Category Archives: alcohol education

Jun3

15 Bartenders to Compete in Cognac for the G’Vine Connoisseur Program June 10-15

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Los Angeles Finals

Los Angeles Prelims- bartenders and judges

 

G’Vine Gin is sending 15 bartenders to Cognac, France to compete in the G’Vine Connoisseur Program June 10-15. It is considered a difficult bartending competition with competitors from across the globe. There are only 3 US bartenders out of the 15.

In order to be first selected to compete, bartenders were asked about their gin knowledge. Domaine Select Brand Manager Natalie Bovis said they had not required cocktail recipes during the initial round. “We know they’re good bartenders and can make cocktails,” she said.  G’Vine is part of the Domaine Select portfolio.

I attended the Los Angeles preliminary round and Cole’s bartender Cari Hah won that evening.

Cari Hah from Cole's Red Car Bar

Cari Hah from Cole’s Red Car Bar – LA Winner

Party attendees were invited to vote along side judges who vetted all the drinks. While I loved some of the other cocktails from Amanda Gunderson, Paul Sanguinetti and James Bowers, Cari’s drink showcased the G’vine gin the best.

Here are the 15 bartenders going to Cognac:

• Meaghan Dorman, from Raines Law Room, New York, USA (preliminary competition winner)
• Cari Hah, from Coles Red Car Bar, Los Angeles, USA (preliminary competition winner)
• Kellie Thorn, from Empire State South, Atlanta, USA (preliminary competition winner)
• Francesc Caira from House in Barcelona, Spain (preliminary competition winner)
• Ivan Villegas, from O’Clock in Madrid, Spain (preliminary competition winner)
• Jamie Jones, from The Liquorists, Manchester, UK (preliminary competition winner)
• Hannah Lanfear, from Boisdale, London, UK (preliminary competition winner)
• Michael Tomasic, from Wild Rover, Sydney, Australia (preliminary competition winner)
• Gorge Camorra, from Cloud9 Bar, Melbourne, Australia (preliminary competition winner)
• Irwan Majid, from Cut By Wolfgang Puck, Singapore (preliminary competition winner)
• Mari Nakano, from The Peninsula Peter Bar, Tokyo, Japan (preliminary competition winner)
• Katrin Reitz, from Le Dee Da, Berlin, Germany (preliminary competition winner)
• Mathieu Le Feuvrier, from Le Quarante Trois Cocktail Bar, Paris, France (wildcard entry winner)
• Denzel Heath, from Soho Molecular Lounge, Port Elizabeth, South Africa (wildcard entry winner)
• Antonia Lai, from Quinary, Hong Kong (wildcard entry winner)

 

Keep up with the finals on the Le GCP page on Facebook.

G’vine

 

May22

Aviation Gin Announces Weekly Contest – Win a Trip to Portland!

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image002

Aviation Gin is accepting photos for their weekly cocktail art contest until July 3. Each week will  have a different theme. To find out the themes, check out their Facebook page.

The contest is launching today, Wednesday, May 22 with the theme, BBQs and Booze. All you have to do is submit a photo for the theme. Winners will be chosen at random. Enter more photos for more chances to win!

Weekly prizes include an Aviation Gin prize pack but the grand prize is a cocktail lover’s all-expense paid trip to Portland, OR. The 2-night/3-day trip for two includes accommodation at a Klimpton Hotel, hosted tour and tasting at House Spirits Distillery, private bartending class with an in-house mixologist and nightly food tastings at local restaurants.

This contest is open to everyone, not just professional bartenders.

Contest period: May 22-July 3

Aviation Gin – Facebook page

House Spirits

Related posts: Checking out new offerings from House Spirits

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013

Apr26

Flashback Friday: Vesper Bombs

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Vesper bombs

Vesper bombs

 

After hearing about Vesper Bombs for so long, it was great to actually be in Vegas during an epic Vesper Bombs session at Vesper. For $5, you get a shot of Fernet-Branca upturned in a glass of ginger beer. Pull the shot glass out and let it mix before downing the thing.

I was with a group of bartenders from around the country. The SF ones sniffed a bit about mixing the Fernet. The lore goes you drink the shot then chase it with ginger beer, but it’s never mixed. So in their eyes, this was an abomination (pun intended).

Ah well, it was still good.

Previous posts about Vesper Bar

Vesper Bar

Return to Vesper Bar

New Cocktails at Vesper Bar

© The Minty // LA Cocktails  2013

 

Apr26

Recap: Brugal Rum at El Dorado with Lindsay Nader

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Lindsay Nader

Lindsay Nader

As part of Bartenders Weekend, one of the after-parties for Speed Rack was at El Dorado bar. It was sponsored by Brugal Rum. LA bartender and new Remy Cointreau ambassador Lindsay Nader guest bartended.

