Jeffrey Morgenthaler Bartending and Cocktail Advice Since 2004

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New RSS Feed Location

August 30, 2006

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I’m moving to Feedburner! Starting this weekend, the new address for my RSS feed will be:

http://feeds.feedburner.com/bartenderblog

Update your RSS readers accordingly!

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Books I’ve Written


Stuff I Like

These are the books and tools I use every single day to make drinks at home and behind the bar. Clicking on a product takes you to Amazon, which helps me keep this site running, so thank you in advance!

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

OXO Good Grips Y Peeler

Cocktail Kingdom Stainless Steel Julep Strainer

iSi 1-Pint Gourmet Whip

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knife

Kuhn Rikon 4-Inch Nonstick Colori Paring Knife

Most Read Articles

Housemade Tonic Water

How to Make Your Own Tonic Water

UPDATE: So much has been discovered since this post originally went up, about the dangers of quinine in people with quinine sensitivity. Big thank you to reader Jonathan for providing this informative link about this. I’m leaving this post up as an archive, but I encourage you to read that article first, and if you…

Ginger Beer

How To Make Your Own Ginger Beer

As far as I’m concerned, springtime is Dark and Stormy season. As the rain pummels the ground here in the Pacific Northwest, a little window of blue sky nestled between two dark clouds in the neighboring distance makes me wish I were watching the rain fall from across a dark ocean, my little Caribbean fishing…

A Gallon of Margaritas by the Gallon

Update! Click here to learn how to make this and other drinks for a slushie machine! It’s summer here in Oregon, which means barbecues, camping trips and river floats are on the agenda for the next few months. I always love showing up with a gallon jug of pre-mixed margaritas for the party, so I’ve…

Find Me On Social Media

Instagram

@teremana has been my new favorite tequila since t @teremana has been my new favorite tequila since they launched, so when they asked me if I wanted to #BringTheMana to my Añejo Tequila and Amontillado Sherry Eggnog this holiday season I responded with a resounding YES. 

I’ve got got some here with me on our coastal Christmas getaway, and will be cracking into it tomorrow night and toasting you all while we open presents and dive into some really bad/good Hallmark movies. 

All of my love to you this holiday season and thank you again to @teremana for making these holidays extra delicious.
Happy Repeal Day! I’m thankful for everyone who Happy Repeal Day! I’m thankful for everyone who has helped support this special day over the years, here are some of my favorite highlights. From the humble first years of Repeal Day in Eugene, Oregon, to getting to bartend alongside Dale Degroff and Chris Hannah for a thousand people in Washington, D.C. 

And no matter how you’re getting to spend Repeal Day this year (maybe it’s with me at Clover Club?) I hope you’re all healthy, happy, and most of all: safe. 

Much love to all you crazy Repeal Day fans. Only 11 more years until the 100th anniversary celebration!

#repealday #repeal #prohibition #1933 #21stamendment #bartender #cocktail #cocktails #beer #wine
New York City! I’m coming to celebrate Repeal Da New York City! I’m coming to celebrate Repeal Day with the launch of the new Dewar’s 12 Year and I want to celebrate my favorite holiday with you!

It’s going to be a wild party at Clover Club with myself, David Wondrich and Noah Rothbaum, as well as my good friends Masa Urushido, Christine Wiseman, and Joaquin Simo. 

The party starts at 8PM on December 5th, and you’ll have to RSVP to events@flaviar.com to get on the guest list. 

I’m looking forward to seeing all of you, it’s been too long!
Fall book drop. Thank you everyone for the new rea Fall book drop. Thank you everyone for the new reading material! A big part of why I write books is because I am such a huge fan of them. My home office is stacked high with books about food and drink and I’m always so proud to say that some of those books were written by friends of mine. Seriously, anyone who has spent time at my house knows that part of the evening when we go into my office and I show off my autograph collection. 

So if you’re a fan as well then please get out there and support these authors!

#reading #cocktails #cocktailbook #bartender #bartending #book
Finally home from three wonderful days in Berlin a Finally home from three wonderful days in Berlin and looking through these amazing photos by @freshphylix from my guest bartending shift at my new favorite bar, @fabelei_bar, where we made about a million delicious DiSaronno Amaretto Sours with The Busker Irish Whiskey. 

