Photo by Zack Benson
Being picked by Food & Wine as one of the Best New Bars 2014 is an honor beyond belief. It is great to see all of our efforts paying off with such amazing accolades. Congrats to our great staff for all of their hard work.
Photo by Gabe Fonseca
Bartenders,
I have a new cocktail exercise for you guys to work on. Whereas the last drill was about creativity, this one is about economy and about better understanding each and every ingredient.
Miles Davis is widely considered one of the greatest musical minds of the 20th century. Although he was a virtuoso trumpet player who could belt out anything he wanted, he is admired and known for playing very deliberately without any unnecessary notes
He was only able to do this, because he so well understood every single note that it allowed him to express himself purely and with clear intention. This is how we should aspire to be with cocktail ingredients.
Each component of the drink should be well-thought out and exist with purpose. This exercise should be helpful in getting us to understand this in action. With that said, here are the exercises in economy for you to complete:
HYBRID SOUR
2 ounces of a Single Spirit
3/4 ounces of Lemon or Lime
1/2 ounce of a Single Liqueu
r 1/2 ounce of Syrup
--------------------------
4 Ingredients Total
TWO HALF HALF
2 ounces of a Single Spirit
1/2 Fortified Wine
1/2 ounce of a Single Liqueur
Optional: Two Dashes of one type of Bitters
--------------------------
4 Ingredients Tops
COLLINS
2 ounces of a Single Spirit
3/4 ounces of Lemon or Lime
3/4 Syrup
Top with Club Soda
1 modifier in the form of: 2 Dashes Bitters or Muddled Produce
--------------------------
5 Ingredients Total
These drills are not here to stump you, so do not feel that you must create the next modern classic. Instead they are here to stimulate you and force you to think about economy. You have until June 30th to come up with the three drinks, which gives you six weeks. Do not hesitate to reach out to me if you need any advice or guidance. Best of luck, and I can't wait to try your drinks.
"Telling yourself 'Oh, you have all the time in the world, you have all the money in the world, you have all the colors in the palette you want, anything you want,' I mean, that just kills creativity." - Jack White
Photo Credit: Gabe Fonseca 2013
It seems that one of the top questions I get asked from bar managers and bar owners around the country is: how do you find great staff? Hiring people is just one of those things that too many of us routinely seem to do without really thinking about it too hard. I can say this, because this was a mistake I myself have made too often in the past.
On the surface the process seemed to be pretty simple: I would look for someone that had the skill set I was seeking and if they had the availability I needed, and hopefully, a good attitude, then they were hired.
I only interviewed the absolute minimum of applicants that I thought necessary. I also didn’t concern myself with whether or not they had the right traits for the bar, or more importantly, if I was bringing them into a position where they could thrive.
In essence, I was guilty of treating each position as though it were one size fits all, and in the end I believe that I kept many staff members from reaching their true potential. Although, I cannot say that I have discovered the keys to hiring the correct applicant every single time, I can say that my success rate has significantly improved over the years.
The most important thing that I did to improve my accuracy with new hires, was to narrow down exactly what I was looking for in my employees. To expand on that that more precisely, I mean what were the qualities and attributes that I was looking for at the bar? And what experience was I trying to deliver to my clientele?
A good way to help push this process along is to imagine in your mind the ideal bartender for your bar. Imagine that they are working their way through the course of a shift, ringing in and making drinks.
Now while that thought is still fresh in your mind, quickly write down five qualities that this ideal bartender embodied. Was it warmth? Humor? Speed? Or perhaps possibly, none of these.
Not all of these qualities are essential for every venue, so remember to keep in mind that it is all relative to what your bar is trying to deliver to its guests.
For instance speed is a must for any prospective hire in a high-volume nightclub, but not as strong a factor in a fine-dining restaurant. While attention to detail is paramount in a craft cocktail lounge, it can be an afterthought in a local college bar.
When you better frame it from that perspective, you will find that it is much easier to truly pinpoint who the ideal candidate for your bar is.
