Tom Collins

An oldie but a goodie.  It was my favorite drink in my twenties.  A good Tom Collins is made with Gin, sweet and sour and for me a splash of white soda.  I know I always say this.  I can't stress enough how much better that little squirt of soda will make most drinks with sweet and sour in the recipe. 

Now when asked for a Tom Collins its made with Gin, so if you prefer Vodka you have to say it when ordering. So say a Vodka Collins.  Its sweet, sour, frothy(or should be because it should be blended) and topped off with a cherry and orange slice. 

I can not tell you how many of these litte beauty's I have enjoyed back in the day, so many I probably don't remember them all. 

Tip of the day-when drinking or mixing any drink with sweet and sour, always, always, always use a powder based sweet and sour mix.  They have the best taste. Any mixer, liquid based, just does not have the same consistancy or flavor as the powder does.  I know that it is hard to find but you should be able to find it at any large liqour store or even the small mom and pop places that have been around for a whole. If you can't find it go to your favorite bar and ask them if you can buy some from them.

Stick an umbrella in it, in fact have a party and do a whole summer based themed party.  At this time of year we could all use a warm tropical themed party to help us get through until the real thing comes along.

Yes its that time of year again when cabin fever starts taking hold and we all go a little crazy, so instead of taking out that cabin fever on our friends and loved ones take it out on a nice cold drink. Ride out the storm(be it a snow or ice) and always remember.....spring is coming my friends....spring is coming.

Hot toddys...........no ice hahaha

Wowza! Its cold, icy, rainy, snowy and nasty all around out there!  To all my friends who have to be out in it today, be careful, stay safe and get home safe and sound.  I myself was suppose to work today but it was to slick and I couldnt get out.  We started out with sleet, moved in to snow pellets and it is now pouring down ice.

Its only going to get worse, so to all my bar buddies....take care of yourselves out there. 

I decided to discuss a hot drink today to go along with the weather.  Hot toddys for everyone!  Same effect of alcohol but your nice and toasty warm on the inside.

Its 1 oz of brandy, whiskey or rum(your choice), 1 tbsp of honey, 1/4 lemon, a cup of hot water and a tea bag. 

Its right on for giving you the buzz your looking for and boostig that immune system for anyone catching something in this nasty weather.  Lemon and honey helps the throat.

When I was growing up my Mom and Dad made these all the time in the winter and when they had a cold and it really seemed to do the trick(the whiskey prolly helped with that).

They always had a bottle of whiskey handy just in case.  I think we all do. hehehe

So get home, build a fire, make your toddys, cuddle up with your snuggle buddy and ride out the storm. And if it so happens that there are quite a few new little buddys that are born in November.......we will all know why!

Tip of the day-coat the bottom of the glass with honey.

21.....for the first time.

Hello all.  Sorry I have been off line for so long.  Life! Busy busy busy. But I am back! Did you miss me?

I had some newbies in the bar last week. You know new to the bar scene....legally that is. He did all of us proud.  Drank his fair share and actually kept down the crowning and last shot of the night which was 151. We all know how nasty that stuff is.  The bottom of the barrel.

He walked out and was actually on his way to the next bar.  Ahhhh youth. Some days I miss and some days I don't. I miss the energy and the recovery time but not all the life lessons they have coming to them.

So here is to all the 21 year olds! Enjoy it! Have fun and be careful. Just remember...you will be as old as me one day. :)

Superbowl!!!

Ah yes its that time of year again. Good friends, good game, good food and good drink!  Its always a great time spending it with all your friends and indulging in all the fun and games(yeah games, because even though the big games on the television there are usually more fun and games happening all around you).

I personally go for the friends and food. hehehe. There is plenty of alcohol flowing in many forms.  Everyone has there favorite picks.  Now of course the prime choice for game day is beer.  Its American. Red white and blue through and through.  I had a fabulous time at the party I went to this year and I saw a huge selection. Beer, wine, whiskey, rum, shots and everything else that you could think of.

There is nothing like being welcomed in like a big warm hug to your friends home...and the fold.  That in itself will make you feel like you've had a few already. Good company is just the olive on top of the Martini.

