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THE BEVERAGE NETWORK’S 1| Adam Seger CHEF, NACIONAL 27, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Bartenders Adam Seger CCP started bartending at the Statler Hotel at Cornell University to during college at the Hotel School. He’s worked at restaurants such as Tru in Watch Chicago and Napa Valley’s French Laundry and has 10 mixed up cocktails on Fox By Laura Holmes Haddad News in the Morning, The Food Network, and The Travel Channel. He is also passionate about wine, passing the advanced exam of the ith cocktails Court of Master in his first making a come- testing. Adam currently collaborates with executive back, there’s a chef/partner Randy W Zweiban at Nacional 27 in whole new generation of Chicago to bring new shaping the kitchen technologies to the bar, and to create his own cocktail culture in America. and condiments. We found talent in every cor- El Corazon What is your philosophy? I take what I have learned from the ner of the country and found 3 ounces Corzo Silver chefs I have worked with and apply 2 ounces passionfruit juice (no more than 10- 30% sweetener) that philosophy to cocktails: Thomas 1 ten that you should keep 1 /2 ounces pomegranate juice Keller’s religious obsession with the 1 ounce Fresh Mix (preferably from best ingredients, Randy Zweiban’s your eye on. Call them bar- scratch: 2 parts fresh squeezed boldness of flavor, Rick Tramonto’s lemon juice, 1 part simple ) dramatic sense of presentation, Gale tenders, mixologists, or bar Shake all ingredients in a shaker. Strain into a Gand’s loveable spin on classics and chilled glass with a Kosher Salt and comfort foods, and Serge Knapp’s (of Tellicherry Peppercorn Rim. (Dampen the rim Michelin Star restaurant Chez Julien chefs – whatever their title, with a lemon wedge, then set it upside down on a plate with equal parts kosher salt and in Strasbourg, France) sophisticated these rising stars are shak- freshly ground pepper.) playfulness. If you could bring one spirit and What is the drink that made you ing and stirring in nightclubs, ingredient to a desert island, want to be a ? what would it be? An icy, perfectly made bourbon restaurants, and bars around Anejo Tequila and Passion Fruit. by a third generation bar- tender named Max Allen, Jr. the country. Using new What is your favorite drink? Cocktail. What is the most underrated, ingredients and taking their overlooked, or underappreciated What is the most outrageous cocktail? creativity to new heights, ingredient you’ve ever used in a A martini that actually contains cocktail? and . Letcher County Moonshine. what their next creation will What is your dream bartend- What drink do you make the most? ing gig? be is anybody’s guess. El Corazon- it’s becoming my signa- Making cocktails for friends just for ture drink. fun because I don’t need the money. 2 | Ha-Chi Yu BARTENDER, HEIRLOOM, NEW YORK CITY

A former ballerina and New York City native, Ha-Chi began bartending ten years ago. Having worked in every position in restaurants, Ha-Chi found her way to the bar because she discovered she was good at pouring , and she likes the people aspect of the job. Ha-Chi believes only those who have a good rapport with people can excel at bartending. “It’s a little like perform- ing,” she says.

Blood Orange Martini What drink could you happily never What drink do you find is made differ- make again? ently in each bar? 3 clementines 1 ounce agave nectar SoCo and Shots. Bloody Marys. 5 ounces Three Soy (or Charbay Blood Orange Vodka) What is your drink philosophy? What is the most underrated, over- 1 1 /2 ounces freshly pressed blood orange, Meyer The customer should enjoy every ingredient in looked, or underappreciated cocktail? lemon, or tangerine juice the drink. Classic Mint Juleps. Muddle the clementines with the agave nectar and the vodka. Add the juice and shake vigorously. Serve in a What is the most outrageous ingredi- What is your favorite brunch cocktail chilled martini glass, garnished with a blood orange slice. ent you’ve ever used in a cocktail? after a long night? Beet and carrot juice. Bloody Marys. If you could pick one spirit and ingredi- ent to bring to a desert island, what What is the drink that made you want What is your dream bartending gig? would it be? to be a bartender? To have my own cabana bar on the beach and . I really thought B52 shots were cool to look at make drinks that I feel like I making. — how the density of the liquid allowed the Favorite drink? layering. Ketel on the rocks.

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1/2 Diageo RHP page ad #1 run consecutively 3 | Robert Larcom MIXOLOGIST FOR MYRIAD RESTAURANT GROUP IN NEW YORK CITY

Robert Larcom has worked with Myriad for 14 years and is a graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Robert began his career on the wine side of the restaurant busi- ness and then moved to the bar where he found his passion for making people happy.

