What is St~Germain?

What does St~Germain, Domaine De Canton and Chambord all have in common? Besides the fact that they are all considered liqueurs in the cocktail world, all three of these products original founders are all related to each other. St~Germain is a product of Cooper Spirits International, which is run by Robert Cooper. Domaine De Canton (a ginger flavored liqueur) is a product of Robert Cooper’s brother, John Cooper. A few years back, Robert and John Cooper’s father bought Chambord (a black raspberry liqueur), brought it to the United States from France, made it popular here in the states and then sold the company.

All three of these liqueurs are equally delicious and a great addition to any cocktail. My favorite of the three liqueurs is St~Germain. Read More...

Pimm's No. 1 Cup

Do you know what Pimm's No. 1 Cup is? Has your boss or a customer ever asked you, and you didn't know? My boss asked me the other day about this product and I had no clue. This interaction was the inspiration behind this particular article. Hey, you learn something new everyday. After reading my article, you wont ever have to say "I don't know" when someone asks you what Pimm's No. 1 Cup is.

Click here to find out what Pimm's No. 1 is

Aperol? Yes, I Have It.

Last night, a group of three customers came up to the bar and each one of them had a question:

Guy #1: "May I have a glass of water?"
Bartender: "Yes, of course."

Guy #2: "May I see your beer list?"
Bartender: "Yes, of course."

Girl: "This is going to sound like a weird question, but do you have Aperol?"
Bartender: "Actually, yes I do."

I hadn't seen a smile that big, all night long. I told her that I had one bottle, but that I would have to retrieve it from my liquor room. One of the guys in the group was shocked that I had a liquor room. I asked him why he was so shocked. He thought that the storage behind the bar was enough room to keep everything. Hahaha. I told him that the liquor room is where I kept all my back-up soldiers.

The only reason why I knew about the existence of the one bottle of Aperol in the liquor room is because 1-I'm the bar manager of the place. I know my liquor room inside and out. I even know where all of the obscure, one-off random bottles of liqueurs are. And 2-I actually know what Aperol is and instantly pictured the bottle in my head.

Needless to say, once I pulled the bottle of Aperol out, the girl in the group was beyond excited. She had a special cocktail concoction that she had me create for her: Aperol, soda water, topped with persecco, garnished with a lemon twist. Even one of the guys ordered the same drink so I got to use up the rest of the bottle.

I really love making my customers happy. It's an awesome feeling. I informed them that they used the last of my bottle. They seemed okay with that. I hope they come back and try some of our specialty cocktails.

And for those of who you who have no clue as to what Aperol is exactly, I am going to let Wikipedia save the day for you:

"Aperol is an Italian aperitif originally produced by the Barbieri company, based in Padua. Aperol is now produced by the Campari company. While Aperol was originally created in 1919, it did not become successful until after World War II. Its ingredients are, among others, bitter orange, gentian, rhubarb, and cinchona.

Although it looks, tastes, and smells much like Campari, Aperol has an alcohol content of 11% - a little less than half of Campari. Campari is also slightly darker in color.

Aperol is the main ingredient in Spritz."

Cheers!

Southern Comfort is NOT Whiskey-Based

Southern Comfort. A product of the South. Created by a bartender in New Orleans in 1874. This product is used in popular recipes such as an Alabama Slammer, Slow Comfortable Screw, Scarlett O’Hara, and popular amongst the college-aged crowd, SoCo Lime shots.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that Southern Comfort is considered a liqueur. Southern Comfort doesn’t have a whiskey base, like most people believe there to be. Southern Comfort is a fruit, spiced, whiskey flavored liqueur. It’s a secret blend of flavors that include peach, orange, vanilla, sugar and cinnamon. Read more HERE about SoCo's history and fun facts.

Veev Acai Spirit

I was cleaning out the liquor room a couple of weeks ago and found two bottles of Veev Acai Spirit. I had no idea what it was, how I would serve the product or even how to say acai. I knew that the acai berry is all the rage these days and is claimed to be a superfruit out of Brazil.

According to Veev’s website, Veev is the world’s first acai (ah-SIGH-ee) spirit. Acai is a Brazilian national fruit, which grows in the Brazilian Amazon Rainforest, is packed with nutrients and has “57% more antioxidants than pomegranates or blueberries and 30 times more heart-healthy anthocyanins than red wine.” Read More...

What is a Cordial/Liqueur?

Cordial is another word for liqueur. Cordial originally came from the Latin word “cor” which meant “heart.” The word liqueur came from the Latin word that meant “melt” or “dissolve.” It is more common in the United States to use the word cordial. It is more common in Europe to use the word liqueur. Both words are used interchangeably in the bar industry. Read More...

What is Frangelico?

Frangelico is a hazelnut flavored liqueur. How do you remember that Frangelico has a hazelnut flavor? The bottle is shaped like a monk. If you look under his robe, you will see his hazelNUTs.

But seriously, have you ever wondered what Frangelico was all about and how it came to be? Maybe you have never cared about its history, but have always been curious as to what exactly the contents are in this funky shaped bottle. Read all about what Frangelico is made of, where it's made, the fun drinks that call for Frangelico in their recipes and how it came to get such a funky shaped bottle.

Believe it or not, it was the bottle's funky shape that really helped it gain its popularity in the alcohol market. Read More...

Why is Fernet So Popular in SF?

Did you know that San Francisco drinks more Fernet than any other locale in the United States and more per capita than any place on Earth?

