Not to Overlook: Water!!!

Not too long ago I bartended at a hopping Bar Mitzvah. Call brand liquors: Bombay Sapphire gin, Ketel One vodka, Crown Royal ...

But towards the end of the night, after all the dancing, the partying, there was only one thing they asked for: WATER.

And no, there was no water at the bar. Or anywhere else (we couldn't find a fountain either). Oh we had 2 dozen bottles of Perrier, which was running low at the end.

Is this something the bartender needs to remind the host to get? I know you'll be getting your vodka, your gin, your rum. Please, please, please get some drinking water too.

Recipe: Jungle Juice

I recently bartended for a Halloween party, and the jungle juice we served was definitely the hit of the party!
It's sweet and tasty but let's not get this wrong: it is potent!

It takes a lot to make and you have to soak the fruits overnight, but if you want a smashing party, it's worth the effort!

1 L Everclear® alcohol
5.25 L (3 1.75L bottles) vodka
1 bottle peach schnapps
1 pint Bacardi® 151 rum
1 bottle 99 Apples® apple schnapps
10 L Sprite® soda
1 L Sunny Delight® orange juice
1 L triple sec
1.75 L bottle gin
1 bottle DeKuyper® Sour Apple Pucker schnapps
4 bottles Boone's Farm® Strawberry Hill wine
8 L Hawaiian Punch®
2 containers orange juice concentrate
fruit (as much as desired)

Use a large container ie. ice chest or similar. Allow the fruit to soak in all the alcohol for about 4 - 12 hours. Add all the juice and let sit overnight. Serve the next day.

Halloween Recipe: Zombie

The first Zombie was created by Beaumont-Gant in the 1930s. Supposedly he named it so because after asking a customer how it was, the customer replied, “I felt like the living dead.”

Ingredients
* 1 ounce light rum
* 1 ounce dark rum
* 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice
* 1 ounce unsweetened pineapple juice
* 1 ounce fresh orange juice
* 1/2 ounce apricot brandy
* 1 ounce passion fruit syrup
* 1 teaspoon superfine sugar

Shake all the ingredients above with ice, then strain into a hurricane glass.
Then float on top:
* 1/2 ounce 151-proof rum

Garnish with something fruity - orange slice or a pineapple wedge would work fine.
The name is a propos for Halloween, and it's a great mind-bending drink for the parties ;)

On Busy Nights, Coke, and Pepsi

After a hectic bartending gig last night, where dozens of Pepsi bottles were used over the night, I start to like Coca Cola more and more ... Why?

Let me put it this way. You're very busy and want to be as efficient as possible, so when people as you for regular vs diet coke/pepsi, you want to be able to distinguish them instantly right?

Coca Cola got this down with their colored bottle labels. From regular to diet to Zero they go: Red, Gold, Black. They stand out, they're distinguishable, just like that. You spot it from the corner of your eye, you're good to go.

Pepsi? The new Pepsi Max is dark blue with black edges. Pepsi One is black. Oh, don't forget it tends to be dark when/where one bartends. See the problem here?
If Pepsi was a website or software, it will be way less user friendly than Coke.

And don't get me started on Sprite.

Absinthe in LA

Absinthe, a green licorice flavored liqueur, was legalized in the US more than a year ago, and more and more bars are offering either straight absinthe or absinthe cocktails.

One of my favorite is the drink below from The Edison Bar in downtown.Pisco Punch - contains Pisco (a grape-based liquor from Peru), pineapple juice, and a dash of absinthe (which they like to call "the green fairy")
Delicious!
Not cheap at $14 but the bartenders at the Edison know how to mix drinks!

"Green Tea" Pina Colada

I was thinking of making some tea-based cocktails, and particularly green tea. That same night I went to dinner at Miru8691 on Olympic - where they have a pretty big list of cocktails for a small Japanese/sushi/fusion restaurant.

One of these cocktails were called "G Olada" and the description said it was green tea and pina colada! What a coincidence - I had to order it.

The drink came but as it turned out it wasn't exactly a green tea cocktail ....
It was basically a pina colada topped with some green tea ice cream. The pina colada was pretty weak, but the green tea ice cream did give it a nice flavor and convinced me that I do have to make some real green tea cocktails :)

Cocktail Recipe: Pisco Sour

On my recent trip to Peru, I indulged in plenty a glass of Pisco Sour, a lime-y, refreshing drink made with Pisco - a Peruvian liquor made with grapes, like brandy.

