Bartender Journey - Cocktails. Spirits. Bartending Culture. Libations For Your Ears.

This week, we continue our Tales of the Cocktail 2017 coverage. This is the 5th of 9 planned episodes about Tales 2017.   We will talk with Jane Bowie from Maker’s Mark. During Tales this year, I was invited to a Maker’s Mark event at Dicky Brennen’s Bourbon House. The Bourbon House had purchased a full barrel of Maker’s 46.  Quoting from the invitation I received to the event, The Bourbon House is “the first in Louisiana to have created its very own Maker’s Mark® Private Select™. This is a first-of-its-kind barrel program that allows retail customers to customize their own personal Maker’s Mark by finishing fully-matured cask strength Maker’s Mark Bourbon in a single barrel made up of their custom selection of ten total oak staves, resulting in over 1,000 possible selections”. Take a listen to Podcast No. 223 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience!   Patron is sponsoring an educational event.  It’s in Cleveland on

On the Bartender Journey Podcast this week, we continue our Tales of the Cocktail 2017 coverage. This is the 4th of 9 planned episodes about Tales 2017. We will talk with 2 very interesting ladies: Laura Bellucci – Lead Bartender at Sobu in New Orleans Aisha Sharpe – Brand Ambassador VDKA 1600 Take a listen to Podcast No. 222 with the audio player on this page, or on Apple Podcasts/ Google Play Music/ Stitcher Radio for a slice of the Tales experience! Cocktail of the Week: Courtesy of Aisha Sharpe and VDKA 6100 Spicy Kiss 2 oz VDKA 6100 4 Chunks Watermelon 1 slice Jalapeno Pepper, plus some for garnish ½ oz Fresh Lemon Juice ½ oz Simple Syrup Muddle the Watermelon and Jalapeno. Add the remaining ingredients & ice. Shake and double strain into a chilled coupe glass. Brian’s Note: Or try it as a tall drink, served over ice in a highball glass with some seltzer. Book of the Week: The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic, with Recipes for Brunch and Beyond During Tales Abs

"Thinking outside the box."  Perhaps an overused phrase, but is an appropriate term for Summer Jane Bell's Seminar:  Shake Outside of the Box: Avant-Garde Cocktails.  Many great ideas were floated at this seminar.  Take a listen as Brian reads through his notes from this wonderful Tales of the Cocktail seminar. Take a listen the podcast with the audio player on this page, or on: •Apple Podcasts *Google Play Music *Stitcher Radio  for a slice of the Tales experience! We also talk to Jeff Quint, founder and owner of of Cedar Ridge Distillery in Iowa, who is making farm to glass spirits.  We caught up with Jeff at Dicky Brennen's Bourbon House in the French Quarter during Tales.  We ate some oysters, sampled some whiskey and chatted about Jeff's Journey from Accountant to Distiller. The American Distilling Institute named Cedar Ridge “Distillery of the Year", for 2017. Plus, we catch up with Hazel Alvarado, as she tells us about the many industry events she has attended in NYC this summer, including the gran

From Tales of the Cocktail 2017 in New Orleans: ·   Tales of the Cocktail 2017 has wrapped up, but it lives-on, with Bartender Journey!  We have a total of 8 shows planned with Tales 2017 coverage.  This is the second in the series. On the show this week, we bring you the audio from our Tales seminar:  Hot Mic - Podcasting for Bartenders.  Take a listen the podcast with the audio player on this page, or on: •Apple Podcasts *Google Play Music *Stitcher Radio  for a slice of the Tales experience!

Sustainability is the hot topic in the Bar & Restaurant world right now.  How can we help the environment AND our bottom line at the same time? Brian is just back from Tales of the Cockail 2017 with a fresh perspective!  "If we knew what to do with it, it wouldn't be waste any more!"

