Great News!!!

As I woke up this morning I got some great news! I will be the brand ambassador/mixologist for Sorel liqueur here in the Chicagoland area. Sorel is a handcrafted liqueur comprised of Moroccan Hibiscus,
Brazilian clove, Nigerian Ginger, Indonesian cassia, Indonesian Nutmeg, and 100% organic grain alcohol. Sorel scored a very high rating at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2013. To me personally, it can be just as much of a " Must Have" liqueur as St. Germain. Be on the lookout for me hosting tastings, events, education, and a lot of recipes.. The fall recipes are already starting to come to me now.

Cheers

Until next time 

Mr Mixologist

Cocktail Thought for the Day 8-8-2013

In this last year I had the opportunity to head up a new program with Courvoisier USA as one of 8 Courvoisier "Courvoisiologists" from across the nation. We we in charge of executing events, new cocktails for the brand, and education. It was a great opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of the iconic brand and share it with many others. It all culminated with the Courvoisier lab event here in Chicago on June 5th. Cocktails, cocktails, and more cocktails. I was the featured mixologist and had 6 of my own created cocktails being featured at the event. But with that came the responsibility to really dig deep into the brand and learn about who I was representing. So with that the cocktail thought of the day today is all about Courvoisier Cognac. Anyone who knows me knows, I enjoy a finely distilled grape spirit, namely Cognac. Its a beautiful spirit and very very unique in its taste. So here is a little history about this iconic brand...

Cocktail Thought of the Day

Background and Present day Facts about Courvoisier

The origin of Courvoisier goes all the way back to the 19th with Emmanuel Courvoisier and his associate Louis Gallois running a wine and spirit company. In 1811 Napoleon Bonaparte visited their warehouse in Bercy. The rumor is that Napoleon took several barrels of Cognac with him to St. Helena, which in turn, the ships officers began naming it, "The Cognac Of Napoleon." Courvoisier was also served at the 1889 opening of the Eiffel Tower. As far as the aging process of this fine cognac, the Vs is aged up to 8 years with the majority of it being Fins Bois grapes, the VSOP is aged up to 10 years with a little of 50% of it being Grande Champagne Grapes, and the XO Imperial being a blend of up to 40 different Cognacs. 

So now to present day. Not only does Courvoisier have just Cognac but they introduced a New Blend of Cognac and 2 liqueurs to add to the portfolio. C by Courvoisier, Courvoiser Rose', and Courvosier Gold. 

C by Courvoisier is a small batch Cognac blend selected from 50 different Wine Growers and is double barreled for a completely different type of experience. Rose' is a blend of Courvoisier and Premium red wine grapes, and Gold is truly a one of a kind blend of Courvoisier and Moscato grapes. So for the 1st time in a long time I'll leave this blog post with some of my own recipes with each expression for all of you. Feel free to try these at home, as I took a BYOB( Be your own Bartender) approach to make quality cocktails but also ones easy enough for the at home bartender.. 

The Spoken Word

C By Courvoisier

Tripe Sec

Maraschino Liqueur

Lemon juice

Angostura Bitters

Top with Club Soda

Lemon Peel Garnish

A Rose Grew from Concrete

Courvoisier Rose

Lemon Juice

Lime Juice

Blackberry Liqueur

Angostura Bitters

Top with Ginger Beer

The Golden Sangria

Couvoisier Gold

Courvoisier VS

Moscato Wine

Blood Orange Juice

Lemons

Limes

Apples

Strawberries

White Peaches

Hopefully you enjoy the cocktails, and let me know if you try them by tweeting me at @MrMixologist with the hash tag #DrinkOneTeachOne

Until Next Time

MrMixologist

Cocktail Thought of the Day 8-7-2013

On my Instagram pages I started this little thing called the cocktail thought of the day. It was a fun way for me to communicate with everyone and also give out some information about cocktails that alot of the consumers on my side of town might not have been aware of. So on a bigger scale, why not share it with my blog friends and get even more of a way to get out and help educate the general consumer that isn't in the spirit world, but still enjoys cocktails and the cocktail world. So each day I'll pose a random thought and give some insight on it. Since my mantra is Drink One Teach One why not share things with the masses.

So here we go.....

Cocktail thought of the day--

What are Cocktail Bitters?

Bitters are a variety of herbs, fruits, spices, and roots distilled in a base spirit. Bitters were a staple in the early cocktail days, and have seen a resurgence since classic cocktails have made a resurgence in the last few years. Bitters can also be used in cooking, and once upon a time, Orange bitters were favored over aromatics. Some of my favorite brands of bitters are Angostura(Iconic brand), Peychaud's, Fee Brothers, Bittermans & Bitter Truth, and of course my good friend Gary Reagan's Orange Bitters No. 6. But my absolute new favorite thing to play around with in Cocktails is Dale DeGroff's Pimento Bitters. First of all anything made by " King Cocktail" is always worth a try. But his Pimento Bitters are handcrafted by the man himself and are a blend of Allspice berries., anise, and several other herbs. These bitters enhance the taste but they dont change it so much that all you are tasting is the bitters. I put 2 dashes of these in a Daiquiri at an event a couple weeks ago, and needless to say it was a HIT!!! I suggest all bartenders try the out and give it a try as well!! So hopefully for those who didn't know about bitters, this gave you an introduction to them! Stay tuned for many more cocktail thoughts of the day each day!

Cheers


Until next time
Mr Mixologist

Shaken or Stirred

" I like my Martini shaken not stirred"- Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger

Happy Saturday Afternoon everyone! 

