where did this new found confidence come from? Working in a bar of course. The bar industry is the most anti-social (long hours, no weekends, lack of seeing “normal friends”), yet most socially enveloping job in the world (not a real fact).

We are put on a platform for the world to see and we perform for them. When training newbie bartenders, I always tell them to think of the bar as their stage, where they are in charge and regardless of who is on the other side and how much they may shout or scream, they can’t have anything until you give it to them.

You have the power (a little bit of Castle Grayskull) and therefore have nothing to fear. This fills them with confidence, that may be short lived but it’s a starting block.

Is arrogance acceptable? Well Muhammed Ali may be living proof that you can get away with being cocky and arrogant. He told the world he was the greatest boxer ever, and to this day many would still agree.

But why do we allow Ali to get away with it? Well he’s charismatic, endearing and witty about his over indulgent confidence. Also, he was right.. He won the world title no less than 3 times. Many studies in to arrogance have taken place and there seems to be evidence that arrogance is linked to creativity.

We’re all creative types right? Coming up with new cocktails or new ventures. What I believe the majority of our industry have, certainly in the UK, is humility, and this is what holds the line between the good and the bad. And maybe that stems from our upbringings once again, we know how to take it on the chin and we know how to be modest.

In my opinion the difference between the two is this:

• Confident people inform.
• Arrogant people dictate.

Layman’s terms I know, but the clear difference is understandable.

But the epitome of arrogance is posting on Facebook about every free trip to the sun or glamorous tasting event each brand takes ANDY IVES!!! Nobody likes THAT guy…

So, what’s been going on in Reading? Multiple training and tasting sessions from El Dorado, Elements 8, Bowmore, Auchentoshan, Glen Garioch, Jack Daniels and Bombay Sapphire have left our bartenders hungry for knowledge and itching for the first comps of the year, so much so that we have a bartender in the Kraken comp, as well as 2 bartenders competing in the Appleton Bartender Challenge semis.

Once again Joe tries his best to set himself alight

We were also fortunate enough to get a tasting of the new Ocho Curado. Our bartenders were thoroughly impressed with the transformation Ocho Blanco undertakes once rested on the cooked agave fibres, with sweet honey notes and an intense agave flavour we are looking forward to experimenting with the bottle we have.

We’ve also had the second run of the Taste Pilots.  Like I said last time, the Taste Pilots is basically a brainstorming session where bartenders from all different bars get together and showcase what they can do with a certain product in a non-competitive environment. Back in December, we had Wild Turkey and this month it was the turn of Monkey Shoulder(with a little bit of Balvenie thrown in for good measure).

Joe and the Monkey Shoulder

Joe Petch was on hand dressed in ceremonial Monkey Shoulder bath robe to talk us through the history of this blended whisky made from 3 single malt whiskies and let us in on what it has to offer.

So….”This triple malt whisky uses Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie to create a whisky that David Stewart (master blender) intended to be very approachable and smooth, great for newcomers to the genre, with less dryness and more sweetness using 8 to 11 year old whiskies and only from ex bourbon barrels. This makes it pretty good as a base spirit for cocktails as it’s very versatile and works well with a lot of different flavour.”

The group certainly agreed as we sampled Joe’s twist on a Diablo, originally created by Dale Degroff using Cognac. Joe blazed a very welcoming amount of Monkey Shoulder with 1 split vanilla pod, a stick of cinnamon and an entire orange peel studded with cloves.  Once the cloves were glowing he then doused it in coffee and served it out.  It certainly dusted the cobwebs off of anyone that was feeling a little worse for wear from the weekend and as we finished our Diablos, Joe handed over the reins and we got cracking on our creations.

The Taste Pilots enjoying some Monkey Shoulder

With the first night nerves of last month out the way everyone was quick to get involved.  Cocktails today really showed how everyone had grasped the concept and had spent a little time preparing , even bringing a few secret ingredients, whether that was in the form of bitters, syrups or Monkey Shoulder infusions/fat washes.   The drinks on offer ran from the fresh and zesty “Hippy Hippy Shake” by Cat from Raoul’s, tiki and exotic with Benji from Mix Bar’s “Jungle VIP”, to the rich and creamy “Better Than Another Malt Man” by Ash from Sahara.

As always the drinks were of a high standard but what really stood out to Joe and I, was the level of camaraderie between everyone there. Reading really is becoming a great bartending community! All the feedback was honest and constructive and each of the bartenders came away with new ideas and drinks that, with a little polishing, could easily be competition level cocktails.

Ash and the Absinthe

Also this month we had the pleasure of Ash Bovey holding the E.D.S. (Educated Drinkers of Sahara) meeting. She walked us through the history of Absinthe, including modern day legislation, the importance of La Fee and their relevance to todays’ market, and abolishing some of those myths that have, in the past, left many afraid of the green fairy.  With the pressure of the first meeting of the year firmly on her shoulders she smashed the task at hand.  Covering the classic absinthe louche through to contemporary cocktails and the La Fee XS range, she finished the evening with a taster of the four cocktails La Fee have taken from her as their new signatures.

The most important thing members took away today was that absinthe isn’t something to be scared of.  It’s a very versatile spirit that when handled with the due care and attention it deserves can yield stunning results.

So here’s looking forward to next month, with a Bloom Gin Taste Pilots on the horizon, an E.D.S. meeting with Stef from El Dorado and training sessions with Tuaca, Dalmore and White and Mackay it’s set to be another action packed month!

Here are a couple of the cocktails from the Taste Pilots and Ash’s Mon Petit Salut.

Cat's Hippy Hippy Shake

Caffinated Chimp
50ml Monkey Shoulder
14ml Dark Cacao
15ml Crème du Apricot
5 Coffee Beans
Blaze all ingredients, strain over ice, then strain again into a stemmed cocktail glass.
Josh, Cerise

Hippy Hippy Shake
60ml Monkey Shoulder
60ml Apple juice
25ml Rosehip syrup
15ml Lemon juice
Dash of orange bitters
Shake with cubed ice and fine strain into a coupe garnished with an orange twist.
Cat, Raoul’s

Fudge Monkey
60ml Fudge washed Monkey Shoulder
4 Dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir over cubed ice then strain into an old fashioned glass over large block of ice.
Dan, Sahara (Inspired by Sam Kershaw’s Trois Rivieres cocktail)

Benji's Jungle VIP

Jungle VIP
45ml Monkey Shoulder
15ml Crème du Apricot
30ml Pineapple juice
25ml Lime juice
15ml Orgeat Syrup
Shake with cubed ice and strain into a sling garnished in a totally tropical fashion.
Benji, Mix Bar

Mon Petite Salute (My Little Hi)
45ml La Fee Bohemian
20ml Lemon juice
20ml Vanilla Syrup
15ml Luxardo Maraschino
4 dashes Peychauds bitters
Shaken hard over cubed ice then fine strained into coupette glass with a lemon twist garnish.
Ash, Sahara

Again, thanks to the Wife for helping me with my mouth words! See you all next month!

