Show notes
·
This
week on the podcast, we talk about alternatives to Simple Syrup, how to win at
competitions and revisit egg whites in Cocktails.
Listen with the player below or subscribe iTunes
or Stitcher Radio.
Bartender Journey Podcast # 141
·
What
is Gum syrup or (or Gomme) Syrup?
Jennifer Colliau, founder of Small Hand
Foods, describes it this way: “Gum syrup is simple syrup with gum Arabic added to provide texture. Gum arabic
doesn't have much flavor on its own, although I use organic sugar in my gum
syrup, which has a light molasses flavor and gives the syrup a light amber
color. Gum syrup is best in drinks that don't have any other ingredients that
add viscosity, like Old Fashioneds, Sazeracs and Juleps.”
o So what is the gum Arabic that Jennifer
mentioned? It is an all natural resin harvested from the Acacia tree.
o Jerry
Thomas used Gum syrup in many of his recipes.
o Small
Hand Foods makes many wonderful products, including:
§
Gum
syrup (See Whiskey Cocktail recipe below)
§
Raspberry
Gum Syrup
§
Pineapple
Gum Syrup
§
Passion
Fruit Syrup
§
Grenadine
§
Orgeat
(See Bourbon Lift Cocktail recipe below)
§
Tonic
Syrup
§
Yeanman
Tonic Syrup
·
Whiskey
Cocktail
-Adapted from Jerry Thomas, How To mix Drinks, 1862 and borrowed from SmallHandFoods.com
o
2
oz bourbon
o
¼
oz Small Hand Foods Gum Syrup
o
2
dashes Angostura bitters
o
1
dash orange bitters
(I used Angostura)
o
1
4-inch strip of lemon peel (no pith) (or orange peel)
o Rub lemon peel around rim of an
old-fashioned glass. Place peel, Gum Syrup and bitters into the glass. Press
peel with the back of a barspoon several times to release oils. Add bourbon and
a couple large ice cubes and stir for 15 seconds.
·
Comparing
this version to the same cocktail made with Simple Syrup instead of the Gum
Syrup, I found the Gum Syrup version more "viscous" and “substantial”. It tasted more like a cocktail than the
Simple Syrup version, which tasted a bit like “sweetened whiskey”.
· The More Cowbell Cocktail
From Liquor.com
o
1
oz Gin
o
3/4 oz
Lemon juice
o
1/2 oz
Aperol
o
½ oz
Cardamaro Amaro
o
.13 oz
Gum syrup
o
Lemon
peel
o
Shake
with ice. Serve up -Double strain
into a chilled cocktail glass.
·
Bourbon
Lift Cocktail
From
Liquor.com
The cocktail equivalent of
a New York egg cream, this rich and fizzy bourbon drink is
absolutely delicious.
o
1
1/2 oz Bourbon
o
1/2
oz Heavy cream
o
1/2
oz House Spirits Coffee Liqueur or other coffee liqueur
o
1/2
oz Small Hand Foods Orgeat
o
Club
Soda
o
Glass:
Fizz or Collins
o
Dry
shake all ingredients except Club Soda.
Add ice to shaker. Shake
again. Strain into tall glass
without ice. Fill with Club
Soda. Foam should exceed rim of
glass.
·
More about using Egg Whites in Cocktails (part 1 here).
o
Jeff Morgenthaler emailed to clarify why he
beats his egg whites before adding to the shaker:
§ “The
reason for beating the egg white is so you can measure it correctly, and so
that it’s already pre-beaten to minimize the dry shaking.
§ We
do it at the bar, and I always do this at home. You can use a fork to do it, it
doesn’t need to be beaten to hell.”
o Another
option for cocktail foam is to add
it on top of the otherwise finished cocktail from an iSi charger. Sometimes gelatin is added to make the foam even more
stable. The foam can even be
flavored, as Jamie Boudreau does in this
video.
o Kellie
Thorn, beverage director for Hugh Acheson
and bar manager at Atlanta's Empire State
South adds a little olive oil to her Fall Sour Cocktail to help with
emulsification. You can see a video
of Kellie making this cocktail on the Tales of the Cocktail web site.
How to Win at Cocktail Competitions.·
At the Tampa USBG Repeal Day Conference recently,
Nick
Nistico gave a great Seminar on this subject. In
2013 Nick won more cocktail competitions than any bartender in the world. Here are some notes from his seminar:
o Preparation
is how you win.
o Winning
is a habit. So is loosing.
o If
you don’t get accepted, cancelations happen all the time – send an email to the
organizers and be a very gracious looser – say how excited you were to be
considered and if there are any cancelations, to please keep you in mind etc
o Know
the Brand! Very important to know
everything you can about the featured spirit, but also any modifiers you use –
you don’t want to put a competitor’s brand in your drink!
o Ask
Brand Ambassadors about the direction of the brand – for instance, you might
use a modifier from the brand’s portfolio, but the Brand Ambassador might tell
you “oh, we are phasing that out!”
If that’s the case, it could cost when it comes to the judging.
o Find
out who the Judges are – google the shit out of them! Example, Nick found out what university a judge went to,
acquired a cocktail napkin from that university, and placed it down in front of
that judge.
o Simplicity
usually wins.
o Prepare,
practice and bring everything you need – bring more than what you need.
o Go
to the venue sometime before the competition for dinner or drinks. Don’t show on the day of the
competition as a stranger.
o Be
dressed and groomed – think “is the brand going to want to put me on the cover
of a magazine?” Nick changes his
shirt just before going on.
o Introduce
yourself to the bar back maybe tip him!
Be nice!
o Ask
yourself at the competition – do you really want to watch the contestants that
go before you?? Maybe not - it could undermine your confidence, (or make you over confident!)
o How to loose – If you loose:
§ Be Thankful
§ Congratulate the winner
§ Follow up
o A
Bar Above has a PDF that you can download about winning Cocktail Competitions
and also lists upcoming Competitions here. Some of the main points on the document
include:
· Follow the rules. Not most of the rules. All
of them.
· Find the judging criteria and build your
entry
accordingly.
· Use the sponsor’s product, and avoid using
products
from competitors’ portfolios
o
Another source for locating Competitions from
Good Spirits News is here
·
Toast of
the Week:
"May neighbours respect you,
Trouble neglect you,
The angels protect you,
And heaven accept you."