Chicuita What is the most outrageous ingredient

1 you’ve ever used to make a cocktail? 1 to 1 /2 ounces Frida Kahla Reposado Tequila 1 ounce fresh squeezed lime juice Cotton candy. 1 ounce Elderflower Cordial 2 large orange peels, no white pith What is your drink philosophy? Soda water No matter what the concept is for the restau- What is the most underrated, over- Combine the tequila, lime, cordial and soda water in rant, fresh seasonal ingredients, from mint to looked, or underappreciated cocktail? , squeeze in both orange peels. Give it a quick berries to fresh juice, is essential. It’s in the The or The Twentieth Century. stir and then serve on the rocks in a highball glass. details: we pickle our own onions and use high-end spirits, and we use agave nectar in What is your dream bartending gig? What is your favorite drink? our instead of . The style I love what I do now. I just opened a The next one – I try specialty drinks wherever depends on the restaurant concept – you do Mexican restaurant and created Mexican I go and see what people are drinking and different things at Nobu versus Tribeca Grill, cocktails. Now I’m opening a Louisville check out what other people are doing. If I’m for example – but we always use classic cock- restaurant and we’re making our own bour- on my own, I’m a bourbon neat and guy. tail techniques. I show the bartenders how bon. Every restaurant is completely different ingredients should be combined and how that and it forces me to push myself to learn dif- What drink could you happily never style should be brought into the 21st century. ferent styles from different countries and in make again? different regions of the U.S. If I had to pick The Apple Martini or Red Bull and Vodka; to a What is the drink that made you want one thing, I would work behind a small well- lover of the craft of the cocktail they’re just to be a bartender? stocked bar talking to customers and mak- liquified Jolly Ranchers. They’re the crime I’ve always been a huge spirit fan but I ing them happy, turning them on to things. I against cocktails. I would rather use would say the first time I had a would ask them what they like and tell them, or to make a fun custom drink. made properly. “Let me shake something here.”

4 | Hila Cohen BARTENDER, 808 BAR AT THE WHITELAW HOTEL, MIAMI

Hila Cohen started bartending in 2002 when she relocated from Israel to New York. Meeting new people from around the world keeps her motivated at the bar and keeps her in the profession. Hila can be found making wicked martinis at 808, Miami’s hot new martini bar.

The Whitelaw Martini What drink could you happily never

1 make again? 1 /2 parts Absolut Vanilla 1 part Amsterdam chocolate Frozen drinks. 1 part Godiva white chocolate Splash heavy What is the most outrageous ingredient Shake all of the ingredients together in a shaker. you’ve ever used to make a cocktail? Rim a martini glass with chocolate syrup and serve. Fire. The drink is “The Flaming Lamborgini.” It’s a shot of Kahlua mixed with a shot of What is the drink that made you want If you could bring one spirit and ingredi- served in a martini glass. The glass to be a bartender? ent to a desert island, what would it be? is lit on fire and as the patron drinks a shot of Watching the Sex & the City ladies drink Mango and , and fresh Bailey’s , Blue Curacao Liqueur their Cosmos. coconut juice from a tree on the desert is poured into it. island. What is the most underrated, over- What drink do you make the most? looked, or underappreciated cocktail? Favorite drink? Martinis and . B-52. Watermelon martinis and chocolate chip martinis. What is your drink philosophy? What is your dream bartending gig? If it smells good, it tastes good. Working in Hawaii on a floating bar. 5 | Roy Asbet BARTENDER, HOTEL SHELLEY, MIAMI

Roy Asbet has worked in bars around the world, including Peru, Capetown, South Africa, New York City, and currently serves up cocktails to customers in Miami’s Hotel Shelley.

The Mermaid What is your drink philosophy? 1 part Absolut Mandarin Don’t drink and drive, and what- 1 part Pomegranate Liqueur ever the customer wants the cus- Splash of Sprite tomer gets. Dash of Pineapple Juice Straight pour on ice served in a low ball glass with a What drink do you find is Marciano Cherry in the glass. made differently in each bar? Mojitos, Margaritas, and Capraihainas. What is your favorite brunch cocktail If you could bring one spirit and after a long night? ingredient to a desert island, what What is the most underrated, over- Irish . would it be? looked, or underappreciated cocktail? Captain Morgan and Sprite. The Capraihaina, because not everyone What is your dream bartending gig? understands it. It’s a strong drink. If you go to Bartending at my own bar that is made in a Favorite drink? Brazil then you understand how it is sup- “U” shape, wide enough to fit 2 or 3 people. Capraihaina. posed to be made. You cannot use rum to Rock and classic rock would be the only make a Capraihaina; only cachaça can be music allowed, and the bar would have a What drink do you make the most? used. The best place to learn about cachaça stage for bands trying to make it. Mojitos. is the Academia da Cachaça in Rio, a bar that has 2,000 different types of cachaça.

