March 6, 2007
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9:30 in the morning is a cruel time to try to get 500 bartenders together in the same room, especially in Las Vegas. But the turnout was great nonetheless for two of mixology’s living legends, Dale DeGroff and Tony Abou-Ganim. They started out with a short video presentation hosted by Tony about the bar chef | Read More
March 6, 2007
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My night tonight was the best so far. No strip clubs, no chicken wings, just a big group of real cocktail enthusiasts and three amazing locations. I started my night at the Wynn hotel in a private suite fifty floors above the city, drinking Sagatiba Pura. It’s a brand-new cachaça here in the States, and | Read More
March 5, 2007
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Went to the Convention Center this morning and picked up my pass for the show, I think the real bar manager at Red Agave might be a little miffed if she sees this, but at least they spelled my name correctly.
March 5, 2007
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My friend Jimmy of Jimmy’s Cocktail Hour (see links at right) sent me to the Bellagio to find Darren West, but he’s not working at the Petrossian tonight. I’m going to finish the most incredible Negroni in the world and continue my search. Stand by!
March 4, 2007
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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
March 4, 2007
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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
March 4, 2007
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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
March 1, 2007
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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
February 28, 2007
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A while back I was contacted by Whit Whitley of Revolution X Mixers, a new brand of bottled mixers. He sent me some samples in the mail, and although I’m usually opposed to pre-made cocktail mixes, I was excited to try some new stuff. You see, at my bar, we make everything from scratch. Sours, | Read More
February 27, 2007
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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
February 27, 2007
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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
February 27, 2007
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You see younger bartenders doing this a lot. I even did it my first week or so, until someone told me to know it off. It was too hard to describe, so I had to take a picture. Yeah. The filthy-bar-rag-in-the-back-pocket thing. It’s so gross it makes me want to puke all over the place | Read More
February 22, 2007
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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
February 20, 2007
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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
February 19, 2007
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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
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!
