…and all I got was this little t-shirt.¹

Shake for the Camera. Photo courtesy of Rocky Yeh.

Despite all my pre-event hand wringing, the Jim & Rocky Barback Pro-Am turned out to be a lot of fun.

Of course, this wasn’t your usual barback shift. At least, I’m told most don’t start with a round of Jägerbombs at the joint across the street.

My job as barback was to make sure patrons had sufficient water,² clear their glasses as they finished their cocktails, keep the counter clean, and help the bartender in whatever way he asked. This ended up including dry shaking, breaking large ice blocks into ones small enough to fit old fashioned glasses, and fetching salt when someone³ asked for an off-menu margarita. Also participating in a round of shots whenever Jim or Rocky deemed it was time to do so.

I learned many lessons during my shift. A few of the most memorable:

5. The cameraman promised me he’d get out of my way. He was not always able to live up to that promise.
4. Cobbler shakers confound me. I can’t keep them tightly sealed while shaking them. I can’t get them separated once the drink has been strained out. That’s why I switched to Boston shakers. Naturally, someone⁴ lent cobblers to Jim for the evening so I got to struggle with cleaning them all night.
3. I do not have a knack for remembering who ordered which drink when. It was embarrassing enough when the bartender asked me for whom I called the drink. It was even worse when several minutes later I was politely asked by the customer whatever happened to that Industry Old Fashioned he ordered.
2. If I don’t want to use my hands, never attempt to manhandle ice into a glass using a metal ice scoop while standing over the ice bin.⁵
1. No matter how amusing it seems in the context of the current bar trash talk, when the bartender yells, repeatedly, “THAT’S NOT DONE” — he is almost certainly referring to that surprisingly full mixing glass I am dumping into the sink

A huge thank you to everybody who came to Rob Roy to join in the fun. Thanks to Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh for inviting me to participate. Thanks to Rob Roy for hosting, and to Jamie Boudreau for allowing us to give him time to go eat dinner at Canlis’ pop-up restaurant.

Check out Rocky’s photos for great shots from all the events, and keep an eye on Small Screen Network to see what they do with all the footage they shot.

And no, I don’t think I’ll be changing careers for any time soon. I’ll bide my time in front of the stick⁶ for the time being.

[1] Actually, I did get a larger shirt at the end of my shift. And lost the red one somewhere between Zig Zag and home.
[2] And goldfish crackers, this being Rob Roy.
[3] Damn you, Evan Martin!
[4] Damn you, Jamie Boudreau!
[5] Luckily, I was stopped before anything bad happened.
[6] See what I did there?

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1. Come Cheer Me On at the Seattle Barback Pro-Am

It started with a text. “Jim and I are doing a thing w/ Small Screen to invite a few bloggers and enthusiasts behind the bar to barback while Jim guest bartends.”

Jim and Rocky and victim

Next thing I knew, I was signed up to barback at Rob Roy on February 27.

I blame the fact I was in the second week of a three week cold that I failed to ask for details before saying yes. Instead, I discovered what I had blithely agreed to when I saw the press release. It begins

Jim Romdall and Rocky Yeh of Vessel in Seattle, renowned bartenders and spirits professionals, will hit the road from Seattle to San Diego challengining amateur mixologists, or as we call them “victims”, to step behind the bar, show their skills and see if they can mix it up all night.

The Jim and Rocky show has already burned a swath from Portland down to San Diego. Now they refuse to be daunted by la Niña as they race back to Seattle to put me and Papa Paul Clarke through our paces. And Small Screen Network will be there to make sure it’s recorded.

As I have no doubt they will make it back, and I will be forced to follow through with my word, all I can ask is that you come to offer moral support on this Sunday night. The fun starts at Rob Roy on Sunday, February 27, at 6 pm. From all reports from the previous events, promises to be fun for everybody…but me.

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1. I barbacked at Rob Roy
2. Jerry Thomas Night at Vessel

In addition to winning TDN and competing in the PDX Cocktail Invitational, I had another exciting adventure at Portland Cocktail Week – participating in Shaker Faces.

Sponsored by Combier, Shaker Faces is a good-natured contest where bartenders (and the occasional aficionado) give their best shaker face and the public votes.

I was a bit apprehensive when Lindsey Johnson asked me if I wanted to participate. But it did help me take my mind off my impending competition. Leo Borovskiy of Lush Life Productions did a great job of explaining the process and making me feel comfortable. I had to stand for some still shots, then give my best shake for the the action shoot.

Today my video went live as part of Round Four. Head on over, and vote for me!

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As mentioned in my previous post, my prize for winning the Live TDN at Portland Cocktail Week was a slot in the semi-finals of the PDX Cocktail Invitational. I had watched the finals of the 2009 competition live-streamed, and already knew many of the bartenders competing this year, so I knew it was a great event to be a part of.