So enjoy everyone, immerse yourself in the atmosphere. Enjoy every second you have with those wonderful companions. Because that's what really matters. 

Besides, they're the ones that usually pick you up off the floor and tuck you in after a long night at the bar...

A big thank you to Geoffrey and Terry! Thank you so much for inviting us all into your home. It was great fun!

Scotch....a man's drink.

In this day and age there are few men that come in the bar and order a scotch on the rocks.  Truthfullyy I thought after the huge "Mad Men" following it would start to catch on again and you would see it happen more.  But no.  I know this is strange but there is something impressive about a man ordering one.  I don't know what it is....the whole movie star icon thing or the flash back to the days of the older movies of the 50's and 60's and seeing Cary Grant, Dean Martin or James Garner order scotch.

It was the mans drink and it is even more impressive when you see a woman order one.  Very rare but very impressive.  I myself like a scotch on occasion and when I do order one the reaction I get from a bartender is always quite entertaining.  Shock, disbelief, they even look you up and down with that "who do you think you are?" look in their eyes.  Or they question you to see if you're serious.  Its great fun truly.

There many brands out there, some good, some bad and some very ugly.  Know what to look for. I myself prefer the single malts but everyone has their own tastes. There are great blended malts too.  When looking for a good affordable scotch you can always count on Dewar's, Glenlivet, Talisker, and Macallan oh and lets not forget Chivas and Johny Walker Red.


Tip of the day-try them all and see which one you like.  The general consensus is to drink it at room temperature straight up but my tip....drink it however you like it. Don't let anyone pressure you into doing it the "right way". After all its your drink and your taste that counts.

Besides...any self respecting Scotsman wouldn't let anyone tell them how to drink their scotch.  And neither should a woman. Isn't that right lassie....

Flaming Gorilla's

Ahhhhhhh. I learned to make this drink back in the late eighties and we had quite the time with it.  It is a shot, you fill the bottom of the glass with Kahlua and top it off with Bacardi 151. Now(tip of the day), the key is to place a small sipping straw in it and then after lighting it on fire you suck the shot through the straw until its empty. 

Its delicious and reminds you of chocolate milk.  But you see back then we didn't think of that.  We would pick it up, blow out the flame and shoot it.  The problem with that is the more you drink and the drunker you get the less careful you are and the less careful the bartender(no it wasn't me) is. Especially when you dribble the 151 down the side of the glasses and light them all on fire at once resulting in the bar catching on fire.

Which isn't too bad if you put it out in time.  Still, when you are all drunk and go to take that shot in hand with fire on the sides of the glass and one really drunk shooter is wearing a baseball hat, then it can get bad. hahaha.  When he went to blow it out...his hand and the shot...the oxygen heightened the flames and they shot up to his hat and it caught it on fire too.

So after we put him out(by the way he did do the shot and no one was hurt in this story.....don't try this at home) we learned a valuable lesson....

Don't wear a hat while shooting a flaming gorilla ;)

Buttery Nipple or Slippery Nipple?

There are a lot of people that come in the bar and ask for Slippery Nipples when what they really want is a Buttery Nipple.

A Slippery Nipple is a shot that is made exactly the same way as a Buttery Nipple but it is made with Sambuca and Baileys Irish Creme instead of Buttershots and Baileys.  It is also layered like the Buttery Nipple but has a completely different taste. 

Sambuca is a aniseed flavored liquor, aniseed has a black liquorice flavor. It is quite a shock to the system if you order a Slippery Nipple expecting that buttery flavor and get black liquorice instead.  Ick!

Tip for the day is, if you have a difficult time pouring these nipple(hehehe nipple) shots and getting them to layer correctly you can use a spoon and poor the Baileys over it onto the top of the shot.  If poured slowly it will layer easier and look great.

I've seen a lot of nipples in my years of bartending...although these are the only ones that get served at my bar. :)


 

Grenadine, cherry lovin'.

There are many drinks made with grenadine from kiddie cocktails to Chucks Koolaid(lol yeah big boy I made a reference to you). And I enjoy that syrupy heavenly cherry liquor love myself on occasion. But, I prefer real cherry juice most of the time.  Trust me, give it a try and you will like it.  Its lighter, gives that sweet taste and doesn't ad as many calories as grenadine will.