Brugal Rum cocktails

Brugal Rum cocktails; Side Boob & Built for Speed

 

For $5 a cocktail, we probably should have tried all the cocktails but we settled for two of the three. My friend went with the Side Boob which is the greatest name ever for a drink. And I had the Built for Speed. I really like mine. It’s was like a minty, herbal daiquiri. Second Base also sounded fun.

Side Boob – Brugal dry rum, Cointreau, lemon, vanilla syrup, chocolate bitters

Built for Speed – Brugal dry rum, lemon, sugar, mint, Green Chartreuse rinse

Second Base – Brugal dry rum, Aperol, lemon, ginger syrup, lavender, bitters, soda

Brugal was also our party bus sponsor which I loved since they was a sponsor of the party bus at Tales too (ah, memories).

 

Brugal Rum

Bartenders Weekend

El Dorado Cocktail Lounge

1030 Broadway, San Diego, CA 92101  —  (619) 237-0550 

All posts about Bartenders Weekend by The Minty

© The Minty // LACocktails.com 2013

Apr26

Checking out Tanqueray Malacca Gin

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Tanqueray Malacca

Tanqueray Malacca

Tanqueray produced their Malacca gin in the late 90s and early 00s. Here’s Inu a Kena’s informative review.

They recently brought back Malacca but it is still scarce. I’ve heard rumors it’s at this bar or that, the second shipment to California was lost, reps saying they see it in the system but can’t find it… which leads to even more curiosity. The latest rumor is there are 20 bottles heading to K&L. Now, don’t shoot the messenger if they’re not there.

I do know that I did taste it on two occasions and both times were in San Diego for Bartenders Weekend. If you’re in LA, there might be some left at Cole’s but I somehow doubt it.

Over at Noble Experiment in San Diego, I asked for a taste of the Malacca which was innocently sitting on the backbar. My initial thought was it’s a lot spicier than the regular Tanqueray London Dry.

Tanqueray gin tasting - 10 AM

Tanqueray gin tasting – 10 AM

Then I actually got up bright and early one day to the Tanqueray tasting.  Yeah, baby, gin tasting at 10 a.m.  I’m a professional. Er…trying to motivate myself to sample more of this exlir was pretty tough with Bartenders Weekend events lasting to the wee hours of the night.

menu

menu

We had a choice of Tanqueray and tonics or Red Snappers. I went with a Red Snapper which I had free reign to garnish with beef jerky and spicy pickles.

Red Snapper with Malacca

Red Snapper with Malacca

Wooh boy, it was even spicier with the pickles but it was the perfect eye-opener. I’ll have another.

Now how to get my hands on a bottle in LA…

Tanqueray

Bartenders Weekend

More posts about Tanqueray from The Minty/ LA Cocktails

All posts about Bartenders Weekend by The Minty

© The Minty // LACocktails.com 2013

 

Apr26

Sake One Tasting: Momokawa, Sakemoto, G, Moonstone

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Sake One

organic Momokawa

I was invited to try some of the sake produced and imported by Sake One in Oregon.

Some may be familiar with the blue bottle of Momokawa which I’ve actually picked up before from my local Sprouts. Now they have an organic version. Upon tasting, I was instantly reminded of melon. We were enjoying a Latin food lunch and it was interesting to see how the sakes worked with non-Japanese food. Naturally one tends to think of sake with Japanese food, perhaps with sushi. But the brewed sakes works well with any food. I can see this Momokawa bringing down the heat of really spicy food.

SakeMoto

SakeMoto

 

Next we moved on to the SakeMoto. Being a junmai sake, this was the next level up and this is where I typically start looking for a sake to try. I prefer drier sakes and this went well with the saffron infused mussels we were having at the time.

G

G – Genshu

 

Next we had the G, which came in a sleek black bottle adorned with a bright letter G which stands for genshu, another level of refined sake. This retails a bit more than Momokawa and SakeMoto and I would say this would go well with entrees. I really liked this with the blue cheese quesadilla we had. Instead of a wine tasting with cheese, it would be fun to try to match up cheeses to sakes. For those who think wait, but cheese with sake, I have to remind you of some of the cheesy Japanese foods that I’ve seen. Cheese corn ramen? Maybe the perfect thing is to have a sake with that.