Gin Lane

What I saw in Newcastle, would be repeated up and down the country…It was bitterly cold, the ground was a sheet of black ice but the crowds were out in force. Girls were tip toeing around in 5 inch heels, unfazed by the plummeting temperatures, wearing next to nothing and more concerned about where they would be getting their next drink vs the onset of hypothermia.

I lost count with the amount of promo staff trying to entice me into their establishments, with the promise of free shots!  It was like a scene from the Inbetweeners movie, only 30 degrees colder. Would it be a delectable highland tequila…I think you know the answer to that.

Flyer in hand I walked into the bar.

What struck me was I was entering into a totally alien environment, places I had not visited since I was a teenager.  The chart music was blaring and the big groups of guys and girls were drinking what reminded me of the pints of ‘green monsters’ I used to serve at the Halls of Residence bar I worked in back in 1998. While standing at the bar, I could not help but check out what delights were on offer…apart from the free fluorescent blue shot voucher I had to redeem. Just so you know, I didn’t!

Treble Vodka & mixer for £2.50

3 for £5

Seriously?

9 shots for £5, that works out at 45p a shot, what sort of ‘vodka’ were these customers putting down their neck and more importantly how much would the bar have to sell to actually make any money?

This got me thinking, is binge drinking just a part of the British psyche? You only have to look at the famous picture of Gin Lane by Hogarth, to realise that this has been prevalent in our country for centuries.
Compared to the level of drunkiness in the 1750s, which tipped the scales at 14 gallons of gin a year for every man, women and child; we could be seen as being t total in comparison.

Seriously though, it was a real eye opener, as these are places I choose not to visit but seeing the amount of people that do…quantity vs quality seems to be winning! Therefore in such a price sensitive time we are living in now, how can we change these engrained opinions on alcohol and how we choose to drink it?

The Eureka moment

A couple of days later I was making some breakfast and decided to have some beans on toast (Heinz of course)…then I had a light bulb flash above my head. I love beans on toast, but I would really get bored if I ate it every day; but if needs must, I would, as it is cheap and serves a purpose.

We live in a day and age now where we have so many culinary choices. Breakfast can be anything from Eggs Benedict to Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. We have a portfolio of things to choose from that we feel comfortable eating and creating. However to the vast majority of the UK population, when it comes to their personal drinking portfolio…it is somewhat limited.

A fact that has stuck with me since my repping days, is that 65% of customers do not know what they want to buy until they get to the bar. But there lies the problem. If a customer has a limited personal portfolio of drinks in their repertoire, then they will default to what they trust and feel comfortable buying.  They will be blinkered and default to their ‘metaphorical beans on toast’…vodka and coke / lime & lemonade / orange juice, you get my point.

If customers are confident going out to restaurants and experimenting with different dishes without a raising an eyebrow, why is it that they don’t do the same in bars?

There are several factors - Bars have got to take some of the blame and I really do hope that the English government take a leaf out of the Scots and imposes a ban on all price promos, as it is just encouraging this disease to flow through the vains of our country.

The biggest stumbling block I foresee, is how do we educate the masses. Yes as bartenders, we do our research, try out new products and perfect our own creations, but in the mainstream bars and on a hectic weekend night, you can’t stand their asking a million and one questions to make your guest a perfect drink, it is simply impractical.

So that’s the thought I want to leave with you…how can we get customers to increase their personal portfolio of drinks?

The racetrack had been taken over by body-modders, Teddy Boys and rocking billies for the weekend, with dozens of great artists from all over the UK inking up the punters.

I was pretty sure a few familiar faces would appear in the crowd, and sure enough I bumped into Sahara Bar’s Dean MacGregor on his way to filling up some more skin-real estate. The boys and girls on the Sailor Jerry stand also furnished me with rum, which was, of course, excellent.

Resurrecting the tradition of Life magazine in the 60s, we bring you a mini photo-story (but with images of considerably poorer quality) from the Brighton Tattoo Convention.

That's MR Potato Head to you...

I was joyfully walking the streets of Seminyak in Bali on a warm January evening, when a stranger approached and asked me if I knew a Tom Collins. Strange, I though to myself, but was quick to reply: “No, I’ve never met anyone named Tom Collins before. Why do you ask?”

“Well Sir, he’s hopping from bar to bar and he’s been singing a mighty bad tune about you”

“I’ll murder him”

“Quick! Down the end of that road, you’ll find Potato Head Bar, he’s gone in there, Sir” was his instruction.

Fortunately for me, I was meeting a couple old friends at Potato Head that very evening, so it was going to work out great. Give this douche a dressing down then have a drink to relax and de-brief, post throttling.

I began my journey down a magnificent entrance, a driveway fit for a king, flanked by palm trees 15 metres tall.  I drew up my sleeves and marched on down. This Tom Collins was in for a kickin’, I thought, as I drew closer but slowly, I felt my rage subside. This golf club-esque approach had a profound calming effect on all who walked the length.

I rounded the last corner and was greeted by a structure akin to a football stadium and waiting to greet me was another sizeable structure in the shape of a doorman. I had my backpack with me and I was to hand it over for a quick scan, just a note pad

and laptop, so was given the nod. I was then given probably the most thorough pat down I’ve had since being in Asia. Most days, I’m frisked at shopping malls, hotels etc. and it seriously makes me laugh, as it’s generally a hand on the small of your back.

That’s why I choose to keep my gun in the front of my trousers, the security never check there and the added convenience, I never, ever forget to put the safety on. Alas, I wasn’t carrying my weapon that night.

In I went and I was guided between two walls adorned in recycled window shutters, anyone that has seen this bar could tell you what a fantastic way this is to colour and decorate a blank canvas of grey concrete. From a distance it’s has a rich texture courtesy of the horizontal slats, also the colour and texture transform depending on your perspective. Interestingly it’s taken ……to complete with shutters, sourced from all over the island.

Next, I was greeted by a gorgeous host who struggled with the concept of East, West, North and South, but by god did she try. Given her looks she was promptly forgiven and I made myself comfortable at a table I was shown to, nearly forgetting why I was there. Aaah, Tom Collins.

I thought the best way to track him down was through one of the servers, if he was shooting his mouth like my friend in the street told me he was, surely one of the staff could help me locate Tom Collins.

