Firstly, God Damn do I love this film, (the 1988 hollywood version not the more recent Far Eastern variations) it is one of those films that I could watch over and over and over again, and Tom Cruise  just happens to be one of my favourite actors ever. But there are some definite problems to be had if we look at it with a critical bartenders eye.

First of all, no matter what you say, in our realm of creation of damn-fine tasting drinks, there is no place for a Red-Eye. A coworker/flatmate and I experimented after watching it post-shift one night, and both agreed that it might possibly be worse than any other imbibable(is that a word?) liquid in the world when done the “Cocktail” way. Surely there is a need for an egg to add something to a cocktail, (normally texturising the drink) not just floating on the top? It seems like an over the top protein shake gone wrong to me? There is however a slightly modified Japanese version which Ereich Vaughn Empey considers in his blog post here. However, as this isn’t a post concerning strictly the red-eye then we’ll leave it to him to help cultivate some more ideas about it. 

My main problem with cocktail isn’t Doug Coughlin’s (Bryan Brown) outrageously contrived philosophical diatribe (YES, 4 BIG WORDS IN A ROW), nor the loosely padded bullshit “boy meets girl, they fall in love, boy fucks up , regains her love eventually” plot, nor the hippy hippy shake. 

It is however, the inability of the cast and director to properly convey how much it physically and mentally hurts to do an 10 hour shift, close the bar at 2 or 3 am then head back in first thing in the morning for opening. And for someone who at one time was doing 11am to 4/5am 6 days a week that’s pretty annoying. Sure, they manage to get in some of the bar closing, but mainly just the bit where you sit back and have a beer after work is done. For a film that has a loose plot which is padded by a whole lot of bartending, there is very little actual bartending going on. Sure, they make a lot of drinks and throw a lot of bottles, but where’s the prep, or the lugging of kegs, or the 3 hour deep clean once a week?

This film apparently inspires lots of people to try their hand at bartending, I certainly have a few non-bartender friends who thought that it would be a great idea after watching the film. Why can’t someone make a real film about bartending, I know that I would go and see it repeatedly at my local cinema. Preferably in 3D so the flair bottles can come flying out of the screen at you, and maybe smell-o-vision too? 

 Coughlin’s law: never show surprise, never lose your cool.

 Club tropicana, the infamous Wham! song from the early 80s features George Michael and   Andrew Ridgeley sipping on the infamous Pina Colada, and for many this is the typical vision they see of ‘Tiki’. However, as a cocktail enthusiast and writer, I feel obligated to decry this. 

Tiki has recently experienced a boom in popularity, maybe not a boom the size of the Gin or craft beer revolution that has been going on but now it is likely that you’ll find at least one tiki inspired cocktail on the menu at your local decent cocktail bar. 

Tiki cocktail are predominantly based on a mix of rum, fruit juice, citrus juices, syrups and exotic flvaours thrown in for good measure. In comparison with the modern mixology wave that is going on, Tiki is a very relaxed style of drinking, with the emphasis on fun and flavour, rather than exact minutiae prepared in exactly the right order. (For a good example of a laid-back Tiki/Rum blog check out rumdood). 

Tiki bars and clubs are still popping up all over, however the momentum seems to have been lost a little recently. (For an interesting article about a Tiki bar check out this post from bitters&twisted).  The cocktails (when made well) are a delicate balance of anything from 5 to 15 ingredients, and consider the difficulty of balancing just 3 or 4 it shows how impressive tiki drinks really are. 

So, with this little introduction to Tiki done, look forward to the 5 essential tiki drinks to know that will be following soon. 

Thanks for reading, and keep imbibing!