I was going to write an article for my Examiner page on why Fernet is so popular here in San Francisco and among the people who work in the industry here. Instead, I stumbled upon a great and very detailed article written back in December of 2005, answering this same question written by Nate Cavalieri of the SF Weekly. I thought that the article was well written and answered my question significantly. I didn't feel the need to regurgitate all of the information because Mr. Cavalieri had done such a nice job the first time.

So in case you've ever wondered why Fernet is so damn popular among San Francisco bartenders, be sure to read:

The Myth of Fernet: The saga of Fernet, and its cultlike popularity, says a lot about San Francisco
Written by Nate Cavalieri (SF Weekly)

I Smell Cheese

With Disaronno it should be more like an almond flavor/smell, but after seeing this commercial, you would swear it was suppose to be cheese.

First, the bartender grabs the martini glass by the body of the glass, not the stem. Big no-no!! Why would you take the time and energy to chill the drink only to warm it with your hands before giving it to the customer? Also, what customer wants someone's fingerprints all over the area in which they are going to drink their drink from?

Secondly, I can't speak for other bartenders, but when a customer reaches out to grab me, they never receive a warm reception back. The bartender in the commercial gets grabbed by his female customer and it looks like he jizzed in his pants (total SNL reference there). I have zero tolerance for people grabbing me. If you need my attention or want to "holla at me", you can wait until I make eye contact with you. Just don't try and touch me. It's weird.

Then the female customer grabs an ice cube and tries her best to look seductive as she licks the ice while staring at the bartender, creepy!! I guess that might work for guy bartenders, but if a guy customer did that to me, I think I would laugh in his face. Then I would mock him by grabbing a piece of ice and licking it right back at him. Maybe even put the ice cube in my mouth and then spit it out in his direction.

Cheesy commercial but maybe that's what they were going for. The uber cheesiness makes the commercial memorable and makes me laugh every time I see the bottle behind the bar or at the school. Damn marketing!!!

Goldschlager

Did you know that Goldschlager (the popular cinnamon flavored schnapps that is kept in coolers behind bars everywhere) has honest-to-god, real, 24-karat gold flakes in each bottle?

Did you also know that in each 750-mL bottle of Goldschlager, there is what's equivalent to $3.00 USD in gold?

No worries, gold is a soft metal. It wont cut up your insides. But if you drink too much, it will wreck havoc on your digestive system.

Trust me. I know, firsthand. That's why I will never drink Goldschlager ever again.

What The Hell Is Triple Sec?

Every professional bar and even some home bars have a bottle of triple sec behind it, but what the hell is it? Triple sec is made from dried peel of oranges that are found on Curacao, an island in the Caribbean. It's strong (usually contains 30% alcohol/60 proof). It's a sweetening/flavored agent used in a variety of mixed drinks.

"Sec" in French means dry. Dry then indicates a lack of sweetness. This doesn't apply though when you are talking about triple sec. In the case of triple sec, it just means triple distilled.

Most of the time it's also colorless unless if it's blue curacao which is basically blue-colored triple sec. Anytime you hear the term "blue" used in the name of a drink or see that the actual color of a drink is blue, it has blue curacao in it.

Triple sec can come in fancier forms such as Cointreau and/or Grand Marnier. These are considered "top shelf" triple secs (aka: more expensive). Grand Marnier has a slightly yellow/light brown tint to it because it is a cognac-based triple sec. How is that for fancy?

Here is a list of some popular drinks that have triple sec in the recipe:

Long Islands
Adios Motherfuckers (AMF)
Kamikazes
Cosmopolitans
Margaritas (Cadillac and Top Shelf)
Mai Tais

Fernet About It

If you are a bartender in San Francisco, chances are you love and live by the Fernet bottle. Fernet has instantly transformed me into a better mood during a rough shift. Fernet has helped me make it to the bitter end with a smile on my face. There is nothing like a shot of Fernet with a ginger back. It must be a San Francisco thing.

Just in case you didn't know:

Fernet Branca is a popular brand of amaro produced in Milan, Italy. It is a bitter, aromatic spirit made from over 40 herbs and spices, including myrrh, rhubarb, chamomile, cardamom, aloe, and saffron, with a base of grape distilled spirits, and colored with caramel coloring. The recipe is a secret, and was created by the young Maria Scala in 1845 in Milan as a medicine. Scala's name became Maria Branca through marriage, and the product's name was born. The Fernet-Branca is still produced in Milan by the company Fratelli Branca, overseen by the Branca family, though the recipe of the Italian product differs slightly from that of American bottles. Fernet-Branca is 40% alcohol by volume and is dark brown in color.

Fernet-Branca is usually served as a digestif after a meal, but may also be enjoyed with coffee and espresso, or mixed into coffee and espresso drinks. It may be enjoyed neat at room temperature or on the rocks (with ice).

Widely popular in Argentina, it is often taken as a national beverage. The most common preparation is with Coca-Cola. To make a Fernet and Coke, use a tall glass filled with ice, then pour the Fernet up to 1/3 of the glass, top off with Coke. Serve with the can of Coke and a straw.

Fernet has recently gained popularity the Czech Republic where it is served as a shot, or with tonic in a tall glass.

More recently, it has become very popular in San Francisco. The local bars often serve Fernet as a shot followed by a ginger ale chaser.

Fernet gained additional national visibility when it was reported that it is the favorite drink of 2007 U.S. Open winner Ángel Cabrera.

The drink was also the subject of a comedy routine of the same name from Bill Cosby's album Fat Albert, in which he describes his own experiences with the drink.

Because of its mysterious list of ingredients, there are a number of home remedies that call for Fernet-Branca, including treatment of menstrual and gastro-intestinal discomfort, hangovers, baby colic, and (once upon a time) cholera.

**Thanks Wikipedia