I’m at the Portland Airport this morning, at some “German” bar on the concourse. I walk up the bar and order a double shot and a beer. Now, mind you, I’m not doing this because I’m that into drinking at ten in the morning. I’m doing it because I’m terrified of flying. Anyway, the friendly | Read More

Well, it didn’t work out. Go figure, I’m not much of a gambler. To tell you the truth, I don’t gamble at all. Ever. Personally, I’d rather spend a hundred on a bottle of wine. Just took a little walk through the neighborhood, stopped in at the dueling piano bar at New York, New York | Read More

I haven’t been to Las Vegas in six years, and I’ve never flown on Southwest Airlines. Although the cattle-call seating arrangements that this airline favors are less than, uh, favorable, the good vibrations are palpable. Maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by the fun-loving staff of an Oregon City liquor store, or maybe it’s because everyone | Read More

It’s a slow Monday night and my barback, Nathan, is getting frustrated. “Jesus, Jeff, when am I going to get to make some real drinks?!” “In time, Nathan-san”, I reply, “In time.” “You keep saying that, but all I’ve done for the past two months is make a bunch of old lady drinks! You make | Read More

Newcomer Dr. Bamboo not only has (well, just two so far) some of the best articles on classic mixology, but he does his own fantastic illustrations to accompany his articles. Take a look at his site here. Natalie at The Liquid Muse leads a charmed life. Cocktail Goddess to the Rich and Famous, she writes | Read More

Hey Everyone I just learned that I will be at the Las Vegas Restaurant Show next week! I’ll be in town from Sunday the 4th through Tuesday the Sixth, so if any of you are going to be there, let me know. I’ll also be blogging just about everything I see and do, so stay | Read More

Sugar is a wonderful thing in the world of cocktails. Sugar and bitters are the barman’s equivalent of the chef’s salt and pepper. But just as novice chefs overuse these master spices, the novice bartender will manage to ruin a perfectly good cocktail. Sugar can make a drink taste, well, more like itself. A mojito | Read More

The last time I was in my hometown in California, we made the obligatory visit to my hometown bar. It’s a British pub located downtown, and although it’s changed a lot over the years, I always make sure I stop in every time I’m home. It’s a solid little hometown pub where everyone knows you, | Read More

Although there are only three states on the West Coast of the United States, many people can only name California. Few people east of the Rocky Mountains can even pronounce Oregon (Or-uh-gun). Yet in the world of alcoholic beverages, bartending and mixology, Oregon is becoming a strong force, alongside such historical greats as New York, | Read More

Hey Bartender I was hoping you could settle a debate that has begun in my office. The men say that most women drink for free (men buy their drinks) and expect to drink free. The women (myself included) believe this is an old wives tale as we have not the experience of walking into a | Read More

Brenda over at The Spirit World alerts us to a Playboy article about the top ten bartenders in America today: America’s best bartenders are not those oh-so-talented men and women who can juggle three liquor bottles while singing country tunes. And they are not the folks who merely give you a free round (though that | Read More

Hey Bartender As you stated in your recent post, we can’t possibly be expected to know the full gamut of odd-named and (sometimes) purely awful drinks that tend to get ordered every once and a while. I was wondering, is there one comprehensive (preferably small and inconspicuous-looking) cocktail book that covers a large percentage of | Read More

The wonderful Joe at joebartender.com has posted an interview we did together… How did you go about getting your first bartending gig? Was it tough to land your first one? Through the campus job center, I found – and was hired for – two jobs on the same day. One was bussing dishes in a | Read More