On the house

This video was sent to us today and we had to share it with you all.




Enjoy!

The new bartender experience on Shaken & Stirred

Have you got what it takes??

For sometime now, a list of various classic and contemporary cocktails has been displayed and users, much like yourself, have been able to comment and rate (amongst other things) those cocktails. With the release of the NEW Shaken & Stirred Bartender page from today, EVERY mixologist and bartender has the opportunity to create his or her profile and share their recipes with the world!

I've been using these tools for quite sometime and I find them practical, functional and easy to use (of course I'd say that though, right?!). So, are you a mixologist or bartender who would like to showcase their creations and their talent to the world? Well, it's rather easy to:

1. Once you've signed up, log into Shaken & Stirred (by clicking the "login" menu option).

2. Click on your name which will appear in red on the right hand side of the page, within the main navigation bar. This will then take you into your account.

3. Then, click on 'MAKE ME A BARTENDER' and we'll then take care of the rest (we need to be sure you are actually a real bartender before we make you one on Shaken & Stirred!).

We'll then be in touch once you've been setup and when you next log in, you'll have the ability to add cocktails, ingredients and even measures. We also show you some statistics as far as how many people have rated your cocktails, your average rating and much more.

So, what are you waiting for?

Introducing: Old-fashioned

It is believed that the Old-fashioned was created at the Pendennis Club in Loisville, Kentucky for Colonel (and Bourbon distiller) James E. Pepper. It's the best cocktail to have if you enjoy a quality Bourbon, with only the addition of bitters and sugar lovingly stirred on ice.

Glass: Old-fashioned

Garnish: Orange Zest

Ingredients:

60ml Bourbon
10ml Sugar Syrup
3 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Method:

in the serving glass place three ice cubes, pour bitters, sugar syrup and 30ml (1/2 of) Bourbon. Stir for about 15 seconds and add three more ice cubes, stir again for 15 seconds, add three more ice cubes, the remaining 30ml of Bourbon and stir again. At this stage the glass should be almost full, add an extra two ice cubes, squeeze the orange zest onto the drink, twist it and drop it inside. Serve with a stirrer.


And there you have it. Let us know what your favourite cocktails are!

The city that never sleeps

Welcome to New York.

Since I'm off to NY in a couple of weeks, I thought I ought to do some research about the city and came across this gem:

"New York, New York. The Big Apple. The City that Never Sleeps. The biggest urban cliché magnet on the planet - but it matters not a jot, because few places on earth are as atmospheric as exciting, as vital, as NYC. It is an entity unto itself. It contains everything that you could ever wish for; in terms of language, culture, food and entertainment no city is richer. With its great array of skyscrapers, few cities in the world are as photogenic either. It is a town of many faces, all of them striking, all of them New York. Trend-wise, the city is never still, there is always a new hot spot, fashions change on a daily basis, to the point where it can be hard to keep up. But one thing's for sure, from the dazzling array of cutting-edge cocktails to the home-spun taste of micro brewery produced beers, you will not want for choice." source: www.worldsbestbars.com

From what I've been to find so far, these seem to be two of the more interesting venues:

PDT (http://nymag.com/listings/bar/pdt/)

A modern speakeasy reached through a hidden door inside a phone booth. With only six tables and a few bar stools this is quite a small venue. The menu offer original recipes (including a bacon-infused bourbon and maple syrup Old-fashioned) as well as classics.

The Brandy Library (http://nymag.com/listings/bar/brandy_library/)

The Brandy Library is all about savouring fine spirits, with a collection of over 2000, mostly dark spirits rather the gin or vodka, it attracts connoisseurs in a distinctly bar feel.

Anyone got any other suggestions for bars I should go and see while I'm in NY??

Hats and Cocktails

I was down at 22Below (one of London's finest cocktail establishments - http://www.22below.co.uk) recently and I noticed that there were a number of hats hung on the wall.

This gallery-like exhibition leads all the way to the bar (how cool is that!) and each represents an era, a famous character and most important of all, a cocktail.

Our friend, Jack Sparrow, is represented by the trademark triangular pirate hat and the cocktail Pirate of the Caribbean.

Then there's the man himself, Winston Churchill with a 1940's Bowler Hat and representing a Gin Martini.

Chicago's finest, Al Capone, also makes an appearance with the Gangster Trilby Hat and joined by a Manhattan.

However there were a few missing when I was down there, but they were replaced by the sign "currently worn by someone, sorry". I also discovered that sometimes the bar staff get in on the action and then the sign says "currently worn by the bartender/maid" instead!

The general idea seems to be to encourage patrons to step outside of their comfort zones and try something new. What a great idea.

Does anyone have any similar stories from other establishments?

The Sazerac

Some trivia for cocktail lovers:

Antoine Amadi Peychaud, a young Creole apothecary, arrived in New Orleans from Saint Dominique, mortar and pestle in hand, at the end of the eighteenth century. He established a shop on Royal Street, where he treated stomach aches and other illnesses with a brandy toddy containing his own bitters recipe. Peychaud served his medicine in a double-ended French egg cup called a coquetier now known as a jigger.

The brandy and bitters buzz caught on with Peychaud's friends and then in the coffee houses. In 1853, in the rough back street known as Exchange Alley behind 116 Royal Street, The Sazerac Coffee House made the brandy cocktail a rage. The ingredient that gave it its name was the bar's cognac, exclusively imported from France, Sazerac de Forge et fils (Sazerac Forge and son).

Around 1870 some changes were made in the mix. Rye whiskey replaced the French cognac and a taste of the poisonous liqueur, absinthe, was added. By 1872 the home of the Sazerac cocktail had 18 bartenders manning a 125-foot bar.

Almost 80 years later, Petchaud's mixture was still widely popular. The Roosevelt Hotel bought the recipe and moved the Sazerac bar next to the hotel on Baronne Street in 1949. At this location on September 26, 1949, a group of women broke the Sazerac's 100-year-old men-only tradition. Before this event, women had been barred from the Sazerac except on Mardi Gras Day.

The Roosevelt Hotel became the Fairmont in 1965 and the bar was moved to its present interior spot off the main lobby. Paneled in tongue-and-groove African walnut, the room is as sleek and golden as the drink it was named for. 1930s-era murals by New Orleans artist Paul Ninas depict Louisiana scenes.

Bartenders and Sex

Now I know why I became a bartender!

"Women find him sexy. Men envy him. A good bartender has hundreds of cocktails in his head and keeps a constant eye on the joint. With a slight smile on his lips, he conjures up trendy drinks for the bar counter." source: The Ultimate BAR book by Andre Domine

They do say you can tell how someone is in bed by the way the shake! (a cocktail).