I waited for some time, which gave me time to take in the surroundings.This bar was truly a grand design, not only was it huge, there were several levels at least two bars, formal dining area, a sizeable lawn for dancing when resident and international DJ’s played and they even had a pool that nestled between grass and the sand of Seminyak beach.

This place was the perfect environment to help you forget about your day to day, much like Mahiki or Milk and Honey.

The first bar’s lamp-shades had maritime horns, possibly taken from a one-time sea-going vessel, possibly not. A back bar that had a live creeper vine spanning the length of the 6 metre bar. Standing room only. And it seemed like there was a dress and attitude code there too, Bin-Tang vests and loud, obnoxious voices. Unfortunately, you can’t escape certain things.

The next bar along was decorated with white garden chairs at a low height with the bar tenders on a lowered floor, so that eye-level service was maintained, a very nice touch, something I feel you don’t see often enough.

Around this time I noticed my friends come in and I signaled them over. I still hadn’t seen a waiter/ress (sexist!) but I’m sure they weren’t far away. We made our acquaintances and I remarked on my friends new boat shoes, perfect venue to be sporting the new purchase.

We sat down and were finally greeted by one of the staff. He asked if he could be of assistance I asked if he knew a Tom Collins and he said he’d ask at the bar. One step closer, was I!! My friends reminded me that a mutual friend had arranged a bottle of Ketel One for us to enjoy. Colin Chia, thanks again buddy, you’re a gentleman, thanks for being a part of this great night. We sorted this out along with soda and lime to boot. It was great settling into and enjoying the surrounds and we did talk about the venue, the décor and the menu for quite sometime. Proof they had done a great job.

The menu was great, plenty of choice a varied selection of Potato Head creations and yes, there was some spelling and grammatical errors, but this bar review isn’t about pointing out every mistake and shouting about it from the top of the hill, I just want to share experience and enjoyment to others in the industry.

Our drinks came over and I had a glass presented to me “your Tom Collins, Sir”

Tall, some fizz and adorned with a citrus garnish, this guy knew what I liked but what the flip was going on. Was I set up? Who is this Tom Collins and whose parents would name their son after a cocktail? No wonder he ‘bad mouths’ others, he’s angry at life this guy.

I set my lips down on the drink and took that first sip. Magic, this drink had the makings of something great, good gin ‘punchiness’, fantastically balanced and refreshing to the end. I, like most bartenders have a relationship with those classics that comprise of base spirit, citrus and sugar. Daiquiris, sours, Collins etc. They’re a great way to test the waters of a new venue and can be turned out at just about any bar.

We settled into our groove for the evening and watched people come and go. The friends I was with knew this place well and frequented PH whenever they were in town. I enjoyed everything about the evening, great company, comfortable and varied surrounds, a great cocktail and a beach for flips sake.

In conclusion, Potato Head is a great place, well worth checking out. Go, go, go! Bali, thankfully, is experiencing somewhat of a comeback on the tourist circuit and I know I’ll visit again. During my time in Bali, I visited PH twice and even saw 2012 in with friends. And it must be said, they make a cracking Gin Rickey.

Click the image to see a larger version

Although we did foolishly think that in the beginning, little did we know how things were about to unfold….

One cold hung-over morning (more likely afternoon?) in October, after the Opal Halloween Ball as I remember, I was kindly invited to take part in an ongoing industry style “come dine with me” that a few regular faces had been doing for a while now:

Suspects included Sara Nixon and Jimi Pearce (Wax Jambu), Stef Holt (El Dorado), some guy called Simon (BarlifeUK) and Mr. James Triffo (Spirit Cartel).

Apparently it was Sara and Jimi’s turn to host which I thought was convenient as I live just round the corner. We did the obvious thing and joined forces to co-host and after setting a date to start the planning we met in the only place we thought appropriate, our local pub.

Now, I believe it was at this exact point (or a few pints later) that night was transformed from a lovely traditional Christmas dinner to a spectacularly unusual mix of mad food, obligatory flaming drinks and customized party games with just a hint of “what the hell is going on now?”. If any of you know us then I think you may already know where this is all heading….

I won’t go into full menu details now as that would probably spoil the article! But this is what our guests knew at the time.

Preparation continued, and for the second and final planning session we decided the park cafe was the more productive option, simply going on the fact that last time we ended up seriously considering carving the turkey with a Samurai sword whilst wearing a hockey mask, turning a variation of a classic pork side into “chicken in sleeping bags” and making a crème caramel the size of a garden bin and flambéing it?!

The day of the meal

I had made an informed executive decision to go out to a rather large Christmas party the night before so wasn’t looking my best (said the expression on Jimi’s face), however 10am or not, there was cooking to be done and after acquiring the help of a number of my housemates the total to cook for had risen to 14.

Now I enjoy a challenge as much as anybody else but had this gone too far? I didn’t think so, but it was certainly a sink or swim moment, just one of those very, very long moments… It was damn lucky we had already constructed and decorated the 16ft dinner table in our hall the day before.

General catering, arts and crafts and what could have been mistakenly identified as a mad panic continued throughout the day. However amongst the sporadic shopping trips (mainly to find out how much stuff you really can fit into a Mazda MX-5) and overcooking the first batch of cauliflower into a fine paste, we were getting somewhere.

Early doors came far too quickly and our first guests started to arrive at the designated invite co-ordinates, I raced to “The Beast” (my 1988 Piaggio APE pick up) and put my foot down, I would pay money again and again to see the faces of everyone I chauffeured that evening, despite not even hitting the full 28mph top speed.

Upon arrival everyone was met with a group of estranged staff (part time staff at best)/housemates, waiters: Nick Newman, Jen Hill, Kirstin McLenaghan and bartender Mark Routledge (fastest bartender in the west). Drinks were instantly in full flow and while everyone was catching up in the kitchen…  The Admiral (Joe Petch), A Tiger (Jimi Pearce) and Yorkshire Pudding Chef Extraordinaire (Sara Nixon) were running around as if they wouldn’t of been out of place on a rammed Friday night TGI’s dispense bar!

The starters were served worryingly efficiently and to complement the food we served 70cl bottles of classic Bucks Fizz with large straws. We had to include several intermittent drinks, perhaps to act as some sort of palate cleanser? But mainly for fun, and the next one tore off your palate and left it crying in the corner…. We introduced the “Big Bad Blazer”:

• 1 x bottle of Goslings 151
• An oversized metal teapot
• Bitters and cinnamon dust.
• Oh and a match…

The meat was ready! The turbo ham joint, as some tradition somewhere must state, was paraded around the dinner table with fireworks strapped to it (hence the turbo).

