Bartending (1/2)

I haven't written in this blog for a while, but it's the holidays, and sometimes, you realize you've forgotten how to make a Tom Collins.  That's a problem, for the same reason it's a problem when you suddenly don't know anything about grammar, or like those times you get curious about how pianos are tuned.  Like, what if you were at a New Years party, and everybody stopped talking about sports and wanted to talk about grammar?  Wouldn't you want to have something to say?

I went to the Texas School of Bartenders in May of 2009.  Like no other student there, I was antisocial and awkward, with limited sex appeal.  But also, like no other student there, I took notes.  While my 40 hour course did provide me with two unpaid shifts at "Club Fuze," these notes are all I have to show for those two weeks.  But I'm okay with that.

Texas School of Bartenders

5555 N Lamar #L-129

Austin TX 78751

AT THE BAR

  Main Sink

  Jockey Box – Steel bin for ice storage

  Speed Racks or Speed Rails – attached to hold wells

  Spill Mat – Rubber mat to hold drinks where ingredients are poured

  Garnish Tray:

    Cherries, Olives, Pearl Onions,

    Lemon Twists, Lime Wedges, Lemon Wedges, Orange Wedges, Orange Wheels

    A Butterfly or Flag is a toothpick through a cherry and half an Orange Wheel.

  Carbonated Speed Gun/Cobra Head:

    C = Cola

    S = Soda

    Q = Quinnine

    L = 7-up

    W = Water

    G = Ginger Ale

  Other:

    Bitters – flavored with roots, barks, herbs

    Grenadine – sweet cherry colored syrup from pomegranate pulp

    Orgeat – almond syrup used in tropical drinks

    Rose’s Lime – concentrated sweetened lime juice

    Sweet & Sour – reconstituted lemon juice, sugar, bar foam

Dual Speed Rack Order

Well (house brands, frequently used, cheapest), Call, Premium, Super Premium

WELL	CALL
Bourbon	Seagrams 7
Scotch	J&B
Vodka	Absolut
Gin	Tangueray
Rum	Bacardi Light
Tequila	Cuervo, Sauza

Cooler Section

  Import and Domestic

    Wines

    Champagnes

    Beers

  Assorted Cordials

    Jagermeister (licorice)

    Rumplemintz (100 proof peppermint)

    Goldschlager (107 proof cinnamon)

    Baileys, Emmet’s, Carolan’s

  Mixes

    Pina Colada

    Hurricane

    Bloody Mary

    Mai Tai

GLASSWARE

Rocks 8 oz – short and wide

Footed Rocks 8 oz – rocks, small stand

Hi-Ball 12 oz – cylinder

Collins 14 oz – taller cylinder

Red Wine 12 oz – wide glass for room to breathe, up

White Wine 12 oz – glass is a little thinner than red (serve chilled), up

Champagne Flute 6 oz – skinny glass to hold in carbonation, up

Tulip Champagne 6 oz – glass bulbs out at top, up

Champagne Saucer 5 oz – shallow flat bowl, up

Margarita Glass 16 oz – glass bulbs out halfway, up

Cocktail or Martini 6 oz – triangular glass, up

Brandy Snifter 17 oz – short bulbous glass, small up

Sour Glass 5 oz – substantial half oval shape, small up

Hurricane 16 oz – large bulbous glass, small stand

Beer Mug 16 oz – like Simpsons

Irish Coffee 12 oz – mug with handle, small stand

Pilsner 10 oz – tall triangular glass, small stand

Sherry 2 oz – triangular shot glass, small up

Cordial 2 oz – double shot glass, small up

Pony 1 oz – thin shot with widened lip, small up

Double Shot 2 oz – fat shotglass

Shot 1 oz – thin shotglass

TALL – taller glass, added mix

DOUBLE – same glass, twice the liquor

SPLASH – splash of mix on top

NEAT – straight shot of liquor or cordial on ice

SIDE/BACK/CHASER – soda, juice, or water to chase down a shot of liquor or cordial

TROPICALS:  Tropical drinks have mostly pineapple and orange juices combined with mostly rum and brandy.  Rum is a product of sugar, sugar cane, or sugar molasses.  Pina Colada Mix is four parts pineapple juice to 1 part cream of coconut (not coconut milk).

