April 2020

Given the current situation, Sagamore Spirit acted quickly to turn its in-person event, into an engaging “at-home” live stream on Facebook with its Sagamore Spirit Kitchen Cocktail Showdown.

The Sagamore Spirit Kitchen Cocktail Showdown brought together five bartenders, three judges, and two hosts to celebrate the idea that great cocktails can be made at home with simple ingredients. The champion bartenders, who hailed from across the mid-Atlantic, competed for a grand prize of $1,000 cash.

The Sagamore Spirit Kitchen Cocktail Showdown

Hosts Justin Schlegel from 98 Rock Morning show in Baltimore and Joe Masse, Sagamore Spirit Key Account Manager in New York City, were joined by three industry judges – Brendan Dorr, president of the Baltimore Bartenders Guild, Chantal Tseng, bar manager at the Gibson in Washington, D.C., and Jeff Greif, publisher of Chilled Magazine. The hosts and judges made each cocktail along the “virtual” side of the competing bartender and ranked them based on taste, creativity, and presentation.

Anastasia Cooper of Not Your Average Joe’s based in Bethesda, Maryland, won with her Wear the Red Moccasins cocktail, which she says is a play on the Diamondback cocktail, named for the Diamondback Lounge in Baltimore.

Check out Anastasia’s and the other contestants’ creative cocktail recipes.

Winning Recipe

Wear the Red Moccasins

Wear the Red Moccasins

Created by Anastasia Cooper

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey*
• ½ oz. Copper & Kings Apple Brandy
• ½ oz. Yellow Chartreuse (substitute: honey syrup)
• ½ oz. homemade chamomile tea syrup
• ½ oz. lemon juice
• 1 egg white
• 1 strawberry (muddled)
• Peychaud’s bitters

Preparation: Muddle strawberry with chamomile tea syrup. Add lemon juice (normally half of a lemon), Yellow Chartreuse (honey syrup if substituting), apple brandy, and Sagamore Spirit. Separate egg white into an empty shaker tin. Combine drink mix with egg white and shake vigorously without ice, then add ice and shake again. Double strain through a fine strainer into a chilled coupe glass; top cocktail with Peychaud’s bitters for aromatics. *Adjust to 1.5 oz. if not using Yellow Chartreuse.

People’s Choice Winner

Smashin’ Rations

Smashin’ Rations

Created by Ryan Minnick

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ oz. Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey
• ½ oz. Capri Sun (Pacific Cooler)
• 1 tsp. strawberry jam
• 1 cucumber
• 1 apple

Preparation: Add and muddle sliced cucumber, apple, and 1 tsp. of strawberry jam into a mixing glass. Add ice and Sagamore Spirit; stir until chilled (15-20 sec). Fine strain and add ice into chilled rocks glass and top with your favorite childhood beverage Capri Sun Pacific Cooler. Cut a Covid-19 inspired cucumber garnish and enjoy!

The Rye Street

The Rye Street

Created by Evan Lingenfelder

Ingredients:

• 1 ¾ oz. Sagamore Spirit Double Oak Rye Whiskey
• ½ oz. sweet vermouth
• ½ oz. Italian Amaro
• Rhubarb Bitters (substitute: peach or orange bitters)
• Angostura bitters
• ½ oz. blood orange juice
• Luxardo Cherries for garnish

Preparation: Combine all ingredients into a shaker and shake with ice; double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Express lemon twist over top of the drink and add a stabbed Luxardo Cherry.

The Pimmslico Cup

The Pimmslico Cup

Created by Matthew Slivinski

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ oz. Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey
• ¾ oz. Pimms No. 1
• ¾ oz. lemon juice
• 2 slices cucumber
• 6-8 mint leaves
• Ginger Ale

Preparation: Muddle cucumber and mint leaves with the lemon juice. Add Pimms No. 1 and Sagamore Spirit. Add ice and shake; strain into glass with fresh ice. Top with ginger ale. Garnish with slice of cucumber and sprig of mint.

Blackberry Fig Old Fashioned

Blackberry Fig Old Fashioned

Created by Kimberly Helmuth

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Sagamore Spirit Signature Rye Whiskey
• 1 ½ oz. Figenza Vodka (substitute: any berry-flavored vodka)
• ¼ oz. lemon juice
• 4 blackberries
• Ginger Beer

Preparation: Put four fresh blackberries in a mixing glass and muddle. Add Sagamore Spirit, vodka, and lemon juice. Strain into a glass over one large ice cube. Top with ginger beer. Garnish with a skewer of fresh blackberries.

The post Here’s Who Won $1K in the Sagamore Spirit Kitchen Cocktail Showdown appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The Last Word is a pre-Prohibition classic cocktail that was born in industrial Detroit in 1915.

The unlikely mix of gin, Green Chartreuse, maraschino liqueur, and lime juice enamored imbibers of the time, so much so that the recipe thrived during a time when spirituous creativity in America was seemingly stunted.

After its relevance slowly dissipated post-Prohibition, the recipe for the Last Word reappeared in Ted Saucier’s classic cocktail book Bottoms Up! (1951) where the cocktail was credited to the Detroit Athletic Club. It was later rediscovered by Seattle-based bartender Murray Stenson who added the tipple to his menu at Zig Zag Cafe in 2004, where it was unctuously embraced by local imbibers. It was only after Stenson brought the Last Word back into the spotlight did it rise to modern classicism.