Some of the cocktails that have been imbibed tonight, there will be a full report tomorrow for your imbibing pleasure to go hand in hand with ours.

thelibatarians:

CRITICAL MASS CHERRIES

For as long as I can remember now, cherries in Leeds have been as rare as rocking horse shit! Finally today we managed to get hold of a large batch, so decided to preserve them for use as garnishes. Using 3 punnets of Spanish cherries, we added 3 measures of Amaretto, 3 measures of Evan Williams (essentially making a big Godfather), and topped it up to the brim with simple syrup (1:1 ratio sugar and water). All was going well until Tom decided to cram another punnet of cherries in. Jar reached critical mass. Liquor everywhere. Good times on a sunny afternoon in the ‘Stack!

Mike

(via mindtron)

We went to the Bath Street Pony in Glasgow for a birthday drink a few weeks ago and I have only just got round to uploading a photo. My personal favourite was the cocktail pictured, called Storm in a Teacup. From what I can remember, this consisted of Royal XM VXO Rum, ginger beer, and a squeeze of lime. Highly recommended bar to visit in Glasgow.

So, this weeks massive undertaking has been to produce a variety of sugar syrups flavoured with fresh ingredients. This is the kind off thing that is popping up in craft bars all across the States, and in some of the major cities of the UK (i.e. London/Edinburgh). The flavours I’ve been going for are kind of random, just what was available in the shop when I was struck by the idea to make this my project this week. 

The whole process is pretty darn simple actually, as I’ll explain. Out of the 6 different flavours I have attempted, I did 5 the same, but 1 slightly differently. The process starts with a simple sugar syrup.


Simple Syrup

2 parts granulated sugar
1 part water

Place in pan and simmer gently till all the sugar is dissolved and the liquid has reduced to a decent thickness(you will know it is thick enough)


The process of making the simple syrup is probably the hardest part of the whole process. After you have made up your simple syrup, let it cool then bottle it up with whatever flavour ingredients you choose. For example, i split up a stalk of lemongrass and then bottled it with my simple syrup. Now, just need to leave it for a week to mature and left the flavours blend in.

The only one i did differently was the blackberry syrup, and that was still very easy as well. Simply toss a generous handful in the pan when the simple syrup is simmering, and strain the blackberries out. 


Once these syrups have matured for a little while, they can be used in cocktails, or cooking, or even as a flavouring for a cup of coffee. 
Don’t be afraid to try these at home if you have a bottle spare, as they are a great thing to have lying about. The syrups should last about a month if kept sealed in the fridge. 

Anyway, good luck. Thanks for reading, and don’t forget to share this around!

Today, we will be talking about the process of carbonating cocktails! I’m no expert on the subject but successfully tried it yesterday for the first time. so thought I should write a little about it. I first discovered this when I was reading about something Jeffrey Morgenthaler had done about some sort of cocktail, and there hovering near the end of the article was a link to his take on carbonating cocktails. As the perceptive of you will have noticed he is my favourite contemporary bartender (it says so on the right hand side of this page), so I sent him an email, basically asking if I could steal one of his recipes and carbonate it. He said yes (pretty big moment for me). 

The recipe I chose was one of my favourite newer-age cocktails, a Batida Rosa(talked about it here). I love the smoky sweetness of it, with the finishing sour bite. And so, I trudged (admittedly with glee) down to the Good Spirits Co. in Glasgow and bought a nice bottle of Cachaca and some Monin Grenadine to start me off with the recipe. After a trip to the local T***o, I began by shaking and straining the ingredients into the isi Twist and Sparkle bottle and left it for a while till it was properly chilled. 

I then proceeded to carbonate the heck out of that bottle of pre-made cocktail, and damn did it turn out tasty. Morgenthaler recommends adding a large dash (not quite sure what a large dash is) of soda water to the cocktail after you’ve shaken it, but the carbonation method removes the need for this, giving it a stronger flavour, without losing the fizz…

I don’t recommend trying this with just any cocktail, but if you do, let me know how it goes! 

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So, after nearly a month break due to varying reasons, including hangovers and work schedules, but mainly a lack of any decent internet, this is the first post for a long while. We’re sorry that we’ve been away for so long, but circumstances were against us! 

