What Rambo learned at Bartending School today

[erictheobscure]



Am I the only one who thought that a custom mold for an ice the ball that size could be made and then simply run it unter cool water to smooth it. It seems like it would accomplish the same thing in considerably less work.

Yes I know the showmanship and ect would be lost, but for someone wanting the same at home this seems like it would make sense.

I have a silicone ice ball maker from Muji. You twist the two halves closed and pour in water through a hole in the top. I rarely use it, though.

 

[Biscotti]

I don't mean to sound like a let down, but all my friends who bar tend / own / manage bars or restaurants (high end and neighborhood dives) scoff at bartending schools and their students. Amongst pretty much all them, having gone to bar tending school is a mark against you.

 

[CouttsClient]



Am I the only one who thought that a custom mold for an ice the ball that size could be made and then simply run it unter cool water to smooth it. It seems like it would accomplish the same thing in considerably less work.

Yes I know the showmanship and ect would be lost, but for someone wanting the same at home this seems like it would make sense.

Here you go:

 

[erdawe]



They already have those, I<3Bacon has one I believe. There are many methods to getting round ice, but hand-carved is obviously the sexiest way....

I have a silicone ice ball maker from Muji. You twist the two halves closed and pour in water through a hole in the top. I rarely use it, though.

I wasn't aware specifically, but I guess this doesn't surprise.

Thanks for the mentions guys, just looked it up.

 

[Krish the Fish]

I think the MOMA (web)store has an ice ball mold as well. I vaguely recall someone (ama maybe?) talking about such a thing before.

edit: found it on the website.

On topic, I've always been interested in the idea of taking a bartending class, but the best bartenders I know learned the skill on the job and perfected their recipes by experience. Still isn't completely discouraging; if I had more time I'd definitely consider it. Subscribed!

 

[Rambo]

That thing is kind of cool. I'd probably rather go for the big square cubes, or those ice rocks, myself.

So, back to the learnin' - Thursday we learned about Sour Mix Drinks. Essentially, they are the same proportionally as the Highball drinks, but these are either served in a martini glass or a Rocks glass. Here is a rocks glass:

The glass is filled with ice and then you get 1oz liquor + mix. Unless the drink is served "stright up", then it is strained into a martini glass with no ice in it. All SMD's are shaken or blended. Pro Tip - all SMD's get a cherry garnish, unless its a Margarita or a Long Island Iced Tea. The Margarita gets a lime and the LIIT gets a lemon. Recipes:

-Daiquiri - 1oz light rum, sour mix, shake, cherry and lime garnish

-Whiskey Sour - 1oz whiskey, sour mix, shake, cherry

-Midori Sour - 1oz Midori, sour mix, shake, cherry

-Amaretto Sour - 1oz Amaretto, sour mix, shake, cherry.

Then, we moved onto the Collins glass drinks. The Collins glass is a taller, thinner version of the Highball glass, and looks like this:

The glasses are filled with ice, liquor and sour mix are added to about 3/4 of the glass, and then they are finished with club soda. If you prefer to shake the liquor and sour mix, do it before the club soda is added.

Pro Tip - All Collins drinks are from the SOUR SODA family - all members of the family get sour mix and club soda.

Recipes:

Tom Collins - The OriGINal Collins family member - 1oz gin, sour mix, club soda, cherry and orange garnish

Sloe Gin Fizz - The Sloe Collins family member - 1oz sloe gin, sour mix, club soda, cherry and orange garnish

Singapore Sling - A Tom Collins with Red Shoes and a Red Hat - 1/2oz Grenadine (red shoes - red on the bottom of the glass), 1oz gin, sour mix, club soda, 1/2oz Cherry Brandy floater (red hat - red on the top of the glass), cherry and orange garnish

Next up is the Margarita which is 1oz tequila, 1/2oz triple sec, and sour mix. Shake and garnish with lime. Pro Tip Acronym - TTS (****) - Tequila, Triple Sec, Sour Mix.

A Blue Margarita is the same except the triple sec is replaced with blue curacao.

A Cadillac Margarita is the same as the original except a 1/2oz float of Grand Marnier and a splash of lime juice are added.

Next up I'll go into the Long Island Iced Teas.

 

[kwilkinson]

Tell me they taught you to make sour mix using fresh juice and you weren't making these with pre-made mix.

 

[Rambo]



Tell me they taught you to make sour mix using fresh juice and you weren't making these with pre-made mix.

First of all - we're using water and colored liquids to "make" these drinks. No real materials are used. Secondly, they say everything is pre-bottled, and that homemade mixes are very rare.

 

[kwilkinson]

You should stop going.

 

[Rambo]



You should stop going.

They also use plastic pieces of fruit to simulate garnish. You ever try and get juice out of a plastic lime? Its ******* tough.

 

[cptjeff]



First of all - we're using water and colored liquids to "make" these drinks. No real materials are used. Secondly, they say everything is pre-bottled, and that homemade mixes are very rare.

I normally fall into the cocktail obsessive category, and I don't bother with fresh juice. Not worth the extra effort when I just want a drink. I just measure out an appropriate amount of real lemon or real lime stuff. Hell, it still has pulp in it, and is the same strength as the stuff you get from the fruit. Yeah, there are preservatives in there.

It's hardly a sin on the same order as using sour mix made from corn syrup and artificial flavor.


And I can see why bartending school would be a mark against a potential applicant. It sounds like they're teaching the wrong way as the right way, which is very bad. What they should be doing is teaching the right way, and then describing the tradeoffs made for a cheaper, quicker drink. If a bar that tries to do thing any better than the class hires you, they're looking at a fair bit of retraining to get your brain out of the dumbass sour mix and 1 oz shots mode, at least if you had no experience before the class.

 

[edinatlanta]

Cool thread.

Multi quote function sucks however.

iam, I think people have only had vermouth that has turned, hence why they don't like vermouth in martinis.

Also, there was some dumbass female celebrity I was briefly reading about on the plane (seriously, who ******* reads those interviews in magazines?) who said her favorite cocktail was a vodka martini, no vermouth and lemon on the side. If I were a bartender my quip would be: so you want two-and-a-half shots of vodka, got it.

Seriously that **** pisses me off.

 

[ErnestoG.]

there is some dilution from shaking with the ice, bro.

 

[edinatlanta]



there is some dilution from shaking with the ice, bro.

Yes. I know. Your point is what, that now it is two-and-a-half shots of vodka with some water and still not a martini? That's in anyway different from what I said?

 

[scarphe]



That thing is kind of cool. I'd probably rather go for the big square cubes, or those ice rocks, myself.



Singapore Sling - A Tom Collins with Red Shoes and a Red Hat - 1/2oz Grenadine (red shoes - red on the bottom of the glass), 1oz gin, sour mix, club soda, 1/2oz Cherry Brandy floater (red hat - red on the top of the glass), cherry and orange garnish

that is one horrible singapore sling. it is missing some key things.