The drink made its way onto cocktail menus all across the country and was championed in New York by pioneering bars such as Audrey Saunders’ Pegu Club—at which many of today’s great bartenders, now owners, have worked. Because of the Last Word, bartenders were given a new classic cocktail template to play with—a four-ingredient equal-parts sour—and it paved the path for some of the most sought-after contemporary classic cocktails, such as: Sam Ross’s Paper Plane, Rick Dobbs’ Last of the Oaxacans, Joaquin Simó’s Naked and Famous, and Phil Ward’s Division Bell. Perfecting the Last Word is a true masterclass in balance. It’s an equilibrium of ABV, sour, sweetness, and flavor; and once mastered, the wealth of similarly formatted cocktails in the modern canon will be easily executed and remembered as well.

The base spirit of the Last Word is gin. Depending on the gin selected, this cocktail can range in terms of flavor and balance. If your gin is less than 45% ABV, it can easily be drowned out by the poignancy of the maraschino liqueur, and strength (in ABV) and depth of Green Chartreuse; in this case, increasing the volume of gin by  ¼ ounce would be best to have gin be the backbone of the cocktail.

The sweeteners of this mix are the maraschino liqueur and Green Chartreuse—both of which are audacious flavors that will take this cocktail out of balance if they are even mismeasured by ⅛ ounce. Don’t over, or under, pour these ingredients. If you are wondering if Yellow Chartreuse will suffice, the answer is no. You will end up with an unbalanced drink that’s skewed towards sweet (technically, this could be balanced by adding ¼ ounce more of lime juice, but source Green Chartreuse if you can). The sweetener will be balanced with lime juice—just make sure it has been squeezed within the last couple of hours and is measured accurately and you’ll have no issues here.

As always, quality ice of the same shapes and sizes that you make with molds—or a machine—are ideal for texture and dilution. Shake the mix for 10-12 seconds and serve straight up in a coupe. The end product should truly be greater than the sum of its parts with an herbaceous and floral depth that is unrivalled by many other classics of its time.

The Last Word

Last Word

Ingredients:

• 3/4 oz. gin (preferably The Botanist Gin)
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 3/4 oz. Maraschino liqueur
• 3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse

Preparation: Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Shake until chilled, then strain straight up into a coupe glass.

The post How to Make the Perfect Last Word appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Here are the winners in week 3 of the Chilled Media and 375 Park Avenue Spirits Toast to the Service Industry Program!

Thank you to all the bartenders who have participated and we hope you will enter again next week.

Here are the ten (10) bartenders who will receive $500 each via Venmo and a chance at competing for more cash prizes during the Virtual Live Stream hosted and judged by industry veteran Jonathan Pogash in May.

Paradise Valley

Paradise Valley

Bradley Garrison – Stiltsville, Miami

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Van Gogh Blueberry and Açai Vodka
• 1 bar spoon elderflower liqueur
• 1/2 oz. lavender honey*
• 1 oz. acid adjusted grapefruit**
• 4 oz. Prosecco

Preparation: Add all ingredients except for the Prosecco to a shaker; shake until chilled and strain into a stemless champagne flute. Top with 4oz. of chilled Prosecco. *Lavender honey: bring 4 oz. of water and 4 oz. of honey to a boil. Allow a bag of lavender tea to infuse into the honey syrup for up to 10 minutes and remove. Let syrup cool before use. **Acid adjusted grapefruit: Add 1/8 teaspoon citric acid to every 2 ounces of fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. Using twine or string, tie a wildflower to the side of the flute.

“I’ve always dreamed of living and working in Montana. This cocktail is my interpretation of Paradise Valley in Montana, which is one of the most scenic places in the state surrounded by forest, mountains and rivers. All the ingredients represent the wilderness that is Montana. The cocktail itself is meant to be complex, yet light and elegant. It’s a cocktail simply inspired by one of my dreams.”

Summer Dreams

Summer Dreams

Makenzie Helem – Miller’s Backdoor, Bellingham

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Casa San Matias tequila
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1/2 oz. Jalapeño- watermelon shrub*
• 1/2 oz. Aloe Vera liqueur
• 1/4 oz. Raicilla

Preparation: Combine all ingredients into shaker; double strain into Collins glass. *Jalapeño-watermelon shrub: muddle chunks of watermelon with 1-2 jalapeños (depending on how spicy they are) until you have about 2 cups worth. Add 1 cup of granulated sugar. Stir and let refrigerate for a day. Then add 1 cup of apple cider vinegar to the mix; stirring and refrigerating for another day.

“With the sunny spring days and quarantine, all I’ve wanted is to be able to sit on a patio and have a nice Margarita. This cocktail is inspired by those warm picnic days by the water, where you feel refreshed, while eating watermelon and getting your burn on. In what seems like forever ago, a regular dropped off a bunch of watermelon. After eating, there was a bunch leftover and I had been on a shrub kick so I thought it would be perfect for next summer. In quarantine, it felt like the perfect time to turn those vibes into a cocktail. And for some reason Summer Nights from Grease started playing in my head while thinking of a name, which I felt was fitting.”

