Contemporary Cocktails Blog

lushlady: I miss Manhattan, so I had one. This one was whipped...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 16:28:12 -0400

I miss Manhattan, so I had one. This one was whipped at the Porter with Black Maple Hill bourbon. This bourbon is from Heaven Hill distillery, which is the largest, independent family-owned distillery in Kentucky. At about 8 years old, 95 proof, balanced and smooth, it made for a perfect Manhattan.

Photo credit: Lush Lady

Ricky Gomez thinks nothing beats a classic spill at the bar, as...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:10:02 -0400

Ricky Gomez thinks nothing beats a classic spill at the bar, as long as it’s on you not the customer. As Ricky loves to have fun and claims he’s “your huckleberry” he felt it necessary to enter this year’s competition after watching last year’s videos.

Sean Frederick made his famous Street Meat cocktail featuring...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:10:00 -0400

Sean Frederick made his famous Street Meat cocktail featuring All Night Long by Lionel Richie…

Mike Parrish is no virgin to cocktail competitions, as he has...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:09:55 -0400

Mike Parrish is no virgin to cocktail competitions, as he has placed in three other competitions in the past. Mike says the Remixology competition was challenging from the get-go and the competition was fierce, but with some creativity he prevailed!

Natalie Jacob was once lucky enough to be bartending for a young...

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 18:09:49 -0400

Natalie Jacob was once lucky enough to be bartending for a young lady who threw up in the cup of water she was served, to then push the cup back towards Natalie. Only to then start making out with the dude who walked up behind her. But as Natalie’s quote to live by says: “You will always find light after darkness…”

Behind the Stick by: Justin Noel

Thu, 18 Aug 2011 10:54:02 -0400

Is this you???

If you go into any bar or lounge these days, just take a look at what’s going on. Anyone fancy a guest? Well if you are as tech savvy as every other American out there you’ll notice that there is a large amount of phone going on. Someone is either texting or tweeting or updating Facebook, etc. about their life goings at the bar. We’ve been brainwashed into thinking that interacting with our phones and posting our whereabouts and updates is living. Ok, so maybe you want to let your friend know where you are or what great cocktails you are consuming, at let’s say 1534 :). These things are all well and good, but what I have started to notice is that the fine art of verbal communication and conversation has been some what lost in this new modern world of iphones and droids.

Understand that I am not advocating against the use of phones at the bar. This is not a rant or a complaint. Just an observation into what I have seen going on in the nightlife scene.

We’ve all been guilty of it, and to some extent these modern devices have become essential to getting business done; but whatever happened to the actual interaction at the bar instead of the virtual interaction going on? It seems as though people are more interested in striking up a conversation with their Blackberry instead of the bartender, or worse, the attractive woman next to them who is obviously slowly drinking her Floradora, waiting for you to say something to her. What’s even worse is that it seems as though an increasing amount of bartenders are content with this behavior. As a result, I have slowly started to notice that while not only have the customers lost the fine art of conversation, but the new breed of bartenders are not as social. At the sight of this I believe one Jerry Thomas would be turning over in his grave.

Bars are social havens. That is the reason why in the dead of winter with 4 feet of snow on the ground we leave the comfort of our own homes and apartments and drudge over to our local for a pint. Not to go there to post pics on Facebook or become Mayor of the bar on 4square, I go to bars for the what might happen. I bartend for the social interaction, and I do what I do because I get to meet some very interesting people, talk up some very gorgeous women, and listen to some real idiots, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So how do we change the mindset of these new bartenders slightly lacking in social skills, and shakeup these scenes we’ve seen at bars all across the country? My suggestion, and something I have done at 1534, is to make up funny rules. These rules are the complete opposite of a very well known bar, and I put them on my menu to not only be cheeky, but as a conversation starter. You would not believe how many people end up asking the bartender about rule number #7 (must sing to any power ballad) or how many guys point to rule number #5 (attempt courtship) to the cute girl at the bar. I also think rewarding the lack of use of the phone at the bar would also make for a fun environment. Do a type of earth hour thing where you tell everyone seated at your bar that if they cannot use their phone for 30mins you will give them all a shot. See what happens. I predict conversation, actual human interaction, and about 45mins will go by before anyone realizes they haven’t looked at their phones. So let’s pick up more pints and less iphones, more picking our heads up to acknowledge the guest than to turning our heads down to look at our droids, and lets only use our blackberry’s at the bar to take pics of the drink, shots you’re doing with your new best friend the bartender, or the cute blonde who you just got a number from.

Floradora:
2oz Gin
.75oz fresh lime juice
.75 oz Raspberry syrup or house made grenadine
Add ingredients in a mixing glass. Shake with ice.
Strain into a highball over fresh ice or crushed ice.
Top with Ginger ale
Lime wedge Garnish and Raspberry

The simon ford daiquiri- 1 3/4oz Plymouth gin 1/4oz...