ROCKS:  When a train was running behind schedule, a ball would be placed on top of a high pole to signal that the train engineer travel at top speed.  High balls are 2 ingredient drinks that are made quickly in rocks glasses.

Juice drinks have the same ratio as highballs.  Sours do as well, but sour is mixed with liquor in a mixing cup with no ice before it is poured over ice. Tall sours are like regular sours with added mix to fill a taller glass.  Margaritas are sours where Long Island Iced Tea and Tom Collins are tall sours.

UP:  Jerry Thomas was said to have invented the Martinez Cocktail named after a California city where he mined for gold by day and bartended by night.  Vermouth is a fortified wine.  Manhattans are most often ordered “on the rocks” rather than up.  Ice a rocks glass, pour vermouth, then bourbon, add stir stick.  The Manhattan originated in the Manhattan Club in New York at a party celebrating Governor Samuel Tilden’s election in 1874.  It was served by Winston Churchill’s mother, Jenny Churchill.  A Rob Roy is like a Manhattan where scotch is substituted for bourbon.  Dessert drinks are also served up.

CLASSICS:  Classics are usually served on the rocks by pouring both liquors at once or the heaviest liquor poured last.  They can also be made prepared “straight up” by combining liquors in a mixing glass with ice and straining into a chilled stemmed cocktail glass like a Martini.

PARTIES -  plan on 1 drink per hour per person.  50 people, 200 drinks at 25 drinks per bottle = 8 bottles.

Liquors: Vodka, Gin, Rum, Tequila, Scotch, Bourbon

Mixes: Sweet and sour, triple sec, cream, dry vermouth, sodas, juices

Garnishes: lemons, limes, cherries, olives, knife, toothpicks and board.

Tools: ice, corkscrew, bottle opener, tins, strainer, jigger, lighter.LIQUOR DICTIONARY

LIQUOR DICTIONARY

CORDIALS

Cordials  are 2.5 – 40% sugar by volume.  Cremes are cordials with such a high sugar content that the consistency resembles cream.  Cordials are made from any base spirit – vodka, gin, rum – and are flavored with fruit, herbs, seeds, or peels through percolation, maceration, distillation, and infusion.

Percolation – spirits are sprayed or poured over fruit; extract percolates down into a vat.

Maceration – fruit is submerged into spirits until flavor is extracted; usually re-distilled.

Distillation – leaves, peels or flowers are distilled in a vat along with spirits.

Infusion – ingredient is heated in liquor for several days; very flavorful but expensive.

Amaretto – Almond, made from apricot pits from Italy

B&B – Benedictine and brandy from France

Bailey’s Irish Cream – Irish whiskey and cream

Carolans – Irish whiskey and cream

Chambord – Raspberries from France

Chartreuse – 130 herbal extracts from France

Crème de Cacao (white/dark) – Chocolate, clear is mild, brown is richer.

Crème de Cassis – Black cherries from France, well version of Chambord

Crème de Menthe (white/green) – Peppermint

Crème de Noyaux - Almond

Curacao – Triple Sec

Cointreau – Premium orange peel with cognac

Drambuie – Scotch and honey from Scotland

Emmets – Irish whiskey and cream

Frangelico – Hazelnuts from Italy

Galliano – Vanilla with licorice from Italy, substitute with Valentino, Florentino, or Neapolitan

Grand Marnier – Premium orange peel with cognac from France

Goldschlager – Cinnamon from Italy, of Swiss origin

Irish Mist – Irish whiskey and honey

Jagermeister – 56 herbs, roots, and fruits from Germany

Kahlua – Coffee from Mexico, substitute with Kamora

Malibu – Coconut and Jamaican Rum from Canada

Midori – Honeydew from Japan

O’Darby’s – Irish whiskey and cream

Ouzo – Licorice from Greece

Razzmatazz – Raspberries USA

Rock & Rye – Rock candy and rye whiskey

Rumple Minze – Peppermint from Germany

Sambuca – Anise from Italy

Schnapps – Peach, Apple, Cinnamon, Strawberry, Watermelon, Peppermint, etc.