The first post on our return is going to be about Angostura Bitters. While not many non-bartenders/ cocktail aficionados may have heard of this (sorry if I’m insulting anyone with that comment), Angostura is a massively important component of a lot of drinks that we as a public take for granted.

Invented in the 1800’s by a german army doctor called Dr J.G.B Siegert, it’s name comes from the town in Venezuela, not the medicinal Angostura Bark. The bitters was originally invented as a medicinal tonic, but now it is used by cocktail enthusiasts around the world. 

This was the first ever bitters I used, and have tried other aromatic bitters, but Angostura is still the best for me. Obviously there are other types of bitter, and for different uses these may suit better. However, if you want to have some bitters in your cocktail cabinet there is not a better place to start

In a break from getinthespirits tradition, we aren’t going to talk about a modern classic cocktail on a Monday for once! We’re in London for a few days visiting friends and family, and what better place to enjoy a few drinks. Sadly, however much we would like to go to the very best cocktail bars in London, funding is short for this trip so we’re merely going to go to the bars that strike our fancy. 

However, if ever there was a bar that needed to be considered when talking about the creation of cocktail history, it’s the American bar at the Savoy Hotel. If you were going to pick some classic bartenders, the Savoy’s list of staff would be a good place to start, as Harry Craddock (who wrote the first Savoy cocktail book) is one of the foremost and most famous bartenders. The American Bar at the Savoy is where cocktails go to become famous. It is the haunt of movie stars, politicians, and musicians. It is the place where Winston Churchill used to go when he had a spare moment away from menial tasks like running a country at war, and where Frank Sinatra drank when he visited the UK. 

Several cocktails have been created within the four walls of the American Bar, and many more have been popularised there. We don’t have enough time or space to document them all, so here are a few choice classics, with some of the stories of their creation. 

First of all we have the Hanky Panky, created and made famous by Ada Coleman (one of the first female bartenders, and Head bartender at the Savoy). Invented by her for Sir Charles Hawtrey, it was named by him in honour of her. 

Hanky Panky

30ml Italian Vermouth
30ml Bombay Saphhire Dry Gin
2 Drops of Fernet Branca (a type of herbal bitters) 

Shake and Strain into a chilled cocktail glass, and garnish with a orange peel. 

This classic can be a little dry for modern taste, but if you like a cocktail made dry, try this one out. However, it might be difficult to find a local bar that stocks the Fernet. 

The next cocktail comes from the mind of cocktail genius and long-serving head bartender, Joe Gilmore. He created many cocktails to mark several important events, but one that still holds it’s place of prominence on the Savoy menu to this day is the Moonwalk. No this isn’t a drink that holds any reference to Michael Jackson, but rather the first moon landing.

Moonwalk 

30ml Gran Marnier
30ml Fresh Grapefruit Juice
2 Drops Rosewater
Topped with Champagne. 

Shake and Strain all of the ingredients into a wine glass, then top with champagne. 

This was the first drink had by the Astronauts of the Apollo 11 mission when they returned to earth. Neil Armstrong sent Joe Gilmore a letter of thanks for the creation of this. 

Well, we hope you have enjoyed this little delve into the history of the American Bar at the Savoy. We urge you to read some more about this wonderful bar (and follow us using the various fancy buttons at the bottom of the page).

Enjoy!

If ever there was a day to indulge in a drink, today is the day! This day celebrates the patron Saint of Ireland, St Patrick, as in now used as a massive excuse to go out, and indulge in a tipple or two. 

Last night, when it was looking very stormy and wet, I thought that I would write about the Irish Coffee once again, nothing quite like a hot coffee with a shot of whisky in to warm the cockles on a cool day/night. Lo and behold, the weather defeats me at every turn, and when I saw how nice and sunny it was this morning I knew I had to produce the goods in some other cocktail form. 

So here goes!!! I know that this might be a little politically incorrect but it is a damn good way to attack your liver (we do not condone excessive drinking).