Eastern Scoundrel

Eastern Scoundrel

Steviee Hughes – Seventy 7 Lounge, Los Angeles

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Scapegrace
• 1/2 oz. Yuzu liqueur
• 1/2 oz. matcha sake
• 1/2 oz. yellow chartreuse
• 1/4 oz. fresh lemon
• 1/4 oz. simple syrup
• 1 egg white
• Japanese Shisho Leaf (for garnish)

Preparation: In a mixing tin, quick dry shake egg white and all your liquids, then add ice and 1 Shisho Leaf. Shake and strain into a glass over a large rock and garnish with a Shisho Leaf. 

“I love traveling and experiencing new flavors and cultures but obviously right now with what’s going on in the world we can’t travel so I figured I would bring Asia to myself! The next best thing for me was to take a little trip over to the Japanese market by my loft in little Tokyo in downtown Los Angeles. It’s one of my favorite markets because they always have all kinds of amazing produce and liquors from Asia that you don’t always see everywhere else. Since Scapegrace Gin has a lot of citrus notes in the flavor profile I decided I would enhance those more by pairing with Japanese Yuzu liqueur and fresh citrus. Since citrus is so good with tea I threw in a little matcha tea sake.  And for a little sweetness, but with herb, I added a little yellow chartreuse  None of these flavors are over powering and instead enhance the natural citrus in the gin. Especially the tangerine notes. It’s very light and refreshing!”

Spice of India

Spice of India

Alissa Atkinson – High Dive, Brooklyn

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Paul John Indian Single Malt Whiskey
• 1 oz. garam masala honey syrup*
• 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 1 oz. aquafaba (the water from a chickpeas can)
• 3 shakes cardamom bitters

Preparation: Place all ingredients into a shaker and dry shake to aerate the aquafaba. Add ice and shake to chill. Double strain into a chilled coupe and garnish with fresh grated nutmeg. *Garam Masala honey syrup: Pour 1 cup water and 1 cup honey into a saucepan over medium low heat. Stir to dissolve honey and add 1/4 tsp. cumin seeds, 1/4 tsp. fennel seeds, 4 green cardamom pods, 5 cloves, and two cinnamon sticks. Bring to a gentle boil and turn off heat. Let cool completely before straining out spices.

“Inspired by the spice in the finish of Paul John Indian Single Malt Whisky, I created a truly pantry-based cocktail with all of the underused Indian ingredients in my spice rack. Adding chickpea water as an egg white substitute was an extra nod to both Indian cuisine and how we make do with what we’ve got laying around these days! I seasoned and baked the chickpeas as a perfect pairing.”

The Bougainvillea

The Bougainvillea

Leanne Favre – Leyenda, Brooklyn

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Macchu Peruvian Pisco
• 1 oz. Marie Brizard Parfait Amour
• 1 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. purple sweet potato syrup*
• 1/2 oz. egg white

Preparation: Add all ingredients to a tin and dry shake. Add ice and shake. Strain into a chilled coupe glass. Garnish with aromatic flowers. *Purple sweet potato syrup: 1 part sweet potato purée (Sweet Potato Puree: any type of sweet potato can be used if purple potatoes are not available. Peel and cut sweet potatoes into cubes and steam, using a steamer, until soft. Blend until smooth). 1 part water, 1 part sugar blend and strain through nut milk bag.

“This cocktail was designed to pay homage to the woman who helped discover the Bougainvillea. French Botanist Jeanne Baré had to disguise herself as a man, so that she could explore the world and become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe. Drawing inspiration from her strength as well as from flavors around the world, I created an elegant Pisco Sour variation that showcases the Bougainvillea’s native land, Peru. The Marie Brizard Parfait Amour provides hints of Madagascar vanilla and Spanish oranges. A simple Peruvian purple sweet potatoes syrup adds texture, color and a savory edge to the cocktail. Pisco is the perfect base with bright florality that ties all of the flavors together and highlights the subtle hints rose in the Parfait Amour. This cocktail will transport you!”

The Blind Alley

The Blind Alley

Thi Nguyen – The Saap Avenue, Oakland

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Cutty Sark Whisky
• 1 oz. lemon juice
• 3/4 oz. Chamomile syrup*
• 2 drops of saline or small pinch of salt
• Coconut ice**

Preparation: Combine ingredients in a Nick & Nora glass. *Chamomile Syrup: 200g wugar, 200g water, 5g dried chamomile, add sugar and water into saucepan with medium heat. Stir until the sugar dissolved. And bring it to boil. Add chamomile and let it simmer for 10 mins. Double strain into container. Saline: 20g Salt. *Coconut Ice: Pour coconut juice intro ice tray and put into the freezer.

“I recently had to cancel a trip back to Vietnam due to the pandemic. It’s been more than six years since I have visited my home. One of the things I miss the most is the street vendors scene. It is like an irresistible thing in Vietnam. From the stable stands in the alley to those that go around by bike or foot, we can get all of the delicious foods or drinks from them. I remember when I was young, my friends and I were hopping street vendors from alley to alley. This cocktail is inspired by the street vendors lively atmosphere and popular items such as chamomile and coconut.”

Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody

Zev Glesta – The Modern, Brooklyn

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Becherovka
• 1/2 oz. Mulberry-Chicha Morada
• 1/2 oz. lime juice
• Soda water

Preparation: Building the drink: place all ingredients in a highball glass, splash with soda water and incorporate with bar spoon. Place in ice and top with soda water. Give one last mix with bar spoon. Serve with mandarin or citrus garnish.

“What I love about this competition is that you try spirits that previously were not on your radar. Becherovka was an outlier spirit for me, I had never used it although I have seen it around the block a couple of times. When I dove into the spirit a little more, I found that the Czech’s (particularly in Bohemia) love to enjoy Becherovka with currant juice, soda water and a slice of orange.”

Wellington-Harrington

Wellington-Harrington

Naomi Levy – Variety Bar, Cambridge

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. Novo Fogo Silver Caçhaca
• 1/2 oz. Campari
• 3/4 oz. beet syrup*
• 3/4 oz. lime juice
• 1 sprig parsley

Preparation: Combine all ingredients and shake. Strain into a coupe and garnish with a parsley leaf.  *Beet syrup: combine in a blender: 1/2 cup roasted beets (I buy them pre-roasted from love beets or you can roast your own) 1/2 cup granulated sugar 3 oz. water. Blend ingredients until smooth. Strain through mesh strainer (optional, but recommended).

“This cocktail is inspired by my neighborhood (Wellington-Harrington) in East Cambridge, Massachusetts, where I have now lived for over a decade. It is a melting pot of Brazilian, Polish, and Italian heritage with bakeries serving pao de queijo a few doors down from ones slinging cannolis. It is a neighborhood where private clubs still abound and the restaurant owners grew up down the street. It is my community that I love and this cocktail exemplifies how something so wonderful can come from disparate cultures and ingredients melding together.”

Shades of Tjader

Shades of Tjader

Manami York – Con Alma, Pittsburgh

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. JP Wiser’s Rye Whiskey
• 1 bar spoon Soho Lychee
• 3/4 oz. mango ginger tea syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1 bar spoon matcha powder
• 1 oz. aquafaba
• Pinch of gunpowder green tea leaves (for garnish)

Preparation: Add all ingredients into shaker tin. Dry shake until frothy, then add ice and chill shake mixture. Strain ingredients into coupe glass. Sprinkle the gunpowder green tea leaves.

“Inspired by Cal Tjader’s 1963 album, “Several Shades of Jade,” this cocktail features a refreshing, juicy spin on a traditional whiskey sour. Like the tracks that comprise the album, the cocktail shares the similarity of integrating Asian influences into a Western concept. Visually, there are several shades of jade reflected in the layers—the cocktail, the aquafaba foam, and the garnish. Being very fortunate to work in a jazz club environment like Con Alma, it’s very easy to draw inspiration from album covers and names, with this cocktail being the perfect example.”

King Harvest

King Harvest

Peter Hannah – Rose and Crown, Celebration

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. St. James Reserve Rum
• 1/2 oz. strawberry Syrup
• 1/2 oz. lemon Juice
• Sage
• Cava/Sparkling Brut Wine

Preparation: Add all ingredients except Cava to tin. Add ice and shake for 8-10 seconds. Add Cava and double strain over crushed ice. Top with more crushed ice and garnish with orange peel.

“At this time of year Florida has a great harvest of berries. Sadly, due to Corona the farmers here have lost upwards of 50% of their crop as the resorts, restaurants and bars they usually sell to have been shuttered. I wanted to make a thoroughly Floridian drink that showcases the harvest of these workers. Strawberry is such a great ingredient and plays really well with the vanilla and baking spice of the St James Reserve. The sage in the shake provides and earthiness while the sparkling wine is bright and refreshing.”

The post Check Out Ten $500 Winning bartenders in Week 3 appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

The very word libation implies ritual.

It is, in essence, the ancient act of pouring a drink as an offering to a deity. Egyptians, Romans, and Greeks have offered up drinks to gods and poured them in honor of the dead for centuries.

Whether it’s in the preparation of a carefully crafted cocktail; the pomp and ceremony that accompanies it before being quaffed; the song and dance around opening and closing time. We explore some of the quirky rituals that captivated patrons and barmen across the country each night. Traditions we hope to get back to soon.

“There are good ships, there are wood ships, there are ships that sail the sea, but the best ships are friendships, and may they always be,” is what you’ll hear when the clock strikes midnight at the Punch House. Located in Chicago’s historic Thalia Hall, those sitting at the bar receive a complimentary shot of whiskey and are encouraged to sing along to the traditional Irish drinking chant. At the same time, a staff member feeds the collection of fishes in the back bar aquarium. Also, in Chicago, at the craft cocktail and gin-destination spot, Scofflaw, patrons are treated to fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies at midnight every night.

Punch House Feed’n Time at Midnight

At the renowned bar, Employees Only, in NYC, barmen serve their traditional chicken soup at 3:45 a.m. at closing time every night. The bartenders at James Beard award-winning Cure in New Orleans, each of them takes a shot of El Dorado 5-year-old rum and toasts patrons at the end of happy hour.