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 218 and as you know I’ll be attending Tales this year again but this time as a part of a panel titled: “Hot Mic: Podcasting for Bartenders”.   I’ll be presenting along with Kara Newman, our guest author on Podcast 193, Sother Teague, a friend and propritor of the new socially conscious bar, Coup, that donates all profits to charities and Damon Boelte, of Speakeasy Radio. Special thanks to our sponsor, Brooklyn Gin!   If you’re headed down, make sure to stop by my session, Wednesday morning and if not, why aren’t you going? We’ll make sure to post details both for Tales and session tickets on both our blog and Facebook page.   The Bartender Journey Podcast will be taking a production break for the next few weeks and will return with a full length episode on July 26th.   We have lots of great interviews already recorded, plus I’ll be collecting lots of great audio at Tales, including an interview with the great whiskey writer Lew Bryson.   Meanwhile, this week we

We look at some education options - one in NYC and one online. Its a short show this week, but we think you'll learn a little something, or at least learn how to learn! Cheers!

It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 216!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes,Android or Stitcher Radio. This time on the Podcast we talk to Colby Frey who is doing great work out in Nevada making spirits from “ground to glass” as he says. We’ll talk to Colby about his gins and some of the other spirits that he is producing at Frey Ranch Estate Distillery. Cocktail of the Week: The Pegu cocktail is a wonderful Gin drink. Great for summer. According to wikipedia the Pegu cocktail was “the signature drink Burma's Pegu Club. The club was located just outside Rangoon, and its members were those Britons who were senior government and military officials and prominent businessmen. The club was named after the Pegu, a Burmese river.” According to David Wondrich “We're not sure precisely when it was invented, but it had to be before 1927, when it turns up in Harry MacElhone's Barflies and Cocktails.” That book has been re-released with a forward written by Mr. Wondrich. This is

World Gin Day is the second Saturday of June each year. We will take this opportunity to dedicate an entire episode to Gin! It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 215!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes,Android or Stitcher Radio. Use the hashtag #worldginday to tell the world what you are doing to celebrate Gin. This week on the podcast we talk with Tristan Stephenson, Bartender, Bar Owner & Author from England. He wrote among others, The Curious Bartender’s Gin Palace, which is an amazing resource for gin knowledge. Also, later in the show we’ll talk to the Frey’s who are producing wonderful Estate Grown Gins in Nevada. This is delishous stuff and so interesting that they are producing they are doing a grain to glass gin. Its rare for a gin maker to grow their own grain and distill and bottle it onsite. The Cocktail of the Week has to be the Martini since we are talking all about Gin! Martini’s are of course classically made with gin. Many consumers these drink vodka

Oh Lime, How Do I Squeeze You? Freshly squeezed lime juice is one of the most important ingredients in a good Bartender’s arsenal. Pre-packed bottled stuff is no comparison. But HOW is the juice being produced? A Motorized Commercial Bar Juicer is certainly faster, more efficient and produces a higher yield than a hand press, but is the resulting juice the same? It's the Bartender Journey Podcast No. 214!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. Our guest on the show today is David Eden-Sangwell of the Bartender HQ Podcast. We’ll discuss the results of the lime juice experiment, plus the issue of sustainability and waste in bars. Lime Juice Experiment: I was curious about the effects of using different types of juicers on the finished juice. I had no idea just how dramatic the results would be. In the Bartending Community we often talk about how the white pith of citrus is bitter, and should be avoided. With the rotating cone of the Motorized Juice

This week on the Bartender Journey Podcast we have not one, but two guests -- plus two road trips! It's the Bartender Journey Podcast # 213!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. At Bar Institute in Brooklyn, we spoke to Mr. Josh Davis. He’s a Bartender, and a fine Gentleman from Chicago who also recently started working with Bar Institute. We also talk to Mr. James Menite who is a Bartender at the iconic Plaza Hotel. Another fine Gentleman from NYC, who also is the vice president of the local USBG Chapter. We talk to James on a USBG day trip to the Dad’s Hat Rye Book of the Week: Cocktails: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Klaus St. Rainer. Mr. Rainer is owner and bartender at The Golden Bar in Munich Germany. This is a nice book with lots of great cocktail recipes and some good advice too. Cocktail of the Week: Smooth Criminal(Bartender Journey variation) From our Book of the Week 1 Large Chunk Fresh Pineapple - Grilled 1 ¾ oz Rye 2 tsp Oran