The Irish Car Bomb

1/2 pint of Guiness
1 shot Irish Whiskey, preferably Jamesons
1 Shot Baileys Irish Cream

layer the Jameson and Baileys in a tall shot glass. Drop this shot glass into the guiness and skull as quickly as possible before it curdles. 
This isn’t the nicest drink in the world, but you have to try it at least once! 

The other cocktail I have for you on this day of Leprachauns and other such stereotypes is a traditional sour. 

Jamesons Sour

50ml Jamesons
20ml Fresh Lime Juice
20ml Sugar Syrup
and a fresh egg white

Shake and fine strain all these ingredients into a chilled martini glass. 

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter, facebook etc(Use the cool looking buttons at the bottom of the page). And make sure you enjoy having a cocktail! 

And most importantly, use today as an excuse to celebrate our irish brethen and all that nonsense! 

After a week long hiatus, for various reasons (including the dreaded essay season at uni), we’re back with another cocktail for your taste-bud tingling pleasure. Tuesday is the classic cocktail day, which means that for this we use old school recipes. We love to hear about new cocktails and your takes on old favourites, so contact us or comment on the posts! Like us on facebook, and you can post your recipe ideas there too! 

Todays classic cocktail is the White Lady. This is a veritable ol’ gal, created in 1910 by Harry MacElhone (Of Harry’s New York Bar in Paris fame) yet this simple classic has withstood the test of time. 

White Lady
30ml Gin
20ml Cointreau or Triple Sec
20ml Fresh Lemon Juice
1 egg white

Shake and strain all the ingredients into a chilled martini glass, the garnish with a twist of lemon

Don’t wait to try this one out, it is definitely worth it! 

And don’t forget to follow us on facebook, twitter etc! 

Happy drinking days!

Well, its officially our 3 month birthday! That’s right, 3 WHOLE MONTHS! This must call for a celebration of some sort, and seeming as it’s a Sunday, there isn’t much else to do other than have a nice ol’ Espresso Martini, which, incidentally enough is also perfect for any of you who might be hanging after festivities last night. The combination of coffee and alcohol combines two of the best possible hangover cures in my opinion. 

Invented during the 80’s by Dick Bradsell, this is either a great way to start a night or as I noted above, a great way to potentially cure a hangover. There are several variations to this drink, created during the popularisation of flavoured vodka. However, I like the standard way, although feel free to experiment. 

                                            
                                                   Espresso Martini
                                                     30ml Vodka
                                                     30ml Kahlua
                                                   1 Shot Espresso
                                                   15ml Sugar Syrup

Shake and strain all ingredients into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with 3 coffee beans(as 3 it is considered lucky in Italy)


Right, were gonna go and enjoy one of these now. Hopefully you will too! 

This weekend (for some people, not including myself) it is the British University Sailing Association Championships at Bardowie, just outside of Glasgow. So in honour of the silly buggers who have to go and get wet and cold to have fun, I have racked the recesses of my cocktail brain and found a cocktail or two that could suit them. 

I’ve chosen the Bomber as the first, which I know doesn’t sound like a good fit for sailors but hold on a tick. Hopefully Glasgow will be bombing through the lake to victory (terrible pun fully intended). This slightly tangy cocktail is a mix of Cuba Libre, moscow mule, dark and stormy’s among a variety of others. In my opinion this is a simple, decent cocktail. One that is great to start a night off! 

Bomber

25ml White Rum
25ml Sailor Jerry’s Spiced Rum
25ml Fresh Lime Juice
Topped with ginger beer. 

Shake the first three ingredients over ice, then strain into a tall glass. Top with ginger beer, then garnish with a wedge of lime. 

The second cocktail is a pretty obvious one, Yacht Club. I mean, duh, of course this would be a good cocktail to use as a dedication to the nincompoops who are sailing today! 