Corey Tighe, Bar Manager at Juniper & Ivy in San Diego, after a few hours of prep, liked to start off his shift the right way by getting in some stretches by hanging from the ladder on the wall. “Gotta make it work with what you have! After every guest sat down at the bar, they received a menu and a glass of water … ALWAYS. It’s my way of welcoming everyone in the same manner,” says Tighe. “Then right before we’d start to get really busy and the bartenders are behind the stick, we’d have a round of coffee. We never actually finish a cup, though, as nine times out of ten, we’re off to the races for the next four hours.”

The original owner of Maxine’s Tap Room, a favorite water hole in Fayetteville, Arkansas, had a last call immortalized in a recording you can listen to on a vintage payphone at the bar. Now carried on by the current owners and staff, the closing time ritual shouts out: “May I have your attention, please! You have ten minutes to drink, then get the hell out!”

Located in downtown LA’s Union Station, The Streamliner Restaurant’s bar The Varnish opens at exactly 4:47 p.m. to give you time to down a Dirty Martini before the 5:00 p.m. train.

The slew of barmen at Ocean Prime Beverly Hills, each have their own nightly rituals. “A shot of espresso and a piece of cinnamon is my go-to first thing when I clock in,” says Kirsten.

Punch House Aquarium

“I listen to ‘Feel So Close’ by Calvin Harris while I set up the bar. The best duo pins a good song gets me pumped!” says Kaitie.

“One ritual is sports trivia with my guests. If they can beat me at my own game, they’ll win themselves a round on the house,” Arley.

Matt took 15 minutes of peace and quiet to mentally and physically prepare himself for his shift. “I also don’t feel prepared for a shift unless the garnish fruit is cut perfectly. There’s nothing quite like it to accentuate a cocktail,” he adds.

And barmen Elias… “I would vent all my frustrations out on a large cube of ice,” he laughs.

Big Bar at Alcove Cafe in the Los Feliz neighborhood of LA, bartender Cari Hah says,

“I kind of do a meditation thing where I give myself a few minutes to just empty all the feelings out, whether I’m tired, grumpy, or have had a bad day. My guests do not and should not have to care what mood I’m in. It sounds kind of extreme, but that’s what I’d do to ‘get in the zone’ and ensure that I provide the best service to everyone that walks through the door.”

Bartender Katy Fray of Bently Heritage Estate Distillery believes that every bartender has rituals around making drinks, whether it’s the way they clean their equipment or the order of how they mix ingredients. Still, to her, the most important rituals aren’t always around the bar itself, but rather rituals that happen away from the bar.

“For me, for example, I enjoy my mornings before work by having coffee with my husband, trail running, taking our dogs for a walk, and caring for my assorted house plants,” says Fray. Whether it’s reading, writing poetry, practicing cocktails at home for family and friends, the things that make you happy should be the most important rituals. And after that, when you find yourself back behind the bar, you’ll be more thrilled to give 100% to others.”

Her technical bar rituals are keeping her station organized and clean so that it’s ready at all times. “I’d do my best to remember names and call the regulars by their name. I’d also try to remember their usual order, which helps build a friendly camaraderie between bartender and customer. And when it’s a full bar, I’d use the time I spend shaking cocktails to do a 180 and look to see the state of the bar.  The ritual helps me to remember to look up, even if it’s to smile at someone, that makes all the difference,” says Fray.

The post Bartenders Remember Their Favorite Bar Rituals and Traditions appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

NEFT Vodka, the award-winning, ultra-premium vodka handcrafted in the Austrian Alps, launches a weekly Facebook Live streaming show to raise financial support and awareness for out of work bartenders.

Viewer donations to a dedicated GoFundMe page will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $10,000 each week by NEFT.

The series, hosted by NEFT Master Mixologist Luke Barr from the NEFT Lounge in El Segundo, CA., will stream live every Thursday starting at 8 pm PT. Barr will showcase local bartenders from their own locations who will demonstrate their favorite new cocktail tricks and recipes while viewers can opt to share their video feed as well, digitally engaging with Barr and the other guests. Throughout the show viewers will be encouraged to donate to the Southbay Bartender Fund where 100 percent of the proceeds will go directly to bartenders who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participating bartenders will be compensated for their time and efforts.

NEFT After Dark

“It is during challenging times that a community must unite and come together to help one another,” said Jeffrey Mahony, CEO of NEFT Vodka. “At NEFT, we believe this weekly series is one way of for us to provide some much-needed support to our community while also creating human connection and interaction in a fun and engaging way.”

Details:

• Weekly Facebook Live streaming begins Thursday, April 23rd at 8pm PT
• To join, you must have a Facebook account and then access the show here
• Donations can be made at any time to the Southbay Bartender GoFundMe Page
• NEFT Vodka will match all donations to the fund up to $10,000 per week



The post NEFT Launches Vodka After Dark, a Virtual Cocktail Party Series appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Bruce Springsteen jamming

When you visit a well-regarded cocktail bar, you expect to receive a great cocktail.

When you visit a great dive bar, you expect to receive an ice-cold beer and hearty shot. You can go to any number of establishments in most cities to receive all of the above. It’s the places that facilitate and foster the social experiences you crave that you’ll go back to repeatedly.