So this topic has came up because of something I posted on my business Instagram page ( IG- DomBarService). I tell this story that I was at a 5 star hotel in downtown Chicago for a wedding reception. While waiting, myself and a couple friends went to the hotel bar for cocktails. I proceeded to ask the bartender for an Aviation. She responded we don't carry those. So now you can just tell the look on my face at this point.....lol but I digress. So, I asked for a Negroni( one of my favorite cocktails).  So since they " had those" lol I watched the bartender prepare it. And right at the end of the drink SHE SHOOK IT!!! Imagine my horror as I watched that beautiful blend of Plymouth, Campari, and Antica shaken agitated, full of air bubbles, cloudy and just not very appealing when it went into my glass.. Needless to say, I ordered a beer and sent the cocktail back. 

Which brings me to today's post. Some bartenders don't know when to shake and when to stir. Myself I generally follow this rule, when the cocktail is all spirit( base spirit and modifiers) I ONLY stir. When I have a cocktail that requires any type of citrus or juice, eggs, or cream, I shake. Cocktail example to stir would be a Negroni, Manhattan, Rob Roy. Some cocktails you would shake could be margaritas, daiquiris, and long islands. (Yes a well made, shaken Long Island can be a very tasty cocktail. But that's for another post on another day).

With a stirred cocktail you don't want any air bubbles or ice chips in the cocktail, and shaking it agitates it waaaay to much for my taste. So generally when making cocktails and creating new ones I follow these simple rules to making them tasty. So why did James Bond want his martini shaken and not stirred?? We may never know.. But what we do know is that following these simple cocktail rules will produce some very tasty cocktails every time. 

Until Next Time

MrMixologist

Back to Blogging/Drink One Teach One

Hey everyone!

Its been a long time but Mr Mixologist has finally got the blogging bug back in his system. I have been a part of soooo many great events this year, and have so many coming up that I want to share them with all my Twitter/Facebook/Instagram followers. But before I get going I first want to say THANK YOU, to all who have supported me and DrinkxXx On Me bartending Service over the last few years, We started off doing house parties and now have grown to working for various spirit brands and hosting and bartending some of the biggest events here in Chicago.Now for those of you who have been a subscriber to this blog, thank you and now you're in for a treat because we will have postings on everything from Spirit reviews, to some of my favorite bar/restaurants, How to cocktail videos, and the ever infamous "Cocktail Thought of the Day".

So now that brings me to the point of this post today.. my ever famous catchphrase "Drink One Teach One". many have asked me where this came from and why do I always say it and use the hash tag on twitter( #DrinkOneTeachOne) Well here is your answer....

This phrase is the gist of my entire career. Unfortunately, in my community the overall "cocktail" scene is lacking. So when I''m working, or creating menus for clients I try to bring a little more cocktail awareness to the forefront. I love alcohol, I love all the different spirits that are out there(for the most part) and I love learning while I'm enjoying cocktails. Learning about the origin of a cocktail, or breaking down the flavors in the base spirit, or just figuring out all the ingredients in a cocktail while tasting blindly are some very enjoyable things to "Drink One Teach One". Understand spirits and know what you are putting inside your body. Its called "Edutainment" learn something and have fun all at the same time.

Now that im back in the blogging world, I look forward to sharing with you all my experiences, tastings, evenings out, events, recipes, and just views on different trends in the cocktail world. If you have anything you would like to see in this blog that you haven't yet or don't, by all means email me at info@dombartending,.com or tweet me @MrMixologist or @DomBarService and use the hash tag #DrinkOneTeachOne

Until Next Time
Mr. Mixologist

Blessed to be a Blessing Toy Drive

We have the privilege of being one of the sponsors at the 3rd annual Official Anais Toy drive, benefiting A New Me foundation. Last year it was our 1st year and was held at the Lacuna Artist Lofts and was a memorable experience. This years toy Drive will be held at Donna's Cafe at 1255 S. State Street from 4p-7p.

A New Me Foundation is a non for profit organization that provides for victims and survivors of Domestic Violence. Randi Knight from Soul 106.3 will be a special guest host and speaker at this years toy drive which including US will have sponsorships from 1604 Designs, the Hip Hop Democrat, Speak H.O.P.E., and others.

So please come out, support a GREAT cause, and help someone who is probably less fortunate than you are. Its always better to give than to receive, and we are giving back by sponsoring and providing everyone with a pretty tasty Caliche Rum cocktail at the event. Also as an incentive to my readers and to everyone who makes it out, whomever makes the largest donation(whether monetarily or gifts) will receive a FREE 4 hour in home event with DrinkxXx On Me and Mr.Mixologist. So get there, network, and help some people in need!!

Until Next Time
Mr.Mixologist

Happy Repeal Day!!!

Happy Repeal Day everyone. On January 16th, 1919 congress passed the 18th amendment outlawing alcohol consumption and sales. Repeal Day is the day that Prohibition ended with the passing of the 21st amendment of the United States on December 5, 1933. This year marks the 79th anniversary of this great day! 

During Prohibition, people continued to produce and drink alcohol, and bootlegging helped foster a massive industry completely under the control of organized crime. Drinking in speakeasies became increasingly fashionable, and many mothers worried about the allure that alcohol and other illegal activities associated with bootlegging would have over their children.  
The most effective depiction of prohibition era bootlegging, in my opinion,  and some of the tactics and things that were going on in this time of history is on my favorite television series Boardwalk Empire. Ironically I found out that the state of Utah(a Mormon state) was the one who ratified the 21st amendment, giving the 3/4 threshold needed to enact the 18th amendment. 


So take this day today, go out and celebrate responsibly, and enjoy a classic cocktail. Ill be celebrating with some friends this evening over some Zacapa Rum cocktails. I'll leave this posting with a few visuals from Prohibition and post Prohibition... 

Cheers,

Until Next Time
Mr. Mixologist