Yacht Club
50ml Dark or Golden Rum
Dash Apricot brandy
25ml Sweet Red Vermouth

Stir all these ingredients over ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass. Enjoy this rich flavourful drink on the marina! 

Good luck to glasgow university sailing team this weekend!



UPDATE: I just found out that Glasgow aren’t in fact sailing this weekend, but oh well. Doesn’t really matter, just have to change the message at the end to Good Luck to all the teams sailing this weekend!

This week we went to Soba Bar, an Asian influenced restaurant and cocktail bar. And I must say, it was pretty damn good, the place has a nice vibe(damn, I hate the word “vibe” but can’t think of another at this point in time) the staff were really friendly, music was good, and the bar just looked pretty fantastically cool. 

Okay, I might be racking up a fair number of superlatives here, but I think this might just be my new favourite bar in Glasgow. The new-age Pan-Asian influenced drinks are prepared with a caring touch, and the food(I didn’t have any) looked great, almost as good as the cocktails! 

We had four cocktails between us, and I really enjoyed 75% of them, I was just unsure about the last. All were made with fresh juices, a decent quality alcohol and the bartenders/servers really seemed to be enjoying themselves(always a plus).



The first cocktail on the left is an Ai-chee Martini (£5.95), which is fresh ginger, pear, mint strawberries (all muddled together), then shaken with Aivy white Vodka and lychee Liquor. I am a massive fan of lychee, which means that I really enjoyed the sour bite of it, but it was delicately balanced with sweetness of the strawberries and the pear. All in all, a great drink and my top rated at Soba Bar. 

The second drink on the left is a Bramble (£5.95), made with all the ingredients just as Dick Bradsell would’ve wanted it! For all the ingredients used in this, check out the post I did last month about the Bramble here. This was a strong contender for the drink of the day at Soba, with the deep flavours well constructed and composed, but the Ai-chee Martini just pips it to the post. 

The third drink from the left is a Singapore Sling (£5.95). A drink which we will be talking about on Monday of next week(so stay tuned for the full post). Whilst being delicious, the amount of soda floated at the top of it left the drink feeling a tad watery until you got about halfway through. The Singapore Sling has Martin Millers Gin, Cherry Brandy, Orange Liqueur and Fresh Lemon Juice. This is all shaken then topped with soda water(the offending party in Soba’s version). Still, this is a refreshing drink and perfect for the spring that is soon to be among us (hopefully), and with a terrace there can’t be a better place to enjoy one in the West End. 

The last drink, Passion of the Beast, has put me in a bit of a conundrum. Soba describes it as a “passionate beast,” yet for me there was very little that made me passionate about this drink. The drink was made with Fresh physalises muddled with passion fruit puree then shaken with Kraken dark spiced rum and Passoa(Passion Fruit Liquor), and topped with soda water. To me, this just tasted like an orange and soda your Gran might order in a pub! The rum couldn’t bite through the sweetness of the Passoa and the syrup, which is a shame, because I have had Kraken before several times and know it is a decent rum. 
I don’t want to put the guys at Soba down, because they have crafted a beautiful cocktail menu, but if you’re gonna have a cull on the menu, cull this one please! 

Okay, I realise that for that last drink it might just not be to my taste, but everyones taste is different, so go and try Soba out. Who knows, it might just be your favourite new bar in the West End too! I would recommend going sometime between Sunday and Wednesday, as they have some decent deals on(See Below) 

Don’t forget to follow us on twitter, facebook etc(Use the cool looking buttons at the bottom of the page). And make sure you enjoy having a cocktail! 


Average Cocktail Price= £6
Price of a Pint=£2(Sunday to Wednesday)
Price of a Vodka Mix =£2(Sunday to Wednesday)
Price of an Apple & Ginger Mojito= £3 (Sunday to Wednesday)

Get your arses to Soba (Please bear in mind that getinthespirits is 100% un-biased, however when we find a bar we like, we tend to get a bit over excited)