Sloe Gin – Sloe berries and gin

Southern Comfort – Fruit, spice, and whiskey from New Orleans

Tia Maria – Coffee from Jamaica

Triple Sec – Orange

Tuaca – Vanilla and citrus, originally from Italy

Fruit-flavored brandies – these are not brandies, but sweetened liquors with a brandy base.

ARMAGNAC, BRANDY, COGNAC

“All Cognac is brandy, but not all brandy is Cognac.”

Brandy is a distillate or mixture of distillates from the fermented juice of wine.

Christian Bros – US

Fundador – Spain

Marques de Domecq – Spain

Metaka – Greek

Presidente – Mexico

Cognac is the finest of brandies known for its smoothness and strong bouquet.  It must be produced in the Cognac Region of France, which is divided into 7 regions with the city of Cognac in the center.  In order of quality, the regions are: Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois, Bons Bois, Ordinaires, and Bois a Terroir.  According to French law, a 3 star Cognac must be aged a minimum of 18 months.  VO is aged 4 ½ years, VSOP has been aged 8 ½ years, and XO Extra Napoleon has been aged at least 5 ½ years.  Some Cognacs are 50 years old.  Abbreviations on Cognac labels: V – Very, S – Special, O – Old, P – Pale, F – Fine, X – Extra, C – Cognac, E – Especial

Hennessey

Remy Martin

Martell

Mumm

Courvoisier

Armagnac is a brandy that comes close to the Cognac standards and is produced in the Armagnac Region, which is divided into 3 regions in order of quality: Bas-Armagnac, Tenareze, Haut-Armagnac.  Unlike Cognac, it is distilled only once in a copper still, which produces a deep color and pungent taste.

WINES, CHAMPAGNES

Major producers of wine are France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Australia, Argentina, and the United States.  Grapes are harvested for wine when their natural sugar reaches 22-24%.  The three classifications of wine are table wine, sparkling wine, and fortified wine.  Sparkling wine should be stored on its side to keep the cork moist and should be served well chilled.  Fortified wine should be stored upright to not damage the cork and served at room temperature.

Table wines are red, white, rose, and blush.  White wine is produced by removing the skin of the grape, and rose wines leave the skin on temporarily.  These wines contain 8-14% alcohol.  Fine wines should be drunk immediately, but cheaper wines can be stored 3 days room temp and 7 days refrigerated.

Chardonnay – dry rich, considered the finest

Carbernet Sauvignon – full dry red

Chenin Blanc – either very dry or very sweet and fruity

Gamay – light fruity red

Merlot – dry red

Pino Noir – light, rich, red, used in Champagne

Riesling – white

Sauvignon Blanc – white, smoky, dry

White Zinfandel – light fruity white

The finest sparkling wine is Champagne.  These are fermented a 2^nd time in the bottle, producing bubbles, and also contain 8-14% alcohol.

Fortified wines are wines with brandy and contain 15-24% alcohol.

Dry Vermouth, Sweet Vermouth, Compari

Ports from the Douro region of Portugal (Tawny Port, Ruby Port, Vintage Port)

Sherry from the Cadiz region of Spain

Madeira from an island off of Portugal

LIQUOR

Whiskey is distilled from fermented mash of grain (corn, rye, barley, malt, wheat) and aged in oak barrels.