I come out believing there’s no tomorrow night, there wasn’t last night, there’s just tonight. And I have built up the skills to be able to provide, under the right conditions, a certain transcendent evening, hopefully, an evening you’ll remember when you go home. Not that you’ll just remember it was a good concert, but you’ll remember the possibilities the evening laid out in front of you…

That’s Bruce Springsteen effectively defining the difference between service and hospitality. He could go on stage every night and casually play a bunch of songs. He has certainly built up the catalog to do that. Or he can make the night something more:

The audience wants you to do two things. They want you to surprise them and make them feel at home, simultaneously.

As bartenders, we can treat each shift as nothing more than the task of making a bunch of drinks. We have large enough menus and compendiums to draw from. Or we can treat each shift the way Springsteen treats each show. With a determined intensity and an unbridled enthusiasm to give his guests more than they came for, to deliver an experience they’ll remember and want to have again. To make them feel alive, connected, and socially valuable. To make them feel like they did something much more meaningful than merely walk into a bar.

When you’re behind the bar, you’re as close to being the center of attention Bruce is night after night as you’re ever going to be. You’re on stage. You direct the theater of the bar. It’s exhilarating AF to do this dance amid the orderly chaos of guests staking their place at and around your bar.

I live to seamlessly seize these moments and make hospitality not something that happens in spurts, but as a narrative, I weave throughout my entire shift—guest after guest.

The cocktail is the garnish of the experience.
– Vincenzo Marianella

‘Exciting People and Exciting Yourself Into Some Higher State’

At the moment, we can’t practice hospitality the way we have and ultimately want to. However, we can use this time to think and prepare to be better at hospitality when things start to return to some semblance of normal. When bars come back online, many of our guests will crave social experiences and connectedness. They’ll absolutely require it more than ever before. Because that’s how we’re wired. Craft cocktail bars, dive bars, the neighborhood tavern—they’ll all play even more central roles in our communities than they did prior to this global pandemic.

There’s a lovely story about a guy seeing Bruce Springsteen in New Jersey, right after September 11. The guy yelled to Springsteen: “Bruce, we need you.” Shortly thereafter, The Boss responded with a 9/11-inspired album, The Rising, and some of the most intense and impassioned performances of his iconic career.

Bruce did more than merely comfort fans with his music. He brought them to another place socially and emotionally. It’s what people needed in the new world that post-dated 9/11. Bruce didn’t provide “a service” to people who bought tickets to his shows. He delivered his sweaty, three-and-a-half-hour version of transcendent hospitality.

As bartenders, I argue that we have always needed to treat each shift the way Springsteen approaches his live shows. But now, it’s non-negotiable. You have a role to play in people’s lives like you never have before. Now’s the time to take several pages out of Springsteen’s book and treat each moment you’re behind the bar as the most important moment in each and every one of your guests’ lives. They’ll get something out of it. And, after going through this unprecedented ordeal together, you absolutely will as well.

I searched out something that I needed to do. It’s a job that’s filled with ego and vanity and narcissism, and you need all those things to do it well. But you can’t let those things completely swamp you… You need all those things but in relative check… But you need those things, because you are driven by your needs out there – the raw hunger and the raw need of exciting people and exciting yourself into some higher state. People have pursued that throughout the history of civilization. It’s a strange job, and for a lot of people it’s a dangerous job. But those things are at the root of it.
– Bruce Springsteen from The New Yorker (2012)

The post What Bruce Springsteen Can Teach Bartenders About Hospitality appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Southerners love tea, especially when it is cold and sweet—making tea-based cocktails a fixture in many households.

Here are four of our hot and cold favorites.

In the spirits world, Kentucky is synonymous with bourbon, but that isn’t the only distilled liquor made there. Many Bluegrass distilleries make vodka and gin, some folks in Danville are making cachaça, and Louisville is crowned with the brandy-making Copper & Kings.

The Ballad of Earl Grey and Chamomile

The Ballad of Earl Grey and Chamomile

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Copper & Kings American Apple Brandy
• 4-5 oz. Earl Grey Tea
• 1/2 oz. honey syrup
• 4 Chamomile pods
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 lemon peel

Preparation: Warm mug with hot water. Build ingredients in warm mug and top with tea. Stir and garnish with lemon peel, cinnamon stick, and chamomile pods.

The Wigle Distillery’s tasting room in Pittsburg sports a perpetually evolving cocktail menu, one that raises eyebrows for having not just one but a few tea-based and -derived cocktails.

Gentleman And A Scholar

Gentleman And A Scholar

Ingredients:

• 1 oz. Wigle Ginever
• 1/2 oz. Wigle Limoncello
• 1/2 oz. lemon juice
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• 1 1/2 oz. Earl Grey Tea
• 3 dashes Wigle Pomander Orange bitters

Preparation: After brewing tea and letting it cool, add gin, limoncello, lemon juice, simple, Pomander Orange bitters, and tea in a shaker. Add ice and shake for 10 seconds. Strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass and garnish with an orange wheel.

An old joke about Southerners and sweet tea goes like this. “How much sugar do I use in the sweet tea? Answer: Until it’s sweet enough. You can do interesting things with sweet tea in both cocktails and cooking. Peach tea, on the other hand, is something to adore in the summertime.