Meanwhile, due to no fault or miscalculation of our own what so ever, the vegetables for the main were taking a little longer than to be expected, however whilst our resident foodie Tom Jubert was carving away we thought quick on our feet and started administering seemingly endless Port laybacks to pass the time.

The port bottle eventually ran dry, but just in time as dinner was ready to be served in true soup kitchen queuing style, with accompanying individual stuffing cakes and rather potent port gravy of course.

We do however need to apologise to Triffo and Anna as his vegetarian option of “Christmas Suckling fish” was served under the assumption they ate fish?! DOH!

To follow was the “Super Charged Sorbet”; a potent Hendricks, apple, lemon and passion fruit cocktail served over a large spoon of lemon sorbet with the obligatory tea set of course.

Desert was easier (partly down to Stef bringing an amazing Pavlova, thanks again), we scaled down the bin sized crème caramel idea and made a more manageable sized “Mulled Cider Sailor Jelly”, set on fire of course and served with sugar and berries.

Taking a break to look around our kitchen and dining area I realized we had not only created an indescribable mess but a lot of satisfied faces, blame the booze, the company or the food, we may never know, but I suppose none of these are a bad thing.
With great pleasure we introduced the beginning of the evenings after diner entertainment.

To begin, “musical cider bobbing”, a mangled version of musical chairs and apple bobbing, although we used cider and rum to bob a variety of fresh fruit and vegetables (including the infamous impossible coconut!).

I am sad to say at this point that there was a spot of cheating involved. For future reference; Laurence, you can’t carry a chair around with you while the music is on and Sara, using goggles and a snorkel is clearly an unfair advantage!

We had recently picked up a baby grand piano for the house and wanted to host some after dinner piano carols; however tragedy stuck when we realized we didn’t have enough people in the house to standup the half tonne monster onto its legs….. To this day it’s still saton its side… Not to worry as the finale was yet to come!

The Traditional Christmas Fish Piñata looked glorious in advance of its pummelling and in this slightly altered version, the person behind you covers your eyes whilst attacking the fish with an old rolling pin. This was all good and well until the rolling pin broke and hit the Tiger in the chest! Come on, man up Jimi; it’s just a flesh wound! Plus the fish came off a hell of a lot worse.

With our bellies full, cider in our eyes, the fish destroyed and not a shred of common sense left amongst the lot of us we decided it was clearly time for music and dancing long into the night.

Thanks to all who helped out and came along! Keep your eyes peeled over Easter: as I just had an idea…

A couple of comments

Just wanted to say a MASSIVE thank you for Saturday night – it was fantastic and the food and drinks were amazing! You really blew us all away with the amount of preparation and thought that had gone into it and showed us a bloody good time!

From being picked up in an Italian tuk tuk, to pyrotechnics, being facially immersed in cider and beating a fish with a rolling pin it was the most spectacular Christmas dinner EVER - Stefanie Holt

Racing through the dimly-lit, rain-covered streets of North London whilst balancing precariously in the boot of a three-wheeled Piaggio (like a Tuk-Tuk but less comfortable and safe)  I was fully exposed to the acrimony of a particular nasty English deluge.

Fearing for my safety at each twist and sharp turn over the traffic-congested roads I knew this was to be the start of a most unorthodox Christmas dinner. You see, my coach’s chauffeur, was also my host…

Any chill I incurred from my journey soon vanished as an enormous room-warming* 151 blue blazer (which burnt from start to finish) was prepared en masse for a collection of invited guests (of mostly familiar faces) from around the drinks industry.

The bottles of ready-made Buck’s fizz, goldfish pinata, quirky playlist and huge portions of handsomely prepared Christmas dinner set this gathering apart – with a unique feel that seemed more fun than forced. 

My only regret was not being able to stay longer. After losing out (at being the first loser – well played Simon) of, “musical chairs/cider-fruit-bob” the cacophony that was, “Joe and Jimi’s Joint Xmas Jam” drew its doors closed.

I have the feeling I departed before the evening took a turn in the direction of complete inebriation (I’ve now had reports back via next-day text messages to confirm those suspicions). Here’s hoping this was only the first in a long procession of disjointed and boisterous Christmas celebration.

Thanks again everyone involved! 

*The blazer literally raised the temperature of Joe’s converted warehouse/kitchen as it was being decanted from kettle to soup pot - James Triffo

From now on, BarLifeUK is going to refer to retro, medicinal bottles as 'hipster' bottles.

Last week Chivas Brothers, the premium whisky and gin division of Pernod Ricard, announced that there was going to be:

“a new look for its Plymouth gin brand, re-positioning it above Beefeater 24, as a “super premium-plus”.

My initial thoughts on this matter were mixed, but the word that kept cropping up in my head was that this decision was a very bold and I mean very bold indeed.

On face value

If you broke this re-positioning exercise into its simplest form, then you can understand why some people are a little confused by the issue,

1. The liquid inside is going to be exactly the same as before
2. The only changes will be the design of the bottle …which by the way looks awesome
3. The price will be increased by approximately 40% to £25ish

See what I mean about bold?  An increase of 40%, when we are watching our pennies at the moment and they are not even changing / improving the gin itself.

The key for me is the term that has been used to explain this decision…Plymouth Gin was undervalued!  Is this a fair point?

The fine line

To me there is a fine line between confidence and arrogance.

I must confess that I admire them making this positive move, as if you do feel undervalued, then sometimes you have to dust yourself down and confidently pronounce I think I am worth this much.  It has the heritage, its a tasty gin, so who are we to question their decision?

If you look at the gin category as a whole, it is being flooded with a wealth of new brands, all are different from one another, some have been received better than others.  But there lies a key problem…how can you stand out from the crowd, when all that is happening is more and more competition is coming your way, in a specific price range?

A bar can’t possibly list every single gin.  So how do you make your brand a must stock and not a may stock?

The bigger picture

The fascinating thing for me, is that sometimes as bartenders we neglect to think of the drinks industry on a global scale, I am the first to admit I can be guilty of it, but more and more I am beginning to look at things in a completely different way.

Why?

There is a really cool resource you can download called Millionaires 2011.  This identifies the spirits that sell over one million 9 litre cases around the globe and showcases the trends that are currently happening.

The thing that really grabbed my attention was the effect that the emerging Asian, Pacific & Russian markets are having.  These have a truly monumental effect on the manner in which spirit companies think and market themselves.

We are all aware that times are hard, people are not going out as much, preferring to go to the supermarket to buy their alcohol, instead of going out 2-3 times per week.