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:04:53 -0400

The simon ford daiquiri-
1 3/4oz Plymouth gin
1/4oz maraschino liqueur
3/4oz fresh grapefruit juice
3/4oz fresh lime juice
1/4oz agave nectar
2 basil leaves
Prep: rip 2 basil leaves, place inside mixing glass and add all other ingredients. Shake with ice and then double strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a basil leaf.
Note: this drink is a play off of the legendary Hemingway daiquiri. And as an ode to a legendary figure in the gin realm, the simon ford daiquiri has been borne. I salute you gin messiah!

By: Tim Cooper

Hey All, I wanted to Thank Everyone who took the time to submit ...

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:11:09 -0400

Hey All, I wanted to Thank Everyone who took the time to submit their song inspiration and cocktail creation to participate in Appleton Reserve Remixology 2011. Coming back from Tales of the Cocktail with the deadline that Wednesday made it very difficult I truly understand because believe me when I say I needed a full week to recover this year. So Thank You very much and to be honest you all didn’t make it very easy for me to choose. Every single entry was extremely well thought out and exactly what I was looking for. Music is a major part of my bartending life. We listen music when we set up the bar to get ready for the night. We listen to music that gets us into the zone or even through a tough night. We listen to music to break down the bar and wind down. This is where REMIXOLOGY originated music & cocktails are very important partners in what we do! Thank you so very much to all of you and next year perhaps we will have the finals at Tales of the Cocktail instead of submitting when we are all trying to recover from a long week of fun, comradery & and a bit of debauchery!

Here is the schedule of the Semi-Finals if you are around please come down and join me for a cocktail. I would love to see you!
RSVP at info@contemporarycocktailsinc.com

Monday 8/8/11
SF, Smugglers Cove

Monday 8/15/11
Miami, The Stage

Monday 8/22/11
Boston, Drink

Monday 8/29/11
NYC, Lani Kai

If you are interested in following us through to the finals Sept 19th follow us at facebook.com/contemporarycocktails or facebook.com/willyshine

Big Respect,

Willy Shine

Shake Down Highball Ingredients: 2oz Appleton Estate...

Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:33:11 -0400

Shake Down Highball

Ingredients:

2oz Appleton Estate Reserve
0.50 Lemon juice
0.75 Ginger agave nectar
Muddled fresh berries
Top with soda
Garnish: 2 raspberries & 1 blackberry on a pick
Ice: Kold Draft or cubed ice

Glass:

Highball

Preparation:

Add 2 raspberries and 2 blackberries into your shaker and muddle. Add the rest of the ingredients by order of the recipe. Add four Kold Draft cubes and shake. Strain ingredients over fresh ice into your highball glass and top soda and stir. Garnish with 2 raspberries & 1 blackberry on a pick.

Ginger Agave Syrup: Equal parts fresh extracted ginger juice and agave syrup. Bottle and shake vigorously. Note- being that this is a fresh ginger mixture, the ginger will start to lose potency after 3 days. Hence, this will need to be made every 3 days.

Kingston Crusta @ Prospect in SF by Brooke Arthur

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 21:48:06 -0400

Kingston Crusta @ Prospect in SF by Brooke Arthur

Appleton Reserve Remix Party Monday 6/20 at the Burritt Room in...

Thu, 16 Jun 2011 19:33:54 -0400

Appleton Reserve Remix Party Monday 6/20 at the Burritt Room in San Francisco A Celebration of Good Music & Great Cocktails! Bless Up!

Appleton Remix Party 8pm The Stage Miami Beach tomorrow 8-12...

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 22:06:03 -0400

Appleton Remix Party 8pm The Stage Miami Beach tomorrow 8-12 Gonna be a Good One! Bless Up!

Behind the Stick by Justin Noel

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 22:01:53 -0400

Sometimes in this ever evolving, always changing, must use the newest, the most obscure, and the most niche, we lose sight of what our job is: to put money in the cash register quickly. The modern cocktail has seen a resurgence of classical cocktails that have blazed the way for new and exciting cocktails using all types of crazy liqueurs and hard to find ingredients. Sometimes this makes for an amazing experience no one would have had had the knowledgeable bartender hadn’t sought out these items and toiled with them until they were able to create a wonderful cocktail. These cocktails are incredible if done properly, and given the love and care they deserve in order for the customer to taste each and every item in the cocktail, and experience the sensory journey the bartender had in mind when he/she created said cocktail. However, with this cocktail resurgence and this new found desire to incorporate the newest and most unique ingredient or liquor into as many cocktails as possible results in some horrible cocktails, as well as missed opportunities for the bartender to show their real meddle and win over some new customers. These bartenders have lost sight of what’s most essential, and more importantly they have done so at the expense of both the venue and the guest.