Today we’ll be talking to Craig Schiedlo. He’s a Bartender and good friend from our USBG NY chapter. Next time on the Bartender Journey Podcast a lot more about the United States Bartender’s Guild James Menite, who is the vice president of our local USBG NY chapter. We’ll talk about some of the great benefits of joining and also about his job – bartending at the the iconic Plaza Hotel. Cocktail of the Week - from our guest on the show this week – Craig Schiedlo The Wind Tunnel: 2oz Cedar Ridge Rye 1/2 oz Marie Brizzard Anissete 3/4 oz Lemon Juice 3/4 oz Simple Syrup Orange Flower Water. Strain over a Collins glass garnished with a lemon wheel anise star and a spray of orange flower water. Book of the Week: The World of Spirits and Cocktails: The Ultimate Bar Book 2011 by André Dominé Amazon Review: “This book thought me more than I imagined it would. It got me through some of those Customer interactions that I knew we're coming my way. It filled my brain up with facts and information that I would

This week on the Podcast we speak with Nico Martini. His company Hypeworthy does digital marketing…mostly for the Hospitality and Spirits industries. Johnnie Walker Benders' Batch Triple Grain American Oak Blended Scotch Whisky Aged 10 years in American Oak Casks. This is the first U.S. release in the new experimental Blenders' Batch series, with limited availability. It is extremely rare to see the words "Grain Whiskies" on a bottle of Scotch.  Also to see the word "Blended" displayed so prominently.  Consumers (often blindly), flock to Single Malt Scotch, and automatically assume they are far better quality than Blended Whiskies.  Johnnie Walker has, of course built their entire business on Blended Whiskies and produces excellent products.  This is a good tasting Whisky at a very reasonable price point.  You can see Brian’s tasting notes here. Cocktail of the Week: Blood and Sand 1 oz Blended Scotch Whisky ¾ oz Sweet Vermouth ¾ oz Cherry Herring 1 oz (Blood) Orange Juice Shake and strain into a chille

This week we talk about how to taste Whiskey with Woodford Reserve Bourbon Brand Ambassador Walter Easterbrook.

This week we talk with George Bressler. Mr. Bressler has worked in Law Enforcement for many years, and now plans to retire and work as a Bartender. It's the Bartender Journey Podcast # 209!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. This week on the podcast we talk to a really interesting guy named George Bressler. He has worked part time in Hospitality, but full time for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. After a long and distinguished career in Law Enforcement, he plans to retire and take up Bartending full time. George wrote a fascinating Guest Blog Post for Bartender Journey. Read it on our Blog Page. Cocktail of the Week: George Bressler enjoys Jack Daniels on the rocks, (Jack Daniels Master Distiller Jeff Arnett was our guest on Bartender Journey # 204). Technically Jack Daniels on the rocks is not a “cocktail”. The original definition for “cocktail” was “sugar, bitters and spirits of any kind”, but we’ll go a little off the deep end this week an

This week we talk with Mal Spense from Black Bottle Scotch. I meet Mal through my friend Hal Wolin, who I know from the USBG. Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 208!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. If you are new to the show, the USBG is the United States Bartender’s Guild and there are chapters throughout the US. It’s a great organization. If you are outside the US you can look into the IBA. Cocktail of the Week: 1886’s Mamie Taylor Cocktail The Raymond 1886 is a Bar & Restaurant in Pasadena CA The cocktail is basically a Scotch Buck: 2 oz Blended Scotch Whisky Black Bottle ½ oz Lime Juice Angostura Aromatic Bitters Top with Ginger Beer Candied Ginger Garnish You could build it in a glass, but I think its best to put the Whisky, lime juice and Bitters in a shaker, give it a quick shake, add the Ginger Beer to the Shaker, and stain that into a glass filled with fresh ice. Book of the Week: The Curious Bartender: An Odyssey of