For instance at Polite Provisions, we base our staff hiring criteria on the following:
Work Ethic: Does this applicant like to work? Do they take pride in their craft? Are they the type of person that is self-motivated and enjoys performing a job well?
Awareness: Do they seem alert and engaged in conversation? Do they chime in appropriately when chatting and seem to have a solid understanding of their surroundings?
Hospitality: Does the potential hire convey warmth when speaking? Do they seem to radiate a genuine sense of concern or compassion for those around them?
Attention to Detail: Did they show up on time for the interview? Did they come prepared with a resume and pen? Did they interact with a level of certitude that left you confident in their abilities?
Curiosity: Do they seem eager to learn new things? Do they seem excited at the prospect of learning new drinks and techniques behind the bar? Does the thought of an immersive culture excite and engage them?
Even though, this may seem like a very particular trait set for one person to possess, these characteristics are the bare minimum that an individual would have to possess in order to excel at the bar. Without these traits we would be putting them in the position to fail.
Keep in mind that although these traits are the right ones for us, these are by no means universal. You have to find the right attributes for your bar, and once you do, you have to stick to them.
Your ideal traits will provide the foundation and heart of what your bar becomes, so the sooner that you recognize them and track them down, the sooner your staff and your bar will achieve their true potential.
Photo by Gary Allard
This is an excerpt of an interview that I did with Imbibe Magazine on winning Cocktail Bar of the Year with Polite Provisions. Since the interview was for industry folk instead of just home consumers, we were able to get deeper into the workings of running a great bar.
I hope you find something in there that helps you with your own bar.
"One of the most important aspects of launching a good bar is creating a family of employees where everyone is on the same page. Because of that, I put a significant amount of attention on the hiring, recruitment and retaining process. I wanted to make sure that everyone behind our bar subscribed to a common cocktail philosophy. I was less focused on pulling big-name “bar stars” and more interested in getting people who were passionate about hospitality." - Erick Castro
No more time for excuses, bartenders. We got a New Year in front of us and it’s time to do something with it.
Is this the year that you finally open up your own bar? Or maybe it’s the year that you snag a position as a brand ambassador. Or maybe it’s the year where you take action on that idea you had for a party at Tales.
Whatever it is that you want to do, it is finally the time to close out the tab on all those excuses and make something happen.
I won’t lie. It will probably be a lot of work, but it will not seem like work, because you will be doing something that you believe in.
There will be naysayers who don’t think you will be able to pull it off. Prove them wrong.
There will be supporters who know you are capable. Make them proud.
But don’t do it for them. Do it for yourself. Do it for the community. Do it because it has to be done. Do because if you don’t, no one else will.
Photo by Gary Allard
Given the amount of respect that I have for Imbibe Magazine this award truly does mean a lot to me. This honor would not have been possible without our incredible staff. Their hard work and efforts are what make the place what it is, and I cannot thank them enough.
Here is a video we did describing the philosophy that we have regarding our cocktails on draft system at Polite Provisions. Hope you enjoy it.
As much as I would like to one day be able to walk into any bar on the street and order a decent rye whiskey or craft beer, I won’t hold it against a bar if they lack the expertise or ingredients to make a Sazerac or Ramos Fizz. Most bars do not have those sort of dynamics built into their pricing or infrastructure, so it would be unreasonable to expect it.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions people tend to have about cocktail advocates, is that we drink only at venues which spotlight high-end cocktails and fancy ice cubes. This could not be further from the truth, because despite how much I love a great drink, the last thing I would want is for every bar to provide me with the same experience.
All of us, whether we realize it or not, go to plenty of different bars for plenty of different reasons. Sometimes we go to celebrate with friends, and sometimes, we go to meditate alone. Frequently, we wish to engage the bartender with what we are about to have, but just as often we simply want a cold beer and a little peace and quiet.
I know that many of my friends in the community will vehemently disagree with me, but I don’t think every venue has to offer fresh juice and proper technique to be considered a good bar. Mind you, I do know of a couple of proper dives that will stir your Manhattan and maybe even squeeze fresh lime into your Margarita, and I celebrate them for that, but I would not begrudge them if they didn’t.
