Author Archives: The Simple Bartender

The Goblet of Fire!  *do not try this at home!*

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** DISCLAMER**. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME OR ON YOUR OWN. FIRE WILL CAUSE GLASS TO BREAK OR CAN GET OUT OF CONTROL VERY EASY. 
**DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME**

Now that that is out of the way. 
I’ve never been one to like fire with my drinks or shots. But apparently after the past couple of years… I guess I do!  
A Harry Potter tribute shot. I’ve always been in love with Harry Potter books and story line. So here is a tribute to it. Originally I named it CONFRIGO since that is the name for the fire spell. But I figured that it was too over the top. People would know THE GOBLET OF FIRE reference better anyway! Again. This is for my bartenders to learn and then consult with me afterwords. Do not try this at home or without consulting someone who deals with fire. Just enjoy and watch!.  

THE GOLBET OF FIRE:

  • .5 oz Butterscotch
  • .5 oz Banana
  • .5 oz Bailey’s 
  • .5 oz Hazelnut
  • Dash of Cinnamon 

Drink and enjoy! Stay thirsty!

Mixed Up Mule

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Sitting a bar you end up meeting lots of people if you take the time,  exchanging of conversations can lead to many things. New ideas, challenged beliefs, lasting friendships.  But you never know till you say hello.

I went to a Mission Taco Joint in Soulard on Sunday to visit with two bartenders I used to work with, Josh and Jason.   While sitting there I ended up talking to me bar neighbors – Ali and Nori. We were talking about books, jobs, and then eventually drinks. Per their suggestion I thought I would try a take on a mule with grapefruit and Rosemary.

Being that I always love a good presentation I decided to flame roast the Rosmary before I added it to the mule with grapefruit juice…  It was still missing something and the towards the end of the drink the Rosemary just took over everything.   What about gin…  I do like a good Gin Mule but sometimes the Gin will overtake all the other subtle favors or in this case it will just fight with the Rosemary at the end.

Hybrids…  Always fun: vodka and gin!  What about the Rosemary.  How about just flame roasting it and then stiring with it??   And bitters.  Just a couple of dashes to complement the other flavors… Mm mm I like

https://youtu.be/eTP4cYaRXyM

  • Flame roasted Rosemary
  • Bombay Sapphire Gin.75 oz
  • Titos Vodka – .75 oz
  • Ginger beer
  • Grapefruit juice
  • Garnished with grapefruit twist

I left the Rosemary out from being the garnish. the Rosemary just took over the drink towards the end.

Stay thirsty and subscribe!

thesimplebar.com

The Godfather

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THE GODFATHER:

  • 1 oz amaretto
  • 1 oz scotch 
  • Build on cubed ice

Enjoy!

Simplicity is key. This is a personal favorite of mine. And it’s very interchangeable as well.  

If you change the scotch for vodka: GODMOTHER 

Change the scotch for southern comfort:  SICILIAN KISS 

Change the scotch for crown: RED ROYAL
Stay thirsty!!

Bomb POP!  

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It’s getting to be close to the forth of July and what other better way to celebrate than to do shots!   Joking.  Maybe….Anyway this is a grat on to do with it’s multi color appearance and sweet and flavorful taste!  

Bomb Pop

  • 1.5 oz Raspberry Vodka
  • .5 oz Triple Sec
  • 1.5 oz Sweet n Sour
  • Shake with ice and strain in a martini glass
  • .5 Grenadine slowly add to the side of the glass to layer the bottom
  • .5 Blue Curaçao slowly add to the side of the glass to layer on top of the grenadine

Stay thirsty!

The Bee’s Knees

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I get people all the time that tell me that they don’t like gin.  Which I can understand… Most of the time the first interaction with liquor of beer is when you are at 21-23 and you only get the cheap stuff… Trust me, gin is one spirit that you shouldn’t be cheap with.  The rail stuff is horrible.  Mostly taste like rubbing alchol with some artificial flavoring to it.  And in all honestly, it probably is.

But Plymouth gin is Different! And the Bee’s Knees is a cocktail for anyone who doesn’t like gin to start with.  

Plymouth Gin is a Gin the is Produced in Plymouth, England.  It’s does not have a big Juniper Or Herbal overpowering taste, so it goes well into cocktails and doesn’t take over.  It’s my pick for the main ingredient in the classic cocktail The Bee’s Knees.  We all should know how honey hand lemon go together.  And let’s just say that Gin adds a  depth and a spring element to the combination that is to be desired.   
The Bee’s Knees

  • 2 oz. Gin of your choice. (Clearly I used Plymouth)
  • 3/4 oz Lemon Juice
  • 3/4 oz Honey Syrup*
  • Shake with ice and strain on new ice

(You may just make a batch of it and stir it but I would add a little bit of water to lighten up the tartness.  Shaking with ice adds a little dilution to it)

*** Honey Simple Syrup***

Equal parts honey and filtered water. Just makes it easier to combine and mix into cocktails. Lasts around 7 – 10 days. 

