We make a Tennessee Manhattan and interview Jeff Arnett, Master Distiller of Jack Daniel’s.
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Podcast 119- “Whiskey right now is the place to be” (Jeff Arnett Interview)
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Tag Archives: home bartending
Podcast 118- San Antonio Cocktail Conference 2017
Our San Antonio Cocktail Conference episode includes interviews with Qwesha Byrd plus Marco Montefiori and Elliott Montero of Amaro Montenego. Oh, and we ate gator meat sausages in a church. Cheers, ya’ll!
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Podcast 117- Afrohead Rums and (Aged) Daiquiri
We’re headed to SACC this week! Rum as beard oil? We taste Afrohead aged rums. Bringing your own Booze onto an airplane. We make Morgenthaler’s Daiquiri.
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Podcast 116- Magnum Cream and Journalist
“If something tragic happens….” Greg mentions the lavender fiend treehouse. We taste (and hear) Magnum Cream Liqueur. Greg mentions the Savoy Cocktail Book. We make a Journalist Cocktail. When to shake and when to stir. Italy talk.
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Podcast 115- Happy New Year 2017!
Chip and Shonna join us for a New Year’s celebration! We taste Tamworth Sweetlips Cherry Bounce Liqueur. We make the Orange You Glad it’s New Year’s? Cocktail. “It’s going to look like the Rio Grande.”
HAPPY NEW YEAR from Simple Cocktails!
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Podcast 114- Merry Christmas 2016!
Steven uses sugar cookie body spray. What is Cognac? We taste Pierre Ferrand 1840 Cognac. Look for Greg’s pairings in Cigar and Spirits Magazine. Lisa’s got some tasting words. Last year we made a Casino Cocktail, and this year we make the very-simple Silent Night. Using booze in ice cream? A discussion about Daiquiri Ice.
MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY HOLIDAYS from Simple Cocktails!
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Podcast 113- Blade & Bow Bourbon and Disco Ball
We’re joined by Steven J. Westman. Steven mentions 505 Faces. We talk about Latitude 33. Letters from the Jack Daniel’s Distillery? We taste Blade & Bow bourbon. A shameless book plug for NM Cocktails. We also mention Shake. Stir.Sip by Kara Newman. We make a Disco Ball cocktail from her book. Greg talks Chartreuse. “I usually carry body glitter…”
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The Future of Craft Cocktails is…
It’s rare that I wax philosophical at Simple Cocktails, but occasionally I see something that so aligns with our mission here, I have to share it. A few years ago, I established our mission with a post called Why We Need Each Other, discussing the lost art of home bartending and the ways we can personally help to revive it.
Today, I read an interview with Jim Meehan that stirred my desire to see the resurgence of home bartending. In the interview, Meehan, who is one of this century’s most influential bartenders and the founder of PDT in New York, discusses the direction that bartending is headed in the next decade.
He says home bartending will play a big role.
According to Meehan (emphasis added), “If history is inclined to repeat itself, I predict the cocktail will be domesticated by enthusiasts who can’t get a seat and congenial face time with the busy bartender at their local.” He says that quality bartending tools that are readily-available now help to supply us with what’s needed to outfit our home bars well, and in turn, better home bartenders will create a better craft cocktail scene overall.
From my perspective, we are on the right track. Our target audience at Simple Cocktails is amateur home bartenders, and it’s you (our readers) who Meehan suggests will help to “buoy the craft of the cocktail.”
4 years ago, we issued a call to you to start bartending at home. Now the revolution has begun, and the tools and resources are in place to help you here at the blog (see our buyer’s guides and free recipe book) and from many other great cocktail enthusiasts as well.
It’s easier than ever to enjoy a drink at home, so cheers to the next decade and the rise of the home cocktail enthusiast!
Update: 2 months after I wrote this post, I had the opportunity to speak with Jim about his comments. You can hear what he had to say in our Tales of the Cocktail podcast # 4.
How to Make a Cocktail For Someone Who Doesn’t Know What They Want
Now that I’ve spent a few years as a home bartender, I’ve picked up some tricks on how to make drinks for people who aren’t quite sure what type of cocktail they like.
Whether a new drinker (just turned 21), or simply an intimidated bar drinker, I’ve found that the majority of people that I make drinks for haven’t tried enough cocktails in their life to know exactly what they like, so here are 5 questions I always ask people before I make them a drink:
- What flavors do you like – especially citrus, even foods, etc? If they love oranges, make an Orange Blossom Special or Screwdriver. Or avoid the Cucumber Martini if they hate cucumber.
- Do you have a liquor preference? Often, people will know enough to say “I hate gin,” or “I love gin,” (both of which I hear pretty regularly). If they like rum, make them a tiki drink. I once heard, “I’m allergic to juniper,” which as well all know, is a curse worse than death, because gin is awesome.
- How sweet do you like your cocktails? This one is huge, because even if they say the like Margaritas, for instance, but don’t like sweet drinks, you can just ease up on the Triple Sec a bit. If they love sweet and love vodka (see #2), then I’ll make them a simple 2 oz vodka + 1 1/2 oz liqueur cocktail like this one.
- What are some cocktails you already like? Here’s a specific one I do a lot: when people tell me they love Gins and Tonics, I tell them “let me make you the best G&T you’ve ever had,” and I get out the Jack Rudy Tonic syrup. Making upgraded versions of drinks they already love is an awesome route.
- Do you like it? At a commercial bar, this is nearly impossible, but one of the biggest advantages of a home bar is that it’s a lot easier to say you don’t like something. I always ask people if they like the drink I made, and I let them know it’s ok if they don’t, I’ll gladly pour it out (or maybe drink it myself) and make them something else.
Special thanks to Matt&Tish for the photo.
7 Essential Bartending Tools
While there are dozens of bar tools available from liquor stores to housewares, there are really only 7 tools that you need to get your home bar started (other than liquor and ice). Here’s what I recommend.
- Measuring cup. Measuring your liquids for cocktails is essential for making balanced drinks. While I have jiggers and other fancy measuring tools, I use these 4 oz measuring glasses all the time. They’re dishwasher safe and I’ve had them for years.
- Mixing glass. Some cocktails should be shaken and some should be stirred. For stirred drinks, a standard pint glass will be fine, though something with a wider base is better in the long run. A Yarai Mixing Glass is elegant and professional, but they’re also $40. I bought a six-pack of 600ml beakers for $14 that I use to stir my cocktails.
- Strainer. You really can’t stir drinks (see #2 above) without a strainer to pour the finished product through. The best strainers I’ve found are usually the cheapest. I bought this one for about $4.
- Shaker. While most professional bartenders use a Boston Shaker, I’ve found a 3-piece shaker (also called a cobbler) like this one has worked best for me at home. These will run you $10-20.
- Knife. You’ll be cutting lots of citrus to pour into your cocktails, so make sure you have a knife to do it with. I have 5 or 6 Kuhn Rikon paring knives, and I love them.
- Squeezer. I realize that you can just use your hand to squeeze the citrus for your cocktails, but you’ll get way more juice if you use a squeezer like this one.
- Glassware. Using the proper glassware for your cocktail is essential. Save plastic, paper, or other vessels for the frat house. Now that you’re making great cocktails, use the proper glasses.