Tip of the day...its good with vodka and Red Bull(Koolaid), in your Tequila Sunrise, Sex on the beach and try some in your Tom Collins and Margarita's. Surprising and different I know but delicious.  You can also try it in a Whiskey Sour or an Amaretto Sour.

Alrighty my bar friends. Its Friday night, on a full moon and we all know what that's means, as the song says "The beer is cold, and people are crazzzzzzy...." Seems as if it is twice nuts when the moon is full.

So this bartender is done for the night. As the other song goes...."Its closing time....you don't have to go home....but you cant.....stay.....here....."

Bourbon...white soda is its secret best friend no one knows about.

Most the time when someone orders a bourbon at the bar its with cola or water or even straight up.  But what most people don't realize is that white soda with bourbon is spot on.  It makes it so crisp and clear that you will be surprised. 

But the tip for today is, ad some mint leaves to it and it is wonderful!  I myself am more of a scotch girl but when I do drink it I like it with white soda and if the bar I am in has mint leaves I have them crush a few in it.

I also want to take a moment here and thank all my friends for baring with me and the new blog.  I am still working out the kinks and it is coming along slowly but surely.  A big thanks to Diana Lesire Brandmeyer, Terry Durgin, Jamie McElfresh and Dawn Cleavelin. I love you guys.

Oh and ladies, all of you, enjoy your night.  Its ladies night, ohhhhh what I night! Oooooooh what a night...!

Beer....I'll have one more.

I am a big fan of beer, always have been.  Every kind. Lager...ale...etc. All consistencies and tastes.  I lived in Colorado back in the late eighties and early nineties. When the micro breweries first began popping up around the country and it really gave me the taste for all the new beer that I had never had the chance of trying before. 

It was always good old Budweiser products for a small town girl from Missouri.  Don't get me wrong I loved them then and I love them now but it was a whole new frontier for me and one that I enjoyed exploring thoroughly.  So give them a try, you never know you may find something that you really enjoy.

Tip for the day...when pouring a draft beer from a tapper most people try to get the least amount of head on the beer as possible but leaving a inch of head on it will give it a fuller body and bring out the taste.

Tequilla, to drink or not to drink?

I have querried on and off about this over the years.  I like the thought of tequilla in a drink.  But I have found doing straight shots of tequila as your only drink of the night has a tendency to lower a persons inhibitions.  I know, I know. Doesn't all alcohol do this to you if you drink straight shots of it all night.  Yes, the answer is yes.  But I find tequila and whiskey have more of the likelihood to make things get more out of hand the anything else. 

Do a shot of any kind, sporadically and along side beer or soda or water and it helps give you the same effect in the watered down effect.  We've all had those nights of over indulging and regretting it later. 

Tip of the day.  When drinking a Tom Collins it is better with Vodka instead of Gin.  Gin coats the throat and along with the sweet and sour will cause heartburn. And the same thing applies with them as with Margarita's, add a little white soda to take the edge off.

Till we meet again my friends.

Hello everyone. What can I get ya?

I have worked in the bar business(I started out as a cocktail waitress when I was 19 years old)

or as a bartender on and off for 27 years.  So I thought, why not start a blog answering question on the matter.  I am just starting out so have a little patience with me.  I plan on blogging everyday or as often as I can.  So please send me questions regarding anything you want.  How to make a good drink, bar etiquette, how you should tip and advice on anything to do with drinking and the bar.  We all know that could mean annnnnnnything. lol

I've pretty much seen it all over the years and I know how the inner workings of a bar works. Each one has its own little community in and of itself.  Everyday is an adventure and believe it or not, most the time the bartender is having just as much fun as all you lucky people that are sitting on the other side of the bar are. I'm not saying I wouldnt like to be on your side hahaha believe me I would, but it can be very fun and entertaining from where I am standing too.

I also want to leave you all with small tips everyday on a certian coctail. Todays tip is, when making a Margarita ad just a squirt of 7up or any white soda such as Sprite or Sierra Mist.  It takes the edge off of the sweet and sour just enough and makes for a great tasting drink.  

 Again, ask anything that you want. Just belly up to the bar and ask your best friend. I'm always here for you. Until last call anyway.....