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1/2 Diageo RHP page ad #2 run consecutively 6 | Duggan McDonnell COCKTAIL CONSULTANT, FRISSON, SAN FRANCISCO

A self-described “Spirits Savant,” Duggan McDonnell is committed to the culture of culinary cocktails. Duggan spent time as a wine salesman (and passed his Level One Certification of the Guild of Master Sommeliers) before getting behind the bar. Prior to Frisson, Duggan worked at the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel and Mecca in San Francisco, and Wild Ginger in Seattle, Washington. He believes a good bartender “must be equal parts athlete, diplomat, and scientist.” Duggan plans to open his own “culinary cocktail bistro” in San Francisco in the summer of 2006.

Buccaneer Specialty cocktails of the house. We are a squeezed lime and a touch of . Classic 3 pineapple cubes brand-driven institution and encourage our and refreshing, sans strawberries and 3 dashes angostrua guests to experience our culinary cocktails. . 2 ounces plymouth dry gin 1 /2 ounce What is your drink philosophy? What is your favorite brunch cocktail 1 /2 ounce velvet liqueur 1 Balance is the most important component in after a long night? /2 lime, juiced 1 lime slice, for garnish any beverage, then vibrant and specific fla- Spirits made from agave are stimulants rather vors must speak to the palate. My technique than depressants, with the added bonus of Muddle the pineapple and bitters with ice, then add the gin, campari, liqueur, and lime juice. Shake, strain, and and method of creating cocktails is grounded alcohol. A shot of good tequila in the morn- serve up, wrapping a lime fan around the rim of the in tradition but I most enjoy the marriage of ing helps erase the violence of a hangover’s glass, and dropping the lime fan into the glass. avant-garde ingredients. headache.

Favorite drink? What drink do you find is made differ- What is your dream bartending gig? Sidecar. ently in each bar? I’d love to do more work as a private bar chef Too many to name. Too many bartenders are (akin to a private cooking chef), wherein my What is the most outrageous ingredi- high on ego and short on talent. client and I chat about the event and the ent you’ve ever used in a cocktail? mood they wish to create for their guests, Squid ink, currently in use in the xxx martini. What is the most underrated, over- and then I create a special menu of cocktails, looked, or underappreciated cocktail? and shake them up in their homes and What drink do you make the most? The classic : strong white rum, fresh offices.

7 | Geoffrey Pomeroy BARTENDER, OTORLAN RESTAURANT, LOS ANGELES

Geoffrey Pomeroy got his start behind the bar in 1999. After his first disaster with a and strawberry daiquiri mix at Chevy’s restaurant, he moved to Los Angeles and learned the craft of the cocktail at places such as Pasion, Linq and L’Orangerie. He left L’Orangerie in 2005 to help open the restaurant Otorlan, where he continues his love of pleasing people. “I try to get my cus- tomers to try something that they wouldn’t know that they wanted, and I want them to leave the bar happy,” he says.

Peach Martini

1 What drink do you make the most? What is the most underrated, over- 1 /2 ounces Absolut Apeach 1 /2 ounce peach Martinis and Cosmos. looked, or underappreciated cocktail? 1 ounce sweet and sour The Manhattan. 1 ounce fresh orange juice What is your drink philosophy? Shake all of the ingredients together in a shaker and Be passionate about it. Accuracy and speed What is your favorite brunch cocktail serve in a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a lemon are important, but I always just make sure after a long night? everyone is happy with their drink. I am like A or a that’s spicy If you could pick one spirit and ingre- the chef in that way; I really want everyone to and salty. dient to bring a desert island, what be happy with what I create. would it be? What is your dream bartending gig? Vodka and ice. What drink do you find is made differ- Making a cocktail backstage at the Oscars ently in each bar? after I’ve won. Favorite drink? The , because they’re hard to Ketel martini, shaken. get right. 8 | Eddie Johnson BARTENDER, HALO LOUNGE, ATLANTA

Eddie Johnson started bartending in college, and hasn’t looked back. His love of people and dis- covering new drinks keeps him behind the bar. With stints in New York City and Miami, he’s now working at Halo Lounge, a 3,000 square foot bar in downtown Atlanta.