I do not go to my favorite burger joint because they are well-versed in French kitchen techniques. I go there because they have quick, tasty burgers for a good deal. I would never expect them to offer anything more extravagant, and more importantly, I wouldn’t want them to.
Several years back, when I was still at Bourbon & Branch, I had a bar owner, who had recently discovered classic cocktails, approach me about revamping his venue and turning it into a craft cocktail bar. He was going to pay me a decent sum and the gig would have taken me six weeks.
It seemed like a good ideal initially, but once I got more information from him, I not only told him no, but I talked him out of the revamp all together.
Here is the deal, the bar that I was meant to retool, had been in his possession for eight years, and had a great local following. It was near a college campus and was busy with students nearly everyday, and even more so on weekends.
They did not make any fancy drinks at all, as their clientele came strictly for draft beer, shots and the occasional Long Island Iced Tea. The location’s pour cost and labor were both very low, and he did not need to spend much on maintenance or advertising.
Without mincing any words, I told him that I would love to work with him on another project down the road, but that he would have to be out of his mind to change anything at his present bar. It had a loyal clientele, very low overhead and more importantly, it was extremely profitable.
This bar was exactly what the community wanted, fast cheap drinks for a stressed out and financially-strapped demographic. Unfortunately, most college students have not quite hit their earning potential, so between work, finals and homework this is exactly what they are looking for, which brings me right back to where I started.
The thing that every successful bar realizes from the start, is that before they serve a single drink, they must first serve the community and that comes by fulfilling a role for the neighborhood around it.
The bar cannot run independently of the neighborhood, as any good bar is a part of the neighborhood, and will reflect that in how and what it serves. Not every bar needs to stock an extensive Italian wine list, just as not every bar needs to stock marshmallow vodka.
Regardless of whether we are drinking a can of domestic beer or a properly made cocktail, all of us go to different bars for different experiences, and it is grossly unfair to say one bar is better than the other. A more prudent way to think of it, would be to better understand which bar is better for the occasion.
There are few decisions that will affect the quality of cocktails in your bar more than what brands you choose as your well alcohol, or the term I prefer, house liquor – mostly because it sounds snazzier. When choosing your house liquor, it is very important that you take many factors into consideration.
Clearly the factor most bar managers take into mind, as least initially, is cost. However, this does not mean you should stock up on the cheapest stuff you can find. Although, this is often the case in many dives and nightclubs, as the dim lighting prevents you from seeing the labels, and presumably the company you are keeping.
Of course, this does not mean that you have to pawn off grandma’s pearls to suit your needs either. As much as we would all like to have Pappy 12 sitting in our well, the fact is, it is difficult to obtain and quite costly when you find it. Though, I have to admit that would be pretty impressive, if you could pull it off.
If, you are like most cocktail bars, you have already realized that the ideal bottle should be one that is of high quality, yet economical to work with. Unfortunately, the quest for quality can make it difficult to get a bottle for cheap, but remember, the key is not to aim for cheap, but rather economical -- cause a classy bar like yours doesn’t carry cheap stuff, right?
One nice thing you will notice straight away, is that a few categories offer some incredible values for a low price point, most notably rum -- 3rd world struggling economies -- and bourbon -- got to love government subsidized corn -- being two that stick out.
On the flip side, scotch and mezcal are going to be a couple that sit at the opposite end of the spectrum, with gin, tequila and most of the rest sitting in the middle. So, it does not hurt to keep those costs in mind while whipping up a “bartender’s choice” for a guest at the bar.
When it comes to looking for high-quality and value, you will have the best luck with the classic brands that have been around for generations. This is not only because many of them, not all, have a style tailor-made for classic cocktails, but also because all of their initial operating and opening costs were covered decades ago, thus they can now sell premium booze for a great deal.
This is why a distillery like Heaven Hill can make an economical house bourbon, yet a new boutique distillery that just started bottling 6 months ago, might not. That is not at all to imply that micro-batch spirits should be shunned for cocktails and menu placement.