207 This week we talk with Vance Henderson - National Brand Ambassador for Drambuie. Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 207!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. Cocktail of the Week #1: Drambuie Honey Sour 5 oz Drambuie ¾ oz Scotch (not too peaty) ¾ oz Lemon Juice 1 egg white 3 slices ginger Muddle ginger with Drambuie. Add remaining ingredients. Dry Shake. Wet Shake. Fine Strain. Garnish with a few drops of Angostura Bitters. Cocktail of the Week #2: Drambuie Collins 1 Part Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice 2 Parts Drambuie 4 Parts Seltzer Build in a Collins glass.  Stir well, (or toss).  Lemon garnish. Book of the Week: Contraband Cocktails – How America Drank When It Wasn’t Supposed To by Paul Dickson Mr. Dickson’s was recognized by the Guinness Book of World’s Records for collecting the "Most Synonyms" for any term in the English language. He compiled a list of 2,231 terms meaning "drunk"–beating out no less than Benjamin Franklin, who

This week we talk to Lou Bustamante. He is the author of The Complete Cocktail Manual: 285 Tips, Tricks, and Recipes. This is a great book and is sanctioned by the United State Bartender's Guild. It is Bartender Journey Podcast # 206!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. Cocktail of the Week – El Presidente 1½ oz. rich white rum
 1½ oz. Dolin Vermouth Blanc 1 barspoon orange Curaçao or Grand Marnier
 ½ barspoon real grenadine
* Stir ingredients well with cracked ice and strain into a chilled glass. Express oils from an orange twist over the top and drop in or discard. Garnish, if desired, with a cherry. *Real Grenadine
: 2 cups fresh pomegranate juice or POM Wonderful 100% pomegranate juice 
2 cups unbleached sugar 
2 oz pomegranate molasses
 1 tsp orange blossom water Warm juice just enough to dissolve sugar.  Add pomegranate molasses and orange blossom water.  Keep chilled. Morgenthaler Article on grenadine This drink was was appare

On this week’s episode, we chat with two awesome gentlemen: Sebastien Derbomez, U.S. Monkey Shoulder Ambassador and Sam Ross of the newly opened Diamond Reef in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn. It is Bartender Journey Podcast # 205!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. Sam Ross who was one of original bartenders at Milk and Honey who worked under Sasha Petraske, (Sasha’s name has been coming up so often on the show lately, and as you probably know, he left us way too early, but his inspiration lives on through the industry. ) Monkey Shoulder invited us to a press event at Diamond Reef while it was in pre-opening phase. (Official opening: March 1, 2017)  Diamond Reef is a project from the Attaboy team, owners Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy and bartender Dan Greembaum and the first of three new spots scheduled to open this year. If you don’ t know aobut Attaboy..Sasha Petraske opened its predecessor, the original Milk & Honey bar on Eldrich Street in the Lower

This week on the Bartender Journey Podcast we talk with Jack Daniel’s Master Distiller Jeff Arnett. I spoke with Jeff at San Antonio Cocktail Conference. Its the Bartender Journey Podcast # 204!  Listen with the audio player on this page, or subscribe on iTunes, Android or Stitcher Radio. Jack Daniel’s is such an iconic brand with so much history. Jeff shared some great information with us, including facts about why Jack Daniel’s is not called “Bourbon”. He said, in fact it legally could be classified as Bourbon. But when the man who started the brand, Mr. Jack Daniel in the mid 1800’s he decided that he wanted to differentiate his whiskey and embraced the classification of Tennessee Whiskey.   Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 whiskey follows all the requirements of Bourbon, with the addition of a charcoal filtering process. This filtering is legally called the "Lincoln County Process,” by the state of Tennessee. It is also known as “charcoal mellowing,” and occurs before Barreling.   Cocktail of the Week: I was