Tangerine The weirdest ingredient I have used was baby

1 octopus for a garnish for a sake martini. 1 /2 ounce Absolut Mandrin 1 1 /2 ounce Cointreau 1 ounce fresh tangerine juice What is your drink philosophy? 1 1 /4 ounce fresh lime juice You get what you pay for, so spend the 1 tangerine or orange wedge, for garnish money on good ingredients. In an ice-filled shaker combine all ingredients except fruit wedge. Shake thoroughly. Strain into a chilled mar- What is the drink that made you want tini glass. Garnish with the wedge of tangerine or to be a bartender? orange and serve. Watching James Bond and his martinis, and Favorite drink? the movie Cocktail. The at Harry’s Bar in Venice, Italy. What drink do you find is made differ- What drink could you happily never ently in each bar? . hour to forget about the day’s work and get make again? ready for dinner. Strawberry Daiquiri. What is the most underrated, over- looked, or underappreciated cocktail? What is your dream bartending gig? What is the most outrageous ingredient Studio 54. They must have seen a lot in their you’ve ever used to make a cocktail? The aperitif. What happened to cocktail hour or a time for aperitifs? Everyone needs an day, and money didn’t matter.

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1/2 Diageo RHP page ad #3 run consecutively SWITCH* 1/2 Smirnoff Ad for (CT, IN, MD, DC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, MI & WVA) 9 | Lisa Pittman MIXOLOGIST, STUDIO 54 AT THE MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS

Lisa Pittman doesn’t just mix drinks – she also spins as a DJ for Studio 54. A Las Vegas native, she started cocktailing and then got offered a job behind the bar and hasn’t looked back. Her love of the hospitality industry keeps her in the club scene. As Lisa says, “It’s the love of the busi- ness that keeps you there.”

The Raspberry Stoli Below Vodka - they sent the top 42 bar- 1 part Stolichnaya Raspberry tenders from around the world – and we saw Equal parts 7-up and cranberry juice their flavored , like kiwi and fig and other fruits from New Zealand. That was the Serve in a highball glass. most outrageous thing, to see how different cultures have different tastes. If you could bring one spirit and ingredi- ent to a desert island, what would it be? What is your drink philosophy? Vanilla Vodka Try to make it smooth. I think people don’t appreciate a harsh drink. What drink could you happily never make again? What drink do you find is made differ- Any flavored martinis: apples, peach, etc. I ently in each bar? think people have lost the meaning of a real Sex on the Beach or a . martini. What is your favorite brunch cocktail What drink do you make the most? after a long night? Apple martinis. Good beer. What is the most outrageous ingredi- What is your dream bartending gig? ent you’ve ever used? To bartend in a sunny spot and with happy I went on a trip to New Zealand with 42 people and fresh air.

10 | Kristen Decker-Ali BARTENDER, TABU ULTRA LOUNGE AT THE MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS

Kristen got her start with cocktails in Austin, Texas. She’s bartended everywhere from pool halls and and then to restaurants. Kristin was thrilled to make the move to Vegas and land in one of the hottest bars on the Strip, where she can combine her love of people and her love of cocktails.

Tabú Cocktail

1 What drink do you make the most? 1 /2 ounces Tanqueray No. 10 Gin 3 ounces crushed strawberries Red Bull and vodka Powdered sugar What is the most underrated, over- Combine all ingredients, blend, and serve in a chilled What is your drink philosophy? looked, or underappreciated cocktail? highball glass. People come in wanting to try something The margarita. new, so I first find out what kind of alcohol If you could bring one spirit and they like and what flavors, and then I create What is your dream bartending gig? ingredient to a desert island, what a drink. Tabu is close to it, because they allow us to would it be? focus on our bartending. The staff is so Vodka and Bloody Mary mix. What is the drink that made you want supportive and we don’t have to deal with to be a bartender? security and getting people in. It’s like being Favorite drink? A shot called The Water Moccasin a princess – we just make the drinks and Pineapple Upside Down Cake shot. talk to customers.

DISTRIBUTOR & Tell us about a great Bartender in your neighborhood. Email us at [email protected] SUPPLIER REPS: | and keep an eye out for our 2007 edition of BARTENDERS TO WATCH!