Industry

So you're having a party or event and you're interested in hiring a Professional Bartender/Mixologist to take care of you and your guests? Great idea! But how do you evaluate professional bartenders and which service is the best for you? After all, it is a profession that many people are truly unfamiliar with. There is a lot that the common man or woman does not know. Here are the questions you should ask before you consider hiring a Professional Bartender/Mixologist. Make sure they meet all or most of these requirements.

(Minty Blue pictured above)

Summer Rye

The Summer Rye cocktail is adapted from a traditional rye-based drink popular in fall/winter with the addition of St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur in place of Ginger Liqueur. Try both versions. The summer version has been a big hit this summer for weddings coordinated by RYS.

(Cover photo courtesy of Liquor.com)

National Mojito Day is celebrated on July 11th, but in reality, Mojitos can be and should be enjoyed all summer-long. Below you will find many different variations on this classic Cuban-born elixir along with it's history.

My Top 10 Specialty Cocktails Of All-Time

By: Michael Nagy

(Images with cocktails posted at http://www.thefoodiehub.com.au)

Sons of Liberty Spirits Company (SOL) located in the beautiful and picturesque New England region was founded to revolutionize and re-define American Whiskey. By challenging a long history of traditions, the new American Whiskey was re-born in the form of SOL Single Malt Whiskey and seasonal whiskies.

There is “The Martini” and then there are martinis and, quite often the latter has little or no resemblance to the original. The classic Gin Martini, made of gin and dry vermouth, will always remain a classic and a favorite of many. There is much debate among connoisseurs as to the ratio of the ingredients (vermouth to gin), style of gin, ice level, shaken versus stirred, and garnish that is best, but most will agree that the gin-vermouth combination is one of the classiest and best cocktails ever created.

Gin has a long and eventful history, but most people aren't familiar with all the great gins being produced around the world. Most are familar with Beefeater, Bombay, Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, and maybe Gordon's, but what about all those craft gins available on the market today. What is the difference between Dutch-style gin and London-dry gin? What countries produce gin?

(All photos not credited courtesy of Square One Organic and Del Maguey). Some recipes adapted by Michael Nagy.

Square One Organic Spirits, LLC – Novato, California

Square One, a pioneer in organic spirits, uses 100% organic Montana rye and pure water from the aquifer originating from the Teton Mountains in Wyoming. The bottle labels are made from a blend of bamboo, sugarcane and cotton, which are also organic.

Renowned mixologist, Jeffrey Morgenthaler, from Clyde Common in Portland, trained his staff by the original ‘1806 Hudson Balance’ method. The latter was named after the newspaper that defined the idea of the “Cocktail” being a mix of sugar, bitters, and spirit with a few teardrops of water.

In celebrating "National Cognac Day", here is a Cognac primer. Cognac is synonymous with "fancy," something rich folks sip after dinner in a snifter. Do most people know its French?  What kind of spirit is it actually? Brandy, perhaps.  What do all those acronyms XO and VSOP mean? Yes, it refers to the age of the cognac, but a little more complicated.