The Peach Tree

The Peach Tree

Ingredients:

• 2 parts D’usse VSOP Cognac
• 1 part crème de peche
• 2 parts sweet tea
• 1 lemon wedge

Preparation: Add D’usse, crème de peche and sweet tea into a shaker with ice. Squeeze in lemon wedge. Shake and pour into a Highball glass.

Last but not least is a riff on that most Kentucky of drinks, the Mint Julep, that brings in some Earl Grey.

Earl Grey Mint Julep

Earl Grey Mint Julep

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 oz. of bourbon
• 6 sprigs of mint
• 6 oz. cold brewed Earl Grey Tea
• 3 oz. of Earl Grey simple syrup*

Preparation: Mix the bourbon, half mint sprigs, Earl Grey Tea, and Earl Grey simple syrup, then mix in crushed ice to fill a serving pitcher. Pour into julep cups and use the other half of the mint sprigs to garnish. *Earl Grey simple syrup: steep one bag of Earl Grey tea in hot simple mixture for every cup of water you use.

The post 4 Must Mix Cocktails Made with Tea appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Three months ago, a cocktail-to-go packed alongside your take-out meal was reserved for the few and far between.

Today, restaurants across the country are adding wine, beer and cocktails to their pick up windows in an effort to stay afloat amidst the current COVID-19 crisis.

Cities like Memphis, New Orleans, and Las Vegas have had strong to-go cocktail cultures, but it’s not cut and dry and laws aren’t always clear. Take Memphis, only the city’s legendary Beale Street is exempt from the statewide ban on open containers. Similarly, in Las Vegas, open containers are limited to the Strip. That is, until COVID-19 steam rolled the industry and authorities started to relax the laws to give bars and restaurants a fighting chance.

Honey Salt Cocktails on the Go

Blau+Associates, owns and operates several restaurants across the U.S, but today only their Vegas location; Honey Salt remains open. Located in the residential area of Summerlin this popular neighborhood bistro is known for farm to table offerings so when pivoting to a to-go menu, Victoria Levin, Executive Director of Balu+Assocates tells us the focus is to “give people what they want; nourishing food and a great cocktail to go with it.” Navigating the changing regulations and translating the full beverage experience to a customer’s home is challenging.

Honey Salt Cocktails on the Go

Levin’s team took a two-pronged approach; they partnered with On the Rocks, a line of premium ready to drink crafted cocktails offering classics like an Aviation, Cosmopolitan, and an Old Fashioned and then narrowed down their own signature cocktail menu to a few simple favorites; the Classic Margarita and Watermelon Mojito. These are available as kits with a fresh batch mixer and smaller size bottle of booze. Levin says getting the smaller bottle sizes from their distribution partner Southern Glazer’s was key. “Our goals were to please a crowd, charge a fair price, and cover our costs, without wasting product since sales have been varying drastically daily. So far so good!”

Honey Salt Cocktails on the Go

In South Beach where cocktails are known to flow freely and only sometimes accompanied by food, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit hard. Hotels are closed, tourists are gone, and local hot spots like Bodega Taqueria & Tequila focus on their loyal local clientele. Their most popular cocktails, Hibisco, Bodega Mule, and Pico Picante are on rotation at this eatery known for its late night vibes and cool crowd. Like all businesses, the focus is on the local customer and these cocktails are premixed so it just has to be poured into a glass over ice.

Bodega Bottled Cocktails for Delivery

Portable and not complicated is key, and Hayden Miller, head bartender, prefers “something that can easily be put in the same bag as food. Plastic containers are preferred—easy to fill and seal for safe storage and transport.” Translating Bodega’s fun atmosphere to a home cocktail isn’t easy but one thing is certain, liquor sales at retail are up and people are drinking at home. The to-go cocktail culture fits right in.

The post Here’s How Most Bars Stay Afloat During COVID Closures appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Actress, philanthropist, and proud single mother Elisabeth Röhm is an absolute staple of America television.

She most recently can be seen in Lionsgate’s Bombshell with Margot Robbie, Charlize Theron, and Nicole Kidman. Elisabeth portrays Martha MacCallum, a Fox news anchor and host of The Story with Martha MacCallum. Based on real life events, Bombshell follows the story of a group of women that decide to take on Fox News head Roger Ailes and the toxic atmosphere he presided over the network.

Elisabeth Röhm has amassed a diverse body of work in major television roles and Oscar-nominated films, which developed a huge fan base. She uses this platform for countless philanthropic endeavors including the American Heart Association, St. Jude, Global Green, and The Trevor Project. Elisabeth prides herself on the bond she shares with her pre-teen daughter Easton. They enjoy volunteering together, riding horses and working on projects that hold deep significance in their hearts.

Elisabeth uses her public voice to activate and inspire people to create change in the world. She recently joined RYU as Global Ambassador and co-owner. RYU (Respect Your Universe) is an award-winning urban athletic apparel and accessories brand engineered for fitness, performance, and lifestyle of athletes. She collaborated with RYU to create a movement to change the world for the better. Panels are held to focus on bettering people’s lives with a focus on truthful and inspiring conversations about respect.