However, did you know that:

1. In Russia there has been a 40% increase in premium imported whisky sales in 2010, 80% of which being Scotch
2. Martell (owned by Pernod Ricard), was the fastest growing international brand in the world (19.9%), Courvoisier was 3rd (17.6%).  These have both  been helped by the strong growth in China and other Asia Pacific Markets

*all figures supplied by Drinks International Millionaires 2011

This to me reinforces the point that we have to stop thinking insular and consider the affects of the huge populations of people that live of the other side of the world.

Reuters state that Asia will add 1.66 million dollar-millionaires by 2015, taking the total number of wealthy to 2.82 million as the world’s fastest-growing major economies of China and India continue to mint millionaires.

Looking at figures like that, hammers home their is a necessity for super premium products in the world.

Showing off

Imagine you have been spending most of your life on the bread line, then all of a sudden the economy picks up, you luck starts to change and you come into money.  What will you do???  Go out and celebrate of course!

We have all heard the stories of Bankers spending £1000s on bottles of expensive Champagne, Magnums of Grey Goose and not giving a monkeys.  Are we now seeing this happening on the other side of the world?  The difference being that there is a greater number of people doing it.

The difficulty with being submerged in the drinks industry for so long, is that we are aware of product life cycle of spirits, I for one have seen countless products reinventing themselves.  But that is my point, there is a whole lot more people that have not!

Therefore if there is such an abundance of newly rich people, wanting to spend their money, what will they look out for…in my opinion the bottles that look cool and are the most expensive.

I have seen first hand the ceremony that goes into buying a bottle of spirits…the sparklers come out, as the waitresses parades through the crowd to your booth.  Eyes are on you…who are they?  What do they do?  The difference being is that there is always someone else in the room wanting to out do you, so what happens, they buy a bigger bottle, maybe 2 or 3.  With money sometimes brings egos!

Questions?

This brings us full circle back to the re-positioning of Plymouth Gin.  To me its first test will be how the re-positioning will be received in Spain, which is currently going through a Gin renaissance at the moment!

Are they looking to be the Grey Goose of the gin world?

What I am really looking forward to seeing is the creative marketing literature?  How they are going to communicate the changes not only to the trade but to the general public?

All in all I am just excited to see a spirit brand believing in itself and confidently pronouncing I am worth it!

We imagine Mr X looks a little like this. Only with Cognac.

You will know the type I mean…the ones that think they know it all, flash the cash and think they are above every one. I have been brought up to be polite, sincere, take everyone on face value and not to pass judgement.

He sat there sipping his expensive cognac, giving his views about everything and anything, and completely unprovoked he said:

‘What do you know, you are only a humble bartender!’

I was dumb struck and very insulted, but being the professional, I just politely ignored it and decided to clear up and go home. What really struck me is that why in this new golden age of cocktails are bartenders still seen as humble?

Definition

1. Low in rank, importance, status, quality, etc; lowly: of humble origin
2. Not proud or arrogant, modest: to be humble although successful
3. Courteously respectful: In my humble opinion you are wrong

What leaps out to me is that I like to think that I act in a manner that is numbers 2 and 3; however Mr X (as we will call him now) saw me as number 1.

How does that work? How can someone make a HUGE judgement about me, simply because I am working behind the bar?

Bartenders behaving badly

I think that a lot of preconceived judgements manifest from guests having had bad experiences in a bar that linger in the back of the mind.

Mr X could have had a bartender that:

1. Thinks they are gods gift, who knows everything and will disagree with any drink he orders
2. Who doesn’t actually give a monkeys because they are hanging out their arse and just want to lie on their sofa eating McDs, writing on Facebook how bad they feel and will never touch Uncle Wray again!

If you don’t agree with a drink choice, don’t be rude, be humble and suggest some other ideas…if you like that sir, have you ever consider this?

I am not trying to tell you how to suck eggs, but if we are to change the opinions of the countless Mr Xs out there, then maybe we need to follow some advice my Mam gave me:

‘Treat someone like you want to be treated yourself’

Bartenders vs Chefs

Everyone knows chefs are dishonest and not to be trusted.

There is something that I have had a bee in my bonnet for a long time. How is it that when you start your career in the culinary world you have a clear and defined career path, but in the drinks world we don’t?

Wannabe chefs firstly go to college and spend a couple of years learning the building blocks of their craft. Everything from techniques to classical recipes, honing their skills; so they are prepared for the big wide world.

Whereas my first experience of working in the drinks industry was pulling 95p pints at a Hall of Residence Bar in Manchester, hardly the place to inspired and learn best practise; but I was hooked!

Therefore is it time that colleges need to appreciate that some students may be interested in a career in the drinks industry?

Are we at a stage where we need to breed best practise from the start?

£12,228 (really?)

The problem I believe the drinks industry faces in attracting career bartender is the salary above. According to the Guardian online, the average salary for a bartender is £12,228, which works out at £235.15 per week, before tax. It is the 2nd worst paying job in the country. Which is hardly attractive is it?

No place to hide

After being in the drinks industry for over 13 years now I would like to think that I am a confident but humble bartender. My one gripe though is that sometimes I think that the powers that be under appreciate what that experience brings.

I will explain…

Going back to my comparison with the culinary world, as a Head Chef you have a team that works under you, you have time to prep and you work to a specific menu.

As a bartender you do and your don’t. Yes you prep your garnishes, have a cocktail menu and drinks list but that is where the comparison ends.

Why? Well the thing is you never know who is going to walk into your bar; you will never know what they will ask for, yes you can make assumptions by your guests gender, age and the way the dress. However I have learnt that they can be completely wrong.

The big difference between being a chef and a bartender, is that we can not hide away from our customers, we are there stood in front of them and in some ways we have to perform, entertain and deliver professional and courteous service.

How we ‘perform’ will go a long way into how the guest judges the bar, hotel or restaurant they are visiting, if it is great they will tell 6 of their friends, if it is bad 20.

Food for thought

If you were sat looking at a food menu and decided there was nothing on it that you liked, I can guarentee a chef would not be the most receptive to a guest asking for some of their own choosing. It is just not practical or cost effective.

As a bartender this is what we thrive on, asking the questions to get to answers, to deliver the perfect drink for a customer. What spirit do you like? Do you like it to be booze heavy? Do you like in a long, short or martini class? If a waiter did this with a guest, the kitchen would go into meltdown with all the different dishes that would be required.

This is what is magical about mixology, that with the right training and level of self confidence, you can easily deliver world class service.

Therefore I will leave you with a question to mull over:

Why is it that there is such a wide gap between the salary of a Head Chef & Mixologist?

Some of Reading's finest...

