Bartending schools = bad bartenders

When I had decided to go to bartending school over two years ago, I thought I might be able to learn the secrets of good bartending, was I wrong. I was taught a lot of short cuts using things such as sweet and sour, speed guns and not even learning how to make a classic martini.

I remember the two weeks was very rushed with a brief descriptions of base spirits and was told a good bartender could crank out 10 drinks in five minutes. I also brought in orange bitters and some of my own bartending books I had collected such as the Craft of the Cocktail, Hollywood cocktails and Vintage cocktails and the teachers looked at the books and especially Regan's orange bitters and told me they had never seen them. One of the instructors even tried to convince me that classic martinis don't take orange bitters and he finally looked it up in a bartending book not from the school and told me "oh, I guess you're right" and this guy is supposed to be teaching me? I was also told that most high volume bars such as the corporate chains like Elephant bar, TGI Fridays or BJ's would hire a hot looking 20 something year old girl then a good looking guy so where does that leave a lot of the bartending students. Other options were to either work at a dive bar or a gay bar. That's why I started Daddy-O's martinis and have no regrets because I care what I create for clients and friends alike and want to use fresh fruits, herbs, top shelf spirits and proper balance and flavors rather than high fructose syrups and cheep liquor.

If all someone wants to do is pour vodka and Red bull, Jager bombs and serve cheep beer all night long,  great there's plenty of places like that to find some work . On the other hand if one cares about bartending as a craft or an art then bartending schools are not the way to go. You're best off buying some recommended books and learn from find a bartender that is creating cocktails they way they were intended to be made. I recommend looking for prohibition style bars and talking with the bartenders or there are a lot of online forums and groups you can join to learn more about classic cocktails, punches, juleps, sours, smashes and crustas. I'll list a few resources to get started but you can always ask me and find an answer for you.

Cheers,

John Apodaca
john@daddyosmartinis.com

Recommended books

Craft of the Cocktail by Dale DeGroff

Vintage Spirits and forgotten Cocktails by Ted Haigh AKA Dr. Cocktail

Classic Cocktails by Salvatore Calabrese

How's your Drink? by Eric Felten

Vintage Cocktails by Susan Waggoner and Robert Markel

Imbibe by David Wondrich

Online Resources

http://www.imbibemagazine.com/In-the-Magazine

http://www.critiki.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?

http://www.drinkinglounge.com/

http://www.cocktailia.com/

http://cocktaildb.com/

http://www.museumoftheamericancocktail.org/

http://rumdood.com/

http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/

The Godfather of cocktails The Martini

This is John Apodaca with Daddy-O's Martinis. There are many stories of how, when, where and why the Martini came into being and some will fight tooth an nail to defend one particular version. One account is that famous barman Jerry Thomas of the San Francisco's Occidental hotel mixed it for a gold miner on this way to the nearby town of Martinez in 1887 and called it the Martinez. Another story is that is was invented in the town of Martinez CA around the same time by bartender Richelieu. We here that it was invented by Martini di Arma di Traggi a bartender at New Yorks Knickerbocker Hotel. Even the British claim fame to it stating it was named after the Martini and Henry  rifle used by the Brithish army from 1871 - 1891. The world may really never know the true story but why waist time trying to figure it out and not have a drink.

The current Martini that's being served is a far cry from the original concoction that bartenders in the 1880s were serving. Early recipes called for Old Tom Gin which tends to be a sweeter spirit, rather than dryer versions. The older ingredients also where a one to one ratio of gin to vermouth along with syrup, maraschino or orange curacao and a some dashes of lemon. By the 1900s the drink was becoming well established and sweeteners were omitted and replaced by dry gin, vermouth and bitters.

The drink was popularized by over the years even during world wars one and two, prohibition and even Franklin Roosevelt drank it in the White House with some olive juice to celebrate the repeal of the 18th amendment. In the movie series the Thin man with William Powell and Myrna Loy they brought class and sophistication to the cocktail with scenes with the two at hight society cocktail parties and the character Nick showing the bartenders how to shake the drink to the tempo of certain music. The 1950s brought on the famous three martini lunches for business man even an add in the New York Times for a sales manager stated, " Intangible experience, must be able to move effectively at top management level and understand Big Business problems. Should be able to handle twelve martinis.  At the same time the martini became dryer with less vermouth and by the 1960s vodka was introduced with the James Bond series along with product placement of Smirnoff as the new standard and at times the bartender would only look at the vermouth.

Since the revival of classic cocktails and a few eager bartenders that desire craftsmanship over the mediocre the Martini has made a comeback they way it used to be made, wetter with more vermouth shaken inside it and served with ice chips. I personally prefer it made 1 1 /2 oz of top shelf gin, and 3/4 oz of dry vermouth with a dash of orange bitters. Try it at home or it home and tell me how you like it.

Cheers,

John Apodaca

Classic Martini

1 1/2 oz of Bombay Sapphire gin
3/4 oz of dry vermouth
1 dash of orange bitters (Regan's or Fee Bros)


Shake all ingredients together very hard for about 30 seconds and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with olives.