Now I don’t claim to have the most amazing palate in the world, and although I am well traveled I have not by all means consumed every herb, fruit, or spice there is. What I do do is go to a lot of bars and drink a lot of drinks, and I have learned to appreciate all the subtle nuances in a dish, a spirit or a cocktail. If you tell me there is sundried purple basil leaves, toasted pumpkin seed syrup, and jasmine tincture in the cocktail and all I taste is gin, lemon juice, a sweetener, and soda then you my friend have wasted not only my time and money, but that of the venues and the prep guy. This is why I am a firm believer in the idea that simpler is better.

We as bartenders and (cocktologist) have all been guilty of adding that one more ingredient that we think will put our newest creation into cocktail lore. However, when the guest doesn’t notice it, and only notices that it took 15mins to get the drink instead of 10 then we have failed them miserably. One of my favorite bartenders of all times had the pleasure of coming and doing a guest bartender night at 1534 in New York. He put together a well balanced, diverse, and delicious cocktail menu with cocktails only using 3-4 ingredients. In fact, all you cocktail history buffs, look up some of the most heralded classic cocktails and we are talking about 3-4 ingredient drinks. Not 6, not 7, 3 to 4. Now I know Dave Embury was not schlepping his ass down to China Town for rare ingredients and the Jerry Thomas didn’t have the brand ambassador from the newest most unique liqueur coming to his bar to get him to put it on his new cocktail menu (actually that one could be true). No these guys used what they had, and with what they had they created some of the greatest drinks we consume. And when they did large scale cocktail parties they probably thought simple and not ‘how many spirits and components can I put in this drink to dazzle them’. Maybe they did maybe they didn’t. All I know is that the belief that you need to put everything put the kitchen sink into a cocktail to make it great is ridiculous. If given the opportunity to wow a customer why not make them a Jack the Rose or a Blinker. I recently had the chance to work a large scale food event here in the city that showcased some of the best cocktail bars and restaurant bars in New York. Maybe it was laziness on my part or experience (I am going with a combination) but I decided to make a cocktail for this event that has come to be known as a modern classic. I did a Goldrush: 2oz Bourbon, .75oz Lemon Juice, and .75oz Honey syrup (believe TJ of Milk n’ Honey is responsible for this). To say that the drink was well received by the guests would be a large understatement. People where very surprised to find out that such a delicious cocktail could be made with just three ingredients.

So guys when we are behind the stick we need to remember that putting money in the register is first, then making sure that we give each and every customer as best an experience as possible, to get our guests a quality beverage in their hands as fast as possible, and that sometimes the simpler the drink the better. Slainte

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Spring is in the air and oh boy have the birds been chirping! ...

Tue, 24 May 2011 18:13:31 -0400

Spring is in the air and oh boy have the birds been chirping! Yes my friends… it is that time of week again. Time to reflect on the flight patterns of our fellow silly drunkards who have somehow been led away from their airborne destinations. Silly birds. Lets go over some rules kind friends….Bird rule #101: a martini is not a lychee, raspberry, pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, apple or any other fruit, spice, combo in the long realm of ingredients out there.
Bird rule #71: ordering a jack and ginger and a vodka cranberry and asking which one is the vodka cranberry….
Bartender (yes this is NEW) Bird rule #3: just because you wear a vest and tie…. does not make you a drink jedi.
Well my fellow bird watchers out there, please feel free to respond and stay attentive to any new flight patterns that may be emerging. I promise to stay focused on the task at hand in the meantime. I have my binoculars and field manual at the ready…. Bird rules=Truth…… The Bird is the word.

Meet The Distillers

Mon, 23 May 2011 08:35:23 -0400

Beam Global invites you to an exclusive opportunity to meet our world famous Master Distillers. This is an unparalleled opportunity to share in generations of spirits expertise and mingle with some of the industry’s most respected craftsman and mixologists.

WHEN: Wednesday, May 25th, 2011 5-6 Pre-Event Cocktails 6-7 Panel Discussion with Master Distillers 7-9 Rooftop Reception

WHERE: Hudson Terrace 621 West 46th Street (46th Street & 11th Avenue)

RSVP: RSVP@beamglobal.com or cell: 718/ 685-4158

Silly Birds by Tim Cooper

Fri, 20 May 2011 00:10:31 -0400

Spring is in the air and oh boy have the birds been chirping!

Yes my friends… it is that time of week again. Time to reflect on the flight patterns of our fellow silly drunkards who have somehow been led away from their airborne destinations. Silly birds. Lets go over some rules kind friends….