American Whiskey

Bourbon – made from at least 51% corn, aged in new charred white oak barrels for 4 years

Rye – made from at least 51% rye

Corn – made from at least 80% corn

Tennessee – seeped through vats of charcoal from maple trees of the TN highlands

Sour Mash – combines mash with residue from base of whiskey still and ferments at least 72 hours

Bottled in Bond – at least 4 years, bottled at 100 proof, produced in 1 distillery, govt supervised

Canadian Whiskey – usually distilled from corn, barley, rye, and aged 4 years; blends are lighter than US

Irish Whiskey – contains distilled spirits at least 3 years old, made from malted and unmalted barley and blended with low mineral content water.  It’s the only whiskey in the world that is distilled 3 times and aged at least 5 years in used sherry casks, and thus retains a clean smooth flavor unlike scotch.

Scotch Whiskey – gets smoky flavor from drying malted barley over peat fires.

Product of Scotland, 80-86 proof and aged 8, 12 or 15 years.

Blended Scotch Whiskey – blends that contain malt whiskey and grain whiskey, aged separately for several years and blended with 30-50 malt and grain whiskies.

Single Malt Scotch Whiskey – unblended malts carry their own flavor, aged 15-25 years

Vodka is made from neutral grain spirits and filtered through charcoal to remove any flavor.  It is colorless, odorless, and tasteless unless flavored and is 80-100 proof.

Gin is made from neutral spirits and redistilled with cinnamon, caraway, lemon peels, roots, fennel, and most importantly juniper berries.

Rum is made from a distillate of a byproduct of sugar cane, sugar molasses, or sugar cane syrup.  Many are produced in the Carribean.  They are commonly light, dark, golden, spiced, or 151.

Tequila is made from the sap of the blue agave plant in Tequilla, Jalisco in Mexico.  Silver Tequila is ordinary, Gold Tequila is aged for less than one year, and Anejo Tequila is aged in used whiskey barrels for 4 years.

BEER

Beers is made from malted grains and hops that are brewed and fermented.  There are lagers and ales.

Lagers are light and aged longer than ales.  The 3 Lagers:

1)  Pilsners are pale lagers.

2)  Bocks are dark, strong, and aromatic.

3)  Malts are 5% alcohol by weight and have a bitter taste.

Ales are full bodie with a hop flavor.  They have a higher alcohol content than lagers.  The 4 Ales:

1)  Bitters are amber and bitter.

2)  Stouts are very dark with a strong malt flavor and thick creamy head.

3)  Porters are rich, bittersweet, and have a coffee flavor.  Less alcohol than stouts.

4)  Pale Ales are lighter and slightly bitter.

FAMOUS BRANDS

VODKA Absolut Belvedere Chopin Finlandia Grey Goose Mezzuluna Smirinoff Stolichnaya Tanqueray Sterling	KENTUCKY BOURBONS Baker’s Basil Hayden’s Blanton’s Single Barrel Bookers Early Times Jim Beam Knob Creek Maker’s Mark Rare Breed Wild Turkey TENNESSEE SIPPING WHISKEYS Jack Daniel’s Geroge Dickel
GIN Beefeaters Bombay Boodles Tanqueray Tanqueray Malaca	AMERICAN WHISKEY BLENDS Calverts Imperial Kessler Seagrams 7
RUM Appleton Estates Bacardi Captain Morgan’s Spiced C.J. Wray Mount Gay Myers Dark Stubbs	SCOTCH WHISKEY SINGLE MALT Cragganmore Dalwhinnie Glenfiddich Glenkinchie Glenlivet Glenmorangie Lagavulin Laphroig Macallan Oban Singleton Talisker
TEQUILA Don Julio Herradura Jose Cuervo Lapis Patron Portfidio Sauza	SCOTCH WHISKEY BLENDS Chivas Regal Chivas Royal Salute Cutty Sark Dewars White Label Famous Grouse H&H Pinch J&B Johnny Walker
BRANDY Christian Brothers Coronet El Presidente Five Star Hiram Walker	IRISH WHISKEY Bushmills John Jameson Muphy’s Paddy’s
COGNAC Courvosier Hennessey Martell Remy Martin	CANADIAN WHISKEY BLENDS Canadian Club Canadian Mist Crown Royal Seagram’s VO-VO

The next post answers that annoying question about how to make a Tom Collins.