Sun Temple at Pisaq

But I also knew the rules included bringing all your own equipment, and guess who had come down to Portland with no tools, not expecting to be in a competition at all? Yours truly. So when I found out at 9 pm on Friday night that I would be competing sometime the next day, a mad scramble began.

First was getting samples of the products I had to choose from to feature in my cocktail. I learned from Dänny Ronen that my cocktail needed to feature at least one of the three products from the Fair Trade Spirits Company. My choices were the FAIR. Vodka, Goji, and Café. Dänny helpfully brought over samples of each, and lent me some of his bartools so I could start experimenting with ideas.

While I enjoyed the Goji and Café liqueurs, I decided to focus on the Vodka.¹ This product is made from 100% fair-trade sourced quinoa.² It manages to keep hints of the nutty flavor of its base product, with a rich mouthfeel.

Given my short prep time, I decided to go simple in my final cocktail, and chose to do a riff on the perfect martini. I would be competing against bartenders who knew what they would be working with for more than a few hours, and would have more complex signature cocktails, likely including homemade ingredients. I decided that for my first live cocktail competition I would focus on featuring the product as well as I could, and, frankly, not embarrassing myself. This was my first chance to play with the big boys, after all!

The next big step was to gather additional ingredients in sufficient quantities. A big thanks to John the Bastard, who drove me to Pearl Specialty Market, where I was able to choose from several dry and sweet vermouths. Also thanks to Trader Tiki, who gave me his bottle of Urban Moonshine citrus bitters when I made a desperate call out.

Then it was back to my hotel room to make sure my idea would work. I decided to use Cocchi Americano, first because it’s an excellent product, and second, because I thought the cinchona flavor would help create a theme for my variation; as with quinoa, cinchona is a native South American ingredient. I also chose to go with Vya sweet vermouth, as I really enjoy its overall flavor profile and how well it mixes.

I have to say, I was very happy with the result. I felt the Urban Moonshine citrus bitters were aromatic enough to preclude the need for an additional garnish.

Pisaq Cocktail

2 oz FAIR. quinoa vodka
0.25 oz Cocchi Americano
0.25 oz sweet vermouth (Vya)
2 dashes citrus bitters (Urban Moonshine)

Stir over ice until as cold as an Andean glacier, strain into a cocktail glass.

I decided to name this drink after one of my favorite archaeological sites in Peru, Pisaq, located in the Urubamba valley.

Now having created the drink, I had to compete! I was pretty nervous, especially when I arrived at the Great American Distillers Festival, and realized I would be making drinks on a stage overlooking the whole event! Everybody with the Oregon Bartenders Guild was very reassuring, however, and before I knew it, I was up there, stirring and straining, and even talking reasonably amiably with the various attendees passing by for tastes.

Then I was told it was time for judging. I had to make a full size drink for each of my judges. Naturally, I didn’t have my own glassware, so the OBG provided me with wineglasses. I was amused to discover one of my judges would be David Pickerell, former master distiller at Maker’s Mark and mentor to Woodinville Whiskey.³ The judges were very friendly and put me at as much ease as I could possibly manage.

And then they were gone. I mixed a few more drinks for tasting, and then my 45 minute shift was over. I had competed in my first real cocktail competition, and hadn’t embarrassed myself, at least not that anyone would tell me.

Congratulations to the winners of the finals, Ali Tahsini (first), Tommy Klus (second), Art Tierce (third) and Trevor Easter (fourth). Thanks to the OBG and GADF for letting me participate. It was a great experience, and I’m looking forward to next years festivities.

1 I know! Whoda thunk it!
2 Yes, wurmouroboros, you were right, it’s not a true grain
3 It was no doubt bad form, but I had to ask him if it would it help my chances that I used his Headlong White Dog in the cocktail that got me into the competition. He laughed.

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The theme for this year’s official cocktail contest for Tales of the Cocktail was “Punch It Up.” Entrants were invited to submit a cocktail based on the Planter’s Punch recipe. Today the winner was announced, and I was excited to learn it was Evan Martin’s Death in the South Pacific.

Death in the South Pacific

Death in the South Pacific

0.75 oz. Appleton Estate Extra 12 Year Old rum
0.75 oz. Rhum Clement VSOP rum
0.5 oz. Grand Marnier
0.33 oz. Trader Tiki’s Orgeat Syrup
0.33 oz. Fee Brothers Falernum
3 dashes Absinthe
0.5 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
0.5 oz. Fresh Lemon Juice
0.5 oz. Fee Brothers Grenadine
0.5 oz. Cruzan Blackstrap rum

Add all ingredients except for the grenadine and Cruzan Blackstrap to a Zombie shell glass and fill with crushed ice. Swizzle the drink well to mix and frost the glass and then pour in grenadine. Overfill the glass with crushed ice and then pour in Cruzan Blackstrap.