My favorite thing in the world is working with brands I love and respect, who put me in front of bartenders all over the country and all over the world. I am inspired by each and every one of you and it’s always a pleasure to work alongside you or stand before you and share some of my experience. Thank you to everyone who got involved!

#amarettosour #irishwhiskey #berlin #bcb #cocktails #bartender
When life gives you fresh passionfruits…. Porn S When life gives you fresh passionfruits…. Porn Star Martinis last night. Thank you @jackchoate16 for the produce, and of course to Douglas for the recipe.

#pornstar #martini #champagne #psiloveyou #cocktails
Eugene, Oregon friends! I will be at Ninkasi’s B Eugene, Oregon friends! I will be at Ninkasi’s Better Living Room tomorrow from noon until 3PM hanging out and enjoying some of our newest canned cocktails before the Ducks game!

It’s gonna be a hot one tomorrow so come out your feet in the kiddie pool with me while we crack open a new Rum Punch, Grapefruit Refresher, or Ginger Honey Press!

It’s always so surreal getting to do stuff like this just three blocks from where my bartending career began. Hope to see you all, you know I miss my former home town!
Thanks for having me this morning to talk about ou Thanks for having me this morning to talk about our three new Ninkasi canned cocktail flavors, @koin6 and @emilyburris! Always worth getting up a little earlier in the morning to do the news! 

#cannedcocktails #ninkasibrewing #bartending #bourbonrenewal #paloma #ginrickey #rumpunch #grapefruitrefresher #gingerhoney
Last night someone was like “oh wow I didn’t t Last night someone was like “oh wow I didn’t think you actually used the cheese peeler behind the bar” and I was kinda stunned to be honest. 

Yeah, I actually use the techniques I share in real life, and I share them because they’re helpful to me behind the bar and I hope they’ll be helpful to you wherever you’re making drinks. Like this one, for instance. 

Yesterday we juiced the heck out of a crate of watermelons for our watermelon slushy margarita upstairs at the Sunset Room, and then we used the Universal Syrup Calculator on my website to make a perfect 2:1 compound syrup. It’s fast, easy, and if I do say so myself: it’s very helpful. 

If you’re a home bartender looking for a quick weekend project, or a seasoned veteran wanting to make prep a little easier, check it out. I’m gonna take a whole weekend off of making cocktails and cocktail ingredients but I’ll be back at it on Monday. 

Link to the spreadsheet and technique is in my profile.

#cocktails #syrup #bartending
HAHAHAHA Thank you @makersmark and @whisky_in_mai_ HAHAHAHA Thank you @makersmark and @whisky_in_mai_jeans for turning my big mug into a pin for the most recent round of travel in Pennsylvania and Ohio this week. 

It was such an honor seeing and meeting all of you in Pittsburgh and Columbus, and thank you for having me out to talk about mentorship, sharing knowledge, and how we’re going to work together to lift the bar industry back up off its feet. 

This year has had me speaking in Richmond, Detroit, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Charlotte, and Columbus with Maker’s and it’s been so wonderful to see all of your faces again. Thank you! #bartending #cocktails #bourbon #pin
Thank you @traveloregon for having us on the start Thank you @traveloregon for having us on the starting line at the 2022 World Athletic Championships today!

What a crazy thrill to get to sip our canned cocktails at this historic field just two blocks from where I lived for many years. Life is so crazy sometimes.
Over the years, people have come to associate us w Over the years, people have come to associate us with fun and innovative approaches to cocktails. But if there’s one drink that we’ve played with more than all of the others over the decades, it’s the Negroni. 

Most of you are probably familiar with our Barrel-Aged Negroni, which we came up with back in 2009 at our last bar, @clydecommon. Many of you who got to experience us at our event space became used to seeing our Negroni Slushies. And you home cocktail enthusiasts might have tried the Negroni Sorbetto from the blog. 

So when we were putting together the menu for Pacific Standard, we knew we needed to add another spin on this classic to our menu. And our latest love, the Rosé Negroni, was born.

