Upgrade your cocktails with these impressive gadgets and techniques. Barrel Aging This technique, developed by award-winning Portland-based bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler, uses an oak barrel to tame harshness and alter flavor in spirit-driven drinks made with fortified wine, such as a Negroni. The semi-porous wood allows oxygen to interact with the ingredients—mellowing the vermouth in a | Read More

The single most important book for an amateur bartender is Jeffrey Morgenthaler’s “The Bar Book.” Unlike most other cocktail books “The Bar Book” focuses entirely on technique. Before you start bothering with recipes, you have to know how to properly make them. And this is what Morgenthaler’s book offers. It’s an examination of the why | Read More

Portland’s Top Cocktails from the People Who Make Them You can’t make a list of the city’s best cocktails without talking to OG, put-Portland-on-the-map, barrel-aged-his-drinks-before-it-was-cool bartender Jeffrey Morgenthaler. He’s famous for soverymany drinks, so I couldn’t wait to see what he would choose as his finest. The answer: an Amaretto Sour ($14). Made with amaretto, overproof bourbon, | Read More

“Regardless of shape or clarity, the temperature of ice, I would say, is the most important thing,” says Jeffrey Morgenthaler, bar manager of Portland’s Clyde Common, a restaurant where the bar program has garnered six James Beard Award nominations. Although water freezes at 32°F, ice is usually much colder. Ice purists might even go so far | Read More

We asked 10 of America’s best bartenders to submit their finest recipe for the Grasshopper—and then blind-tasted them all to find the best of the best. The verdict on many classic cocktails rests with the method in which they’re made (shaken or stirred); others, by their presentation (on the rocks or up). But at least | Read More

Perhaps the most annoying response to “I don’t like that” is “You’d like mine,” but that’s exactly what Jeffrey Morgenthaler said to me when I told him I hated eggnog. Even more annoying? He was correct. Jeff’s nog is the only good nog, and it is made with tequila. To fully appreciate the praise I am bestowing on Jeff, | Read More

Thousands of miles from the cocktail hotbeds of New York and San Francisco, Jeffrey Morgenthaler still managed to connect with his peers through a blog informed by his work behind the stick. “He has a website that’s not for cocktail nerds, it’s a bartender’s site,” [Giuseppe] Gonzalez says. “With Jeff, he was the first bartender | Read More

Episode 32: Jeffrey Morgenthaler from Clyde Common and Pepe Le Moko on why craft cocktails are due for change, why everyone should strive to contribute, and why bartenders should stay behind the bar As always, Jeffrey tells it like it is, and we cover a range of topics including: Why the craft cocktail movement is | Read More

When a new cocktail bar first hits upon a winning formula – securing a loyal following, garnering industry acclaim and winning awards – it won’t be long before the offers start flooding in. The head barman may be invited to do guest slots elsewhere, judge competitions, write books, speak in public, work as a brand | Read More

A godfather of the modern cocktail scene, Jeffrey Morgenthaler is an award-winning bartender, author, and the person largely responsible for the resurgence of Amaretto Sours. You might not expect someone at that level to be behind the bar regularly, but this guy is — all the time. Look for him at Pepe Le Moko or Clyde Common, his two esteemed | Read More

Cocktail Kingdom and Jeffrey Morgenthaler have reimagined barware – and one tool that caught our eye was the Triomphe Atomizer. We’re a fan of the subtle wisp of pastis in Sazeracs – or if we’re going all extra, a dash of vermouth in a martini. The trouble with both drinks can be the uneven application of | Read More

This “boozy bunker” is located around the corner from industry icon Jeff Morgenthaler’s award-winning sister bar, Clyde Common. Enter via a narrow staircase that leads you directly into this intimate, subterranean speakeasy. The drinks menu features classics along with various “craft” versions of cocktails that have largely been shunned by modern bartenders (like the Long Island Iced | Read More

What should an award-winning bartender, respected drinks journalist and author and all-round good person do once they’ve been named Best Bartender in America, and had their second book published? For Jeffrey Morgenthaler, the choice was clear: carry on working behind the bar. The manager of Clyde Common and Pepe Le Moko in Portland, Oregon has | Read More

Since the early days of the cocktail revival, the Amaretto Sour has been regarded as little more than the butt of a joke. In fact, the widespread ridicule of the drink quickly became a banner cause for the movement, which was defined by fresh ingredients and a rejection of any cocktail created after 1950. For Jeffrey | Read More

Jeffrey Morgenthaler has made a lot of drinks. Though I’m sure he hates the phrase “celebrity bartender,” there’s no denying that his methods and cocktails are famous, nor can you deny that they’re really, really good. In addition to being very good at alcohol, Jeff is also very good at food, and was nice enough | Read More