Sour mix is a gateway drug. It can lead you down a very dark path, or it can open up a new world of fresh flavors or ingredients. As proof of this, I submit to you two examples: One scenario involves the novice bartender using prepackaged mix as a medium for all sorts of vile | Read More

Hey Bartender, I’m a senior in high school here in Eugene, and I read about you in the Register Guard today. I’ve been thinking about becoming a bartender for a while, and the article, along with your blog, pretty much sealed the deal. I was wondering if you would tell me how you got into | Read More

Someone sent their drink back tonight. Scott and I put a lot of care into our cocktails: we use all fresh ingredients, we measure absolutely everything, and we’re passionate about every drink we put out. We’re proud of the fact that our drinks rarely get sent back, so when one of our servers came back | Read More

I was interviewed by the Monterey County Herald earlier this week for an article on recent trends in mixology and bartending that appears today. This was pretty exciting for me, as the reporter originally had no idea I had grown up there, he just happened to find me online as a sort of “expert” (yeah, | Read More

I received this in my inbox last week: TO: All Participants WHAT: Tales of the Cocktail, the annual culinary and cocktail festival, features a Cocktail Competition to determine the “official cocktail” of the event. Bartenders local and nation-wide submitted recipes for the competition. Moët & Chandon White Star Champagne was a required ingredient for the | Read More

For the past year and a half, one of my favorite sites to read on the internet has been D.C. Drinks. Authors Isaac Washington and Lonnie Bruner brought some great writing and a huge dose of sarcasm to the cocktail blogosphere (I hate that word) On Saturday, sadly, they posted their last article ever: “I | Read More

The links section of my website is the area that I spend the least amount of time concerning myself with. Sometimes it’s hard enough, between managing a busy bar and working four nine-hour shifts a week, to even try to think up a mildly entertaining article to write. However, I’m an avid reader, and typically | Read More

Hey Bartender, Ever since I started making my own drinks at home I’ve been eyeing all my bartenders like a hawk. I’ve noticed a lot of them use the crack-open-the-boston-shaker straining technique. What are your thoughts on this? I’m not a huge fan of it because it allows bits of ice to get into the | Read More

I finally released a new cocktail menu that I’ve been working on since just before I left for Las Vegas. It’s not completely finished yet, but I really wanted to get something new out there, and it’s pretty close. I’ve spent weeks testing and refining these drinks, and I think it’s my best menu yet. | Read More

Why is it that drinks these days have to taste like some sort of junk food in order to be understood by the average person? Take this little story: We were at our local dive bar, playing some video golf and having a beer. The bartender, who had obviously been behind the stick for a | Read More

Our friend Darcy over at Art of the Drink adds to the “50 Signs…” madness with 50 Signs You Are a Bad Bartender, all but one of which I think is right on the money: 48. The solution to every problem is: just add bitters What!? That’s not true? And in the comments, someone sends | Read More