On the contrary I believe many of them have been formulated specifically with great cocktails in mind. But unless you have the ability to sell $18 cocktails, most bars do not, be mindful of the liter cost.
If you are lucky enough to manage a bar where you are allowed a dual well, meaning you have one gin for shaken and another for stirred, than you are very fortunate and most bar managers envy your situation.
This is ideal, because it allows you the ability to pick a more aggressive and structured spirit to provide the backbone in a citrus-guided cocktail, such a Whiskey Sour or Daiquiri, and a more subtle and nuanced spirit for drinks, such as Old-Fashioneds and Martinis.
The upside of a dual well is that the liquor choice for your cocktails will most likely be that much more tailored, as to precisely the end result you have in mind. The downside being that two bottles of everything in your rail will, obviously, take up that much more room.
Also, it is much easier to negotiate weekly price breaks, on twelve bottles of Brand A whiskey, than it is on six bottles of Brand A and six bottles of Brand B. Not all states have those types of cost cutters built into the system, but for those of you that have access to them, you understand that these savings quickly add up, and can be used towards other things -- such as produce and repairing your Kold Draft machine...again.
Now that we have covered the basics, let’s move on to the next issue at hand: versatility. So, you picked out a rye for your well; it is coming in at an incredible bottle cost and it makes a decent Whiskey Sour, only problem is it makes a murky Old-Fashioned, but it gets worse: the Old-Fashioned is your number five top-selling cocktail. See where the problem is?
In your efforts to get a good deal, make sure you are not overlooking the most essential question, and that is how does it work in your cocktails. Does your house gin make an out of balance Negroni? Does your house bourbon make an abrasive Manhattan?
These may seem like obvious questions, but you would be surprised at how many otherwise incredible cocktail bars slip up on this very issue. When you find yourself faced with two options and you are on the fence as which way you should go between choices, try not to focus on the marketing trivia and brand talking points.
The first thing most bar managers do is try them neat and take notes on the subtleties in the spirits between them. This is a great first step, since this will give you a great foundation on which to make your decision.
But when it comes down to making the final call, I am a big believer that the best way to decide, is to do a blind tasting using your top-selling drinks with said spirit, and see which makes better cocktails.
You will be surprised sometimes, to find that the spirit you prefer neat is often your second choice when mixed in a cocktail. Too often the small differences we enjoy when sipped, are washed away when shaken up with lime juice and muddled mint. This goes for many of your mixers and sodas as well. Just because you prefer Brand A Ginger Beer over Brand B to drink as a soft drink, does not mean it makes a better cocktail. The sharp burn of Brand B, which makes it too strong to drink on its own, might be the needed kick you are looking for in your Moscow Mule -- do people still drink those?
On that same note, I have seen a number of bars snatch a seemingly great deal, only to find out later it was not what they bargained for. Imagine a local bar that moves a ton of Cachaca in their seasonal Caipirinhas. They are moving about 18 liters a week, which is nothing to scoff at.
Because of the volume they do with this one drink, it gives them the buying power to score some really great deals, and not neglecting this, the bar manager ends up locking down a wonderful aged sipping Cachaca as their house Cachaca.
Unfortunately, the bar was so happy to hook up a good deal that they neglected to see if the spirit even made a decent Caipirinha, or more importantly, a better Caipirinha than a less expensive one -- possibly even one made by the same distiller.
Bottom line, the goal is to find the proper balance between cost and the integrity of the cocktails that you sell. Do not be fooled by brand tactics and marketing minutiae from sales reps, instead choose a well that work best for the drinks YOU make and the flavor profiles you work with.
Learn not to be bothered by pseudo-connoisseurs, who sneer because you do not have a $70 Cognac as your house brandy, but also know when to make your case against cost-conscience owners, who want to put Gilby’s or Barton’s on your cocktail list.
At the end of the day, it is all about what makes delicious cocktails at a reasonable cost, cause that is what your guests are walking in the door for and those are the folks we should aim to keep happy.