I became the General Manager at Sahara around a year or so ago. When this happened, my aim was to kick it up a notch and put my stamp on the business.

One of my initial ideas included starting the E.D.S., which is the “Educated Drinkers of Sahara”, a cheeky little club where we meet once a month and discuss a topic from the bar industry; a particular spirit, a country and its exports or a trend .

Whilst trying to get this off the ground and build the number of attendees, I noticed that although there was a good relationship between Reading’s different bars there wasn’t a community as such.

Making it my mission to develop that ‘bar community’, I got bang on it and approached every bar, posters in hand, for any training sessions, competitions or tastings that were coming our way. I suppose my notion was to get other bartenders in the town interested, to make Reading somewhere to be seen as a great drinkers destination, with the aim of having educated, inspired bartenders being the majority.

Perhaps in turn, that could even encourage the boys and girls of our bar to become more passionate about their own level of knowledge, skill and maybe instil in them a competitive streak.  Well, it seems to be working and now we have a core group of around 15 to 20 that turn up to everything, notebooks in hand, ready to learn and create.

Fast forward 5 months and an intensive amount of training sessions and local competitions with the likes of Matthew Dakers, Declan Mcgurk, Colin Dunn, Justin Smyth and Emily Williamson, and the scene here has had a brash reawakening.

Since this resurgence,  our bartenders have been growing from strength to strength, winning comps (both national and local) such as the Jack Daniels Birthday Bash, The Chambord Rendezvous and the Ketel One Challenge, placing 3^rd in the Grand Marnier Grand Bal and getting 2 finalists into the Chartreuse final.  Add to that a dynamic mix of personalities, motivation and strong friendships, and you’ll soon see how Reading is quickly becoming a burgeoning source for bartender talent.

So, with 2011 behind us, and a wondrous 2012 looming, what has Reading got in store?  With training sessions with the likes of The Bombay Sapphire Flavour Experience and El Dorado already booked down at the bar, we’re keen to keep the momentum from Christmas rolling.

The next big development that I’m looking forward to is The Taste Pilots.  Other than a genius name what exactly is The Taste Pilots?

Taste Pilots is a once a month group for bartenders to meet up and brainstorm cocktails in a no pressure, non competitive environment.  It’s a great idea as bartenders get to see trends from different bars and areas as well as helpful ideas on how to improve their drinks and because it’s sponsored by a brand all the stock for the evening is free which means no one has to pay for their creations, but it also gains exposure for the brand on board for that month.

The brand ambassador presenting gets to leave with a large handful of awesome recipes, and there will also be an abundance of photographs documenting the evening.

Glenn Saville, wearing a very purple tie.

The first ever taste pilots took place on a cold Sunday at the end of November in Cerise which is the cocktail bar at the Forbury Hotel.  This is the home of Glenn Saville who came up with the idea and therefore the home of the club.

It’s a beautifully intimate bar with all the fixtures and fittings you would expect from a super premium hotel that has been there since 1911.  Wild Turkey was the spirit of choice for the first event and Zoran Peric, brand ambassador was down to give us a run through of the history as well as talk us through a tasting of the Bourbon and the elusive Rye.

Once taken through these it was time to jump behind the bar one by one, and showcase our creations.  With 10 bartenders from 5 different bars it was a great atmosphere and you could tell that most of them had been having a think about flavour matching and combinations whilst taking notes from Zoran earlier in the night.  Everyone was a little nervous at first but once a couple of bartenders had gone up we all quickly fell into the flow of things.

It was great to watch the different styles of each drink and how each person went about developing their ideas over the night.  From very classic stirred concoctions to more modern shaken drinks, all were of a high standard.

By the end of the night we were all feeling quite happy and heading off with our notes and a warm 101 proof glow about ourselves we headed home.

The next Taste Pilots will take place on the 29^th of January, anyone who fancies taking part needs to call Glenn on 0118 952 7770.

Here are a couple of the cocktails created on the evening.

Tick Tock Turkey!

• 50ml Wild Turkey
• 25ml Creme de Cerise
• 25ml Dark Cacao
• 5ml Fernet Branca

S+FS into a martini glass with Chocalate Buttons on the Rim - Glenn, Cerise

Feather Plucker.

• 45ml Wild Turkey Rye
• 15ml Chartreuse Myrtill
• 15ml Chartreuse Walnut Liquer
• 2 Bs Fernet Branca

Stir and strain into a Absinth Rinse Old Fashion glass - Dan Bovey

la dinde folle

• 30ml Wild Turkey
• 15ml La Fee Bohemian
• 20ml Cocchi Vermouth
• 5ml Chartreuse VEP
• 4 Dashes Angustora Bitters.

S+FS into an inverness, Garnish with a flamed Orange slice - Ash, Sahara

Aussie Reviver #1

• 50ml Wild Turkey
• 12.5ml Chartruese
• 12.5ml Creme de Cassis
• 12.5ml Lemon Juice
• 2 dash Grapefruit Bitters
• Zest Lemon into tin before shaking.

S+FS into a martini glass with a lemon twist - Alex, Revolution

This picture gives Simon Webster the horn.

BarlifeUK requested that I look into this, and if I am honest, it has proved to be a lot more difficult that I first anticipated. To get things going, here is a question that I guarantee as a bartender you will have had asked of you:

‘Do you throw the bottles around like Tom Cruise?’

This to me is why we will never be able to get away from the Blue Cocktail. It’s absolutely crazy to think that film came out in 1988, but for a lot of the guests that come into our bars, it is the only reference point for the term ‘cocktail’. They expect to see umbrellas, neon colours and drinks that are long and super sweet.

The colour blue has affiliation with a lot of my childhood memories…raspberry flavoured super sour sweets and ice pops – I never understood why they were this fluorescent blue, instead of red and could go a long way into explaining why I have such a love for straight up Daiquiris on the sour side.

These were my parent’s worst nightmare, as all those E numbers and sugar rattling around in my brain that got me ‘up a height’, as they would like to put it. But because they were bad they were good, its the ‘don’t you dare do that’ syndrome that bartenders grasp with both hands. They will always have a place in our hearts, the guilty pleasures that we can’t ignore.

A good friend of mine Ogi D from the Leeds, encapsulated it perfectly:

‘Blue isn’t a colour…it is a lifestyle. The effect is purely psychological. Bringing a flood of memories through this simple yet potent trigger effect. It makes the drink itself a garnish’.