Also, sake cocktails have been more refined these days. Since it’s brewed and therefore lower proof, many bars and restaurants with beer and wine use sakes to make cocktails but it’s been a recent trend to use sake in higher end cocktails. No longer is it just a source of booze content. It’s actually being used for its flavor profile as seen in a recent sake competition I covered.

I’d like to experiment with using the G to replace a dry vermouth. Perhaps in a Chrysanthemum cocktail (absinthe, Benedictine, dry vermouth).

Moon

Moonstone – Asian Pear Sake

 

The last sake I tried was the Moonstone. We had the Asian pear sake which as expected is a bit sweeter. This would be your dessert sake. I’d try this with a fruity dessert, sure, but also with chocolate desserts.

The next time I’m in Portland, Oregon, I’d love to visit the Sake One brewery to check out how sake is made. The brewery or kura (Japanese for sake brewery), is just outside of Portland.

 

Sake One

 

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013

Apr2

Trying Caliche Rum Cocktails by Michel Dozois

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Hot Bartender Michel Dozois

Hot Bartender Michel Dozois for Caliche Rum

I was first introduced to Caliche Rum about a year ago at their launch party.

I haven’t really seen it much on menus so I was glad to try a few cocktails made by Neve Ice’s Michel Dozois at Cana Rum Bar recently. There were also snacks from Rivera.

I had been asked if I preferred savory or sweet cocktails but Michel knows what I like. I still recall his hoisin sauce gin cocktail with fondness. We tried to talk him into recreating the drink with Caliche but he doesn’t like to repeat himself. One day I’ll get the specs though.

Caliche

Caliche – with Cynar, Michel’s Curacao, Tequila, Aperol

 

I’d describe this cocktail made with Caliche, Cynar, Tequila, Aperol and Michel’s homemade curacao as boozey. I was glad for that chunk of Neve ice in there! Everything was exquisitely balanced and every sip revealed a hint of spice.

A stirred Caliche Cocktail

A stirred Caliche Cocktail

Next, I got the only up cocktail of the night. Naturally, Michel would want to feature his wonderful line of ice in addition to Caliche but for me, he gave me boozey drink with Caliche, Maraschino and Torani Amer.

Both cocktails though rum based could have been very well been whiskey based. I was delighted how well Caliche played with others. Who says rum always has to be tropical? Sure, Caliche makes a good mojito but it can stand up to the bold amari and other modifiers.

caliche

Caliche Rum

Cana Rum Bar

714 West Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90015 – (213) 745-7090

© The Minty // LACocktails.com 2013

Apr2

The Glenlivet in Santa Monica Tasting Recap

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The Glenlivet

The Glenlivet

Recently Glenlivet’s Nights of Passage rolled through Santa Monica. I had attended last year and quite enjoyed my experience but admittedly, I got there a wee bit late so I missed some of the presentation. I was glad to get more of an education this time — my fave nugget of info was learning how invariably with popularity, others tried to imitate Glenlivet to the point where they had to trademark it the name The Glenlivet so others couldn’t use the name.

 

learning about Glenlivet

learning about Glenlivet

It’s always very interesting to be in a mixed crowd for tastings. I think I almost enjoy these general tastings more because more is explained and no one assumes you know anything about the brand.

We were also treated to food from Superba Snack Bar. I think it’s very necessary to have food at tastings. There should be at least bread or crackers. On this night, there were crostini and lots of tender short ribs.

Glenlivet Scotch tasting

Glenlivet Scotch tasting

I definitely encourage those to join the Glenlivet Guardians to find out when the tastings are. It was nice to taste the 12, 15 and 18 expressions again. This time, I firmly was stuck on the 15 but I found the 12 to be a very nice, every day sippin’ whisky. I certainly can’t fault it on anything. The 18 would be nice after dinner.

We also got chocolate at the end for a special expression. I have to say the spicy chocolate worked really well with the whisky.

 

The Glenlivet

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013

Apr2

Culver City: Bespoke Cocktails at Oldfield’s Liquor Bar

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The Delicious Sour

The Delicious Sour

Last year, I checked out Oldfield’s Liquor Bar and knew I had to return for a visit — and sit at the bar. And after I tasted Robin Jackson’s Auchentoshan Triple Threat punch, I knew I had to plant myself in front of her bar.

It’s funny because I had met a bar owner from Dallas at the 2011 Portland Cocktail Week and he texted me I needed to go meet Robin after he met her at last year’s Portland Cocktail Week (which sadly I couldn’t attend). It took me a while but I finally did meet her officially this evening when I visited Oldfield’s.

