MySideOfTheBar

Recently MySideOfTheBar has been on the road to an undisclosed Caribbean location where we made an interesting observation. We stayed at a 5 Star all inclusive resort where there are no gratuities allowed under penalty of dismissal. The most noticeable and interesting thing was I have never seen a group of workers more happy, more polite or more helpful. No matter what their job from the grounds keepers, to house keeping to the wait staff to the bar tenders all were more that courteous  and always smiling. We had a chef in the Japanese Steakhouse who was very entertaining with  his jokes and songs and general conversations. We had a bar waitress and a waitress in the Italian Restaurant that could not have been nicer and our wine glasses never were empty. The bartenders remembered what you drank and served you with a smile in very short order. I guess what I am saying is I kind of felt bad for not being able to leave a tip. So if you are in the service industry in the U.S. ...

If  you recall in an earlier post, What is a Cocktail? I stated that in order to have a cocktail you should have 3 basic parts. 1. Base Spirit (Whiskey, Gin, Vodka, etc.) 2. A Modifier (Vermouth, Bitters even fruit juices, tonics or sodas) 3. An Enhancer (Bitters again work here along with a twist or other garnish) So today I would like to focus on modifiers and enhancers Bitters - A bitters is traditionally an alcoholic preparation flavored with botanical matter (herbs, roots, bark and/or fruit) such that the end result is characterized by a bitter or bittersweet flavor. Numerous longstanding brands of bitters were originally developed as patent medicines, but are now sold as digestifs and cocktail flavorings. Campari -  Campari is an alcoholic liqueur, considered an apéritif (20.5%, 21%, 24%, 25%, or 28.5% ABV, depending on the country in which it is sold), obtained from the infusion of herbs and fruit (including chinotto and cascarilla) in alcohol and ...

I know I say this every  year, but I was going to forego making predictions this year. If you look at my track record over the last couple of years you will see why. However, as I was sitting around @MySideOfTheBar the other day watching my third game of the day (I would have watched 4, except the NCAA BB finals were on) enjoying an "Emergency" Drink (see past post for references) I realized how baseball and drinking were related. So without further ado here we go! I will start with the Senior Circuit. National League East To me there is only one clear cut choice in this division and that is the Washington Nationals. While the Marlins and Mets have made some improvements I do not believe anyone can match the starting pitching of the Nats. Sorry Braves fans you are rebuilding this year and will not make much of an impact. National League Central Not only is there only one choice in the Central, the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the top organizations in baseball. Aft...

Baypoint Condo Crawl comes but once a year So raise a glass and give a cheer We have had as few as 4 and as many as 13 and always one of the best times you have ever seen We have crawled in rain and crawled in snow and even a couple of interlopers couldn't ruin the show One year Nancy and I went down on the ice and probably would still be there if Bob Swartz wasn't so nice You probably think me a liar, but One year we even had a fire From popcorn to Steve's spicey shrimp creole we have had most fare and you can have the food Bob Mcallister serves only if you dare One year R and P and S and C were clearly trying to settle a score Perhaps that is why they stayed up till Four We finally made it to building 373 We will find out after this year if it is the place to be From constitutes to themes we have had many a doin We have even had two guys a spoonin We know by now the crawl is one of the best You can see that clearly by the number of guests The...

I get asked this question all the time. "What are your 5 favorite Cigars?" Well as far as manufactures go that is easy, however narrowing down the choices to individual Cigars is not as easy. The Top 5 Manufactures/Companies are as follows Kristoff Alec Bradley Camacho E.P. Carillo Ashton  The next will be a little tricky as I rate my sticks on two main criteria, taste combined with cost point.  It should also come as no surprise that all sticks are more on the full body side. So here we go. 5.   Ashton San Cristobal Papagayo: Using a blend of rich mixture of Cuban-seed Nicaraguan long-fillers. Carefully balanced and patiently aged, these hand-selected . You get a great full body taste from this stick. 4. E. P. Carillo Inch Maduro: What I really like about this cigar is that it is a true "man's cigar"  Masterfully constructed with a dark, chocolate wrapper. The smoke is rich with cocoa, leather, and coffee, yet balanced with a sweet, spicy finis...

A month or so back Central Patti and I were in the Manifesto enjoying a few craft cocktails. One of her favorites that evening was The Smoke and Choke. Now I have to admit that I did not try it, however as this is the time of year I spend a lot of time in my Cocktail Lab Central Patti Challenged me to give it a try. So off to the internet I went and found a couple of You Tube channels that outlined the entire process. The most challenging part was to smoke the Bourbon, which it the base spirit of the Smoke and Choke. There were several ways I could accomplish this. Use my smoker, smoke a cocktail shaker or use liquid smoke. However, I wanted to go the technical route so I bought a Smoking Gun (insert joke here) I chose the one from Poly Science that was available on Amazon. This gun is very easy to use by following the directions (just DON'T pack the wood chips to tight) and in ten minutes or so you have smoked bourbon. There are many other uses for this piece of equipment...

Ok so a lot of you must have liked the post on Stocking Your Bar for Your First Cocktail Party because I have been receiving many questions from the article. The most common is ok the party went well now what do I need to expand it? First I have to say that stocking a bar initially is fairly easy, however expansion can be a little difficult and not that inexpensive. However, there are a few pointers you can follow to make this process easier and a little less expensive. Now that you have had a party you kind of know your guests and their individual tastes and that is one way to go. Add items that you may have received request for from your first party. Another way to go is to find a Cocktail that looks interesting to you and add just the ingredients to make that specific Cocktail. I can hear you now, "Yea, yea, but I need more specific help." Ok here you go... Add a bottle of Tequila, not the cheapest you can find nor the most expensive. I like Camarena Reposado as...