Here is the recipe for this glass of goodness!

• 2 oz Pisco
• 1 oz Lime juice
• 3/4 oz Simple syrup
• 1 Egg white

Shake and pour into glass. The egg white should make a nice layer of foam.

• 1 dash Bitters (I suggest Angostura)
  

The bitters are dashed on top of the egg white foam as an aromatic garnish.

Enjoy!!

Recipe: Foggy Barley, Try 1

I have been thinking about making some tea-based cocktails, and since my car got towed today (!!) what better time to bust out my shaker and alcohol, right?

I made a pot of barley tea earlier today, so I decided to try and make something out of it.
Here's my first try at fortified barley tea :)

3/4 oz Rum
3/4 oz Triple Sec
Dash of Lime juice
Splash of THICK barley tea


This turned out pretty refreshing, although the barley flavor is not strong enough. It reminds me of apple cider somewhat. I think the triple sec+lime juice is overpowering the barley. I will try it with less acidic stuff next time.

Resume

Education
2008
ABC Bartending School, West LA.
Learned how to set up and break down bar stations, basic well set up, free pouring techniques, popular drinks, cocktails, and shooters. Learned proper handling of beer and wine.

2006-current
California Institute of Technology. PhD, Bioengineering.

2002-2005
UCLA. BS, Cybernetics.

Relevant Work Experiences

2000-2002
Server/Bartender, Aloha restaurant (South Carolina). Waited tables at an upscale Asian restaurant. Served wine, beer and cocktails. After turning 18 started working behind the bar, making hi-balls and tropical drinks.

2002-2004
Customer Service/Barista, UCLA Student Union. Made sales on the cash register, made smoothies and ice blended coffee drinks, worked the espresso machine to make cappuccino and lattes, made milkshakes and served ice creams at a fast-paced environment (UCLA has about 40,000 students, most of whom visit the student union during breaks). Set up smoothie bar with ice, juices, and frozen fruits.

Summer 2003
Server/Bartender, Mercedes Benz Tennis Tournament. Served customers at an al fresco upscale dining environment during the Mercedes Benz Tennis Tournament. Served food, wine, and beer at an extremely fast pace while giving customers a relaxed ambiance.

2008
Bartender, Private Events. Bartended for various private events and weddings throughout Los Angeles County. Have own bartending kit and salt rimmer. Set up and break down bar areas, create cocktail lists.

Bartender, Black Tie Events. Bartended for various events through Black Tie Events staffing company.

Foreign Languages
• Able to read and write French.
• Fluent in Indonesian.
• Able to understand and speak simple Mandarin, and some Cantonese.

Nerd Party Prep

I'm doing a nerd-themed party in less than two weeks (the real theme of the party is the 80's movie "Real Genius" with Val Kilmer).

Anyways, I've been trying to think up a nerdy list of drinks (at least nerdy-sounding). Here's what I've come up with so far, see what you think:

• Nerds (Midori, Blue curacao, Lemonade)
• Mad Scientist (Midori, Sweet & Sour, 7-up, 151-rum)
• Mitosis (Cognac, Sweet & Sour, Ginger Ale)
• Toxic Waste (Blue Curacao, OJ, Orange liqueur)
• Jellyfish (Vodka, Blue curacao, Sambuca, cream)

Now, I'm not sure if they'll let me play with 151 and fire at this particular party ... Hopefully the rest of the list will be fun fun (btw, it's a biology group).

Any other ideas, guys?

Vietnamese Weddings and Long Islands

I bartended for a Vietnamese wedding down in Westminster recently. They set me up on a little table by the corner with wine, beer, champagne, and a list of things I had previously given to them: vodka, gin, rum, tequila, triple sec, S&S mix, various juices - you know the basic stuff.

They only brought one bottle of S&S mix, uh oh :( Long Island Iced Tea was immensely popular that night! I had first recommended to make it for one of the groom's brothers and apparently everyone else had tried and wanted it too.

As far as beer goes, we had both Heineken and Corona Extra ... every single person there asked for Heineken. I didn't serve a single Corona until after I had completely run out of Heineken!

I also served a lot of .... shots of Cognac. I remember this from all the other Asian weddings I've gone to - they sure love their cognac.


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