She asked what I wanted and I was in a mood for a sour. She came up with The Delicious Sour (applejack, peach liqueur, lime, egg white). And it was delicious. It was a nice way to ease into the evening after cocktails at Caulfield’s and the neighboring Bigfoot West.

Cigar Box

Cigar Box

Next I asked what she was working on. And then I noticed she had Amaro Braulio which is one of my new favorite amari. She gave me her Cigar Box (Black Grouse, Mezcal, Amaro Braulio, orange bitters). Black Grouse Scotch is smokier than Famous Grouse and if you don’t like the peaty stuff, this may not be for you. But I do like that smokiness and with a bit of mezcal, this was a serious drink. It was done old fashioned style.

Pisco Punch

Pisco Punch

To end, I went back to something lighter and asked for pisco. She made a pisco punch for one with her own pineapple gomme syrup.

Oldfield’s was just as loud this evening when I first went but somehow it was better sitting at the bar. It’s still my preferred way to explore the menu and cocktails at a cool bar.

Next time, I’ll just have to go earlier in the evening.

Oldfield’s Liquor Room

10899 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034 – 310-842-8066

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013

Mar26

DTLA: Happy Hour at Rivera

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Jeremy Lake, The Minty Hot Bartender 2012

Jeremy Lake, The Minty Hot Bartender 2012

I recently discovered Rivera now has happy hour. When the restaurant first opened, they famously didn’t have discounted cocktails or food for the hungry office workers. They’re fairly close to LA Live, the Convention Center and Staples. I wouldn’t want to discount my food or booze either. Then Rivera started doing reverse happy hour and that seemed to work at catching the folks leaving the nearby entertainment.

Luckily they started happy hour about five months ago. It only took me that long to figure this out. I was looking at their lunch menu online (which hasn’t changed much) and noticed the happy hour menu. Say what? I was there that same week. Okay, it was a week later. But I have made it a semi-regular thing bringing in my coworkers. I needed to find a new happy hour/ after-work hang since I am not frequenting my other two haunts at the moment.

Beverage Director (and the Minty Hot Bartender 2012) Jeremy Lake along with Julian Cox put together the cocktails. The following is a mix of what’s currently available but catch these soon because they’re gearing up for Spring menus soon.

arepas with BBQ shrimp

arepas with BBQ shrimp

The food for happy hour includes stuffed olives, arepas with BBQ shrimp, a short ribs tamailii, the always delicious tortillas florales and more. All for $5 a pop. I’m currently obsessed with the arepas and tamalii (that’s how they spell it).

daiquiri

daiquiri

Happy hour cocktails include classics like daiquiri and Gold Rush. The Rivera’s Cup– a take on a Pimm’s cup is also very popular with tequila and cucumbers. There’s also a few beer and wine options.

tamalii short ribs

tamalii short ribs

Mushrooms add to the already great flavor of the tamalii short  ribs.

Saved by Basil

Saved by Basil

Saved by Basil is already off the list but I’m always curious about Dimmi based cocktails. The Italian grappa lends itself well to fruity concoctions. Plus, I love basil. My alter ego is The Basil.

La Ofrenda

La Ofrenda

On the regular cocktails list, La Ofrenda is one of my favorites with housemade blood orange chips and foam. The tequila based cocktail is a showy cocktail but still has a lot of substance to back it up. I was sitting at the bar before a Lakers game and so many people were intrigued by this drink. Sure, the Barbacoa and Blood Sugar Sex Magic are still probably the best sellers but I have a feeling La Ofrenda will go far. At least until the end of the blood orange season.

Autumn Sour

Autumn Sour

Whenever I want to go light, I ask for a sour. The Autumn Sour is a nice one.

Flor de Jerez

Flor de Jerez

I love that Rivera has a whole section of sherry cocktails right now. The Flor de Jerez is my pick at the moment.

Monte Carlo

Monte Carlo

Rivera is probably known for its wide selection of tequilas but it also has a strong whiskey selection as well. Get classics like the Monte Carlo here.

Chet Baker

Chet Baker

Or if you like rum, the Chet Baker from the happy hour menu is also a deal.

Carroll Gardens

Carroll Gardens

One of these days, I’ll have to put together my Manhattan Project post. I’ve been on a hunt trying all the different Manhattan variations. Carroll Gardens may not be as well-known as a Little Italy or a Red Hook but it has it’s place in my heart.

Rivera Restaurant

1050 South Flower Street, Los Angeles, CA 90015-5100 – (213) 749-1460

© The Minty // LA Cocktails 2013