Garnish:
Take a bamboo skewer and put a brandied cherry through at the very top followed by 1 pineapple leaf (insert through the middle) and then cut off skin from 1 large orange slice and then cut the strips in half. Insert the ends through the skewer having them hang on opposite sides of each other. Then insert the straw through the loop in the bamboo skewer. It should look like a guy hanging off of the drink (cherry=head, pineapple leaf= arms, citrus peel dangling away from each other are the legs)

Evan is a great bartender, and I consider myself lucky that he’s at Naga Cocktail Lounge at Chantanee Thai in Bellevue. Even better, it’s a fantastic drink. He made it for me right after the finalists were announced, and I have to say, I’m not surprised it won. Evan did a great job of creating an accessible, easy-to-drink cocktail that is still complex and rich. He combined a Zombie and Death in the Afternoon to come up with a great tiki cocktail.

As you can see from the photo, I didn’t get the full dead guy garnish. But I did get a very delicious drink, and I’m sure I’ll have a few more over at Naga between now and Tales.

If you’re in the Seattle area, be sure to drop in to Naga to congratulate Evan Martin, and then put him to work making you one to try!

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The fine folks at Buffalo Trace have asked me to tell you about the Buffalo Trace Saloon. If you sign up for a free membership by March 31, you’ll be entered for the Derby Big Shot weekend. If you win, you and a friend will be flown down for the Kentucky Derby, squired around in a limo, and get a great tour of the distillery to boot.

In the meantime, take a look around the Saloon. There are some flash games to play, message boards, recipes using Buffalo Trace, and something called Bourbunnies.

And what’s in it for me? They’re also hosting a blogger contest. Sign up after clicking the link above, and I’ll be entered to win Fabulous Prizes! Actually, they sound pretty cool – a swag package for the top 25 blogs in terms of referrals of new signups, and VIP passes for the top 10 to White Dog Days at the distillery. And listen up, my Seattle-area friends — for the top traffic-driver, Buffalo Trace will come throw a party. So go sign up, add me (stevideter) as a drinking buddy, and have fun checking out the site.

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I love Beefeater 24 Gin, and I love Bitter Truth bitters, so I was a bit bitter that I didn’t seem to have much of a chance to get my hands on my very own bottle of the Bitter Truth’s Beefeater 24 bitters.

Bitter Truth Beefeater 24 Bitters

That was until Michael Dietsch announced his “Don’t Be Bitter” contest over at A Dash of Bitters. All I have to do is give some link love to a fellow blogger and talk about a time I was bitter about their good fortune.

At the top of my list is Tiare over at A Mountain of Crushed Ice. Not only does she take great photos and invent wonderful tiki drinks, but she’s always getting rums I can never dream of getting my hands on. It’s not just that she torments us U.S. bloggers by prominently featuring Havana Club rums in her sidebar¹. She is continually reviewing delicious sounding Demerara rums that apparently only she can get. Her month of mai tais sounds positively sinful, and would set me back a fortune to try to replicate. I’m sure it wasn’t too cheap for her, having to import rums all the way to Sweden, but somehow she does it, and she does it oh so very well!

It would soothe my envy to receive a bottle of Beefeater 24 bitters, but even if I don’t win, I’ll keep reading Tiare’s wonderful blog, and think you should to!

[1] Oh, the forbidden fruit!

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Here’s my entry for the Monteleone Cocktail contest.

Monteleone Cocktail

Monteleone Cocktail

1 ounce 100 proof rye whiskey
1 ounce cognac
1 tablespoon Domain de Canton ginger liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud’s bitters
4 ounces extra dry sparkling wine (Domaine Ste. Michelle)
1 spring mint for garnish

Shake all ingredients except mint and sparkling wine, and strain into champagne flute. Top with sparkling wine. Slap mint and garnish glass.

This is my first cocktail contest outside of TDN. My inspiration clearly comes from the sazerac. I wanted to create a drink that was lighter, but still redolent of the flavors I associate with New Orleans cocktails.

What flavors do you associate with New Orleans?

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1. Create the official Monteleone Cocktail
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This month is the 60th anniversary of the Hotel Monteleone, a venerable French Quarter institution and Headquarters Hotel for Tales of the Cocktail 2009.

In reviewing their history, they discovered that starting in 1949, there was a specialty Monteleone Cocktail. It was on the menu until the late 60′s or 70′s, but then was lost to mists of time, including any details on what was in it.

To celebrate their 60th anniversary, they are holding a cocktail contest to nominal a new official Monteleone Cocktail. Now most drink contests are restricted to bartenders, but this one is open to the general public. That means you, yes you, can enter!

There are no requirements on types of liquor or style of drink.

Simply submit your recipe by May 18, 2009 by emailing your drink recipe, name, address and phone number, to athornton@hotelmonteleone.com. If you have a blog, please write about the cocktail there, but that is not a requirement.

On May 21, during the Carousel anniversary party, VIPs will judge all the drink entries. If your drink is chosen, it will become the official Monteleone Cocktail. You will also receive four free nights at the Hotel during this year’s Tales of the Cocktail.

I’ll be submitting an entry. Think you can do better than me? You should submit one, too!

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