Question from the AOTD Facebook Page

Q: Great videos man. I am going through Bartending School right now and I'm in the third day of a 1 week course. I don't drink (never have) so I don't know a lot about the different alcohols or the different tastes of liqueurs, etc. I have learned a lot from your videos in the last 2 weeks that I've been watching them (started before starting School) and I feel like I've learned more from your vids than I have in school.

What I'm wondering is, in school they give recipes for drinks but it seems every one of them is different with all the drinks. For instance a GODFATHER is 1-1/2 oz of Scotch, 1/2 oz amaretto in the manual, but I see you did one with Bourbon and it was 3 oz to 1 oz amaretto. Stronger drink? Bigger glass?

A: Drink recipes are just like food recipes: there are a million different ways to make meatloaf, and there are the same number of ways to make a Godfather. What you want to focus on is the defining characteristics of each recipe and then make the cocktail the way your guest likes it best -- which it's an extremely important part of your job to determine, btw.

The same way meatloaf has to have some type of ground meat (beef is traditional), a binder, and spices that are usually baked and sliced for presentation, a Godfather has to have some type of whiskey (Scotch is traditional) and amaretto that's usually stirred and presented on the rocks. After that, it's all up to the bartender. We've all seen meatloaf made with pork instead of beef, some chefs prefer tomato-based sauces, some like brown sauces -- hell, my grandmother used to put a hard-boiled egg in the middle of hers and my mom made hers with no meat!

I like my Godfathers shaken using about 3 parts Bourbon to 1 part amaretto, while you may prefer yours stirred with half Scotch and half amaretto. Don't ever let anyone tell you your way is wrong -- it may vary from more common recipes, but if you're making conscious choices (as opposed to just not knowing any better) then that's your recipe. It's one thing to be asked for a Godfather and serve up vodka and cranberry -- which would in fact be wrong because that's a different drink (Cape Codder) -- but it's quite another to offer a single malt and amaretto up in a martini glass, which is a perfectly acceptable variation as long as you let your guest know that's your presentation.

Again focus on the defining characteristics of each drink and why the ingredients work together, then feel free to riff on a theme. Newer bartenders often spend lots of time pointing disdainfully at other bartenders and crying, "Wrong!" though most people who've been behind the plank for a while will tell you that's the sure sign of a rookie trying to show how much they think they know. However, always be sure to defer to house recipes -- first and foremost it's your job to make drinks the way your restaurant/bar specifies.

Anthony on Bourbon

Anthony waxes philosophic about Bourbon at the New York City Beer, Bourbon & BBQ Festival with Tom Fischer of BourbonBlog.com.



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Shaken, Not Stirred

One of the most common questions I get, this time from the YouTube site:

Q: When it comes to bourbon, when do you shake and when do you stir? The two drinks you showed in your last video are really similar but one was shaken and the other was stirred.

A: Great question, and a source of contention among some bartenders. Shaking versus stirring doesn't depend on the liquor, but rather on the mixers and, more importantly, on how the bartender wants to present the drink. Shaking aerates the drink, which makes it easier for your nose to get involved in the tasting and can thus intensify the flavor. This also froths the ingredients, which lightens the texture but also clouds the liquid. Lastly it imparts ice flakes which help keep the drink at temperature.

Stirring keeps the drink dense and clear, but does this at the expense of aeration and ice flakes. To me, flavor and temperature are more important in most cocktails than keeping them clear, so I shake almost all my drinks. The exceptions are liquor-only (no mixers) drinks that I serve up (no ice) and specifically want to keep crystal-clear - and these are rare. (Also consider that even a shaken drink will clarify in just a few minutes.)

I've taken temperature readings over 30 minutes of shaken and stirred drinks countless times in training classes, and shaken drinks stay significantly colder longer. A properly-shaken martini will still be below 40F after sitting for 15 minutes, while the stirred version doesn't hold temp nearly that long.

Last common misconception is that shaking waters a drink down more than stirring, which is not only untrue but immaterial. First off, ice melt is an important ingredient in a properly mixed drink. Secondly, physics tells us that cooling a liquid from Temp A to Temp B requires the ice to absorb X amount of heat, which in turn results in Y volume of ice melt. Both methods rely on convective cooling and if the temperature is lowered the same amount, the melt will be equal.

Thanks for watching!

Episode 69: Root Beer Float

Anthony wraps up his visit to Daddy-O with a Maker's Mark Root Beer Float!



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Episode 68: Passion Fruit Paloma

Anthony returns to Daddy-O with Charlotte and makes her unique Passion Fruit Paloma just in time for Spring!



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Art of the Drink 34: Bill Samuels Jr. Interview

Anthony visits Loretto, KY, and talks with Maker's Mark president Bill Samuels Jr.



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