Bird rule #101: a martini is not a lychee, raspberry, pineapple, strawberry, chocolate, apple or any other fruit, spice, combo in the long realm of ingredients out there.

Bird rule #71: ordering a jack and ginger and a vodka cranberry and asking which one is the vodka cranberry….

Bartender (yes this is NEW) Bird rule #3: just because you wear a vest and tie…. does not make you a drink jedi.

Well my fellow bird watchers out there, please feel free to respond and stay attentive to any new flight patterns that may be emerging. I promise to stay focused on the task at hand in the meantime. I have my binoculars and field manual at the ready…. Bird rules=Truth…… The Bird is the word.

Bar Magic + Bar Lab + CC, Inc = BARKABOB @ LTO tonight!.

Sun, 15 May 2011 21:15:19 -0400

Bar Magic + Bar Lab + CC, Inc = BARKABOB @ LTO tonight!.

Some amazing Appleton cocktail recipes!!!

Sun, 15 May 2011 16:22:00 -0400

The Privateer Old FashionedContemporary Cocktails Original Ingredients¼ oz Maple syrup (grade A or B)½ Bar spoon all spice dram2oz Appleton Estate Reserve Garnish: Long orange peel & lemon peelGlass: Dbl old fashionedIce: 2”x 2” large format cube Preparation:Add all ingredients into a dbl old-fashioned glass by order of the ingredients. Gently add the cube and trim if necessary. Stir in the glass 20 times and garnish with the oil of lemon and orange. Place the long peels around the cube and cross them as the stick out of the glass.
Shake Down HighballMuddled fresh berries.5 Lemon juice.75 Ginger agave nectar2oz Appleton Estate ReserveTop with soda Garnish: 2 raspberries & 1 blackberry on a pickGlass: HighballIce: Kold Draft or cubed ice

I DRINK ALONE by Brent Lamberti

Wed, 04 May 2011 15:17:00 -0400

I DRINK ALONE

After last call, counting the tips, and heading home, I’m always one day older.

And so are you.

I’m 31 years old. My daughter is 16 months. As our bartending careers move forward, so do our lives, and for some of us that has brought a new career; fatherhood.

Over 10 years ago if you asked me if I would be supporting a family through mixology, I would have thought you were nuts. Now as I look around at my peers I see that I’m not the only one who has accepted this challenge.

Being a good father is kind of like being a good bartender. We always have to be in control of the situation, we have to be patient, we have to be kind, we have to know when to say when. We have to be good listeners, we have to anticipate peoples needs, sometimes even before they know they need them. We have to be creative, determined, and trustworthy.

Every job has it’s pro’s and con’s. Don’t get me wrong, being a bartender has way many more positives than negatives, it’s just that being a father now makes those negatives a little more difficult. I’ve missed friends weddings, birthday celebrations, heck even my own 21st birthday because of work. I’m not complaining, I get it. We’re the party starters, we’re the one’s the people come up to at those weddings and birthday parties to make them forget about their mundane lives. Now, missing out on my daughters’ experiences is something different. I have a hard time dealing with that.

A couple of Sundays ago was Easter Sunday. For most of the Christian denomination it is a day filled with family, food, and bunny rabbits. For me it was filled with guests, beer, and drunk old guys. I worked that night, and the night before that, and the night before that, and the night before that. Tempting as it may be to sit in holiday traffic for 2 plus hours on little to no sleep on the LIE, I regretfully declined my mother’s dinner invitation. But I felt guilty. Not for my mother, or for me, but for my little girl. All of her cousins were going to be there having an Easter egg hunt. My brothers and sisters, whom I or her, don’t see enough of were going to be there as well. Was my career choice limiting my daughters’ family time? This wasn’t the first time work had gotten in the way of family time. But I guess that’s part of being a father, making tough decisions.

All in all, it’s been a whirlwind 16 months. She really is growing up so fast. I too have grown in these 16 months and I look forward to the future of both my careers and towards the challenges they present.

Contemporary Cocktails, Inc

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FridayPork Roast & PunchesRum & Industry Brethren...

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 13:42:14 -0400

FridayPork Roast & PunchesRum & Industry Brethren please join Willy Shine of Contemporary Cocktails for some delicious Appleton Estate Reserve Rum cocktails a Pork Roast and some day time fun in the sun! Friday 2-5pm at The Mondrian In Miami Beach.
Saturday Night Big Up at the Florida RoomHosted by Willy Shine of Contemporary Cocktails & Gabriel Orta of Bar-LabAppleton Estate Reserve returns again with some Live Music & festivities. Join us and let’s make 2011 Big Up Appleton Estate Reserve a night to remember.