He gave me an epic cocktail that can transport you back to days gone by - ‘Banana-Malibu-Blue-Daiquiri’

• 25 ml Malibu
• 20 ml Blue Curacao
• 25 ml Malibu
• Half a medium sized banana (rest could be used as a face mask or a nutritious treat)
• 10 ml Wray & Nephew rum
• 10 ml Sugar Syrup

Mash the banana, add the rest and steam-train shake it to oblivion Double strain into a Cocktail glass previously rimmed with blue sugar. Add 25 ml of Guinness on top as a float.

Clean & classic

It is very strange to think that we seem to completely ignore another way of looking at my favourite colour. On every corner of the globe people see the colour blue…you just have to look up at the sky or swim in the sea, to be reminded that it also represents purity, vitality and life itself.

I am not going to go off on a mad tangent and be all ‘hippy-like’, but when you consider it in this form, your mindset should change. This is when my quest became a lot more interesting, as I began to wonder…when did the Blue Cocktail first come about?

Book Worm

Smurftender lurked in the shadows, waiting. He would have his vengeance for all the blue drink recipes Jacob Briars had stolen over the years.

This is the thing I love most – delving into the archives and doing a little bit of research. However, this can be your downfall. Why? Well as soon as you start to make references to when you think a cocktail or as I am trying to find out ‘a colour’ of a cocktail, first came about; then someone will try and catch you out.

Fingers crossed I have uncovered a few gems you will never have heard about, and that you will go away and try to recreate them.

The obvious place to start was the spirit that gives the fabulous sky blue (purpley) hue…the cause, Crème de Violette or as it was commonly known back in the day, Crème Yvette. I wanted to unearth some beauties, no umbrella in sight (but a red flag is optional).

The Dewey Cocktail

Fort Wayne News (July 29th, 1898): “When the red, white and blue concoction was shoved across to him he pulled a red handkerchief out of his pocket, attached it to his cane and held it over his head with one hand, while with the other he tilted the glass until the cocktail trickled down his throat. “What’s the game?” asked the bartender.“No game at all,” said the big man. “It’s strictly according to naval regulations. Red flag hoisted to signal that I am taking ammunition aboard, that’s all” and with a cheer for the red, white and blue, he wandered out.”

• Half part Raspberry juice or syrup
• Half part Maraschino
• Half part Crème Yvette
• One part Plymouth Navy Strength Gin

Layer ingredients into small wine glass. Needs to be consumed in one sip as the sailors did it. Red flag optional.

A few years later, a lovely sparkly number - New York Day by Day by O.O. McIntyre (even his name makes you want to have a drink with him) November 24th, 1915

The Submarine Kiss

“Sailors who come to Broadway for a touch of high life have invented a new drink called The Submarine Kiss. The liquid combination is a milky white above and purple below and the submarine effect is secured after drinking about three.”

Silver fizz floated on a pony of Crème Yvette in a hollow-stemmed champagne glassThe good folks at Crème Yvette, have recreated this into an absolute delight (which I have tweaked a bit, to be a bit more on the sour side)25ml Crème YvetteTop with Silver Fizz, which is,

• 50ml Plymouth Gin
• 15ml fresh lemon juice
• 10ml Simple Syrup
• 10ml Egg White
• Combine silver fizz ingredients in two-part shaker tin. Dry shake. Add ice. Shake again. Add Crème Yvette to the bottom of a hollow stemmed coupe or champagne flute. Fine strain and layer silver fizz over Crème Yvette.

The thing is, I could now continue to list dozens of more cocktails, but what is the fun in that; I personally find that the best way to learn is to actually go out and do some research yourself.

I did not want to describe the obvious classics, like the original Aviation. It’s first reference was written in Ensslin’s 1916 Recipes for Mixed Drinks and included 2 dashes of crème de Violette but was later omitted in Harry Craddock’s Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), as it was so hard to come by (phew!).

What I will do is get you to click on this link which will lead you to unearthing some more amazing long forgotten drinks, as well as some old favourites. I hope that you have enjoyed my little piece and please feel free to get in touch by emailing: john@wanttoimpress.com

The Monkey Shoulder tour 2011 was devised by Dean & the team to show the a bit more love to the UK & show off the more fun side of Monkey Shoulder. With the word of Monkey Shoulder continuing to spread globally with its recent launch in Australia & increasing focus in the US, it was apparent the UK needed a bit of the fun.

So a group of us from around the country were called to the village of Dufftown, Speyside to experience a few days in the life of Monkey’s (well whisky induced ones).

It all began on another cold winter’s morning, well let’s face it it’s been winter for months! Unsurprisingly we all made it to Paddington in time for an early train, I always find it funny how we are always on time for such trips but can’t always make it back into work from a half hour lunch break?

It was all rather secretive with nothing but a flight number and a Guinness orany idea where we were even staying. We landed & were met buy some “ministers” complete with bath robes & whisky laden walking canes; Stuart (minister for ministering crappy RTD’s on the weak), Jeevan (minister for transport, who had no driving licence), Zdenek (minister for responsible drinking) & Mr. Dean Callan… as you can see, we were in safe hands?!

We were quickly whisked off to lunch at a rather Scottish (in other words soaking bloody wet) go kart track, split into teams & let loose… Much to our amusement but the sheer despair of the track supervisor we discovered that some of us couldn’t drive go karts in the wet!

Hats off to Dean for completely beaching his kart on the grass in the grand final, the Czech’s driving like absolute animals & the quote of the day going to the track supervisor “That was be far thee worst I’ve ever seen oot there!!”

We set off to our accommodation, which I was pleased to find out were some of the original cottages within the Glenfiddich & Balvenie grounds all kitted out with the obligatory bottle & Monkey bath robes, I suddenly felt like I had found an item of clothing I could live in forever!

The next step was obvious; an evening meal in the Balvenie farmhouse, a cheeky Tesco’s larger? & a trip to the local boozers, & local they were! Some time later….. 3 pubs down, a few confused regulars and 100 & something measures of Monkey Shoulder polished, things were starting to make a little less sense!

Darts became an epic mathematical task (“I said 16+43=37!!!”) but the £2.80 measures of 18yr old were much easier on the head. Carriages home please for an apparent 8am start….

Quote of the night “What makes a Scottish person Scottish?”
Merry Scots Woman: “BEIN’ BORN IN SCOTLAND!”

So we all woke up at 7am sharp, fresh faced & ready for the day (believe what you will). But after a hearty breakfast & a chance to try some fabulous Whiskies, we were indeed all fine. On with the tour & even though the classic industry trip can occasionally drag on like a pair of elephants tits (mission complete Mr. Ives) this one was very different.

Perhaps it was the fact we were able to climb into 1 of 4 remaining working malt kilns or enjoy a classic Monkey Diablo cocktail prepared by Mr.Callen in the Balvennie kiln room but it has to be said that diving head first into a 2 ½ tonne pile of malt is a lot of fun, as is making barley angels.

