Jeffrey Morgenthaler Bartending and Cocktail Advice Since 2004

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Quoted

May 19, 2006

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Sophie Soong of KVAL here in Eugene interviewed me last night for a short piece on tipping here in Eugene. You can read the brilliant soundbite I gave here.

Thanks, Sophie!

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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

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Cocktail Kingdom Stainless Steel Julep Strainer

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Kuhn Rikon 4-Inch Nonstick Colori Paring Knife

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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…

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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!
Holy cow! This is, without a doubt, the largest fo Holy cow! This is, without a doubt, the largest font ever used for my name. What a crazy, unbelievable, surreal, incredible experience this has already been. 

Nevada, we’re bringing deliciousness to your door! Next stop: the rest of the West Coast!

#rtd #cannedcocktails #bourbonrenewal #ginrickey #paloma #vanlife #happyhour #cocktails
Everything I’ve done over the past twenty five y Everything I’ve done over the past twenty five years has been in service of helping people to drink better: whether it’s this silly Instagram account, the many blog posts, hundreds of magazine articles, two books, numerous instructional videos, bartender trainings, in-person talks around the world, or bar consulting gigs, it’s always been about sharing better drinks.

So I am beyond stoked to officially announce the collaboration I’ve been quietly working on for the past year, a line of extremely delicious canned cocktails with Ninkasi Brewing Company, back in my former hometown of Eugene, Oregon. 

My ties to Ninkasi go way, way back, so combining our joint experience to put out these cocktails, designed specifically to work in a can, was exactly the right move. I could not have asked for a more innovative or professional partner in this venture.

We spent the past twelve months creating, tasting, and adjusting until we were satisfied that we were bringing an authentic cocktail experience, designed by a bartender. The result is a ready-to-drink cocktail unlike any other out there.

I wrote a whole thing about my design process and put it up on my website. I hope you’ll check out the link in my profile and give it a read. It felt incredible to finally have a new challenge to work on after the events of the past few years. 

Ninkasi canned cocktails are available in Oregon liquor stores state-wide NOW, and coming soon to California, Washington, Nevada, and Idaho. Ask your local retailer when they’ll be expecting them in! And check out that link in my profile for the whole story.

#cannedcocktails #bourbonrenewal #ninkasicannedcocktsils #paloma #ginrickey #rtd
Just a reminder to all you brand people that entri Just a reminder to all you brand people that entries are open for the San Francisco World Spirits Competition! We’re so excited to get tasting! Link to the entry form is in my profile.
This is not some sort of ad. I really enjoy sharin This is not some sort of ad. I really enjoy sharing the delicious things I find with all of you, and of course supporting people who make great products. 

For everyone who is on a permanent break from alcohol, a short term break from alcohol, or even just a momentary break, this is absolutely the finest American non-alcoholic beer I’ve ever had. Like, to the point where if you surprised me with a blind tasting I might not know it was alcohol-free. 

I say American because my heart still belongs to the Schneider-Weiße alkohol-frei hefeweizen.  But that’s hard to find here, and it’s also a completely different style. 

And yes, I have had the NA beers from Athletic Brewing and they’ve very very very good. But this is better. 

Anyway. Just wanted to share that with you all. I’ll put a link in my profile. #zeroproof #dryjanuary #nabeer #wisconsin #beer #untitledartbrewing #noproof
Been thinking a lot about how we’ve always releg Been thinking a lot about how we’ve always relegated non-alcoholic drinks to their own section of the menu, and how lower-proof drinks have been finding their own section in recent years. I like to push myself to look at the way I’ve always done things with a fresh pair of eyes and as I’ve been embarking on writing a new cocktail menu lately, I wanted to revisit this!

I’m sure it’s been done before but I love the idea of a cocktail menu that reads more like a craft beer menu, with ABV (alcohol by volume) listed alongside the price and ingredients. 

Imagine, as a guest, being able to make fully informed choices as you navigate your way through the menu - and through your night. Now imagine, as a bartender, making more informed decisions about how you serve drinkers in your bar. 

So to make this process easier for bar managers I’ve posted yet another spreadsheet on my website. This one calculates cocktail ABV for you in a super simple way. I hope it’s helpful to other bar managers out there. Links to all of my spreadsheets are in my profile! #spreadsheets #spreadsheet #nabeverages #lowproof #cocktails #cocktailmenu
Andrew introduced me to Ryan “Junior” Smith so Andrew introduced me to Ryan “Junior” Smith sometime around 2009. Andrew and I were working together at Clyde Common, was going to be moving soon, and I was looking for a new bartender. Junior was working at a total dive here in Portland so we went to go visit him. 

Junior was one of the best bartenders I’d ever seen. He was the entertainer and host that every good neighborhood dive needs, but he had a heart of gold and you could tell he loved his job and loved everyone in the bar. 

I hired him at Clyde Common and taught this sweet, hardworking soul how to make cocktails. I didn’t need to teach him how to tend bar. Over the next several years we took the bar to new heights together, in a way that I couldn’t have done all on my own. 

He left us to become a brand ambassador so that he could have a more sustainable work/life balance. He excelled at that, just as he did in everything else. 

It is with a heavy heart that I have to report that Junior passed away in his sleep this morning. My thoughts, and the hearts of all of us who had the honor of working alongside him are with his family and his loving wife. You’ll always be a big part of our story, Junebug, and we will miss you.
Thank you, @jaredqmiller for introducing me to my Thank you, @jaredqmiller for introducing me to my new favorite citrus peeler. 

I was doing a staff training last week, and I never walk away from a staff training without learning something amazing, too. This one was too good not to share: it’s a way to peel, and certainly how to learn proper peeling technique, without cutting your fingertips off. 