Other productions she can be seen in include Crackle TV’s The Oath, Jane the Virgin, TNT’s The Last Ship, and Hawaii Five-O, to name a few. Many know Röhm for her signature role as Assistant District Attorney Serena Southerlyn on Law & Order, which is frequently in syndication. Elisabeth’s film accolades include five-time Oscar nominated Director David O. Russell’s American Hustle as a member of the Golden Globe-winning ensemble cast, and Joy, opposite Jennifer Lawrence. Chilled sat down with Elisabeth to see what’s on her project horizon and find out a few things about her lifestyle.

Chillin’ With Elisabeth Röhm

Tell us about the projects you are working on.

I have three movies I’ve recently worked on. The first one is Bombshell, which I knew would be a great disruptor and extremely important film for our generation. The second one is Starling, which I did with Ted Melfi and Melissa McCarthy. I’m looking forward to hear peoples’ reactions to what I know will be deeply a touching production—as Ted Melfi is a brilliant director. Mary Vernieu, who cast it, has the absolute greatest taste! I just completed a film called The Royal with Amin Joseph, which tells the tale of ball player Willie Aikens. I love this movie and I have high hopes for it.

What do you like to do on your downtime?

On my downtime I really love to spend time at home with friends and family cooking and relaxing with great food and beverages. Laughter and love are always the ultimate reward to working hard!

When you go out, where do you like to dine?

I’m the ultimate New Yorker and have to say that I either dine at Italian restaurants, or I go to sushi because that’s one thing I don’t know how to make myself! When it comes to sushi, I tend to be less adventuresome and like shrimp tempura rolls and spicy tuna rolls. However, having been to Japan, I did go to JIRO and expanded my repertoire on eating raw fish. It was epic to meet him!

What dishes do you order when out?

I’m a big lover of the red sauce and Chicken Parmesan! I’m very good at making Italian food myself. It’s a specialty in my household and people come for my spaghetti Bolognese and lasagna all the time.

Chillin’ With Elisabeth Röhm

Any favorite bars?

I do love the glitzy bar at the Baccarat hotel in New York! Other than that, I tend to drink at home or at a restaurant.

What drinks do you order when out?

I love wine and tend to stick with bold big reds.

Do you prepare drinks at home?

I’m a big maker of drinks at home and love mixing cocktails with my Trace Black Water. I call it my TRACE BLACK BAR.

My favorite one is:

The Bourbon Black

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz. bourbon
• 1 oz. orgeat
• 3/4 oz. lemon juice
• Dark of flower bitters

Preparation: Combine ingredients with 5ml back water concentrate. Top with lager.

My favorite drink is:

Vodka Lean

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. fix vodka
• 1/2 oz. simple syrup
• Wedge of lime

Preparation: Muddle ingredients together with 5ml of Black Trace concentrate. Top with Trace water.

What is your home bar stocked with?

My latest drink is also Weed Wine! My bar is stocked with a case that I just ordered. It’s phenomenal.

Chillin’ With Elisabeth Röhm

Have you ever been a bartender?

I have never been a bartender, but I think I would be a great one!

If you could share a drink with anyone, who would it be?

I’d love to share a drink with Barack Obama and hear the real deal about this nation, along with all he thinks about the world and politics. It would be fascinating.

The post Chillin’ With Elisabeth Röhm appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News

Sagamore Spirit’s family of rye whiskies was honored multiple times at the 2020 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, where an expert panel handed Double Gold awards to the distillery’s Barrel Select Straight Rye Whiskey and its newest Sagamore Reserve Series offering, Calvados Finish.

Panelists blindly tasted over 3,000 distinct spirits from around the world. The awards were complemented by Sagamore Spirit’s naming last month as Small Distillery of the Year by the John Barleycorn Awards, whose judges include some of the nation’s most respected spirits journalists.

“We are passionate about bringing Maryland-style rye back, and are proud to be making serious inroads,” said Brian Treacy, president of Sagamore Spirit. “It’s what put our distillery on the map beyond our city and state, all thanks to a kind of risk taking that both respects tradition and pushes the envelope every day.”

Sagamore Spirit’s Barrel Select Straight Rye Whiskey is a robust 110 proof expression, aged for six years. The extra time in the barrel adds impressive notes of vanilla, walnut, clove and brown sugar, and makes for an exceptionally long finish. Calvados Finish rye whiskey is one of the brand’s most inventive offerings, finished for over 11 months in casks that had previously nurtured French apple brandy to imbue silky soft notes of baked apples, cinnamon and honey. Sagamore Spirit’s Cask Strength rye whiskey also brought home a Gold medal.

2020 Sagamore Spirit Family Bottle Lineup

The John Barleycorn Awards’ bestowal of Small Distillery of the Year to Sagamore Spirit further attests to the brand’s potent blend of tradition-keeping and innovation. The Awards’ panelists, which includes some of the nation’s top spirits writers from magazines such as the Wall Street Journal, Whiskey Advocate, Imbibe and more, also named Cognac Finish as best whiskey.

All Sagamore Spirit rye whiskies are made by blending high-rye and low-rye mash bills and are proofed with limestone-filtered spring water, helping give its whiskey approachability distinctive to Maryland-style ryes. Limited and year-round offerings can be found at: SagamoreSpirit.com.

The post Sagamore Spirit Awarded Six Times at San Francisco World Spirits Competition and John Barleycorn Awards Honor appeared first on Chilled Magazine.

Source: Mixology News