We clearly needed a pit stop after this tough day of research so we headed back to rest up at the cottages (well it was 4pm & getting dark?!) Next stop, we were told to congregate near Glenfiddich Warehouse No. 8 where we were taken inside to be greeted by Brian Kinsman, Malt Master. At this point we were still unsure of the general plan but as Brian explained a bit more about the whiskies they produce all of our eyes fell toward an un-marked cask that was clearly out of place in front of us.

You may have guessed it was indeed Monkey Shoulder, but a cask strength barrel, ready for us to bottle for ourselves using “the dog” (a make shift tool crafted by old warehouse employees to steal a few drams! Hence; “taking the dog for a walk”) I’m sure you can imagine it tasted pretty damn good too.

Off for a dinner & drinks, in robes of course to “The Highlander” and what has to be one of the more impressive whisky collections I’ve seen in a while, including some very rare batches & a Glenfiddich bottling for Playboy magazine from the 70’s.

On arrival there was a short power outage in the town due to the weather, which a few of us suspected was perhaps the minister for transport crashing into an electricity pylon? The mass of candles that engulfed the bar added to the atmosphere perfect for some serious whisky tasting.  After dinner cocktails & a mountain of cheese awaited us at Charles Gordon’s summer house next to the Balvenie castle, this included a sterling effort by Stuart making a huge blazer in 20mph winds without going up like a cheap do-it-yourself vodka distillery!?

A tired breakfast later we departed back to our respective towns, most likely looking exactly what you may expect from such an educational tour. A big effort was put in by Dean, the Monkey Shoulder team, the ministers and us I might add, well as we all know; its hard work having fun. So, as a wise man (debatable) once said, “brand trips are nearly always great, but this one stood out for being bloody good fun”.

And rightly so, having as a whole earned their reputation over years of hard work. Outside of London there are certainly the old favourites: Manchester, Brighton and Edinburgh to state a few of the obvious.

After these well established cities come some of the smaller upcoming cocktail scenes, some of which have crept out of nowhere and over the past year or so Reading has been sneaking its way into a few of these said conversations. I’ll start by telling you a bit about the bar scene in this small 8th century home-counties town where I was born and bred.

Since the day I discovered the wonderful world of hanging out it bars (this may or may not have been when I turned 18) I have enjoyed the obvious pleasures of social drinking, be it in a slightly different kind of bar environment I frequent nowadays. Over time I became more & more interested in the bartenders & the drinks they were serving, although at this point I must add it was a very basic uneducated interest in spirits & what mixers to use with them.

In 2002 I went with a few friends to a recruitment evening for a new bar that was said to be “next big thing” in Reading, to my surprise we all got the job, I say surprise as our only experience was mixing up a snakebite & pouring an insane amount of vodka into partially empty bottle of coke.

Perhaps we were hired for our sense of enthusiasm but it was more likely because we were some of the only ones to turn up! Either way the idea of working with each other in a brand new bar & getting an abundance of discounted drinks down us sounded amazing… Welcome the days of showing up on shift wasted, getting sent home to sleep it off, waking up the next day late for work still in your uniform & running back….

The bar (that I won’t name due to the fact I eventually had to take them to an employment tribunal over underpayment & holiday. Successfully I might add) wasn’t great as you may have already guessed.

It was essentially a cheesy volume driven cocktail bar with happy hour prices all the time. Our training was vague to say the least & I fear this was much the case across most of these type of bars in the area at the time, there were a few exceptions of coarse, places such as TGI’s & Santé Fe seemed to be leading the way but I was yet to develop my interest in making quality cocktails.

I have no shame in admitting the drinks we served were just  a crude mix of a spirit, liqueur & a mixer all stirred with a straw over a few pieces of ice in the glass its served in, you were pretty damn lucky if you got anything resembling a garnish let alone a bev nap! Well we all had to start somewhere I guess, but I’m sure this isn’t a unique story.

After “leaving” I wanted to do take a more serious approach to bar work. At the time there were only a handful of bars that I wanted to work at for this reason, so came the turning point in my bartending career, starting in Sahara Bar, a small recently opened independent cocktail bar with people who really did care about drinks they made & actually knew how to make them, suddenly I felt like I had a lot to learn!

More independent cocktail lead bars started to open (Mix & Cerise to name a couple) , it was an exiting time as the competitiveness amongst bartenders grew, so as did the knowledge & skill of the bar teams. In 2004/5 (I can’t exactly remember) came what I believe to be the first “open to all” bartender competition in Reading, which to this day I am still unsure how I managed to place first in.

It seemed to be a point of realization to many of us as young bartenders that maybe entering the national competitions may not be a complete waste of time after all. Cocktail sales & the consumer demand for an increased amount of quality drinks fuelled the fire & bars became more & more creative, I’m not saying for a second saying we were leading the way in cocktail making technology, far from it in fact but we were making a LOT of drinks properly & equally if not more importantly with pride.

Things were looking up as the drinks offering increased & along with healthy competition between venues that did have a good cocktail menu meant that the mentality towards cocktail bars moved away from the stereo typical “I’m not drinking out that girlie glass” to a more open minded attitude towards drinking good drinks & not just a “oh, whatever’s on tap” response to who ever was buying a round. Saying that, there is probably some truth in saying that without this change in attitude amongst Reading’s drinkers many of us would not be where we are today.

So here we are now in 2011 & things are certainly looking up for this suburban town 24mins west of London Paddington. Drinks have been made & competitions won; to mention but a few winners; Dan Bovey’s cocktail for the Chambord Rendezvous dinner, Ash Jones went to Cognac with Cask & also to Tennessee, Dean McGregor bagged a trip to tales of the cocktail & I made some weird drinks at a molecular comp.

The local bartender competitions have been huge successes with an obvious increase in skill & creativity almost every time one is held. Of the few I have arranged back home it is apparent that the bar teams are thinking a hell of lot more about the drinks than just slapping on a fancy garnish.

The First Drinks “Winner takes all” (back bar) competition was won by Maciej Szajda, The Russian Standard Bloody Mary duel off was taken by Glenn Savaille & Ketel One’s competition by Rich Williams. So next time your heading down to Reading to take part in the Half Marathon, The Rock Festival or a London Irish game you can feel safer in the fact that if you go into a decent cocktail bar & order a cocktail, you wont be given something that looks like it was made by some kids in a park!

In summary I feel it’s fair to say that it’s certainly not the last we have heard from this small town & although it most certainly won’t take over the cocktail world, it’s a damn site better than when I started out in bars!