I’ve had a number of horrible peeler mishaps in my career, but the one that landed me in the emergency room is one I’ll never forget. It also kills me to see bartenders who are new to the peeler game injure themselves on the job. 

So we shot a little video at home to help. Link is in my profile, you’re not going to believe this one. Merry Christmas!
2006 Repeal Day throwback photo! Twenty years ago 2006 Repeal Day throwback photo!

Twenty years ago today, I was working a pretty slow Wednesday night at a restaurant  in Eugene, Oregon. One of our regulars was sitting at the bar with the newspaper, and saw the “This Day in History” section. 

“Says here that today was the day that alcohol Prohibition was repealed in the United States.” And from there a celebration was born. 

I didn’t get around to writing about it on my website until 2006, which was the year I got Derek Brown (no longer on Instagram 😢) and the DC bartenders on board. You can still read that original blog post at the link in my profile. 

If you’re a drinker, have a little toast to Repeal Day today! And while you’re at it, say a little happy birthday toast to industry legends @bamarketfresh and @lucybrennancocktails #repealday #21stamendment #eugeneoregon
Ugh, my heart! While straightening up my office th Ugh, my heart! While straightening up my office this week I found a small stack of Christmas cards from my favorite regular of all time, Millie. 

My first bartending job was at the oldest bar in Eugene, Oregon: The Tiny Tavern. We old sold beer and wine, and many of the regulars had been coming in since the 1950s. Millie was one of them. 

I’ve had a million regulars over the years. Some of which we loved, some of them…. we loved a little less. Celebrities, politicians, you name it. But there was nobody like Millie, I loved her so much.

Millie was in her 80s when I first started serving her in the mid 90s. She would come in every day at 4PM with her boyfriend Harry, and catch up with her friends. Harry was done drinking by the time I met him, and he rarely spoke a word. But Millie and her friends would do the crossword with me (the genesis of my daily NYT crossword obsession), then they’d watch Wheel of Fortune, then Jeopardy, and then they’d all call it a night. Millie would drink probably two small beers in three hours.

And every year she’d slip me a Christmas card with a sweet note and a crisp bill, and give me a big big hug. I haven’t been behind the bar much this year and to be honest I’ve been remembering a lot of the bar stuff lately. But reading these cards again made me remember some of those warm, wonderful memories. 

#christmas #regulars #millie #christmascards #santa #bartending #eugeneoregon #thetinytavern
This past weekend would have been the weekend we p This past weekend would have been the weekend we put our eggnog on the menu at Clyde Common, the way we’d done the weekend before Thanksgiving for the past dozen years. Feeling a little wistful about it, to be honest.

My eggnog recipes have been so well-received over the years, and for that I’m really thankful. My blender eggnog technique now sits alongside Craig Claiborne’s seminal 1958 recipe in @amandahesser’s The New York Times Cookbook, of the recipes I spent time with while developing my own. 

My anejo tequila and amontillado Sherry eggnog that we served at Clyde during my entire tenure there was turned into a seasonal flavor @saltandstraw and is now even made with @therock’s Teremana tequila, which is super cool for me, as a fan.

But the thing that makes me the most proud is seeing these recipes become a part of all of your holiday traditions over the years. So, in an effort to spread the eggnog gospel to even more friends, I’ve been working on a non-alcoholic version for you. It uses the same simple technique and keeps that light, silky consistency you're familiar with. Plus, it's full of flavor without needing any non-alcoholic spirit substitutes; just all-natural ingredients you either already have in your kitchen or can find at any grocery store. 

The recipe is live on my website now, and the links to all three of my eggnog recipes are in my bio. Here’s to eggnog season, everyone. I hope it’s full of love and delicious drinks for every one of you. 

#eggnog #thanksgiving #cocktails #tequilasherryeggnog #blendereggnog #holidaydrinking #drinkingdistilled
I love, love, love non-alcoholic beer. But the Ame I love, love, love non-alcoholic beer. But the American stuff I’ve always found really lacking in flavor and drinkability. So I was beyond stoked to find a really nice selection of my favorite German NA beers this weekend. I love drinking these when I’m in Germany but I’ve never been able to find them here until now!

If you’re able to find any of these where you are, particularly the Schneider-Weiss, I highly recommend picking them up for home.

#nabeer #nonalcoholic #nonalcoholicbeer #germanbeer #schneiderweisse #paulaner #clausthaleralkoholfrei
Picked up this incredible new reference by Dave Wo Picked up this incredible new reference by Dave Wondrich and @street_bottle yesterday, with several entries by yours truly. Link in my profile, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of your own!
Well it was another great Elijah Craig Old Fashion Well it was another great Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week. 2,194 bars participated this year, and together we were able to raise another $100,000 for the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation! Holy smokes that’s awesome. 

I also got to get out and visit some friends behind the bar, which is something I haven’t done in a very, very long time. It was a little weird at first but dam did it feel good to be sitting at a bar with a delicious drink in my hand again. 

Let’s do this again next year!! 📸: @aubrie.legault
Rest In Peace, Jack Robertiello. I met you when we Rest In Peace, Jack Robertiello. I met you when we all went to Cognac in 2010. I was mostly unknown, and you took me under your wing and taught me so much. I spent the entire week hanging close to you as much as I could. 

Then I joined the San Francisco World Sprits Competition and once again you treated me like a peer, even though I felt like I was in over my head. I learned so much from you over the years. 

You were a great talent and an incredible human being and the world is less of a place without you. Your passing is a great loss.
Old Fashioned Week starts TOMORROW. Raise a glass Old Fashioned Week starts TOMORROW. Raise a glass with us for a great cause: the Restaurant Worker Community Foundation. See how and where you can participate at oldfashionedweek.com. Link is in my profile. #oldfashionedweek
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