We’re enamored with the beautiful color, especially on these gorgeous sunny afternoons we’re experiencing in Portland lately. And the taste is soft and subtle, and absolutely divine. It’s been wildly popular with everyone who has been in to have one over these past three weeks since we opened, and we hope you’ll love it too. 

#psiloveyou #rosenegroni #negroni #rosé
We feel like most of you who have visited our litt We feel like most of you who have visited our little bar since we opened have had no idea that we have the sweetest, most precious little private courtyard outside. And we’d like to change that. 

Just look at this beautiful space. It’s located in the interior of the lot, so it’s incredibly private and serene. The noise of the city just fades away as you sit there and relax. It’s wonderful. 

The neon sign comes from the old Music Box Theater which was located on SW Broadway (close to what is now Fox Tower) and although we can turn it on, we won’t (it’s like the Kenny Rogers Roasters episode of Seinfeld, very much like living on the surface of the sun)

So the next time you come by for a drink and a bite, don’t forget to get yourself some patio time. But if that’s not your sort of thing that’s okay too. The air conditioning works much, much better here than it did in our last building 😂

#psiloveyou #pacificstandardtime
I’ve always been one of those people who thought I’ve always been one of those people who thought that drinking a Bloody Mary after the sun went down was a rookie drinker move. I even wrote about it in my second book, Drinking Distilled. 

But when we started programming Pacific Standard, our massive lobby bar in the KEX Hotel here in Portland, it became increasingly clear that if we were going to create this day-long drinking hall we’d been dreaming of, that we would have to confront the Bloody Mary. 

I guess my problem with Bloodies is that all-too-often it’s like drinking a jar of marinara sauce. And there’s nothing day-long about that. So we set out to create a lighter, zestier alternative to tomato soup in a glass. 

It took me months of tinkering in my kitchen but when I showed up at @reverendbanjo’s bar with a sample and his eyes lit up, I knew we had our first menu drink. And we decided to call it The All-Day Bloody Mary, because that’s what it is: a proper Bloody Mary for proper drinking any time of day. 

We garnish it with a lemon wedge and the most delicious, crisp, crunchy, sour dill pickle we’ve ever had. Because while I’ve now changed my mind about drinking a Bloody Mary any time of day, I still think decorating them with burgers and wings is pretty f-ing dumb. #bloodymary #psiloveyou
Our new bar, Pacific Standard has been up and runn Our new bar, Pacific Standard has been up and running for a whole week today! This place is so special to us, in large part because we’ve gotten to make every decision about the place - even down to the food. 

I’d never had the opportunity to create a food menu before and I gotta say it’s really, really exciting. We put the same love and attention into our food that we always have with our cocktails. 

The food concept is a love letter to the West Coast, my home for every one of my fifty years on this planet. And within that is a larger conversation about what new bar food can be: fresh, comforting, eaten with your hands, and something more special than a list of items straight out of a deep fryer. 

And of course one of our favorite West Coast bar snacks is the freshest, briniest, ice cold oysters on the half shell from the Willapa Bay. Presentation is one of my favorite things to work on, so we worked hard to nail down that very traditional oyster accoutrement selection. So our oysters arrive with mignonette, fresh lemon wedges, crackers, horseradish, and my favorite - that adorable tiny bottle of Tabasco. 

It’s unseasonably hot in Portland again this year, but it brings me great joy to see a bar full of people sipping delicious local white wine on draft and slurping ice cold oysters every day. 

We’re open from 3PM to Midnight every day of the week, and our Happy Hour from 3-6 gets you $2 off everything on the menu. We’d love to see you. 

#psiloveyou #oysters
And, just like that… we are open! Huge thanks an And, just like that… we are open! Huge thanks and love to EVERYONE who came out to help us open our new bar, Pacific Standard (location tag coming soon) last night. 

For those who don’t know, my dear friend Benjamin Amberg (@reverendbanjo) and I have been working our little buns off over the past six months to open our very own bar. Long time managers, now first time owners.

Pacific Standard is our love letter to hotel lobby drinking and West Coast dining. Located in the KEX Hotel, on the corner of NE MLK Jr, Blvd and Couch St here in beautiful Portland, Oregon, we are open tonight, and every night of the year, from 3PM until midnight. 

