Hot Toddy Weather

It's been really cold over the last couple of weeks here in San Francisco. So it's no surprise that there has been a surge in the amount of Hot Toddy's ordered at the bar lately. Due to the drink's recent rise in popularity at my bar, I give you my own Hot Toddy recipe and a small variation for those feeling a little under the weather:

My Traditional Hot Toddy Recipe:

2 oz bourbon
1 sugar cube
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
hot water

In a heat-resistant glass, add bourbon, sugar cube, lemon juice and fill the remainder of the glass with hot water. Stir until the sugar cube is fully dissolved. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Feeling-Under-The-Weather Hot Toddy Recipe:

2 oz bourbon
1 sugar cube
1/2 fresh lemon juice
a pinch of fresh ginger
hot water

In a heat-resistant glass, add ginger and muddle. Add bourbon, sugar cube, lemon juice and fill the remainder of the glass with hot water. Stir until the sugar cube is fully dissolved. Let the drink sit for a minute or two so that the ginger can infuse itself into the drink. Before serving, be sure to strain out the ginger. Serve with a lemon wedge.

Stay warm!

Fun Holiday Cocktail Recipes

Everyone is gearing up for Thanksgiving this week with making several trips to the grocery store and preparing to spend more time than usual in the kitchen. If you are looking to entertain adult guests this year or are an adult and are looking to entertain/relax your adult host(ess) with some holiday cheer, be sure to check out the following fun holiday cocktail recipes. They are fun, tasty and most importantly, easy to make:


Batida de Pumpkin


Spiced Place Market


Smashing Pumpkin


Cypear Buck

Your adult host(ess) and guests will thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Sobieski Vodka: Strawberry Shortcake Martinis

Sobieski Vodka is premium vodka from Poland that is fairly new to the U.S. market. Sobieski was first introduced to the U.S. in 2007. The company claims to have the number one premium vodka in Poland and is the world’s number seven best selling premium vodka.

In honor of Examiner.com’s Vodka Month for the month of June, I offered a group of bartending school students a chance to sample Sobieski Vodka. We made Strawberry Shortcake Martinis. Read More...

Cocktail Recipe: RoxyCoXXX

A couple of months ago, I came up with a cocktail called the "RoxyCoXXX" which was eventually added to the specialty cocktail menu at work. Check the link to see where I got the idea:

Patron Frescas

I did make same changes to the drink such as adding a couple dashes of peach bitters, using a different tequila, fine straining the fruit instead of just straining it and got a little bit more creative and involved in the garnish.

Yummy drink. No wonder why it was one of the best sellers off of the menu. A little bit involved with making the cocktail, but well worth the effort.

PS: Most bartenders borrow and share recipes. Whenever I am out and experience a really special and delicious cocktail, I always, always note the recipe so I can try to recreate the drink later.

What makes a cocktail truly special is when you put your own special twist on it. I always add lots of love to the cocktails I make.

My First Bartender Competition

On October 20th, I entered my very first bartender competition.

I know. It's been awhile since the competition and my last blog entry.

The competition was at Elixir here in San Francisco and was sponsored by Square One Vodka. We had to use the new Square One Cucumber vodka (which is quite tasty on it's own I must say). The competition itself was pretty cool. Five, city lady bartenders who all had to design their own concoction using the product. We had to not only come up with the drink, but batch it out for a crowd of 50 plus. It's hard enough coming up with a cocktail, but making it for 50 people to enjoy is something else. Lots of pressure. On top of that, this was the same day that I taught my very first bartender school class. October 20th was quite a big day for me.

My Winning Cocktail:

Some Like It Hot

Square One Cucumber Vodka
St Germain (elderflower liqueur)
Muddled basil, cucumber and serrano chili
Fresh lemon juice

Shaken and served chilled, up in a cocktail glass with a cucumber and serrano chili garnish

I didn't take first place, but my drink did win the "Best Hair of the Dog Cocktail" and I walked home with a super cool goodie bag. My drink also made the cocktail menu at work.

Boo Yah!

A Must Read For Bartenders

If you are a bartender, I highly suggest you read, "The Joy of Mixology" written by Gary Regan. The book was recommended to me by a fellow bartender. I started reading it last week and haven't been able to put it down. This book has everything one would ever need to know when it comes to bartending. This book discusses the history of cocktails and mixed drinks, what every bartender needs to have or be able to do, the theory of mixology, foundations of the bar (garnishes, mixers and supplemental ingredients), bartending tools, glassware, a very clear explanation and chart of cocktail and mixed-drink families and hundreds of recipes.

Do yourself a favor and don't just skip to the recipes chapter. Really read this book from start until finish. I have read a few different bar books and I feel like this book really gives it's reader the whole spectrum of how things work and function behind any bar. I have been bartending for a few years and thought I knew a lot about bartending and cocktails already. Now that I am reading this book, I am realizing that I still have a whole lot more to learn. I love books that expand my horizons!

The book itself is easy to read and hard to put down. It isn't super long either. I wish I had known about this book when I first started bartending.

Drink Recipe: Strawberry Tequila Mojito

Muddle fresh strawberries, mint and lime
Add ice, white tequila. triple sec and simple syrup
Shake
Pour in a glass
Fill with soda
Garnish with a strawberry

Yummy delicious! Perfect for summer!

Drink Recipe: Hemingway Daiquiri

I learned a new drink recipe from a fellow bartender last night to add to my book of recipes. It's called a Hemingway Daiquiri (as in Ernest):

Light rum
Fresh squeezed lime
Simple syrup
Cran
Served on the rocks

No blending required!

Thanks buddy! I love learning new drinks. :)

Got Stumped: Drink Recipes

Maybe its me or maybe it is the fact that I hadn't been a "real" bartender in a couple years. Here is a list of drinks that people have ordered from me in which I got stumped on. Stumped meaning I had to ask or look up the recipe. Don't laugh. I want to see how well you bartend after being away from the entire industry for two years. In no particular order:

Hurricane
Light rum
Dark rum
Pineapple
OJ
Grenadine (We don't carry this at our bar for some reason)

Slippery Nipple
Baileys
Butterscotch schnapps

*Generally served as a shot.

Fuzzy Navel
Peach schnapps
OJ
Vodka

*Served on ice.

Old Fashioned
Whiskey
Sugar
Bitters
Slice of orange
Cherry

*Muddle the orange and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Fill glass with ice and add whiskey. Garnish with a cherry.

Tom Collins
Gin
Lemon juice
Sugar
Soda water
Cherry
Orange

*In a shaker, add ice, gin, lemon juice and sugar. Shake and pour into a collins glass. Add soda water. Garnish with a cherry and orange slice.

At least I remembered how to make a Kamikaze, Cosmo and a Long Island.

Drink Recipe: French Martini

Vodka
Chambord
Pineapple
Serve up in a martini glass

PS: I got to go home early tonight because its my birthday AND I have to work early in the morning.

Less than a week to go now....