The Man-Fashion

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Last year, a fellow bartender and collaborator, Jason and I were talking about our favorite classic whisky drinks. His was a Manhattan and mine was an Midwestern Old Fashion and we got to thinking – what if we could mix the two together…  Now we could have just added vermouth to an Old Fashion, but what’s the fun in that!  So we decided that Flamed Grand Marnier would not only add the flavor of orange but also sweeten it up as well.

Trust me when I tell you that it is easly on of the most requested drinks we make.  It’s well balanced and the showmanship is really good as well!

Thank you to Theresa Davinroy at Pixel Tree Photo for the great pictures!

tasty

do not try this at home

Grandma On Fire – Do not try this at home

 

Rosemary simple syrup

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Rosemary Honey Simple Syrup
February 23, 2016

 

Rosemary / Honey Simple Syrup – Easy, Tasty, Simple

 

A whiff of rosemary and I’m teleported back to Colorado.
I had a friend there that would make pork chops with rosemary.  
It was the first times I had been introduced to the herb. 
It pairs well with food, tea, and cocktails, as long as you are willing to experement and try  
With this syrup you can easily add a little bit of extra flavor to your drinks .  

 

I used 3 stalks per cup for this. I brought the water to a boil. turned it to med-low and then added the rosemary. I let it sit for about 30 minutes. 


Strain out the Rosemary after you think it is strong enough.
*remember that you are mixing it with other flavors so what might seem strong smelling and tasting right now will be dulled down when you mix it with other things. 


Keep the strained rosemary and use for garnish if you choose


Lets add in honey.  

I use the same amount of honey that I put in water.

I try to start off with a 1:1 ratio. 

 give a good stir and then put it in whatever you like to store things in. 


 I fond this bottles here with a swing top lid at IKEA for less than $4. SO I use them for everything. 


 This mix is has no alchol in it to keep if from spoiling. put in fridge and use within 7-14 days.

You can always add in some vodka to lenthen the shelf life of this. 

 

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The Devil’s Due

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Drink – The Devil’s Due

   

  • 1/2 a grapefruit freshly squeezed (roughly 4 oz)
  • 1.5 oz of Uncle Val’s Gin
  • .5 oz of St Germain
  • couple of dashes of bitters. 
  • combine all the ingredients in a pint glass with Ice and stir.

Flame of Judgment 

  • A bar spoon of brown sugar in half of the grapefruit you just juiced
  • Light the Brown sugar with some highproof rum or everclear in the dead carcass of the grapefruit to soak in the flavor and so it’s trapped while it burns.  
  • Pour on top of the drink after it cooks down a little. *for more dramitic presentation we pour while still on fire **

**(Disclamer – we are trained profesionals. please do not try this at home.)

  • Juice of a grapfruit,
  • pour of some gin,
  • swish of some elderflower,
  • and a sprinkle of the bitters.

I like that it sounds like the ingredients for a potion or spell…Well, it just might be.

 Ingredients:

Burning Brown Sugar

Usually, I’m the one telling you that I don’t like to play with fire as I caress my bald head, as if I lost my hair in a laboratory fire. But this time I’m telling you that I love it. –Maybe it’s the sound of crackling or the smell of the Brown Sugar.  -Maybe it’s just the primal instinct and awe of watching fire.  -Maybe it’s because this drink is fantastic and like my prom date, this just gets me excited as I wait for what I know is about to happen. Pleasure. 

 Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin

Uncle Val’s Botanical Gin combines juniper, cucumber, lemon, sage, and lavender the same way my father used to make his award winning chili – to perfection. I love this small-batch gin from 35 Maple Street. I definitely love it with Grapefruit! the lavender and sage really comes out to complement it.    
 

 St. Germain


 If you haven’t heard of St Germain, you need to put it on your shopping list. This Elder-flower Liquor is the new ketchup in the bartending world. It goes with pretty much anything! just don’t use too much. By itself the Drink is good. Add the burnt sugar to the drink or nibble on it as you sip the cocktial is up to you. Either way will give you a different texture and taste. It’s good. But with a dash of bitters on top, it goes beyond the expectations one could hope for. 
 

 Angostrura Aromatic Bitters


Now mind you, I’m not one of those bartenders that puts bitters in everything or has an arrey of 50+ different kind, as I’m telling you the history of all of them, while fiddling with my waxed mustache that went out of style before the automoblie came around. Mainly becouse, well, I just can’t remember all those facts nor can I grow a mustache that could even resemble one that could be waxed. And mainly I think that bitters is overused in everything. I never understood that in order for the drink to be good it had to hit your taste buds like a drunk construction worker. Bitters is a good balancer with sweet or tart. Used wisley you can quickly modify the drink to taste!

Basic help – White Wine

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So here is part two on the basic discriptions on wine.  White Wine!  
Here is a little info on RED WINE

GERURZTZRAMINER – I have friends that call it “Grutz”

WHITE ZINFANDEL – Who doesn’t know about this??  🙂

Moscato 

SAUVIGNON BLANC

PINOT GRIGIO – there is a Pinto Noir, Make sure you are specific when ordering 

CHAMPAGNE – I just had to throw this in.  This is a blanketed discription.  Trust me, they get hella complex and different. (Maybe I should do on one these)

RIESLING 

CHARDONNAY