Happy hour is from 3PM-6PM every day and we can’t wait to make you an All-Day Bloody Mary. We hope you’ll come see us soon.

#pacificstandard #psiloveyou
As you probably know from my... everything...I don As you probably know from my... everything...I don't usually name-check liquor brands in my work. The Bar Book is almost entirely unbranded, very intentionally. Same with Drinking Distilled, and pretty much every post I've ever written on my website. So, when I do, it's because I've tried all the available options and I don't think there's a better product to be called for in that drink.

Which is why I'm psyched to finally have gotten my hands on the new limited release of The Fords Gin Co Sloe Gin. I was fortunate enough to be sent a sample bottle a few months ago, and I was stunned by the depth and complexity. While other sloes are an expression of sweetness and fruit, this is a celebration of earth and spice. Of course, I was eager to try it for myself in a Sloe Gin Fizz, a drink that up until now I never had any particular affinity for.

After a couple of iterations, I'm super proud of this Sloe Gin Silver Fizz recipe I've developed. It's a big nod to the classics, while maintaining a distinctly modern construction. It's truly an honor to be one of the first bartenders (along with my good friend @smartolivenyc) to get to work with such a delicious product. This is the dawn of a new era for sloe gin and sloe gin cocktails. 

#FordsGin #LiveFastDrinkSloe #SloeGin #ad #21+ @fordsgin 📸: @dinaravila
Well, once again it’s the anniversary of my firs Well, once again it’s the anniversary of my first shift behind the bar in what has become a super rewarding career. This is year 26! Holy crap!

Two years ago I decided to celebrate by sharing my chocolate chip cookie recipe, which brought me a ton of joy seeing you all making those at home during this awful pandemic. 

This year I’ve decided that I’m going to start celebrating every year by sharing other things that I hope will be helpful. My desire is that I can turn this into a nice little tradition of sharing something special to me every year, since sharing information has been the cornerstone of my career. 

Today I’m sharing a new spreadsheet (you know I love a spreadsheet) to help you turn literally any liquid into a perfectly calculated syrup for your cocktails. 

After struggling for years with how to make this an easy, precise, and universal process, I finally created a calculator that will allow you to make a perfect 1:1 or 2:1 syrup from any type of juice. Want a perfect 1:1 apple cider syrup? How about a pitch-perfect 2:1 raspberry syrup? This new spreadsheet (with the help of a digital scale and an inexpensive refractometer) will get you what you need. 

The post is now live on my website and the link is in my profile! I hope it’s helpful, I’ll be celebrating my 26th anniversary by making a 2:1 pineapple syrup for some drink development.

#anniversary #spreadsheets #simplesyrup #syrup #googlesheets #cocktails #microsoftexcel #mixology
You’re going to see a TON of posts about the Iri You’re going to see a TON of posts about the Irish Coffee today, since it’s St. Patrick’s Day. And most of them are going to be touting some specific Irish whiskey as being the best for your Irish Coffee. Nothing wrong or surprising about that. 

But this is a reminder that *coffee* is actually the major component of this drink, and covering up a bad ingredient with a bunch of good ones isn’t going to fix anything. Garbage in, garbage out, as they say. 

I’ve visited so many bars in my time that claim to make the best Irish Coffee in the world, only to discover that they’re using stale, burnt, or poorly sourced beans for their coffee.

So if you really want to make the best Irish Coffee in the world, either at home or in your bar, be sure to seek out (and get to know) your local independent roasters. We’re lucky living in Portland where delicious coffee is easy to find, but in this day and age there are good people making great coffee pretty much everywhere. 

I’ve got some other construction-related tips linked in my profile, so give them a read after you’ve picked up a great bag of freshly-roasted beans. And happy St. Patrick’s Day! Don’t barf.

#irishcoffee #coffee #independentroasters #stpatricksday
It sounds weird but this cheese slicer makes the b It sounds weird but this cheese slicer makes the best, and safest citrus peels I’ve ever peeled. And Epicurious agrees. Link is in my profile!
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FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

FoodSaver Vacuum Sealer

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